"We should break up."
Five short words exploded in Qin Yi's head like a thunderclap, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
He deleted the message in the chat box, typed out his reply, hesitated, then erased it.
Typed again. Deleted again.
Over and over.
In the end, Qin Yi decided he needed to ask her face-to-face.
At a time like this, any text felt powerless.
As for how to get there—easy. He'd just walk.
Ye Wan'er lived in the same apartment building anyway, just a few floors down.
He was on the 18th floor; she lived on the 13th.
Qin Yi's eyes gradually steadied. He took a deep breath and stepped out the door.
The dim corridor was already hazy. Mist had seeped inside, making everything blur.
Feeling along the wall, Qin Yi slipped into the fire escape alone.
Whether the elevator still worked or not, there was no chance he'd risk riding it now.
The stairwell had mist too. Qin Yi had no choice but to grip the handrail and move slowly downward.
He had barely descended one floor when he heard applause echoing from below.
Pa! Pa! Pa!
If he listened carefully, there were two heavy breaths mixed into that rhythmic sound.
Someone was climbing the stairs.
Qin Yi froze, stunned.
What the hell—people were still this bold right now?
Too bad. He was absolutely not in the mood to spectate.
In a situation like this, he only had two choices: wait or go around.
He definitely couldn't walk up to them and ask, Mind if I join?
Then came a loud, high-pitched shout, and the clapping finally stopped.
Qin Yi paused, ready to detour.
"Nana, did you go yet?"
"Mhm!"
"Heh, doing it in the stairwell is crazy exciting!"
With that, the two opened a door and left.
"Nana?"
Qin Yi murmured the name. Even though his thoughts were a mess right now, he still made a note of it.
The building wasn't that big. Neighbors ran into each other constantly.
Over time, Qin Yi had realized there were quite a few beauties living here.
Most of them kept a cold facade, giving no hint of what they were really like.
Like hard-boiled eggs—you'd never know what the yolk looked like unless you cracked the shell.
A few faces flashed through Qin Yi's mind.
Which one was it?
He shook his head hard, forcing the messy thoughts away. He had more important things to deal with.
Still, the strange interlude helped clear his mind a bit.
Feeling his way down the railing again, he soon reached the 13th floor.
He hadn't even touched the door when he heard a woman's voice outside.
"Wan'er, why'd you come out into the hallway just to smoke?"
The moment he heard that name, Qin Yi flinched. His hand jerked away from the doorknob, and he instinctively backed up the stairs.
Creak!
The door opened, followed by a familiar voice.
"It's so foggy outside that the whole place has to stay shut tight. If I smoke in the apartment, all the bedding and clothes will reek."
Qin Yi froze.
He'd been with Ye Wan'er for two and a half years and never once knew she smoked.
He didn't mind girls smoking—totally normal—but the fact that he, her boyfriend, had no clue? That surprised him.
"You could just smoke in the hallway," another woman said.
Qin Yi frowned. That voice also sounded familiar.
After a moment of thinking, he recognized it—Chen Xiaomin, Ye Wan'er's best friend.
A typical big-boobs-no-brain type.
Ye Wan'er scoffed. "Are you smoking cigarettes or smoking fog? Use your head."
Chen Xiaomin giggled. "Hehe, I'm not as smart as you, Wan'er. You've managed to raise so many loyal simps."
Ye Wan'er sighed. "Honestly, most of them have wised up by now. Only Qin Yi, that dog-king, is left."
"Then why break up with him?"
"Who's gonna help you pay your mortgage if you dump him?"
Ye Wan'er snorted. "Relax. I know exactly how much he loves me. This breakup won't stick."
"And anyway, I'm not actually planning to break up with him."
Chen Xiaomin frowned. "Then why'd you send that message?"
"Apple just released its newest phone."
"You want him to buy it for you?"
"Mhm."
Chen Xiaomin hesitated. "But didn't you say he hands over all his salary to you every month? How's he supposed to afford such an expensive phone?"
"Chen Xiaomin, I swear your brain really did grow in your chest."
Ye Wan'er explained patiently, "That's exactly why I need to break up with him."
"If I don't say it, he won't panic. If he doesn't panic, he won't try to find money."
"This is called playing hard to get. Learn something."
Chen Xiaomin teased, "Wan'er, you're saying all this so loud. Aren't you afraid Qin Yi might overhear from upstairs?"
Ye Wan'er answered calmly, "Don't worry. That dog-king's not home. I knocked on his door yesterday. No one answered for ages."
She flicked her cigarette out. The two chatted and laughed as they walked away.
Qin Yi sat alone on the stairwell steps, dazed.
Every word Ye Wan'er spoke stabbed straight into his heart.
Pain.
A sharp, suffocating pain.
He didn't want to believe it—didn't want to believe Wan'er was that kind of person.
But the truth was right there. He had no choice but to accept it.
Qin Yi's face went ghostly pale.
He understood.
He understood everything now.
Ye Wan'er was a gold digger.
She never loved him.
Every soft plea, every sweet "darling" she whispered, had only ever been a ploy to squeeze out the last of his money.
No wonder that day he moved in, she insisted he rent another room.
Claiming it was to "keep some distance before marriage."
Thinking about it now—it was pathetic.
But even knowing all this, so what?
Right now, Qin Yi felt like he'd lost his soul. His mind was blank, and he didn't know what to do.
While he sat in a fog of confusion, a notification flickered wildly before him.
His Distress Value surged.
[Distress Value: 80]
[Distress Value: 92]
[Distress Value: 100]
Qin Yi blinked.
Emotional distress counted too?
Well… of course it did.
[Distress Value Full]
[Matching Resources…]
[Matching…]
[A cup of Heartbreak Forget-Me Water and an opportunity to meet a new love have been assigned]
"???"
Qin Yi stared blankly.
He understood what Forget-Me Water was.
But what the hell was "an opportunity to meet a new love"?
Ding!
[Forget-Me Water has been placed in your Inventory]
Qin Yi grabbed it and downed it without hesitation.
As the liquid slid down his throat, a strange sense of release washed through him.
Bit by bit, Ye Wan'er faded from his heart.
Until finally—nothing. Not even the faintest filter of affection remained.
Qin Yi snapped fully awake and slapped himself.
"What the hell? Was I blind?"
"How did I ever fall for someone like Ye Wan'er?"
The mist in the stairwell thickened.
Qin Yi didn't dare stay any longer. He stood and headed home.
When he reached the 16th floor, he suddenly heard movement above—someone coming down from the 17th.
Thud!
A dull crash.
Followed by a woman's sharp scream.
Ding!
[Your opportunity to meet a new love has been arranged. Make good use of it.]