Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/

Chapter 18: Heartache

Jiang Liuyi looked across the table at Yu Bai, her delicate brows knitting together. “Where’s Qiushui?”

Yu Bai glanced at the time on her phone. “Wasn’t she supposed to be here half an hour ago?”

Jiang Liuyi’s frown deepened. She took out her phone and called Lin Qiushui. The background on the other end was noisy. Lin Qiushui said, “Sorry, Liuyi, I just ran into an old acquaintance in the lobby. She’s had too much to drink—I’m taking her home now.”

A grown woman, still pulling tricks like this.

Jiang Liuyi was a little upset. Without thinking, she stood up and said, “Qiushui’s gone home. Let’s talk another time.”

Across from her, Yu Bai lowered her head and called out softly, “Yiyi.”

Jiang Liuyi paused. Yu Bai looked up, her eyes tinged red at the corners. She said, “Can we not even have a meal together anymore? Are we not even allowed to be friends?”

Jiang Liuyi pressed her lips together but didn’t take another step. She turned back to look at Yu Bai and asked, “What would you like to eat?”

Yu Bai smiled at her, her voice gentle. “Sit down first, then we’ll talk.”

The server handed them the menu. Yu Bai lowered her gaze and said, “I remember you used to love sauerkraut with stewed pork ribs. They have it here too. I haven’t tried it yet, later…”

“I don’t like it anymore.”

Jiang Liuyi looked at Yu Bai. Sunlight slanted in through the window, falling across Yu Bai’s figure. She had once liked Yu Bai very much. After being cast out by the Jiang family, it was Yu Bai and Zhao Yuebai who helped her find a place to train—a small room, barely enough for living. Yu Bai often came by, bringing her food. She had been grateful.

Later, her father somehow found out where she was. He came storming in with a stick, eyes red with rage, ready to beat her hands. It was Yu Bai who threw herself over her to shield her.

She had stood outside the hospital for a long time, too afraid to go in.

She remembered hearing Yu Bai ask upon waking, “Is Yiyi alright?”

Perhaps love starts in an instant. In that moment, she had thought—she wanted to treat Yu Bai well, always.

But Yu Bai never gave her the chance.

Jiang Liuyi came back to herself, looked at Yu Bai, and said plainly, “I don’t like it anymore.”

Yu Bai’s hand trembled. The menu nearly slipped from her fingers. She lowered her gaze. “Then what do you want to eat?”

Jiang Liuyi said, “Order what you like.”

Yu Bai was silent for a few seconds.

Being with Jiang Liuyi had always meant Jiang Liuyi taking the initiative—she was the one who confessed, who held her hand. No matter what they were doing, Jiang Liuyi would arrange everything. Even at restaurants, she would order the dishes she liked ahead of time.

This was completely different.

Yu Bai wasn’t used to it. Flustered, she hurriedly picked a few dishes, her mind foggy. Jiang Liuyi asked, “Have you finalized the venue for the exhibition?”

Her voice seemed to drift near and far. It took Yu Bai a while to answer, “Yes. It’s a space provided by Director Yao from the Art Association.”

Yao was a well-known figure in the art world. Jiang Liuyi was familiar with her and nodded. The waiter brought the food and handed them chopsticks. Jiang Liuyi habitually rinsed hers in hot water and passed a pair to Yu Bai.

Yu Bai looked at the chopsticks.

At another table nearby, Gu Yuanyuan had been observing closely and immediately reported in a flurry: [They’re eating! What is wrong with Jiang Liuyi? Does Yu Bai not know how to rinse her own chopsticks? Song Xian, where are you!!]

Song Xian replied calmly: [Retouching photos.]

Gu Yuanyuan exploded: [What?! You’re still editing photos at a time like this? Your wife’s about to get stolen!]

Song Xian looked at the message, her hangover headache flaring up again. She got up to pour herself a glass of warm water. Her phone was already flooded with messages from Gu Yuanyuan—photos, voice notes, and a few vulgar curses thrown in for good measure.

She rubbed her aching forehead and replied: [Jiang Liuyi said she was going to discuss a potential collaboration.]

[And you believed her?!] Gu Yuanyuan’s fingers flew across the screen. [I’m telling you, that’s how it starts. Talk about work, talk some more—and then suddenly they’re in bed together!]

Still fuming, Gu Yuanyuan turned to the server and asked if the seat behind the partition near Jiang Liuyi was taken. The server shook their head, and she grabbed her bag and darted over.

Now she was only one partition away from Jiang Liuyi. A louder voice would carry easily. Gu Yuanyuan tilted her ear toward the conversation, but after a while, she still couldn’t make out what they were saying. Left with no other choice, she pulled out her phone and pretended to make a call.

“Hello? Xiao Liu? So—you met up with that heartless bastard?” Her voice was loud enough for both Jiang Liuyi and Yu Bai to hear clearly from their side. Both women kept their heads down, quietly eating.

Yu Bai asked, “How are things between you and your wife lately?”

Gu Yuanyuan was righteously indignant. “You should’ve told her to get lost! Who does she think she is? Didn’t they break up three years ago? Oh, and what a dramatic breakup that was—she left like it meant nothing, couldn’t be persuaded no matter what, left you hospitalized, on IV drips, nearly half-dead. Now she wants to get back together? What kind of delusional fairytale is that? Just because she went abroad, she thinks she’s made of gold? Touch her and money falls out?”

Yu Bai: …

The mood instantly turned awkward. She looked up at the partition—an old-fashioned design in deep red, intricate stripes making it impossible to see through. But the voice pierced through every crevice.

Jiang Liuyi replied blandly, “Things are fine.”

