Boss Lu: A reborn life is destined to be without regrets!
Chapter 206 - 164. Awkward Supporting Actress

Chapter 206: 164. Awkward Supporting Actress

In the sleepless, lit-up night of Jiang City, there was also a window that belonged to Guan Yongyi.

Her heartache tonight began with a series of photos from a friend’s social media post.

Before nightfall, the short-haired girl was still at Le Ying Law Firm, dealing with an intellectual property case.

"Guan Guan, head back early today," said her mentoring lawyer Shang Lingzhi as she prepared to leave, "I have a date tonight, and we can finish preparing the materials tomorrow."

She smiled and waved at Guan Guan.

"Uh... okay, Sister Lingzhi."

Ten minutes later, Guan Yongyi put down the case files and signing pen and habitually took out her phone, planning to check messages before heading back.

But there were no unread messages in private chats, and the groups were very quiet, with only a few scattered notifications about the weather.

Was it because she had set no alerts, that’s why messages didn’t pop up?

Normally she’d exchange at least a few words each day.

She scrolled to her contacts and found that man’s saved name, tapped into the chat window, and saw the same old messages.

It looked like it wasn’t a software issue.

She sighed softly, her fingertip gliding, and decisively blocked the man.

The sun was setting, leaving her alone in the office.

The short-haired girl stacked the thick case files together, pulled on her long-sleeved coat over her shoulders, preparing to leave and, on impulse, flipped through social media only to suddenly see Zhou Sinin had posted a group of photos.

The photos were of two plush toys,

A Pikachu and a Squirtle together.

There wasn’t a complicated caption, just two numbers and a crisp, clean emoji expression.

3>56!

Simply sharing moments of life and happiness was always Zhou Sinin’s style.

She started to feel a sudden pang of heartache.

In that instant, she couldn’t help but let her thoughts drift. Normally, Zhou Sinin wouldn’t go to an arcade alone, let alone try to grab two stuffed toys.

She must have gone on a date with someone after the company meeting with Lu Jincheng in the morning.

So...

What did those two numbers mean?

She had been to an arcade with Zhou Sinin before and knew how skilled she was at claw machines. After some analytical reasoning, it appeared to be game coins.

Could it mean Zhou Sinin went to grab plush toys with someone, use three coins, and the other person used up 56?

To go out with a girl and not choose something he was good at.

Really... such a fool.

She took a deep breath in the empty office, locking her phone with determination.

Without a message, there was no message. Being alone was also quite fine from now on.

Life wasn’t like a teen drama; the supporting female character also had her own resolve, with no obligation to vie for favors with the main female lead, determined to turn away with poise upon detecting the man’s indifference.

So she put on her clothes and without giving another glance at her phone, she spoke as casually as possible to the empty marble room.

"Well then, I wish you happiness."

On the drive home, she fantasized.

What if she changed directions and headed to Light Valley World City, walked into the arcade there, what scene would she see?

Arm in arm?

Fingers entwined?

Or maybe... wearing matching couple shirts?

Alas, the short-haired girl lacked the courage to witness others’ happiness.

She only felt an extra heaviness in the air inside her car, with the hustle and bustle of Jiang City’s autumn night outside. She rolled down the window and stepped harder on the accelerator.

The wind whistled past her ears, while the car stereo played a calm and collected female singer.

Perhaps there was sand in the wind, dust entered her eyes, which then started to turn sour, quietly reddening in the night.

By the time she got home, it was already dark, and she entered the house, a picture of exhaustion, dropped her bag, changed clothes, and lay down on the bed.

Mian Mian jumped onto the bed, lying down obediently next to her, rubbing her arm.

Just like that, the woman and cat spent a very long time together in the dark.

Every night before sleep, Guan Yongyi would gently turn off the lamp, fingers stroking the fuzzy little kitty on her chest, whispering softly the moment the night broke into her pupils.

"Goodnight, Mian Mian."

But now, she turned on her side, holding Mian Mian in her arms, cupping the round little head in her hands, and kissed it.

"Mian Mian."

"Meow~"

The ragdoll cat blinked its eyes, a deep blue like gemstones, clear and lucid.

It knew its mother was calling it.

But it couldn’t comprehend the meaning behind its own name.

Every sentence not saying ’I love you,’ yet every sentence filled with love.

The heartache along the way suddenly made her admit her weaknesses.

Such as admitting there was still a little hope in her heart, admitting her recent actions were somewhat prideful.

So, she unblocked Lu Jincheng from her blocked list.

What was he doing now with his best friend?

Holding hands, embracing, kissing, then confirming their relationship?

Guan Yongyi didn’t think too long.

Her phone’s vibration interrupted her internal drama, her heart stirred, and she quickly answered without even checking the caller ID.

At the moment she heard the "hello" on the other end, she showed a look of disappointment.

"Mm, Mom."

It was her mother, Lin Lifeng.

"I was just in a meeting. What’s up with the call?"

On the other end of the phone, Lin Lifeng’s side seemed a bit noisy.

Red Circle Firm is composed of elites, and the upper echelons were excessively busy.

"I... I want to go home for a few days..."

She had a vague feeling that if things continued this way, the WeChat group called Ran Dong would turn into a showcase for model couples with a glaring light bulb of 800 watts in the midst.

But all she could do was feel irritated and helpless.

