Chapter 3: Withdrawal Period

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At night, Su Andi pulled Lin Yiwei into a WeChat group chat, which had about thirty members. Lin Yiwei didn’t pay much attention to it and grabbed her pajamas to go to the bathroom. Outside the door, her aunt’s indirect complaints came through again, grumbling that she was taking too long in the shower, wasting water and gas. Whenever her shower lasted more than ten minutes, her aunt would mutter a few scolding remarks; Lin Yiwei’s ears had long learned to automatically filter out her sharp voice.

However, just as she was about to rinse the foam from her hair, the hot water suddenly cut off. Caught off guard, Lin Yiwei was startled by the cold water. But since it was midsummer, washing with cold water wasn’t a big deal. Without arguing with her aunt, she adjusted to the temperature and quickly rinsed the foam off. These days wouldn’t last much longer; once school started, she would move out immediately.

After drying her hair, she carefully picked up the strands of hair on the floor with wet wipes, one by one, to avoid getting scolded again. When she came out, she glanced at her phone. She had forgotten to turn on Do Not Disturb mode, and the screen showed dozens of new messages in the group. The original thirty-member group had shrunk to just over a dozen. Many boys and girls who had posted their bare-faced photos were promptly removed from the group by the owner.

As expected…it was a beauty filter challenge. She scrolled up to see the photos they had posted. Most were handsome or beautiful, and a few of them, in Lin Yiwei’s opinion, easily scored above 85 points in looks, but they had all been kicked out. The group owner tagged her and Su Andi, urging them to post their photos quickly.

Standing under the bathroom spotlight, Lin Yiwei casually snapped a photo. The light from overhead cast shadows over the corners of her eyes and under her nose—a harsh, unforgiving light. She sent it with the username “Breeze.” Right after, Su Andi sent her photo as well. In Su Andi’s picture, she pouted and widened her eyes to look cute. Although the photo was supposed to be unedited, it was clear that her skin had been subtly retouched.

Andysu messaged: “@Breeze, we’re sisters, we have to act together!”

Insomnia: “Damn, finally seeing a real beauty.”

18: “What’s the beauty’s name? [smirk]”

Andysu: “Just call me An’an. [cute cat emoji]”

After she replied, the two boys stopped trying to flirt, clearly their comments were only aimed at Lin Yiwei. Lin Yiwei didn’t even notice the awkward exchanges in the group. She sat by the bay window with a picture book by Lin Xie in her arms, the breeze gently tousling the stray hairs at her temples…

She missed the boy who had depended on her for many years. Lin Xie was her childhood playmate from the orphanage, two years older, whom she always called “brother” and regarded as her true sibling. Her talent in painting was nurtured by Lin Xie, who had patiently taught her.

Later, when Lin Yiwei was adopted by her parents, Lin Xie would occasionally sneak out of the orphanage to visit her in the neighborhood and talk. At that time, the girl would grab onto his shirt and cry because of loneliness and the unfamiliarity of her new home.

As they grew older, Lin Xie stopped schooling after middle school and entered society early, drawing portraits at subway entrances or tourist spots for a living. After Lin Yiwei’s adoptive parents passed away, she was completely rejected by her family and lived under her uncle’s roof, enduring hardship.

So she often stayed at Lin Xie’s rented room. Despite his meager income, he supported her. She even took the liberty of changing her surname from that of her adoptive father, Chen, to Lin. Lin Xie once opposed this, saying he didn’t want to be her brother, but Lin Yiwei believed it was just a spur-of-the-moment remark. He treated her so well; how could he not want to be her brother?

She held him, saying that in this world, he was her only family, and she wanted to share his surname, even if they didn’t live under the same household registration. Lin Xie reluctantly agreed.

In her second year of high school, one night Lin Xie suddenly told her he had to leave for a while to earn money. He told her not to look for him or report him missing, no matter what, and to remember that. When he returned, he would have enough money to send her to the Royal College of Art in the UK for better art education. They wouldn’t be poor forever.

Lin Yiwei cried and begged him not to leave, but he still left. Now, two years had passed, and he had vanished without a trace, as if he had disappeared from this world.

She searched for him endlessly until one day at a renowned art festival exhibition, she saw an oil painting titled “Falling Stars.” Countless speckles of mottled colors formed a vast galaxy. She had seen the preliminary sketch in Lin Xie’s picture book.

Having been taught by him since childhood, she was very familiar with his style. It was clear that “Falling Stars” was his work. Yet, the name below the signature belonged to another girl—

“Xiyuchi”

Chi Xiyu.

Lin Yiwei began to pay attention to this girl, learning that Chi Xiyu was a student at Mora Private High School, the school’s most outstanding prodigy. She was excellent in academics, kind and generous, gentle to others, and a model student and student council president. She had won many art awards, including the first prize-winning masterpiece “Falling Stars,” which was her representative work.

Chi Xiyu was the only daughter of the wealthy Chi family in Qinggang City. Lin Yiwei also discovered that Chi Xiyu planned to apply to Qinggang’s top university, Feige University, to study art.

