"You really are my 'best friend,' huh! I asked you to pass him the keys, and you went straight to cooking dinner? Trying to sneak in while I'm gone?"
Fang Zixuan glared furiously at Yao Anqi inside the apartment.
Ever since Lu Chen and Ruan Mingliang both dumped her at Tai Fu Plaza half an hour ago, she had been hurting but refused to give up. Four years of relationship couldn't just disappear overnight. So she fixed her makeup, rushed to the market, bought a pile of ingredients Lu Chen loved, and planned to come back to cook him a lavish dinner.
She even bought a super-sexy sheer lingerie set, ready to use every trick in the book tonight to seduce him.
But the moment she arrived, she found Anqi had already cooked dinner and cleaned the entire place!
And every dish on the table was something Lu Chen loved. Rage exploded inside her—she'd always known Anqi wanted to steal him!
"I—I didn't! You wouldn't listen when I tried to stop you from breaking up, so… so I bought his favorite food to comfort him. You two were together for so long; he'd be heartbroken…"
Anqi shrank back like a guilty little wife, stammering in a tiny voice.
"What does his heartbreak have to do with you? Don't think I don't know what you're after. You've been secretly in love with him forever. You even paid his mother's medical bills back then, but somehow Lu Chen thought it was me, and that's how we got together, right?"
"I did wonder why he suddenly treated me so well. Later I found out the truth and asked you about it—you never planned to tell him, and you even encouraged us to stay together."
"Oh, I get it now. Back when he was broke, you 'generously' let me have him so I could suffer with him. Now that he's rich and has some mysterious new identity, you're rushing over to play the saint, expose what I 'did,' and make him grateful so he'll choose you instead. You're really something!"
Fang Zixuan rambled on, forcibly writing Anqi's villain script in her own head.
"I didn't… how can you say that about me…"
Anqi was completely bewildered. Tears welled up; all she could think about was how hurt Lu Chen must be after the breakup. That's why she cooked his favorite dishes to cheer him up. She didn't even register the part about "he's rich now" and "different identity."
"Hah! Truly, keep your boyfriend safe from thieves and best friends. Get out! You're not welcome here. Stay away from Lu Chen from now on!"
The always domineering Fang Zixuan roared and grabbed Anqi by the arm, trying to drag her out.
"The one who needs to get out is you!"
A sudden angry shout exploded. The door slammed open. Lu Chen appeared in the doorway, face livid.
"Lu—Lu Chen, you're back? I—"
"Get off her!"
Lu Chen shoved Fang Zixuan aside and pulled Anqi protectively behind him, looking at her with concern.
If he hadn't overheard their conversation from the hallway, he would never have known that the person who paid his mother's hospital bills all those years ago was actually Anqi.
No wonder certain things about Fang Zixuan and Anqi had always felt off during their four-plus years together.
Now everything clicked.
"Are you okay?"
"I—I'm fine!"
Anqi was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Feeling the genuine worry in Lu Chen's eyes, her cheeks flushed without warning. He was shielding her with both arms; they were so close she could feel his breath. Her heart pounded like crazy.
"You shameless slut Anqi—seducing him right in front of me!"
Seeing the atmosphere between them, Fang Zixuan lost it and charged forward, shrieking.
SLAP!
A crisp smack. Fang Zixuan hit the floor, a bright red handprint blooming on her cheek.
"Lu Chen… you hit me?"
She stared in disbelief at Lu Chen's raised hand that hadn't come down yet, eyes bloodshot.
In all their years together, he had never once raised his voice, let alone his hand.
And now he struck her—for Anqi.
Her glare toward Anqi turned venomous. If looks could kill, Anqi would already be shredded to pieces.
"Hit you? Today I'm going to teach you how a decent human being acts."
"Manager Sun, you saw everything. This woman broke into my home, verbally abused my girlfriend, and even tried to get physical. Please call the police. This kind of thug behavior must be punished severely."
Ignoring Fang Zixuan's murderous expression, Lu Chen turned to Sun Defu.
"Absolutely, Mr. Lu. Not just me—my whole team can testify. I'm calling right now."
Sun Defu pulled out his phone and dialed the authorities.
Anyone who could become manager at Hongyang Grand Mansion was a shrewd operator. One glance was enough to understand the situation.
"You're all lying! I'm Lu Chen's girlfriend! She's the homewrecker! I've been living here the whole time—your own property staff can prove it! You're slandering me!"
Fang Zixuan screamed hysterically.
"Have you forgotten? We broke up. Anqi is my girlfriend now. Since we're no longer together, you entered my home without permission—that's breaking and entering."
"Exactly. I'm the property manager here, and we all witnessed what happened. The facts are clear," Sun Defu immediately backed Lu Chen up.
"You…"
The police arrived shortly after, took statements, and hauled Fang Zixuan away.
No matter how much she protested, everyone's story was identical. The officers initially suggested it could be handled as a civil dispute, but Lu Chen insisted on pressing charges.
With mediation impossible, it went through the legal process. Fang Zixuan was detained for trespassing and attempted assault.
Sun Defu cleaned up the aftermath and had his team move all of Lu Chen's belongings to the new place.
Soon, only Lu Chen and Anqi remained in the now-empty apartment.
From the moment Lu Chen had called her "my girlfriend," Anqi had been in a complete daze.
"Anqi, you're really too silly! Why didn't you ever tell me any of this? If Fang Zixuan hadn't blurted it out today, were you planning to keep it secret forever?"
Looking at the adorable, silly woman in front of him, Lu Chen pulled her into his arms.
Caught off guard, Anqi first tensed up, then slowly melted as she felt his strong embrace and the uniquely masculine scent surrounding her. Her mind went blank.
They held each other for a long while.
Lu Chen gently lifted her delicate chin, gazed at her with tender affection, and murmured, "Don't be so silly from now on, okay?"
Anqi nodded obediently, letting out a soft "mm," her cheeks burning crimson.
It was the first time a man—let alone the man she had secretly loved for years—had ever held her like this. She was impossibly shy.
Suddenly, her eyes flew wide open.
A warm sensation pressed against her lips.