Gu Nianbin raised his hand to check the time on his watch. She was already half an hour late. He seemed to be very patient and drank coffee unhurriedly. He thought, “I’ll wait for another five minutes. I’ll leave if she doesn’t come by then.”

However, after only one minute, Lan Guo appeared at the entrance of the coffee shop. She wore a long red trench coat and walked over while swaying side to side. She looked like a blooming canna. She had a green scarf around her neck, which highlighted her fairness and made her face look as white as jade. Her long hair rippled over her shoulders. It was long and flowy. She looked beautiful and seductive.

Only Lan Guo could hold such a sharp contrast of red and green. If it were anyone else, she would look so silly.

He could smell her perfume before she even arrived. Lan Guo came up to him and apologized, “I’m sorry for being late. Traffic was really bad.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Gu Nianbin nodded and gestured for her to sit down. He then beckoned the waiter over. “Bring this lady a cup of Blue Mountain and a piece of mousse cake.”

The waiter recognized Lan Guo but did not dare to greet her. He nodded respectfully and left.

“I’m surprised that you still remember the two things I love.” Lan Guo asked with a smile, “Why did you ask me out for coffee today?”

“I asked you to come…” Gu Nianbin saw the waiter bringing the coffee over, so he paused for a moment. He waited for the waiter to place the things on the table and leave before continuing, “… because I have something to tell you.”

“Wait, I have something to tell you too,” Lan Guo interrupted him with a smile. She took out a small box from her bag and placed it in front of him. “Open it and take a look to see if you like it.”

Gu Nianbin hesitated for a moment before he opened the small box. There was a pair of platinum cufflinks with diamonds inside. It was obvious that they were expensive. Even under the dim light of the coffee shop, they sparkled brightly.

“Why are you…” Gu Nianbin looked at her suspiciously.

“They’re for you,” said Lan Guo with a smile. “I had them custom-made in Switzerland. They weren’t going to make it in time, so I lied and said that my love was going to join the army soon and that I wanted to give him this as a token of love before he left. I got the manager to rush the order. The manager was moved by my story, so he asked them to speed up the job for me. I was going to give them to you the last time I was at your house, but…” She laughed at herself. “That’s why I’m giving them to you now. Otherwise, I’m afraid I won’t have another chance in the future.”

Gu Nianbin looked at her intently as a faint smile appeared on his lips. “Lan Guo, you’re smarter than I thought!”

“If I weren’t smart, you might have been displeased with me ten thousand times.” Lan Guo laughed loudly. Her hearty laughter attracted the attention of a couple at the neighboring table. Maybe they recognized her. Their gazes turned from doubt to surprise. They whispered to each other, and then walked over together.

“Miss Lan, can I have your autograph?” The tall and thin young man was a little shy.

Lan Guo smiled and nodded. “Of course.” She took the small book that the young man handed over and scrawled her signature. Her signature she wrote on the paper was flamboyant.

The girl said, “Miss Lan, can you take a photo with my boyfriend? He’s a huge fan of you. You’re his celebrity crush!”

“Really? Thank you.” Lan Guo leaned over with a smile and put her hand on the young man’s shoulder as she posed for the camera with a smile.

A dazzling white light flashed, capturing this unforgettable moment. Lan Guo took the initiative to call the young woman over to take a photo with them. Their smiling faces were close together as the young man took a few selfies with his mobile phone.

The young man and woman were extremely excited. They kept praising Lan Guo for being such a nice and down-to-earth person. She was more beautiful in real life than she was on TV. As they were about to leave, Lan Guo sincerely said to the young man, “You have a good taste. You found a girlfriend who loves you more than she loves herself. You must cherish her.”

“Definitely! I’ll definitely cherish her.” The boy smiled shyly and took his girlfriend’s hand as he said goodbye again.

Gu Nianbin sat there leisurely, drinking his coffee. Only when the couple had gone far away did he ask, “How do you know that woman loves the man more than she loves herself?”

“Love is selfish. Most women want to be the only ones in their boyfriends’ hearts, not even allowing them to be a fan of celebrities. Only those who love their other halves more than themselves can accommodate their boyfriends like this. I’m very touched by her actions.” Lan Guo picked up her cup and took a sip of coffee. She suddenly looked at Gu Nianbin and smiled sweetly. “Don’t you think I’m pretty good too? I have been dumped in love, yet I still have the mood to care about these things. I’m so strong, aren’t I?”

Gu Nianbin took out a long flat box from his pocket and placed it in front of her. “I hope you like it.”

“What?” Lan Guo shouted in an exaggerated way, “Are we exchanging break-up gifts?” She opened the box. There was a string of Tahiti black pearls inside. They were round and bright. Under the light, they shone brilliantly.

Lan Guo covered her mouth in shock. She was not a person who hadn’t seen the world, yet she was still startled by this gift. Although black pearls were not as shiny as diamonds, they were very valuable. But the most valuable part of the gift was that it was something that one couldn’t ask for. She had wanted such a necklace for a long time. Maybe she had mentioned it before, and Gu Nianbin remembered it after that.

Lan Guo was so surprised that she remained speechless for a long time. Gu Nianbin had given her valuable things, but it was the first time he took her words to heart. Unfortunately, this surprise came too late, which made her so sad.

“You’re giving me hope by acting like this!” She looked at him, half-smiling and half-annoyed.

