Chapter 3: It’s Serious

Julian had an impressive amount of influence, and by the time he arrived at the private booth that evening, everyone had already gathered. Adam, not seeing Chloe following behind him, assumed she was parking the car. After all, their arguments never lasted more than a day at most. “Where’s Chloe? Is she parking? It’s a bit tricky to find a spot today. Should I go down and help her?” Adam asked, genuinely concerned. But as soon as he said that, he noticed Julian’s expression had darkened. Slowly, he realized something wasn’t right and awkwardly rubbed his nose. It had been an entire day already. Could it be that they still hadn’t reconciled? “So… you two haven’t made up yet?” Adam asked cautiously. Julian shot him a look. “Why should we? I already told you, we broke up.” The group fell into an uneasy silence, and Adam felt even more unsettled. Breakups were common in their circle, but when it came to Julian and Chloe, it just didn’t seem right. He could believe anyone else would break up, but Chloe? No way. Everyone knew Chloe couldn’t live without Julian. She had sacrificed so much to be with him, and the group was well aware of it. “Well, it looks like I’m the only one who won the bet. Time to pay up,” William grinned, placing his phone on the table, prompting everyone to transfer him the money. After they jokingly transferred their bets, William gave Julian a playful nudge. “Yesterday, you said that as soon as you got home, she’d be begging for forgiveness. But it’s been a whole day, and she still hasn’t shown up.” Julian chuckled dismissively, clearly not taking it seriously. “Wanna make things interesting?” William suggested with a mischievous smile. Julian looked at him. “How so?” “Call Chloe right now, tell her you’re sorry, that this time it’s your fault, that you love her, and you don’t want to break up. And make sure to use your most sincere, tender, and loving voice.” The challenge was clearly meant to provoke. Everyone around them egged it on, finding it amusing. The atmosphere grew lively, with Adam even unlocking Julian’s phone and dialing Chloe’s number. This scenario had played out many times before, and the group fell silent, eagerly waiting for the phone call to go through. But to their disappointment, the call didn’t connect. Adam, determined, tried dialing again—twice—but it still didn’t go through. At that moment, they all realized something they had initially overlooked. From the very first attempt, it should have been obvious: Chloe had blocked Julian’s number. Everyone went quiet, and Julian was left in disbelief. The once playful expressions on Adam’s and the others’ faces disappeared, replaced by uncertainty. They exchanged glances but didn’t know what to say. Adam awkwardly pushed the phone back toward Julian, forcing a smile. “It’s probably just a mistake… Maybe she’s throwing a little tantrum. Give it some time, it’ll blow over.” His attempt to brush it off felt clumsy and forced, as everyone had already figured out the truth—Chloe had blocked Julian. William, never one to shy away from stirring the pot, chimed in. “I don’t know, but it seems to me that Chloe is serious this time.” “Can a breakup be fake? From now on, no one is to mention Chloe around me. We’re done. Anyone who brings her up again isn’t my friend anymore,” Julian snapped, clearly irritated. Though he spoke in anger, Julian’s decisions were always final. If they were breaking up, it would be for good. They were never to cross paths again. William chuckled, his tone laced with meaning. “Is that so? Well then, I hope you don’t regret it later.” “Alright, alright, let’s not make things awkward. We’re all here to have a good time. Let’s drink!” Daniel quickly poured drinks for everyone, trying to lighten the mood. --- The next morning, Mia returned from her workout to find Chloe in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Surprised, she wiped the sweat from her brow and stood in the doorway. “Yesterday, I knew something was off, but I didn’t have time to ask. You cut and dyed your hair—so, are you done with him for good, or are you just waiting for him to apologize?” Before Chloe could answer, Mia added, “If he’s downstairs right now, would you go back with him?” Chloe carried two cups of milk to the table. “Will you just go shower? I already told you, we’ve broken up, and I’m serious this time.” Though Chloe repeated that she was serious, Mia still didn’t believe her. She brushed it off, then headed to shower. When she came back out, Chloe was gone, and the kitchen had been tidied up, though breakfast was missing one portion. “Yeah, right. She says she’s not going back to him, but she even took breakfast to go. How rude,” Mia muttered, though she couldn’t help but enjoy the breakfast Chloe had made for her. By this time, Chloe had already arrived at the hospital. Professor Lauren was in one of the rooms, and Chloe felt a wave of hesitation wash over her. She didn’t dare to go in. “It’s just a minor appendectomy, but she’s older, so recovery is slower. But David, aren’t you usually quite busy around this time?” “I am, but I came to bring you some news. The graduate quotas for this year have been finalized. Like you, I only have three spots.” David sat at Professor Lauren’s bedside. Lauren’s gaze darkened slightly. “Three is good enough, but…” “I know you only plan to take two this year, so I already spoke to the school on your behalf.” They had been colleagues for many years, and David knew that Lauren had reserved the third spot for someone special. “Professors…” Their conversation was interrupted as several students walked in, carrying gifts. Clearly, they had come to visit Lauren. Whenever academics gathered, the conversation often turned to research or their students. “There’s an outstanding student this year—a girl who’s qualified for the combined master’s and PhD program, and she’s won several awards.” “She’s quite impressive, but don’t we also have a senior who used to be Professor Lauren’s student? She won several international gold medals as an undergrad and was directly admitted to the master’s program with the option to continue to a PhD. I wonder which one is better.” Though the students couldn’t quite recall her name, there were only two people who fit that description. David’s face instantly changed. “You should all leave now,” David said abruptly, shooing the students out. They left, confused as to what they had done wrong. Inside the hospital room, Professor Lauren’s mood had soured. “Such a brilliant talent, and she gave it all up for so-called love. It breaks my heart. I still can’t forget the things she said to me. She told me that love was the most important thing in her life. How could she say that?” Thinking back to those days, Lauren’s eyes grew red with emotion. And those words were overheard by none other than Chloe, who had been standing just outside the room. Her eyes welled up with tears. Chloe rushed out of the hospital, standing at the entrance and gasping for air. She had disappointed her mentor. “Chloe, are you alright? You don’t look so good.”