Gu Yuanyuan huffed a laugh. “Fine, my ass! Look at you—one crook of her finger and you’re all turned around. I’m telling you, who wouldn’t take advantage of that? Now that she’s back, suddenly she’s thinking about you? What, and you’re actually considering it? I don’t even want to point out that pathetic little thought of yours. And what about your girlfriend? Do you not have a girlfriend?”

Yu Bai: …

Jiang Liuyi: …

The two fell into silence again, only to hear the voice behind the partition grow even more impassioned: “An acceptable ex is a dead one—dead, got it? What friends? What collaboration? It’s all lies! You’re out here having dinner with her—did you ever think about how your wife feels? She’s sitting at home, all alone, waiting for you, staring at the door with tears in her eyes, while you’re here playing cozy with your ex over a meal. Tell me—who are you being fair to? I’m telling you, Xiao Liu! If you keep this up, don’t call me again! We’re done! Totally done! This is outright cheating!”

Jiang Liuyi’s chopsticks trembled and clinked lightly against the bowl.

Yu Bai bit her lip. “Yiyi, should we go somewhere else to eat?”

Jiang Liuyi looked up and shook her head. “No need. Let’s just eat quickly.”

Then she added to Yu Bai, “Send the style you’re thinking of to my assistant, or to Qiushui.”

Yu Bai watched her take a few bites and then set her chopsticks down, as if she were already finished. Her chest tightened with a pang. Yu Bai ate slowly, so when she dined with Jiang Liuyi, the latter would always wait for her.

There were even times when Jiang Liuyi finished first and teased, “Why do you eat so slow?”

“It’s fine,” she would smile and say. “I’ll wait for you.”

Yu Bai had smiled too, but said, “Then next time, could you eat more slowly? Don’t put your chopsticks down so soon.”

Jiang Liuyi nodded. “Got it.”

She had always done well. After that, she rarely put down her chopsticks first. Even when she finished, she would wait. But now…

Yu Bai felt a sour ache in her chest. Her stomach tightened with discomfort. She was just about to set her chopsticks down, but the memories of Jiang Liuyi’s past kindness stopped her. The more she recalled, the harder it became to let go.

Jiang Liuyi glanced down at her phone, estimating when she’d need to leave. She called the server over and softly ordered an omelet rice. Once the server had walked away, Yu Bai gathered herself and said, “Liuyi, if you’re not in a rush later, would you come see the exhibition space with me? I remember you once said—if I ever held an exhibition, you wanted to be the first to see it.”

She had indeed said that.

Back then, everyone had been full of dreams, chatting idly among friends. Qian Shen had said she didn’t aim too high—just wanted to make money and raise a few pretty boys. Zhao Yuebai laughed at her for being unserious. Then they all looked toward her.

Jiang Liuyi had said, “I want to go on a world tour.”

At the time, dreams seemed so far away—so distant that one could speak of them with grandeur.

Yu Bai said, “Then I’ll hold an art exhibition. The biggest one in the country. And I’ll invite the greatest—Professor Bai Ye—to personally guide me!”

Jiang Liuyi had turned to her and said, “Alright then. When you hold your exhibition, I’ll be the first to visit.”

The others had burst into teasing oohs and ahhs, the mood light and playful. Amid the laughter, Yu Bai had thrown her a flirty glance, shyly smiling.

But time had passed. They had all achieved the dreams they once spoke of. Except—she could no longer be the first to walk into Yu Bai’s exhibition.

Jiang Liuyi said, “I have something else to do later. I won’t be able to go.”

Yu Bai looked crestfallen. She clutched her chopsticks tightly, her whole body tense and aching. She looked up at Jiang Liuyi and swallowed her bitterness. “Mm. If you’ve got something to do, go ahead.”

She hadn’t always been so understanding. In the past, words like these usually meant she was angry and waiting to be coaxed. Back then, Jiang Liuyi would have picked up on it immediately. But now, she stood and simply said, “Then I’ll get going.”

Yu Bai gripped her chopsticks with white knuckles, her face paling.

Jiang Liuyi said goodbye and walked over to the counter to pay. She carried a small takeout box in her hand. Watching her retreating figure, Yu Bai felt her breath catch painfully in her throat. She turned her head away. Jiang Liuyi had already walked out of the restaurant.

Outside, Jiang Liuyi sent a message to Song Xian, asking if she had eaten. Song Xian replied quickly: [Not yet.]

Jiang Liuyi typed: [I brought you omelet rice.]

Song Xian lowered her gaze for a couple of seconds, then replied: [Thank you.]

After sending the message, she set her phone down and rolled her neck. A long string of messages from Gu Yuanyuan had come in. She played them one by one. By the end, Gu Yuanyuan sounded too drained to keep scolding. Song Xian called her.

On the other end, Gu Yuanyuan’s voice rang out with conviction: “Just be careful. Be extra careful!”

Song Xian responded, “Got it.”

After hanging up, she looked back at the screen. Her vision was blurred from staring too long. The image on the screen doubled, leaving faint afterimages. She reached into the drawer, took out a bottle of eyedrops, and tilted her head back. As the nozzle hovered close to her lashes, she held up her upper eyelid.

Just then, the door opened behind her.

Her hand froze. The drops overran, spilling into her eyes. The excess stung, and Song Xian hurriedly dabbed at them with a tissue.

When Jiang Liuyi walked through the door, she saw Song Xian seated at the computer. The screen showed a photo of her. Song Xian was staring at it while wiping the corners of her eyes with a tissue.

“You’re out there having dinner with her—did you ever think about how your wife feels? She’s sitting at home, all alone, waiting for you, staring at the door with tears in her eyes…”

Jiang Liuyi froze.

Was Song Xian crying?

A sudden surge of guilt and a pang of indescribable tenderness swelled inside her. Without thinking, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Song Xian from behind.