What was she, then?
The male lead’s lingering attachnt to his ex-girlfriend, a stepping stone in his romance with soone else—or what? In any case, she wasn’t the one who would end up with Lu Yicheng.
In that novel, Lu Yicheng couldn’t forget his ex, while Han Ningxia married him for a business alliance and waited for him for years.
Jiang Lan had nearly forgotten the plot of that novel. When she first transmigrated here, she hadn’t even realized she’d entered a fictional world—until now, when everything ca rushing back.
Lu Yicheng was the son of actress Yu Wanqiu, with an internet tycoon for a father. His family was filthy rich.
Jiang Lan wanted to ask him: Why had he never told her? Was he afraid she’d go after his money? Or had there always been soone else—soone from his world, soone he could get engaged to without hesitation?
In the novel, Lu Yicheng and "Jiang Lan" had been together for four months before breaking up. After that, he got together with Han Ningxia.
But she and Lu Yicheng had been together for three years. Maybe the plot had changed the mont she transmigrated here. Maybe this was just a book, after all.
Maybe it had nothing to do with her real life.
But Jiang Lan didn’t dare take that gamble. Tomorrow, they were supposed to et for hot pot. Did Lu Yicheng have sothing to say to her?
What was it? Was he going to break up with her?
Jiang Lan had no idea. All her plans—saving money, getting married, paying off a mortgage—what did any of it an to Lu Yicheng?
He’d probably laugh if he knew.
Jiang Lan didn’t want to go for hot pot anymore. Lu Yicheng probably didn’t either. She’d actually thought his family was poor—turns out, he’d never even eaten at such cheap places before.
If she went, she’d likely run into Lu Yicheng’s mother, just like in the novel.
Yu Wanqiu would list all the reasons she and Lu Yicheng were incompatible, then hand her a check for 20 million to leave him.
Twenty million—that was more money than Jiang Lan had ever seen in her life.
But being paid off like that? It wouldn’t feel good at all.
Jiang Lan didn’t even want to ask anymore. She could already guess.
Even Lu Yicheng must have thought their backgrounds were mismatched. She’d rather believe he truly loved her, that he was just hesitating. But n were always more pragmatic than won—no wonder he’d never ntioned his parents.
So many things suddenly made sense.
Lu Yicheng had treated her well. Jiang Lan loved him, and letting go would hurt. But compared to her pride and family, love wasn’t so impossible to give up.
After breaking up with him, she’d find soone a thousand tis better.
No, scratch that. Maybe she shouldn’t date at all. Romance was exhausting.
She’d never fall in love again.
The apartnt’s warm yellow light cast soft, hazy patches across the room. Jiang Lan couldn’t see the lamp itself, just the glow. A pang of relief hit her—thank goodness she wasn’t in the dorm. Thank goodness she’d rented this place. No one could see her cry. How embarrassing would that be?
She wiped her tears roughly. Right now, she wanted to go ho. She wanted to talk to Xu Xiang.
But how could she explain this? "I’m about to get dumped…"?
Her fingers drifted to her chat history with Lu Yicheng. Their most recent ssages were about the hot pot plans.
Lu Yicheng had been busy with his internship lately. They barely saw each other, and their conversations had dwindled.
He’d canceled on her multiple tis for work. Just a few days ago, on their anniversary, he’d bailed after she’d already left the house. She understood, but that didn’t stop her from being angry.
If he didn’t have ti, why make plans? Why cancel after she was already out the door?
The chat log was full of his apologies.
[Pig Raised by a Fairy: I’ll be free this Saturday… We can hang out for two whole days.]
[Pig Raised by a Fairy: Don’t be mad, baby. What do you want for lunch on Saturday?]
[Pig Raised by a Fairy: Reply "hmph" for barbecue, "I don’t want that" for skewers, "don’t talk to " for pickled fish, "Lu Yicheng, are you brain-dead?" for fish hot pot.]
Jiang Lan had replied, "I’m still mad." Because she was.
[Pig Raised by a Fairy: Reply "I’m still mad" for beef and lamb hot pot.]
[Pig Raised by a Fairy: Then hot pot it is! I’ll co get you tomorrow morning. Baby, I miss you so much. Can I call you? Please don’t be mad.]
[Pig Raised by a Fairy: I’m getting my bonus soon.]
Jiang Lan hadn’t replied. When she was angry, Lu Yicheng knew better than to push. Two whole pages of ssages were just him talking to himself.
