Chapter 1: You’re breaking up with me over a guy like this?

"In this kind of heavy snow, at minus ten degrees Celsius, I waited for you at your doorstep for an hour! I just wanted to talk to you, why are you treating me like this? Is your heart made of iron?"

Tears streamed down uncontrollably. The cold wind carried a biting chill, freezing the tear tracks into icy marks, etching the depths of winter into his skin.

"Gao Jingdong, don't get so carried away with your own melodrama. We're already broken up. What you're doing is harassment." The woman stood on the steps outside the apartment building, yet was still slightly shorter than him. Her slender figure was bundled in a thick cashmere sweater, curled in on itself. Her dyed blonde hair wasn't overly styled, her bangs just casually parted to either side. Her makeup-free cheeks had fine skin, but beneath her pretty, cat-like eyes lay dark circles. Now, her full lips were pressed together. Those lips that had once whispered sweet nothings in his ear, laughed and scolded him, or pressed tightly against his own were trembling slightly, whether from the cold or something else.

"Lin Xi, have you been staying up late again? Is it still because of your thesis?" He reached out, wanting to touch her cheek, but she slapped his hand away.

"Don't give me that hypocritical act here, just get lost!" Her voice was sharp and merciless.

Gao Jingdong stood dumbfounded in the snow, his hat and shoulders piled with snow.

That girl who was occasionally decisive and efficient, occasionally soft and coquettish in his arms... could she really unleash such a sharp voice?

"Ah, that... did you receive the gift I sent you? And that bouquet of ninety-nine roses..."

He had spent a whole month's living expenses on that. He'd even had to ask his mom for another two hundred yuan just to afford instant noodles. Lin Xi's upscale apartment had tight security; he'd had to persuade the guard for quite a while before being allowed upstairs.

Delivery? Delivery was out of the question. The shipping fee for that kind of bouquet was much more expensive than the subway fare. Besides, if he didn't deliver it to her door personally, how could he ensure she'd see it the moment she got home?

"The flowers were thrown away." A deep male voice came from behind. Gao Jingdong whirled around, almost bumping into the man's shoulder.

The man was a bit taller than him. In terms of looks, he could only be said to be no worse than Gao Jingdong, not exactly a super handsome guy. He dressed low-key, but Gao Jingdong, who often browsed trendy brands, could tell at a glance that just the scarf the man wore was worth two months of his own living expenses.

"You..."

"If you bother Lin Xi again in the future, be careful I have someone deal with you." The man mercilessly cut off Gao Jingdong, his eyes fierce.

Gao Jingdong instinctively shrank his neck, but then glared back defiantly.

"And who are you to Lin Xi?"

The man ignored him, walking straight towards Lin Xi.

"Xiang Bei! Sorry to have called you over..."

Lin Xi's voice suddenly softened, even taking on a somewhat coquettish tone as she addressed the man in front of her. She stood on tiptoe, brushing off the scant snowflakes from the man's shoulders.

"Let's go." The man called Xiang Bei leaned down, kissed Lin Xi, then put his arm around her and walked into the apartment building without a backward glance.

"Hey, wait! Lin Xi, is this the kind of man you broke up with me for? Hey!"