Chapter 1: The Breakup

Julian had a girlfriend who was deeply in love with him, completely infatuated. That is, until the day Chloe caught him passionately kissing his new lover. Chloe calmly packed her things, took the breakup compensation, severed all ties, and decisively started a new life. Everyone believed she would be the first to cave, including Julian. Day one passed, no reconciliation. On the third day, her phone was blocked. Three months later, Julian couldn’t take it anymore. He lowered his pride and reached out: "Enough of the tantrum, it’s time to stop." But Chloe only responded with a cold smirk, refusing to turn back. When Chloe began seeing someone new, Julian went crazy. “I miss you, come back…” “I’m dying here, can’t you come see me…” A man on the other end of the phone laughed mockingly, “As a proper ex, after a breakup, you should be dead to her. When we get married, we’ll send you an invitation. Then you can see her.” --- Everyone knew that Chloe had lost herself in her love for Julian. She had given all her time to him, wishing she could spend every moment together. During the years they were together, they fought and nearly broke up countless times, but in the end, it was always Chloe who gave in, apologizing and mending things. Everyone knew Chloe was the kind of person who would never say "break up." Voices could be heard coming from the booth. “I’m just saying, don’t you think you went too far this time? Online rumors are one thing, but now you’ve even brought her here. What will you say when Chloe sees this?” “I told you before, don’t bring her around. Why didn’t you listen?” Sitting in the center of the couch, Julian had a delicate woman in his arms. Teasingly, he pinched her waist. “It doesn’t matter. She won’t leave me.” His voice brimmed with confidence and pride. No one around him could come up with a rebuttal. “Well, maybe, but if you really lose her this time, I wonder if you’ll still be so confident.” Someone muttered. Julian sneered, utterly confident that Chloe wouldn’t leave him. “You think that’s possible?” He asked lightly, and everyone agreed it wasn’t. After all, anyone could see how much Chloe loved Julian. As the conversation in the room shifted, Chloe turned away numbly. In the bathroom, she looked at her pale face in the mirror and couldn’t help but laugh. On the sink sat a collectible Julian liked, something she had spent a great deal of effort to buy. At the time, she had been overjoyed. Now, it just felt like a joke. Chloe pulled out her lipstick, her hands trembling as she reapplied it. “What a joke,” she whispered. She had been made into a joke, and so had her genuine feelings. Staring at her reddened eyes, Chloe took a deep breath. It was time to change. When she returned to the booth and opened the door, she saw Julian kissing the woman beside him possessively. The woman leaned into him coquettishly, her gaze holding a hint of provocation as she looked at Chloe. The room was full of laughter and cheering. Except for the woman, no one had noticed Chloe’s arrival. Even though she had anticipated it, seeing the scene still hurt. This was the man she had loved so deeply, and yet, at this moment, he made her feel like a clown in a circus. “Hey, hey, she’s here…” Finally, someone noticed Chloe and warned the others. The noisy booth instantly fell silent, and all eyes turned to her. "Uh… Chloe, you’re here… We were just playing a game…” Someone tried to explain but was cut off when Julian kicked him. “No, we weren’t playing a game. I’m just tired of this. Let’s break up.” Julian’s words made the atmosphere in the booth even more awkward. Chloe tried to stay calm, but her trembling hands betrayed her emotions. Five years of love, and all it came down to was a simple “I’m tired.” “Don’t make a fuss. We’ve known each other for so long; we can still be friends,” Julian said, rubbing his temples in frustration. “No need. Since we’re breaking up, let’s keep things clean. Otherwise, your future girlfriend might not be happy,” Chloe replied with a slight smile, her voice steady. Julian was taken aback. He looked at her for a moment before saying, “Alright, today’s Adam’s birthday. Stay and have a piece of cake.” Chloe didn’t look at Julian. “Adam, if you don’t want your gift, you can throw it away. I’m leaving now.” Everyone watched as Chloe put down the gift, falling into even deeper silence. Everyone knew that this collectible series was Julian’s favorite, and now Chloe was giving it to Adam. Julian had once told Chloe that if she completed the set of collectibles, he would propose to her. But everyone knew this series was a limited edition, nearly impossible to collect even with money. Yet, somehow, over the years, Chloe had managed to gather them all. Today’s gift was the last one in the set. Julian knew Chloe had always wanted a family, but he had never planned to give her one. "Um… let me walk you out. Thanks for coming,” Adam said awkwardly, standing up to escort Chloe. But Chloe shook her head. “No need. I drove myself.” After the door to the booth closed behind her, voices filled the room again. “You said it yourself—complete the collection and propose. Now you’ve broken up with her. You really went too far this time.” “I think Chloe’s really done with you this time.” “No way. Chloe couldn’t leave Julian if she tried. They’ve broken up before, and Chloe always comes back within three days. Now that she’s completed the collection, I bet she’ll ask to reconcile by tomorrow.” Julian stared at the collectibles on the table, his eyes dark as he glanced toward the door. “Three hours. She’ll be home, apologizing to me.” Hearing Julian’s words, everyone laughed. “Man, why can’t anyone love me like that?” “You’re practically God’s favorite!” “Don’t get your hopes up…” --- Chloe returned to the villa and packed her things in less than half an hour. She had been with Julian for years, living in this villa for two, but all she took was a single suitcase. The rest of her clothes, jewelry, everything else Julian had given her, none of it was truly hers. So, she left it all behind. When she first came here, she only had a suitcase. Now that she was leaving, it was still just one suitcase. On the table in her room lay a file containing the deed to the villa, a land transfer contract, and an 80 million yuan check. Both she and Julian knew that if she accepted these things, it meant she had accepted his compensation, and they would no longer have any ties. Chloe did the math. Together, all of it amounted to about 100 million yuan. Suddenly, the sadness she’d felt all night eased. Even though she had wasted five years, at least she had money now, right? That night, she hired a cleaning lady, paying extra for the urgency. “Are you sure you don’t want any of this?” the lady asked, shocked by Chloe’s request. Chloe nodded. “Yes, just take care of it.” After giving her instructions, Chloe left. Julian returned home in the middle of the night, just ten minutes after the cleaning lady had finished. He was drunk, completely oblivious to the changes in the villa. His clothes reeked of a mix of a woman’s perfume and the smoke and alcohol from the booth. The stench was overpowering. He threw his clothes on the floor, mumbling, “Chloe, help me change.” But no one came to change his clothes, and soon he fell asleep. When he woke again, it was from the heat. Julian wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the blanket covering him, irritated. “Is this supposed to be some childish revenge?” Leaning against the couch, Julian grumbled, “What’s the point? This time…” “Sir, you’re awake? I was afraid you’d catch a cold, so I covered you with a blanket. Would you like breakfast now? I’ve heated up some milk,” said Megan, the housemaid, smiling at him. Julian frowned. He hadn’t expected Megan, not Chloe. He grunted, eyes still closed.