Now, she wasn’t angry anymore.
Hot pot? What was so great about hot pot?
She was starting to doubt whether Lu Yicheng had really been busy—or if he’d even been honest with her at all.
He’d never talked about his family, but now that she knew the truth, every word in their chat history felt like a lie.
She spent the whole night scrolling through their ssages and photos, deleting them one by one. Her finger hovered each ti—it hurt to let go. But she refused to be humiliated.
Twenty million was a lot, but no man was worth that kind of degradation.
Even if they broke up, she’d do it with dignity. At the very least, she’d be the one to say it first.
By the ti she finished deleting everything, it was already 6 a.m.
She woke up a little past 9, her face dry and stiff. The unfamiliar room, the harsh sunlight, the ss everywhere—she fumbled for her phone and belongings, confirming her identity before it fully sank in: she’d transmigrated.
Into the ex-girlfriend of a CEO novel’s male lead.
But they’d be breaking up soon anyway.
If she rembered correctly, she was about to et the male lead’s mother, who’d hand her 20 million to leave her son.
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
Jiang Lan would take the money and run.
Sumr heat pressed down like a venomous snake. If she could avoid going out, she would. But 20 million deserved so respect. She cleaned herself up, grabbed a parasol, and hailed a cab.
"Scenic Boulevard, Green Leaf Restaurant," she told the driver.
She felt zero guilt about this boyfriend.
They were breaking up today regardless. Might as well profit from it.
Jiang Lan wished Lu Yicheng and the female lead a happy ever after. As for her? She’d take the money and live her best single life.
At the hot pot restaurant, she t Yu Wanqiu.
After leaving, she saw Lu Yicheng’s missed calls and ssages. She replied with one line:
[I’ll join that variety show. Let’s not contact each other until filming ends.]
(Not that they’d need to afterward, either.)
Then she blocked him.
If she hadn’t rembered the novel’s plot, she and Lu Yicheng might have broken up long ago. And she’d never have t Yu Wanqiu.
They’d been together for over three years. They’d fought, but she’d never threatened a breakup. To her, using "we’re done" as leverage was cruel.
Either don’t say it at all, or an it when you do. Only idiots went back for seconds.
Now that she rembered everything, a strange feeling settled in her chest.
Life was unpredictable. They’d co a long way.
Actually, Yu Wanqiu had known about her much earlier. Lu Yicheng had told his family about their relationship ages ago.
Jiang Lan couldn’t help but marvel at the whims of fate. If she and Lu Yicheng had taken one wrong step, they might have already broken up.
During their al, Jiang Lan asked Yu Wanqiu, “Teacher Yu, when did you find out that Lu Yicheng and I were dating?”
Yu Wanqiu had just finished tearing apart her soaked bread. “Uh…”
Jiang Lan pressed, “No lying—I’m watching you!”
Yu Wanqiu thought there was no need to lie. “During his freshman year, that water bottle you made for him—he’s been using it at ho ever since. It’s way too pink for everyday use, after all. But I never said anything; I just pretended not to notice.”
That water bottle had been Jiang Lan’s Valentine’s Day gift to Lu Yicheng, back when they had only been together for a little over six months.
Jiang Lan coughed lightly. “So, you never thought about playing the villain and trying to break us up… or finding a more suitable daughter-in-law?”
This was practically a loaded question.
Yu Wanqiu glanced at the stall owner—why wasn’t the lamb and bread soup ready yet?
Truthfully, she had considered it. As a mother, she knew her son well, and Yu Wanqiu had been worried that Lu Yicheng might be taken advantage of, given the Lu family’s wealth.
But trying to control a college relationship? What kind of person would that make her?
Even if the two of them didn’t end up together in the long run, ddling now would be a waste of effort. If they ever reached the point of marriage, then it would be ti to address those concerns.
Lu Yicheng was just dating soone—was that really sothing she needed to interfere with? That would be overstepping.
Yu Wanqiu hadn’t raised Lu Yicheng much herself anyway. Since she hadn’t been heavily involved in his upbringing, why should she ddle in his personal affairs now?
Later, Lu Yicheng started ntioning Jiang Lan in front of her so often that it beca obvious he was worried she and Lu Shuangchen might disapprove of the relationship.
He was trying to win them over from the inside.
Lu Yicheng really never stopped talking about her.
How Jiang Lan could play the violin and cello, how she took him to all these fun places…
Eventually, Yu Wanqiu decided she wanted to et Jiang Lan.
