"The one in my heart is Su Yufan!"
The wind from the sea blew through An Keqing's ink-black hair. At this moment, only she and her best friend ever since childhood, Ke Yunzhen, were on the deck.
That sentence just now left her dumbstruck as if she had been electrocuted.
Her best friend, in front of her boyfriend's birthday banquet, pulled her aside to a secluded spot just to confess her feelings for her boyfriend.
An Keqing even wanted to convince herself that this was maybe just a dream.
Yet, the clear voice next to her, along with the boisterous scene onboard the cruise ship filled with clinking glasses and lively chatter, all screamed to her that she was not dreaming.
"The important thing is, Yufan, he loves me in the same way," Ke Yunzhen stated, decisively showing her phone's screen to An Keqing. The heavy breathing sounds were painfully distressing in the quietness of the deck. She stared straight at the screen, recognizing the man entangled with another woman. How could she not recognize him? It was her boyfriend of seven years, Su Yufan.
She subconsciously clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, yet she felt no pain.
Her boyfriend and her best friend were having an affair behind her back, and she was clueless. She even naively planned to present herself as his one and only unique birthday present on his 25th birthday.
Her life had become a complete joke.
"Keqing, you and Yufan have been together for seven years, and nothing has happened between you. Yufan is a normal man, you haven't been able to satisfy him, and as your good friend, I could only step in for you," Ke Yunzhen carried on.
Without hesitation, An Keqing raised her hand and slapped Ke Yunzhen across her face, her right hand tingling from the impact. Trembling with rage and disbelief, she couldn't believe that her closest friend would treat her like this.
"Ke Yunzhen, I considered you as my best friend, is this how you treat me?" An Keqing roared, her voice swallowed by the crashing waves. Ke Yunzhen covered her stinging face, laughing instead of being angry.
The suggestive conversation continued, and Keqing quickly grabbed the phone from Ke Yunzhen's hand, turned around, and threw it into the sea behind her. Only then did she find that the world had become quiet.
Seven years. She had been with Yu Fan for seven years. She thought they shared the same feelings, yet how stark the reality!
She could hear the sound of her heart shattering into pieces, yet her pride and self-respect told her to stay strong, especially in front of Ke Yunzhen.
An Keqing clenched her fists, telling herself not to cry.
"With your humble background, how dare you become his girlfriend? We're the perfect match. How come you have an engagement with Yu Fan? If it wasn't for your father saving Yu Fan's grandpa, you think you could get into the Su family? You're not worthy at all! Only I am good enough for Yu Fan."
"Don't forget, you're his future aunt!" An Keqing yelled in anger. Why, why was she the one?
"I already have Yu Fan's child!" Ke Yunzhen gently rubbed her flat belly. "With this child as my trump card, I can rightfully marry Yu Fan. An engagement means nothing. An Keqing, consider the slap as my payback. If you dare, try hitting me again!"
Suddenly, Ke Yunzhen turned the tables and seized An Keqing's wrist. The two girls were at a standoff.
"Y-You..."
Is this the Ke Yunzhen she knew? Or, had she never truly seen her best friend's true colors?
Just as An Keqing raised her hand, an intense pain shot through her wrist. Suddenly, an incoming force flung her away, and a figure leapt past her. Unable to stay upright, she fell onto the ground.
When she raised her head, the sight she saw was her boyfriend of seven years gently shielding another woman behind him. His eyes were filled with care and tenderness.
"An Keqing, that's enough." He growled. Looking at An Keqing, his eyes filled with cold indifference.
An Keqing saw that Ke Yunzhen, who was hiding behind Su Yu Fan, was laughing triumphantly, then pretending to be weak, she leaned against him, "Yu Fan, it's all my fault for not hiding it. But, Keqing, the child is innocent. No matter how much you hate me, you shouldn't vent your anger on the child!"
Ke Yunzhen was crying in a pitiful way, her face was disgusting to look at.
At this moment, as she looked at the two individuals huddled together, she realized they indeed seemed like a perfect match.
Ke Qing sneered coldly, "A cheap woman plus a worthless man, truly a perfect match!"
This was the man she had been in love with for seven years. She really wanted to slap herself.
Sympathetically, Su Yu Fan looked at the injury on Ke Yun Zhen's face. Under the influence of alcohol, he turned to look at An Ke Qing, devoid of his usual warmth, only indifference remained: "Since you already know, I think our relationship…"
"I should thank you for letting me see your true face. Su Yu Fan, I, An Ke Qing, was blind for these seven years. I wish you two cheaters a lifetime of happiness."
After saying this, An Ke Qing turned to leave without looking back. She just wanted to escape from this place, she didn't want to see these two people ever again. As they brushed past each other, Su Yu Fan stopped her.
"Hold on!"
"After all, we still have an engagement. Regarding the child, I will take Yun Zhen back to the Su family and explain. But I hope you can personally go to the Su family and tell my grandfather that you have fallen in love with someone else."
An Ke Qing sneered coldly, "Su Yu Fan, I've completely seen through you now."
She did not respond to Su Yu Fan's statement and left alone.
But she forgot one thing, they were at sea, and she could not swim. The ship was not moored, and she could not leave. Looking at the joyful scene inside, she took a bottle of wine, found a quiet place by herself, sat on the edge of the ship and kept drinking.
She never drinks, but at this moment, she just wants to get herself drunk.
Seven years, everything that happened tonight, was a wake-up call that these past seven years were but a joke. An Ke Qing lifted her head, allowing the cold sea breeze to sting her face, the tears uncontrollably flowing down, an endless stream.
"An Ke Qing, what's the use of crying? You should thank those cheaters for showing you the truth."
But she still wanted to drown her sorrows in alcohol. After downing a full bottle of foreign wine, she was already somewhat dizzy. The wind on the deck was strong and she decided to go to the washroom.
And everything happened in an instant.
Just as she was about to stand up, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from behind her and forcefully pushed her.
Everyone was celebrating Su Yufan's birthday, so no one noticed her being pushed into the sea.
She couldn't swim. The moment she hit the water, she saw a pair of cold eyes and a flash of a red long skirt from the deck. She would never forget it for the rest of her life.
She screamed for help with all her might, but no one responded. All she could do was watch helplessly as the cruise ship gradually disappeared from her sight. The sea water penetrated her body unforgivingly.
The more she struggled, the worse she felt.
An Keqing felt her body slowly sinking, with her lungs feeling as though they were about to tear apart. The suffocating sensation slowly consumed her consciousness into darkness.
Was she...going to die?
Was she going to die in here? If she just died like this, what would her mother do?
