He looked at her, his eyes somewhat puzzled, as if he couldn’t quite believe it himself: he had loved a woman for more than a year. During that time, the most significant thing he had done was pay for her college tuition. Before this, no woman had ever made such a demand—in fact, being in love doesn’t necessarily require a degree. "Mr. Wan," she explained, "I can actually leave at any time. My health isn’t an issue; I can be gone by tomorrow." He responded indifferently, "There’s no need to rush. I’ll let you know when the time comes." That night, he didn’t initiate intimacy as he used to because there was a deep wariness in her eyes, as if she feared he would try to take advantage of her one last time on the eve of their separation. He noticed but didn’t point it out. He didn’t leave either, remaining seated in the chair all night. The next morning, when Yan Xixi woke up, he was already gone. She didn’t have much to pack. Yan Xixi wasn’t fond of shopping, so moving out wasn’t difficult. It could hardly be called moving; it was just a single suitcase she could pick up and leave with. She had already found a place online, just waiting for Wan Donglin’s go-ahead to move out. Wan Donglin hadn’t returned for a week. It was said he was busy with Zhou Ting, who had just returned from vacation abroad, discussing their engagement. As for details like where the two of them went on vacation, how grand their engagement ceremony would be, or which prominent friends and relatives would attend—Yan Xixi knew nothing about any of it, nor did she care. Her last few days here were quite pleasant. Knowing Wan Donglin wouldn’t return, she unabashedly lounged on the floor all day, reading, listening to music, and enjoying the beautiful garden scenery. She didn’t even need the maids. If hungry, she’d have a sandwich; if thirsty, a hot cup of coffee. Perfect. When Xu Xiaoya called, she hesitated briefly but still agreed to meet. Upon entering the café, she immediately spotted the flamboyantly dressed Zhou Xiaoxuan, who was laughing loudly. "A woman’s mood, you know, is three parts destiny and seven parts shopping... The other ninety parts depend on her bank account balance... The more money I have, the better I feel. That’s why yesterday, my husband gifted me a million yuan for my birthday..." "Little Xuanyuan, you’re so fortunate. I’m really envious of you." "Honestly, Xu Xiaoya, you’re too foolish. You should’ve dumped Zhong Minghui long ago. He’s a complete loser. I really don’t know what you see in him. He even needed you to borrow money for his house..." Xu Xiaoya coughed awkwardly. Spotting Yan Xixi, she immediately waved her over, "Xixi, you’re here! Come on, we’ve been waiting for you." Yan Xixi walked over. Zhou Xiaoxuan said with a smirk, "Well, Yan Xixi, you’ve really hit the jackpot." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelꞁire.net Yan Xixi smiled faintly. "So, you’ve leaped over the Dragon Gate. Even your smile is different now. Got a powerful backer, so you look down on your old classmates, is that it?" Xu Xiaoya quickly tried to smooth things over, asking, "Xixi, what would you like to drink?" "Alright, waiter," Xu Xiaoya called out, "another cup of coffee, please." Zhou Xiaoxuan’s eyes kept sizing up Yan Xixi from head to toe and back again. After looking her over, the sharpness in Zhou Xiaoxuan’s smile lessened somewhat. "Well, they say Third Young Master is stingy. I thought it was just a rumor in our circle, but it seems to be true." Xu Xiaoya subtly nudged her with her elbow, but Zhou Xiaoxuan pretended not to notice.