Lu Yicheng refused, insisting he had to discuss it with Jiang Lan first—otherwise, she’d definitely be upset.
He still hadn’t told Jiang Lan about his family background.
He’d planned to bring it up once they were more serious, but Jiang Lan assud he wasn’t well-off, and after that, Lu Yicheng could never find the right mont.
Ti kept passing, and the opportunity never ca.
Lu Yicheng hadn’t lied—he just hadn’t ntioned his family. That wasn’t deception, but deep down, he was afraid Jiang Lan would be angry.
Would she think he’d been pretending on purpose?
Yu Wanqiu had no choice but to respect Lu Yicheng’s decision—until paparazzi snapped photos of their family.
When the news broke online, exposing her son and husband, Yu Wanqiu finally felt it was ti to et Jiang Lan.
Lu Yicheng had been bragging all morning about taking Jiang Lan out for hot pot, and Yu Wanqiu even knew which restaurant they were going to.
She decided to drop by and see if she’d run into them.
And, as luck would have it, she did.
Yu Wanqiu took a long mont to think about how to answer Jiang Lan’s question. Jiang Lan gritted her teeth slightly, and Yu Wanqiu finally said, “Jiang Lan, marriage may not just be about two people, but in the end, the only one who’ll spend a lifeti with you is your partner.”
Even if they had children, those children would eventually marry and build their own lives.
Only your partner stays.
Parents and friends can’t walk with you forever.
So Yu Wanqiu figured that even if she really disliked Jiang Lan, the worst she could do was follow Lu Yicheng’s grandmother’s example—keep her distance, out of sight, out of mind. That way, she wouldn’t make things harder for herself.
What she’d said on that talk show had been the truth.
Yu Wanqiu continued, “Why would I go out of my way to do sothing so thankless? If I like you, I like you. You two have been together for so long—why would I try to break you up? That’d just be stirring trouble for no reason. As for finding soone I approve of… Jiang Lan, I’m not the one getting married. What good would my approval do?”
“Honestly, my son and I are alike in so ways—at least in our tastes. We like the sa kind of people.” That was how Yu Wanqiu saw it. Lu Shuangchen had terrible taste, but Lu Yicheng choosing Jiang Lan as his girlfriend? That had to be so of her own influence shining through.
And, of course, part of why Jiang Lan stayed with him was because he was good-looking.
As for how Lu Shuangchen had managed to marry her? Well, she had Lu Yicheng’s grandparents to thank for that.
Jiang Lan humd in acknowledgnt. “Alright.”
After everything that had happened since then, the past grievances didn’t feel worth getting angry over anymore. The tears she’d cried that night—now, looking back, they didn’t seem to matter.
She had thought about marriage before. But after losing her mory, she kept thinking she should wait longer.
Jiang Lan realized Lu Yicheng had waited a long ti for her to recover. If she’d just asked sooner, if he’d just explained sooner, there wouldn’t have been any misunderstandings.
But even if they had talked, they might still have broken up. Jiang Lan hated when people acted first and explained later, and she especially hated Lu Yicheng’s habit of saying things like “it’s for your own good.”
The bread soup arrived, but Jiang Lan didn’t dig in right away. Instead, she said, “Teacher Yu, I want to marry Lu Yicheng.”
Yu Wanqiu was Lu Yicheng’s mother, but she was also Jiang Lan’s good friend—she’d definitely help.
Jiang Lan wanted to propose.
Yu Wanqiu coughed. “Marriage isn’t a small thing, you know. You’ll need to pick an auspicious date. Has Lu Yicheng even proposed to you yet?”
“What if he never does? Am I just supposed to stay unmarried forever?” Jiang Lan didn’t care who proposed. What kind of grand ideas could Lu Yicheng even co up with? A mascot costu and beach balloons were probably his limit.
Yu Wanqiu almost spilled Lu Yicheng’s secret.
“That’s not… I’m sure he’ll propose.”
Jiang Lan wasn’t convinced. Yu Wanqiu was his mother, after all. “If I propose, then…”
Yu Wanqiu couldn’t resist asking, “How would you do it?”
Jiang Lan grinned smugly. “Not telling. It’s a secret.”
“You’re keeping secrets from ?” Yu Wanqiu muttered under her breath. “Co on, tell . I won’t tell Lu Yicheng.”