The paintings clearly done by Lin Xie but signed by Chi Xiyu became the main reason Lin Yiwei wanted to apply to Feige University. She wanted to figure out what relationship Chi Xiyu had with Lin Xie…

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Lin Yiwei touched the cross hanging at her chest, all the chaotic thoughts turning into longing for the missing man. If he were still around, he would have stopped her from joining such a beauty-filter social gathering at a bar.

She opened the WeChat account named “Xieyang,” filled with her countless messages to him over the past two years—all unanswered. Even that night at the bar, she had messaged Lin Xie: “I slept with a very handsome stranger.”

Sending such intimate messages with no reply could only mean two things: either he was dead or he was trapped somewhere.

Suddenly, her WeChat vibrated. A red dot appeared in the contacts window. She saw someone had added her via the group chat.

The nickname was—

Cheng.

Lin Yiwei ignored it, but the person tagged her in the group again—

Cheng: “@Breeze, I added you, please accept.”

As soon as this message appeared, the young rich playboys in the group who had been teasing Lin Yiwei fell silent.

Outside, Su Andi’s footsteps pounded excitedly as she burst into the room, screaming, “Holy crap! Chi Xicheng added you!”

“Who’s that?”

“Chi Xicheng! You know the Chi family, right? They’re one of the two great families rivaling the Xie family! This young master is extremely arrogant! His girlfriends are all top-tier models. Xu Xinya, a rising star in the entertainment industry, was his rumored ex. Paparazzi even caught them vacationing at a seaside mansion in Bali—it was trending on social media.”

Faced with Su Andi’s trembling voice and ecstatic expression, Lin Yiwei simply replied, “Oh.”

“They say he’s super generous; a single credit card he casually throws to his girlfriend holds more money than an ordinary person could spend in a lifetime! Whether in entertainment or modeling circles, countless women scramble to get close to him. Being noticed by him truly means wealth and luxury will pour in!”

Lin Yiwei didn’t care whether he was generous. What she cared about was…

“You said he’s from the Chi family, what’s his relationship with Chi Xiyu?”

“What else could it be? Their names sound like siblings,” Su Andi explained confidently, “They’re twins—a brother and sister pair.”

Lin Yiwei thought of those paintings signed by Chi Xiyu. His disappearance must be connected to the Chi family.

She swiped her phone and accepted Chi Xicheng’s friend request. Su Andi watched and sneered silently.

What’s she pretending for?

Just now, the flattery from those rich playboys in the group had been met with her disdain and aloofness, but it turned out it was because they weren’t on her level. Now, here comes Chi Xicheng, and she’s showing her true colors.

She and those women fishing for men in the group were all the same, pretending to be pure and innocent.

Hypocrites.

Su Andi kept these thoughts to herself. If Lin Yiwei got close to Chi Xicheng, she would have more chances to connect with the Xie Bo circle.

“Sis, you better seize this opportunity! Chi Xicheng isn’t like the others in the group; he’s the real deal.”

Lin Yiwei didn’t respond to her words. After accepting the friend request, Chi Xicheng immediately sent her a message—

Cheng: “Very beautiful.”

Breeze: “Thank you, Master Chi. Nice to meet you. [cute cat waving emoji]”

Cheng: “Just call me by my name. Are you a student or a model?”

Breeze: “I’m not a model.”

Cheng: “You have a great figure. Interested in entering the entertainment industry? I can help.”

A man with such discerning eyes could tell her figure from a photoshopped selfie with harsh lighting. Obviously…he had seen countless women.

His purpose was clear: to lure her into the entertainment world—a place full of both glamour and filth—and make her dependent.

Few girls wanting to explore that world could resist his temptation. But Lin Yiwei had her own plan.

Breeze: “Thanks, but I don’t have plans for that right now.”

Cheng: “Okay, if you need anything, just ask.”

Breeze: “Mm-hmm.”

Cheng: “There are several parties at the Baiyin Club this weekend. Come to room 307. Don’t go to the wrong place.”

Breeze: “Got it.”

Their brief chat ended.

The other boys in the group fell silent, clearly because Chi Xicheng had publicly tagged her, and no one else dared to covet her now. In the upper-class circle of Qinggang City, there were two people absolutely not to be trifled with.

One was Chi Xicheng, the other…

The other was ten or even a hundred times more dangerous to mess with.

Soon, Su Andi messaged Lin Yiwei, asking if she had made contact and how things were going. She clearly cared whether Lin Yiwei could hook a big shot.

Lin Yiwei knew how Su Andi saw her and what others thought of her.

She wasn’t aloof. People like her had no right to be. Since childhood, she had learned to read people’s moods, to please others, to navigate among different personalities for survival.

She knew how to smile, act adorable, flatter, speak appropriately to each person, and be servile when needed. She fully understood how to use her extraordinary beauty.

If possible, who wouldn’t want to be a pure and innocent “white flower”?

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She never had that chance.

Breeze: “We just had a brief introduction.”

