chapter 1

Another ordinary day, or so it should have been. I walked out of the dormitory, the familiar, grey morning haze still hanging in the air. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting pale rays over the busy street. I could hear the sound of vehicles honking and the chatter of students making their way to campus. Yet, none of it mattered to me. My thoughts were elsewhere, tangled in confusion, worry, and something more painful.

I had just left the dorm, trying to push away the unsettling feeling that had been gnawing at me for the past few days. My relationship with Mimi had been slipping. I could feel it, but I couldn't pinpoint why. We hadn't fought. We hadn't argued. But something had changed. She was distant, cold, as if a wall had suddenly appeared between us. I had tried to reach out, tried to talk to her, but it always seemed like she was avoiding me.

My father had always told me that a man must own up to his mistakes, must be willing to face his faults. But I couldn't understand what I had done wrong. I wasn't perfect, but I never thought I had done anything to push her away. Still, I kept my head high. If I had to apologize, then I would. I just needed to know what I had done.

"Liang Wei! Liang Wei!"

The voice broke through my thoughts, pulling me out of my fog. I turned around instinctively, my heart fluttering for a second before it dropped in my chest.

There she was. Mimi.

She was standing across the street, her figure framed by the morning light, but there was a coldness in her eyes that I had never seen before. She was walking quickly toward me, her steps determined, purposeful.

"Mimi," I called, trying to mask the unease creeping into my chest.

She reached me in a matter of seconds, stopping just in front of me. Her eyes scanned my face, but there was no smile, no warmth in her expression. Just a coolness that seemed so foreign to me.

"Where have you been?" she asked, her voice harsh, as if I had somehow wronged her. "I've been looking for you. I even went to your dormitory, but you weren't there. I called, but you didn't answer."

I was taken aback by her tone. It was the first time in months I had seen her like this, and it made my stomach churn. I tried to think of a reason, something to explain why I hadn't been available, but all I could come up with was the truth.

"I've been busy," I said softly, almost apologetically.

She didn't respond right away, just stared at me with an unreadable expression. A long silence passed between us, and the more I tried to figure out what was wrong, the more I felt a growing sense of dread. The tension in the air was thick, suffocating.

"Busy?" she repeated, her voice colder than before. "Is that all? You know, I've been wondering for a while now... how much longer we can keep doing this."

I frowned, confused. "Doing what?"

"This," she said, gesturing vaguely between us. "This relationship. I've been thinking about it, Wei, and I don't think I can do this anymore."

My chest tightened at her words. I was standing there, frozen, trying to make sense of what she was saying. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think I can be with you anymore, Wei," she said, her voice thick with finality. "I just don't feel the same way about you anymore."

I felt as if the ground beneath me had suddenly shifted, as if the earth was opening up and swallowing me whole. My stomach turned, and my breath caught in my throat. Tears were already threatening to spill, but I fought them back. I couldn't understand. I thought everything was fine. What was happening?

"Mimi, please," I whispered, my voice cracking. "What did I do wrong? Tell me, and I'll fix it. I'll make things right. I promise."

She looked at me, her eyes softening for just a moment before hardening again. She shook her head slowly, as if she were disappointed in me.

"Wei, it's not you," she began, but the words felt like daggers. "It's just that... you're too weak for me. I need someone stronger."

My heart skipped a beat. Weak? How could she say that? I had always tried my best for her, had done everything I could to make her happy. But it wasn't enough. I wasn't enough.

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to hold back the flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. "I'm sorry for not being what you wanted. I never meant to disappoint you."

She didn't say anything for a long moment, but when she spoke again, it felt like a final nail in the coffin. "I want to be with someone who has money, someone with power. I can't be stuck in this... ordinary life anymore. I deserve more than this."

The words stung, cutting through me like a sharp knife. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like the world around me was spinning out of control. I had never expected this from her. Mimi had always been kind, understanding. She was my everything, and now, she was leaving me, telling me that I wasn't enough.

"Mimi, please..." I started, my voice trembling. "I don't understand. I don't want to lose you. Why... why do you want to be with someone else?"

She shook her head again, a faint smile curling on her lips. "Because you can't give me what I need. And I don't want to be this ordinary girl forever, Liang Wei. I want a better life. A life that you can't provide."

Tears began to blur my vision, and I couldn't stop them. I had tried so hard. But I wasn't good enough.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, barely able to keep the words steady. "I'll let you go."

She turned away then, without another word, but before I could take a single step, a sleek, black Ferrari zoomed past me, its engine roaring in a way that sliced through the silence. It slid to a stop right next to us, and out stepped a man.

At first glance, he looked ordinary. But there was something about him—an air of arrogance, a confidence that was almost suffocating. The way he carried himself, dressed in expensive, perfectly tailored clothes—it was clear he was someone who liked to be seen. He was trying to make a statement.

"Mimi," the man called out, his voice smooth, mocking almost, as he walked toward us.

Mimi's eyes lit up the moment she saw him. It was as though she had just been given a lifeline. She didn't even look at me as she stepped toward him, her coldness towards me growing with each passing second.

"How you doing?" the man said with a smug smile, taking Mimi's hand. "It's time for us to go."

I stood there, frozen, my heart breaking as I watched them. The man's eyes flicked to me briefly, a sneer curling at the corners of his mouth as if I were nothing more than a nuisance.

"Don't waste your time on losers like him, Mimi," he said, his tone dripping with superiority. "He can barely hold a conversation without sounding pathetic."

Mimi nodded, a smile spreading across her face as she looked at me one last time, her words like ice: "You're weak, Liang Wei. Pathetic. You'll never be enough for someone like me. I can't be with someone who can't even provide the simplest things for me. Goodbye."

With that, she turned, walking away with the man. I could do nothing but watch as they got into the Ferrari, the door slamming shut with a finality that echoed in my chest.

The engine roared to life, and they drove off without a second glance, leaving me standing there in the middle of the street. My tears fell freely then, and I felt every bit of the humiliation she had just put me through. I wasn't even worth a goodbye. I wasn't even worth the time she'd once given me. The tears blurred my vision as I realized, too late, that I had been nothing more than a stepping stone for her.

I had been replaced. And all I could do was stand there, lost and broken.