She planned to hide at home, like an ostrich that couldn’t see anything.

Taking a long vacation, waiting for them to openly be in love, and coming back to congratulate them once she had adjusted her mindset seemed like a good idea.

At least she thought it was good.

"Go home? Why go home when everything is fine?"

"Are you sick? Feeling unwell?"

Lin Lifeng’s voice was quick.

"No... not really, Mom, I’m just feeling a bit down."

Guan Yongyi didn’t know how to express herself, biting her lips until they turned white.

"Feeling down so you need to go home? Why don’t others clamor to go home like you, Guan Yongyi? You think you’re so precious?"

"...I..."

"I heard from Li Suying that your classes aren’t full every day, and the firm hasn’t assigned you too many tasks. You can’t even handle this much pressure and want to go home?"

"What good will going home do? With the upcoming listing of Yantang Dairy, do I have the time to coddle you, or does your father have time to pamper you?"

Lin Lifeng rattled on, completely uninterested in hearing Guan Yongyi’s explanations.

In her mother’s eyes, the daughter couldn’t take hardships, and feeling down was just an excuse for avoiding them.

"Alright, I have a meeting to attend. Isn’t tomorrow Singles’ Day? If you’re feeling down, just go buy something."

Lin Lifeng hung up the phone.

Two seconds later, Guan Yongyi’s Alipay notified her with the sound of Gold Coins.

[Alipay transfer received, twenty thousand yuan.]

Sigh...

Mom, I don’t need money...

Guan Yongyi let out a long sigh; her complicated emotions receded from her face like the tide, leaving only traces of a bitter smile.

She didn’t even know where to hide.

A tremendous feeling of powerlessness struck Guan Yongyi as she lowered her hand, causing her phone to fall into the gap between the bed with a "thud."

Her mind was in turmoil. She bent over to pick up the phone, only to accidentally hit the corner of the table and nearly topple the small table top.

A glass tumbled from the table, narrowly missing her head and hitting the tiled floor with a "crack," a sound as clear as a broken heart.

Water and tea leaves scattered everywhere, and glass shards flew about as if they were piercing her eyes too.

The floor, her pants, and the bedspread all soaked, Mian Mian saw her expression and attempted to jump down from the bed.

"Don’t jump! There’s glass on the floor!"

Guan Yongyi lay on the ground, gazing at the messy scene, on the verge of an emotional breakdown, and had the irrational urge to scream.

Fortunately, a mother’s strength prevails; she was a tough mom.

With red eyes, she stood up, picked up Mian Mian, and dropped the kitten into the next bedroom.

After closing the door, she ran to the balcony to grab a mop, not noticing the wet flip-flops beneath her. The floor became damp from her passage, and she slipped, finally collapsing into the clothes rack on the balcony, sending it tumbling over.

The clean coats, underwear, and socks, all carrying the scent of dried sunlight, fell onto the dusty balcony floor.

The pristine white became stained with the grime of the floor, resembling a dark face.

Just like her fate as a supporting character, she reached the pinnacle of disarray.

The short-haired girl sat among the chaos, her heart numb, her cool face devoid of expression.

She felt like a robot undergoing adjustments, momentarily unsure of which emotion to activate in response to everything that had happened today.

A few seconds later, she mustered the strength to bend down and mechanically began to collect the coats, underwear, and socks from the ground.

A few of her favorite beautiful clothes were entangled like kissing lovers; she abandoned her usual caution and yanked them apart forcefully.

But those clothes seemed to deliberately antagonize her, their sleeves entwined like JJ Lin’s song "Jiangnan," unwilling to let go of each other in this mortal world.

She saw the corner of a shirt and suddenly thought of Zhou Sinin, framed in Lu Jincheng’s camera lens.

Her smiling friend also wore a white shirt today, looking beautiful and perfectly matched with her man.

She tugged harder, with all the force of a baby’s first fierce effort, and finally heard a "rip."

She looked down sharply to find that what was torn was a bespoke skirt sent by Lu Jincheng.

All Dreams.

Freshly washed, spotlessly clean, of free size, a new, hotly contested product online.

A treasure she cherished so dearly, yet one she had yet to wear even once.

A thin tear marred the skirt, like the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

A gap from the sky, providing a reason for everything to spill out.

"Wah..."

The short-haired girl could no longer hold back, crying loudly in her empty and cold home, among the pile of clothes awaiting another wash and tidying.

Her cries echoed in the room.

At first subtle, she then released her self-restraint, snot and tears mingling together as she tossed the world aside.

Later, tired from crying, Guan Yongyi stopped, wiped her nose with a piece of clothing, felt thirsty, and decided to stand up to get a beer from the fridge before crying a second round.

As she walked from the balcony to the living room, she heard a strange sound from the coffee table.

Buzzing, like the annoying hum of a fly.

It was the phone tossed aside.

She sniffed, wondering what else could be more upsetting than the current state, and looked at the caller ID.

Seeing the name, she felt an even stronger urge to cry.

Her heart was filled with bitterness, like a hydrogen balloon that soared high and then shattered, pierced viciously by a gun.

The caller was Lu Jincheng.

"Hello?"

She controlled her emotions, her voice sounding like she had a cold, nasal as she spoke.

There was silence on the other side for a long time, followed by just two words.

"Open the door."