Andysu: “So excited! Sis, you must hold onto him! With Chi Xicheng, you won’t have to worry about tuition or living expenses for the whole four years of college! No more toiling for money! If you please him, you might even get a house for free! His last girlfriend reportedly owns a mansion on Qingyuan Mountain!”

Lin Yiwei put down her phone, leaning against the cold wall, clutching the silver cross Lin Xie had given her tightly to her chest. Behind all seemingly equal exchanges, who knew what dangers and humiliations were hidden.

…

At the DS Racing Club, a brand-new, dazzling racecar roared in.

Li Du hurried forward with a high-pressure hose, spraying the car down to cool it. Behind the tinted windows, a handsome man and woman were vaguely visible.

The girl wrapped her arms around his neck like vines wrapping around a tree. When she turned her head to kiss his Adam’s apple, he slightly turned his head away, revealing a face sculpted like a deity’s.

His thin eyelids lifted slightly as he watched the spray of water on the window with a disdainful look.

After that night of extreme indulgence, nothing else—no sensory pleasures—could excite him.

This was an ill omen.

For Xie Bo, anything that could make him addicted should be cut off.

Therefore, in recent days, the passenger seat had seen several different girls.

For some reason, he just couldn’t get interested.

He pulled the girl away and stepped out of the car briskly, telling Li Du, “The engine’s carbonized. After cleaning, bring me the toolbox.”

“Okay.”

The youth in work clothes kept spraying the car, occasionally glancing at the two.

The girl clearly had a pathological obsession with Xie Bo. After getting out of the car, she clung to him nervously, saying, “Just now… I was so scared! My heart was racing.”

“How fast?” Xie Bo grabbed a high stool, sat down, and lit a cigarette with a roguish air.

“Want to feel it?” She took his finely sculpted hands and guided them to her undulating chest.

The next second, Xie Bo grabbed her wrists from behind and pulled her close.

Startled by his grip, she cried out, “Xie Bo, it hurts!”

He whispered coldly in her ear, “Don’t teach me how to act. When I don’t want to touch you, don’t try this game.”

The girl immediately realized she had crossed a line.

He hated overly forward touches.

He liked to be in control.

But she couldn’t control herself; she was addicted to him.

She walked over and gave him a carefully chosen Patek Philippe watch. “I took a long time picking this out. See if you like the style.”

Xie Bo glanced at it indifferently. The exquisite vintage dial had a cold diamond set at its heart.

He took the box and lightly patted her forehead. “Thanks.”

The girl was touched by the gesture, pink bubbles of delight rising in her heart.

Yet, beyond that, no other reaction.

Though reluctant, she sensed his bad mood today and wisely said, “Xie Bo, I’ll go now. I’ll come find you again.”

Xie Bo flicked the watch in his hand as she left.

Once she was gone, he casually threw the watch and box into the trash can.

“Damn!”

Li Du pounced like a cat, fishing the expensive watch from a pile of waste paper. “Master Bo, don’t give this to me!”

Xie Bo lazily ignored him, biting a screwdriver as he crawled under the car.

Li Du put the watch on his wrist, crouched down, and looked at Xie Bo working under the chassis. “It’s ridiculous. Chi Xicheng is showering his girlfriend with luxury cars and mansions. You, on the other hand, always have girls throwing gifts at you. Last month, a girl even gave you a Mercedes-Benz V9 sports car.”

“Piece of junk,” Xie Bo commented mercilessly, testing the wiring with a voltage tester. “Some parts are decent.”

“Goddamn bastard,” Li Du said, heartbroken that such a flashy supercar had been stripped down to just the engine by this guy, who didn’t even blink.

Yet, this jerk had an endless supply of admirers.

From elementary to university, Xie Bo was always surrounded by blooming flowers, never lacking attention or affection, which made him proud and arrogant.

This world was truly unfair.

“By the way, Master Bo, are you going to the party on Friday?”

From beneath the colorful modified supercar, the man’s long legs stretched out, his oil-stained limited-edition designer work pants worth five figures ignored.

“Why not?” Xie Bo emerged from under the car, a few strands of damp hair on his forehead. “Perfect time for a test run.”

“I mean the party after the race, the Yunhui group’s gathering.” Li Du pulled out his phone and opened the WeChat group. “They’ve invited a bunch of beautiful girls, all stunning.”

“Isn’t Yunhui Chi Xicheng’s lackey?” Xie Bo took off his rubber gloves and tossed them on the table, twisting open a bottle of mineral water. “Chi Xicheng’s picking brides? I’ve got nothing better to do than be a judge for him?”

Li Du laughed. “If you go, it’ll be obvious who the star is.”

“Whoever wants to be the star can be,” Xie Bo said lazily.

He wasn’t interested in joining the fun.

Li Du held out his phone. “There really is a beauty, but unfortunately, Chi Xicheng is already involved. Want to see a photo?”

A slender figure flashed unbidden through Xie Bo’s mind…

He looked away, uninterested in the pretty woman.

“No interest.”