"BANG—"
A suitcase slammed violently against a table, the sudden clattering noise startling everyone in the vicinity. Heads turned toward the source of the commotion.
Standing beside the suitcase was a girl with delicate features, her eyes rimmed red with unshed tears.
Mu Xinxin stared in disbelief at the "couple" before her. "Song Yu, you cheated on me!"
She couldn’t believe that her boyfriend of just one month had the audacity to betray her so publicly—and with her own cousin, no less!
The man with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose flinched slightly at the sight of her, a flicker of panic crossing his face before he quickly masked it with accusation. "Xinxin? Weren’t you supposed to be at your best friend’s place? Don’t tell me you were following me?"
The fact that he showed no remorse—only suspicion—twisted something painfully inside her. How pathetic and laughable this whole situation was.
Suddenly, it hit her like a slap: How blind had she been to ever fall for someone like him?
Forcing herself to stay composed, Xinxin lifted her gaze coldly, her voice steady and resolute. "Song Yu, we’re done."
A flash of humiliation and anger crossed his eyes, but he quickly schooled his expression, unwilling to lose face in public. His lips curled into a sneer. "You think I actually cared about you? Don’t flatter yourself, you ugly cow. It was just a stupid dare—a game! Who’d ever want someone as hideous as you?"
Xinxin clenched her fists, tears threatening to spill despite her best efforts. "So... it was all a lie?"
She stared at him, struggling to reconcile the cruel, sneering stranger before her with the sweet, earnest man she thought she’d known.
"Tch, still in denial?" Song Yu scoffed, his face twisting with smug satisfaction. "Guess you’re not just ugly, Xinxin—you’re downright stupid too."
SMACK—
The sharp sound of a slap sent shockwaves through the onlookers.
Song Yu nearly collapsed onto the table, clutching his stinging cheek as he stared at Mu Xinxin in disbelief. No one would have guessed that the girl who seemed so meek could strike with such force. His face burned crimson beneath his palm.
Mu Xinxin glared at him with icy contempt, her voice dripping with disdain. "To think I ever trusted someone like you—I must have been blind. Song Yu, you’re beneath my contempt."
His expression darkened as he shot her a venomous look. "You shrew!"
Mu Yueyue, noticing the murmurs of the crowd, scowled and snapped, "Watch your mouth, Mu Xinxin. *We’re* the real couple here. Song Yu was just playing with you."
Mu Xinxin’s palm still throbbed from the slap, but those words drained the color from her face. Her fingers curled into fists, nails digging into her flesh as the truth sank in.
It hit her like a punch to the gut—*everyone* had known she was being fooled. Only she had been kept in the dark.
Memories flashed before her eyes: Song Yu’s relentless pursuit, the flowers, the breakfasts, the library dates, the gifts, the confession… and then her own naive surrender, bending over backward to please him.
From start to finish, she had been nothing but a joke.
A cold calm settled over her. Without hesitation, she snatched a glass of orange juice from the table and hurled it at the two of them.