Jiang Lan shook her head. “Nope. Not a word until the last mont. If you tell him, I’m cutting you off. Now eat.”
Jiang Lan’s plan was simple: pick a day when Lu Yicheng wasn’t working. No need for an anniversary or birthday—after all, if she proposed on a special date, they’d have one fewer occasion to celebrate in the future.
Better to have one more reason to celebrate.
She’d already ordered the ring and the flowers.
July 5th was their anniversary, but she wanted to propose before then.
There was no rush to marry—next year would be fine.
Yu Wanqiu silently apologized to Lu Yicheng in her heart. “I’m on your side. If you want to propose, go for it. It’s a once-in-a-lifeti thing. Need my help?”
Jiang Lan said, “Just keep it a secret, Teacher Yu. You absolutely cannot tell Lu Yicheng.”
She’d forgotten everything back then—Lu Yicheng must have been terrified.
Yu Wanqiu agreed, and the two happily started discussing life after marriage. “If you get married, we should live in the sa building—make it easier to go shopping together. How do you want to decorate your place?”
Jiang Lan naturally preferred a sweet, cute aesthetic—a soft bed, plenty of throw pillows, and sheer curtains. Ho decor was simple for her.
With her investnts growing and Lu Yicheng handing over his salary card, money would never be an issue. No need to worry about mortgages, either.
Jiang Lan was a practical person. Of course she wanted to marry soone she loved, who was handso and wealthy.
Yu Wanqiu, on the other hand, leaned toward a more traditional Chinese style. She’d fild enough period dramas to develop a taste for rosewood furniture and antique tea sets.
When Yu Wanqiu said that, Jiang Lan imdiately felt that it looked good too.
After finishing their pita bread soaked in lamb soup, Jiang Lan and Yu Wanqiu strolled around the ancient city of X City. There were so many snacks here that Jiang Lan barely stopped eating all afternoon.
By evening, before they could even enjoy the night view of X City, Jiang Lan received a call from the National Symphony Orchestra.
The orchestra’s violinist had injured their hand, and there was a performance scheduled in five days.
Jiang Lan was the only newly recruited violinist, originally set to start in August, but now she might have to begin earlier.
After hanging up, Jiang Lan told Yu Wanqiu about it. As a new mber, she needed ti to adjust to the orchestra, and five days might not even be enough.
Yu Wanqiu said, "Then I’ll go back with you tomorrow."
Jiang Lan felt guilty—they had been having such a good ti, but now they had to return early.
Yu Wanqiu reassured her, "There’s nothing we can do about unexpected situations. Once the violinist recovers, you can probably continue your trip."
Jiang Lan suggested, "Teacher Yu, I’ll be busy with rehearsals after going back. Why don’t we ask Uncle Lu to co and keep you company?"
Yu Wanqiu scoffed, "I don’t need him to keep company."
But deep down, she wouldn’t mind wandering around with Lu Shuangchen.
Jiang Lan said, "I’ll take the train back tomorrow. Lu Yicheng can pick up at the station. Teacher Yu, you can wait at the hotel for Uncle Lu."
The orchestra’s manager had already sent the sheet music. Unlike solo performances, orchestral musicians worked together to deliver a complete show.
The current violinist had been with the orchestra for years, while Jiang Lan was new. Even under normal circumstances, she would have needed ti to adjust.
This was truly an unexpected situation. The orchestra’s manager didn’t want this either—musicians’ hands were precious.
That night, Jiang Lan sent Lu Yicheng two ssages. He called back imdiately, but she declined. [I need to pack. No calls.]
[Pig Raised by a Fairy: Fine. I’ll pick you up tomorrow afternoon. If you don’t want to see , I’ll stay out of sight and just follow you ho.]
Is this guy insane?
Jiang Lan called him back. "Lu Yicheng."
Lu Yicheng was still at Luyuan Group. He had his own office, and even at past nine, many employees were still working overti.
Gripping his phone, he answered, "I’m here."
Jiang Lan said, "Are you out of your mind?"
"I’m not," Lu Yicheng pressed his lips together. "You’ve been ignoring ."
Jiang Lan retorted, "You’re working, and I’m traveling. How am I supposed to respond?"
When Lu Yicheng first started his internship, he didn’t chat during the day either. What did he an by "ignoring"?
Lu Yicheng argued, "I have ssage notifications on even when I’m working."
Jiang Lan said, "My phone was in my bag."
Lu Yicheng scratched his head. "Are you mad at ?"
