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墨書 Inktalez
Autumn Rain On a drizzly night, the wind entwined with the rain, and the rain wrapped around the wind. This southern city welcomed its first cold wave of autumn.
The temperature dropped sharply, and the weather was chilly. Nie Xiaoyu curled up in bed, her body had not warmed up for a long time. This kind of cold made her unable to help but think of Gu Tianye's warm chest.
She felt that all the desires in this city were surely affected because amidst the sound of wind and rain, she could almost clearly hear the city shivering.
She had just finished work at six this morning, having worked fifteen hours straight at the pharmacy over the past few days, with two colleagues on vacation, making the shifts even longer.
Unexpectedly, there were too many patients these days; she had only consumed two cups of coffee, two bottles of Whole Milk, and a small bag of bread throughout the day. When she returned home, or rather to her rented place, she immediately collapsed onto the soft sofa, her whole body in a state of exhaustion.
After lying on the sofa for a while, Nie Xiaoyu was still extremely reluctant to get up. After a hasty wash-up, she went to her bedroom, lay down on the bed, feeling indescribably tired, wanting nothing more than to fall into a deep sleep and never wake up again.
It was at this moment that her phone rang. It was a call from Ex-Boyfriend.
"I’m getting married; I feel very happy," came Ex-Boyfriend's excited voice over the phone.
Perhaps he was too excited; his speech changed from his usual slow manner to a hurried and somewhat disorganized tone, even quite chaotic. However, she understood that he was preparing to marry that Rich Girl.
But what did this have to do with her? Why was he telling her all this?
"Are you saying you’re getting married? To that Rich Girl?" Her tone must have been filled with mockery.
"Yes, she's beautiful, has a good family background, and treats me well. I think I really love her." He calmed down, his thoughts becoming clearer; his stiff voice surprisingly carried an indescribable tenderness.
For some reason, Nie Xiaoyu suddenly felt furious.
"Is that so? Then go ahead and get married; I wish you well." She said coldly.
"I hesitated for a long time, but I still want to invite you to my wedding tomorrow. Would you be willing to come? It would be best if you brought your boyfriend along; I assume you have one by now?"
She wanted to curse, but she didn't know what to say, as if her vocabulary had suddenly been emptied.
A few minutes after hanging up the phone, she regained her senses, feeling as if her heart had been drained again, leaving her feeling hollow.
She knew she didn't care whether her ex-boyfriend was getting married or not; what irritated her was that he was flaunting his marriage in front of her and had the audacity to invite her to the wedding. What infuriated her the most was his comment about his girlfriend's good family background.
Their breakup had been due to his inability to endure their impoverished life together. To say such things was simply a form of emotional harm to her.
She felt thirsty, tight-chested, and nauseous, wanting a drink. But she felt so weak, like a lump of mud, that she couldn't muster the strength to get up.
After much effort, she finally managed to crawl up and stumbled into the living room. Whether it was anxiety or weakness in her hands, she knocked over a white porcelain cup with blue patterns on the coffee table, hearing the crisp sound of it shattering on the floor. The beloved teapot that had accompanied her for so many years instantly turned into fragments.
She looked at the broken pieces of porcelain, memories of the teapot being gradually uncovered bit by bit. Yet now, among those shards, she could no longer find its former beauty; it was just a collection of scattered memories, like a failed romance.
Her life was unfortunate; born in a poor rural area and burdened with parents who favored boys over girls. They had doted on her younger brother since childhood. She had never enjoyed their affection, like grass growing wild in the fields, surviving on its own.
After finishing middle school, her parents didn't want her to continue studying, even though her grades were quite good. Fortunately, there was an understanding Grandpa. Grandpa particularly liked her, so under his strong insistence, her parents reluctantly allowed her to attend a vocational college.
During her time in college, she realized how different she was from others. This opportunity was incredibly precious; she worked harder than most in her studies and lived more frugally than her classmates. Every weekend she would take on odd jobs, and during winter and summer breaks, instead of going home, she worked in the city to earn tuition and living expenses. All the hardships were worth it; what comforted her was that she consistently ranked at the top of her class while also experiencing a beautiful relationship.
Three years later, she achieved her dream of staying in this city and got a job at the hospital's pharmacy. That night, with the city lights shining brightly, she stood on the rooftop with her boyfriend, gazing at the dark night sky. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted: "I will become the master of this city! I will put down roots here!"
It felt as if the echo of her voice filled the heavens—so passionate and vibrant. After speaking, she turned to look at her boyfriend with sparkling eyes and an innocent expression. They embraced tightly; for them, this city represented dreams and boundless expectations for their future as young people.
The two began to walk into the reality of life. At work, she was cautious in both her speech and actions. However, she was quick in her tasks and quite clever, belonging to that type of nimble girl whose every blink and movement could easily win others' affection. Her interpersonal relationships at work were quite good.
Her boyfriend had all the flaws and shortcomings typical of a young man, such as impatience, irritability, high aspirations but low abilities, a love for a flashy lifestyle, and a lack of planning in his actions. Yet she did not despise him; she still deeply liked him. The two rented a place together, living a very frugal life, struggling financially.
