Atlas Studios

  Atlas Studios

  In a pretty good Western restaurant, Jiang Yao was drinking juice from her cup, sizing up the friend she had not seen in a long time. She was always on business trips overseas, and so it had been a long time since she met her. It seemed like she was not doing very well. She had deliberately put on some light make-up, but it could not hide her wan and sallow complexion.

  “Ruoxin, have you gone mad?” She put down the cup in hand. She had understood it. How could she live happily, being married to a guy who hated her?

  “No.” Xia Ruoxin smiled blandly, concealing the strong feelings behind her eyes. She did not want Jiang Yao to notice her misery.

  “I have not gone crazy, but you’ve become tanner.” She said half-jokingly.

  Jiang Yao glared at her sternly. “I’ve been running around outdoors every day under the hot sun. I’ve become tanner, but I’ve also become much healthier, unlike you. You look like you’ll collapse if the wind blows—also as white as a ghost.”


  She put her hand on Xia Ruoxin’s shoulders. Sure enough, she could already feel clearly the shape of her bone. She had really lost weight.

  This dishonest woman. She knew it just from her sullen face.

  “So how long will you be staying?” Xia Ruoxin was still smiling. She didn’t mention how her life has been. Meeting a close friend made her spirits go slightly brighter.

  Before long, Jiang Yao retracted her hand and picked up the cup from the table again. “I’m probably leaving again after a few days, for about half a year this time. I’m prepared to change jobs when I’m done with these. I’m tired.” She heaved a sigh as she said that. It was time for her to look find a man to marry, too.

  “Then, the next time we can meet would be…… a long time after?” Xia Ruoxin listened to her talk, an unspeakable sadness rising inside her. She had just come back, but she needed to leave again. Was it really that urgent?

  “Yes.” Jiang Yao propped her face up with her hand. Their conversation was getting more serious. She stared at her surroundings—bored—until her eyes landed on a shadow. She narrowed her eyes to look clearer, a weird look on her face. Xia Ruoxin was only taking in the volume of her drink and did not notice anything unusual.

  Jiang Yao looked away immediately and just gave Xia Ruoxin a complicated look.

  “Ruoxin, does Chu Lui treat you nicely?”


  Xi Ruoxin’s body jerked slightly. “Very nicely. Haven’t you seen the newspapers? He gave me a necklace worth a few million dollars.”


  She said without any delight, her mind filled with faint memories from the past. In fact, to her, the necklace was priceless not because of its value, but because of the man who gave it to her.

  But now, why?

  Jiang Yao was silent for a long time, but she still wanted to scold her in the end. “Ruoxin, you’re not happy now, are you?” She was not fooled by the smile on her face. It was obviously deliberate and forced. She actually wanted to cry instead of smiling, didn’t she?

  “Yes, I’m happy.” Xia Ruoxin held the cup from the table with two hands tightly and smiled. “Of course, I’m happy. Jiang Yao, have you forgotten? I’ve loved him for a long time. I’m very happy just to be able to be his wife.”


  Her palm came into contact with the cup’s warmth, her palms becoming warm, but her fingertips were completely freezing.

  “Ruoxin, why are you so foolish?” Jiang Yao really wanted to shake this fool until she came to her senses. She did not know what to do with her extreme naivety. There were some people who were worth it, and some people who were not. Was that Chu Lui really deserving of this kind of love from her? A love that ended up with her having nothing, not even herself.