If Jiang Lan were truly angry, she wouldn’t have called him at all—she wouldn’t even respond to his ssages.
Yu Wanqiu was in the shower and would be out soon, so Jiang Lan didn’t want to drag this out.
Looking at Lu Yicheng’s cautious expression, as if he had done sothing wrong, Jiang Lan sighed.
"Aren’t you the one who’s always so confident? Saying I was the one chasing you, that I was clingy. Why is there not a single honest word from you?"
Lu Yicheng chuckled awkwardly. "I… I was wrong."
Jiang Lan asked, "Have you finished reading Little Star?"
Lu Yicheng turned the cara toward his desk. "Done. I put it right here next to . See?"
The sachet was beside his computer, along with a small cactus plant.
Jiang Lan warned, "The bamboo on the sachet was embroidered by . If you dare let it get worn out or dirty, I’ll—"
Lu Yicheng hadn’t known she embroidered it. He carefully picked it up. "I’ll take it ho today and keep it in my wardrobe."
Jiang Lan sighed. "Why are you acting so cautious? I’m not mad at you. I’m not going to rehash old argunts. And as for you hiding your family background from … I don’t even care anymore."
Lu Yicheng nodded. "I’m sorry."
"Enough with the apologies. Do you have anything else to say?" Jiang Lan still had packing to do.
Lu Yicheng said, "No, but I just want to look at you."
Jiang Lan placed her phone on the nightstand and crouched down to pack. She only needed to bring back so souvenirs and her clothes.
It took her just over ten minutes to finish.
By the ti she was done, Yu Wanqiu had stepped out of the shower. Jiang Lan picked up her phone again. "Go back to work. You’ll see tomorrow."
Lu Yicheng pressed his lips together. "Yeah. See you tomorrow."
Jiang Lan said, "Hanging up now. Bye."
Yu Wanqiu sat on the bed, drying her hair. "Why is Lu Yicheng so clingy?"
Jiang Lan huffed, "That’s what happens when soone does sothing wrong."
Even if Lu Yicheng hadn’t known the full story at first, enough ti had passed for him to figure things out.
Yu Wanqiu wasn’t sure what her son had done. "n are all the sa."
Jiang Lan smirked. "Is Uncle Lu like that too?"
Co to think of it, Lu Yicheng in the past was a lot like Lu Shuangchen.
Yu Wanqiu pondered for a mont. Lu Shuangchen was indeed similar—whenever he ssed up, he’d beco extra obedient, buying gifts, buying diamonds…
Yu Wanqiu nodded. "What did Lu Yicheng do?"
She brought it up casually, then added, "You don’t have to tell if you don’t want to."
Jiang Lan flopped onto the bed. She couldn’t bla Lu Yicheng entirely, nor could she bla Yu Wanqiu. If not for the mory loss, Yu Wanqiu wouldn’t have tried to keep them apart.
But still…
Jiang Lan said, "It’s nothing, really. I’m not angry anymore. Teacher Yu, next ti you want to et , give a heads-up. If you suddenly introduce to a big celebrity, I might faint from excitent."
This ti, Yu Wanqiu didn’t laugh. "Jiang Lan, I’m sorry. Back then, Lu Yicheng never said anything. Appearing on the show was my idea—he had no idea."
That first eting had been painful for Jiang Lan.
Jiang Lan waved it off. "It’s fine. I forgive you."
The next day, Jiang Lan took the high-speed train back to B City alone. By the afternoon, she would be at the orchestra for rehearsals.
After getting off the train, she called Lu Yicheng. "Piggy, where are you?"
Lu Yicheng jumped up twice. "See now? I see you! Look to your left."
Even though Jiang Lan was much shorter, Lu Yicheng could spot her instantly.
As for him? Just look for the tallest guy around.
Jiang Lan turned left and saw a jumping pig. "I see you. Stop jumping."
She waved at him before hanging up.
The crowd was thick, making it hard to move. By the ti she squeezed through, she hesitated to take another step.
Lu Yicheng ran over in just a few strides. "Welco back."
Jiang Lan gasped as he hugged her tightly. "What are you doing? I’m starving. Let’s eat sothing."
Lu Yicheng loosened his grip slightly. "What do you want?"
Jiang Lan grinned. "Hot pot. Green Leaf Hot Pot."
Lu Yicheng shuddered at the ntion—he had bad mories associated with that place. "Seriously?"
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