Her boyfriend felt lost, believing his career was stagnant and life was uncertain; such a lifestyle seemed unreliable to him, so he often returned home drunk.
She always comforted him by saying that success requires a process, that life needs time to settle, and that it is not something that can be achieved in just a few days; it requires persistent effort. But her boyfriend never listened, always thinking that their current life was far from what he had imagined, feeling quite depressed.
In his plans and ideals, life was not supposed to be like this; the reality was too far from his expectations. He could not accept this reality. The more she endured humiliation and accepted the status quo, the more he found her intolerable and grew to dislike her.
Finally, one day he became fed up with her plain face and their shabby rented place. One morning, after waking up, he dragged his suitcase and left with a rich girl who was pursuing him.
What kind of time was that? Her boyfriend's sudden disappearance made her feel off-balance; her world completely collapsed. She didn't know how to live or work anymore; she didn't even know how to spend her time.
Pain consumed her heart like a snake. The beauty of the past intensified her suffering; just as the patterns on the memory snake were beautiful, its venom was equally potent.
Nie Xiaoyu often stared blankly at the places where her boyfriend once sat or lay down, feeling sorrowful about the corners of the city they had visited together. More often than not, she silently shed tears. During meals, she would still set two places at the table; when drinking coffee, she would often order two cups—one full and one empty. She deceived herself into believing that her boyfriend would surely return to her side; it was just a matter of time.
A month later, he called to officially break up with her, saying he was very comfortable living with the rich girl. She felt it was an enormous irony: in the face of material wealth, emotions were precarious. Suddenly, she recalled a saying: everyone has their price. This meant that apart from oneself, no one is reliable because everyone can be bought; the only difference is the price.
When she strongly realized this point, her original values began to crumble little by little. Since material wealth was so important, wasn't relying on herself too slow? Striving required capital and time as well. Her childhood and love had already faded away in poverty; she could not let her youth and future life remain mired in destitution.
She looked in the mirror; she was an above-average-looking woman. Why shouldn't she have what other women have? Beautiful clothes, spacious houses, nice cars—she wanted to swipe her card freely at shopping malls and return home to show off in front of her parents while impressing the neighbors.
However, a woman's youth passes in an instant. Ten or twenty years later, I might not even have the capital of youth left. What will I do then? Therefore, I must seize the opportunities before me; this is a shortcut—safe, quick, and practical—I have no reason to give it up.
Once a person has a firm and clear goal, the means to achieve it flow like water. She began to pay attention to the men around her, not limited to single men; her target was to find someone among all men, including married ones.
By chance, she met Gu Tianye in the elevator and fell for him at first sight. After some discreet inquiries, she learned that Gu Tianye came from a good family and had a decent income. Although he was already married, she was unwilling to give up on such a well-qualified man. Thus, she sought ways to get closer to him.
Heaven rewards those who are diligent; Nie Xiaoyu finally got her chance. At a company gathering, Gu Tianye got drunk, and she took the opportunity to bring him home. However, nothing happened that night. She had carefully orchestrated a scheme to successfully maintain a relationship with Gu Tianye as his mistress.
But she was not satisfied with this arrangement; she wanted more—material wealth and marriage. She tried every means to push for marriage, but perhaps over time, the physical attraction between them began to fade. Whenever the topic of divorce came up, he always changed the subject and brushed it off.
One day, he suddenly mentioned that his wife was pregnant and wanted to find a nanny to take care of her. She was startled; did he mean to imply an end to their abnormal relationship? But upon further reflection, if there was a child involved, the weight of that child and the family would far outweigh her position on the other side of the scale. Wouldn't that mean all her efforts would be in vain?
Suddenly, she had another thought: if she could manipulate the situation with the nanny, wouldn't that be a way to succeed? She was taken aback by her own reckless idea. But after thinking it through, she realized that this was the only way for her to logically become Gu Tianye's wife and obtain everything she desired. Over such a long time, she had become emotionally dependent on Gu Tianye; losing him was not an option for her. She had invested too much—both emotionally and in terms of time—and had become obsessively in love with him. She had to have Gu Tianye; emotionally, she could not afford to fail, so she needed to find a way to hold onto him tightly.
That day, while resting, she came across a pharmaceutical magazine that detailed potassium poisoning—accumulation over time can go unnoticed. An idea sparked in her mind as she secretly devised a plan.
Aunt Wang was someone she found through the labor market; Aunt Wang agreed to help her poison Qi Luoling after being lured by financial incentives due to her daughter being in college and facing economic difficulties. Once successful, she promised Aunt Wang fifty thousand yuan.
Everything progressed according to her expectations. After Qi Luoling's miscarriage, her health deteriorated further. On Qi Luoling's birthday, she arranged for someone to release a grotesque toy doll; after all, Qi Luoling's health was already poor, and any further shock would exacerbate her mental breakdown and physical weakness. Later on, Qi Luoling unexpectedly fell victim to an accident—a car crash—truly aligning with her intentions!
Just then, Gu Tianye called: "Are you at home?"
"I'm at home," she replied, feeling instantly uplifted; the disappointment from receiving a call from her ex-boyfriend vanished completely.
"Good, I'll be there soon." His cold voice was just what she liked about Gu Tianye—his cool demeanor.
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