Gu Nianbin smiled faintly. “I initially prepared a check, but then I remembered that you have said you wanted a string of Tahiti black pearls. I changed my mind last minute. I hope you like it.”

“I understand.” Lan Guo gently stroked the rim of the coffee cup and smiled bitterly. “You’re doing this for Miss Du. You’re afraid that I’ll give her a lot of trouble. We’ve been together for so long, but when have you ever paid attention to me? You’re only paying attention to me because of her. I had no other choice but to accept the result. I wish you two the best!”

“Thank you.” Gu Nianbin also looked helpless. “She’s stupid and timid. I have no choice.”

Lan Guo burst out laughing. “I didn’t expect President Gu, whom everyone admires, to be so helpless and be left with no choice one day!” She paused for a moment before asking, “I heard that you once proposed to a young lady in public a few years ago. Was it Miss Du?”

“Yes, it was her.” Gu Nianbin sighed deeply. “I thought our connection was over, but I didn’t expect that fate would bring her back to me again.”

“That is what fate means,” Lan Guo smiled and said, “You two are meant to be together.”

Gu Nianbin raised his coffee cup toward her. “I hope you can find your soulmate as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.” Lan Guo picked up her cup and took a sip as well. She said seriously, “It’s a wonderful thing to find love. If it weren’t for Miss Du, you wouldn’t be chatting with me like this, and I wouldn’t really understand the meaning of love either. She’s very lucky to have met you.”

“No, I’m the lucky one to have met her.” His eyes sparkled.

Lan Guo’s heart skipped a beat. She smiled and picked up her coffee cup. “Come, let’s drink a cup of coffee for each other’s luck.”

Gu Nianbin gently clinked their cups together. A clear and crisp sound rang out. In an instant, Lan Guo suddenly felt the tense string within her snap. Her heart was empty. However, this was good. She forced a smile. From now on, she was completely free. She felt relaxed!

Gu Nianbin had always been straightforward and decisive. After the talk, he left. Lan Guo was unwilling to see him go and called out to him, “Nianbin, if there were no Miss Du, would it be possible for us to be together?”

Gu Nianbin stood there and thought about it seriously, but he did not say anything. He just smiled and turned to leave. That was his answer.

Lan Guo sighed faintly. She waved her hand at the waiter and asked for a refill. She sat there alone, reminiscing about the love she had just lost.

In fact, she had arrived earlier than Gu Nianbin. He would never ask her out. With her clever mind, it was impossible that she didn’t know what was going on. Moreover, she more or less figured it out after things had happened that day at the Gu family.

The reason why she showed up late was that she could not bear to face the end of their relationship.

People always said that actors and actresses were heartless. That was actually true. Was it possible to fall in love with everyone one met? Most of the time, it was just an act. However, Gu Nianbin was the only one for whom she had truly poured out her feelings. That was why her feelings for him were so precious. The moment she got involved with him, she had already predicted the ending that she was facing today. However, it was out of her control. If she had met Du Xiaoxian earlier, she would not have let herself fall for Gu Nianbin so deeply.

Earlier, she had stared at him from the window, hidden from sight. Even though he was so far away and the lights were not very bright, she could see him clearly.

Gu Nianbin sat alone for a while, but he had a satisfied look on his face. When he lowered his head, the corners of his mouth curved into a faint smile. After being with him for so long, this was the first time she saw him with this expression.

She knew that Gu Nianbin was thinking about a certain woman, but it was not her. It was Du Xiaoxian. That was why he had been sitting there for a long time but he was not impatient. At that instant, she knew that it was over.

She waited patiently. If he began to show an impatient expression on his face or even left, she could continue to play dumb and find some time to comfort herself.

But that wasn’t the case. Gu Nianbin’s expression was gentle and unbothered from beginning to end. Even when he raised his hand to look at the time, there was no trace of impatience on his face. He did not care about her at all.

Whether she stepped into the coffee shop or not, the outcome was already determined.

Therefore, in the end, she just walked in and calmly accepted everything.

Lan Guo turned to look out of the window. It was four o’clock in the afternoon. The sun was bright, and the traffic was heavy. It was prosperous outside. She looked down and smiled. From now on, there was one more broken-hearted person in the world!

When Gu Nianbin returned home, Du Xiaoxian was wiping the grandfather clock in the living room. She had her back toward him and was bent over. Her little butt was sticking out as she did her best. She polished the copper exterior of the clock.

Gu Nianbin stood there, his throat tightening. He was thinking, “How did she give birth to a child when her butt is so small?”

Du Xiaoxian gave it one last wipe, then stood up and heaved a sigh of relief. When she turned around, she saw Gu Nianbin standing by the door silently. He was staring at her with deep and fiery eyes. However, he instantly regained his composure.

“Where’s Niannian?” Gu Nianbin walked over and placed his coat on the back of the sofa.

“Shanshan took her to the ancestral house. She said that Niannian’s grandparents miss her so much that they lost their appetite.” Du Xiaoxian held the rag and said softly, “Shanshan said that she already told you.”

Gu Nianbin nodded and went upstairs to get changed. Halfway through, he said, “Don’t cook tonight. Let’s go out to grab something to eat.”

Du Xiaoxian nodded and quickly went upstairs to change her clothes. Gu Niannian’s absence meant that she had to face Gu Nianbin alone from now on. It was a lie to say that she was not nervous. He was moody now, while she was slow-witted. If she was careless, she would annoy him. She had to be careful! She hoped it would not be worse than going to jail!