Night fell once again over Lin Guang City.Rows of buildings reflected across the surface of the Jinling River, which cut through the city like a dark ribbon.The night sky hung heavy, like a black velvet backdrop.City lights, river reflections—everything seemed imprinted on that vast canvas, blending the skyline and darkness into one seamless whole.
On the riverside promenade,Selene Lin sat alone on a metal bench,his silhouette washed of color by the streetlamps behind him.
He stared blankly at the flowing water ahead, eyes unblinking,his lashes still heavy with traces of dried tears.His eyes were rimmed red—like a storm had just passed,
leaving behind nothing but the damp hush of its aftermath.
He wasn't even that upset about being let go.A delayed resignation and an N+2 compensation package—he could live with that.
What truly hurt was the silence from someone who still bore the title of boyfriend—
no replies to his messages,no answers to his calls.
And he had even gone home,just to change into a dress he thought he'd like.
He wanted to tell him:
Today had been really hard.
He wanted to say:
He missed him. Deeply.
He wanted to say:
Even if they did nothing tonight—just had dinner,just sat by the window watching the night skyline—that would've been enough.
—But in the end, there was nothing.
The sense of grievance rose like a tide of weariness,slowly flooding his chest.
He sat there, quietly dazed,wondering—When had things started to change between them?
From the sweetness at the beginning,to the growing distance of long-distance calls,
and finally—to the indifferent, "Don't call during work hours. I'm busy."
That one phrase—"I'm busy"—cut through his waiting like a dull knife:
slow, deliberate, precise.
On the street, couples passed by hand in hand,their laughter and quiet murmurs stitching themselves into his ears like threads.
His nose tingled. He lowered his head.
Suddenly, a ringtone snapped him out of his haze.The name flashing on the screen was familiar—"Kai."
Only then did he remember,He had made a reservation at his usual Japanese restaurant before leaving the office at noon.
This was his favorite Japanese restaurant in all of Lin Guang City.He had once come here often with Dorian Xu—for dinners, birthdays, casual dates, work discussions,or even just to share a simple bowl of grilled eel over rice.
But lately,Dorian hadn't come with him in a long time.
"Miss Lin, are you still coming for your 7:00 p.m. reservation tonight?"The voice on the other end was warm and polite.
Selene was silent for a moment.He had meant to say no.
But when the words came out,they softened into a quiet:"Yes."
—At the very least,a good meal might ease,just a little,the mess and humiliation of the day.
He hung up the phone, stood up, and gently smoothed out the hem of his dress, fingers tracing the lace and pleats with quiet care.
As he passed a boutique on the corner, a casual glance caught his own reflection in the window—a slender figure in a Lolita dress,standing there like a sweet but forlorn little pastry,still and quiet beneath the soft glow of city lights.
A fresh wave of sorrow stirred in his chest.
The dress he was wearing was a limited edition piece from the Japanese brand Candy Atelier Lune—"The Chant of Starlit Nights and Dawn."
It wasn't even his usual style.He'd always preferred darker palettes, more structure, something closer to Gothic.
But that year, in Paris,Dorian Xu had looked at a mannequin in the Galeries Lafayette store and said,"That one would look great on you."
So he'd bought it—hesitantly, heart racing—thinking, "One day, I'll wear it on a date with him."
Today, for the first time, he had finally put it on.He had even gone to the trouble of doing a full sweet-style makeup look.
And yet—he was alone.
He had planned to wear this dress tonight while having dinner with Dorian Xu—hoping Dorian would notice him,hoping he would offer some comfort,or at least… a little warmth.
But none of that mattered anymore.
All of his hopes had already dissolved into smoke the moment Dorian stopped answering his calls and left his messages unread.
He gave a small shake of his head,as if trying to chase those expired memories out of his mind,then continued walking toward the restaurant.
As he stepped into Kai,the familiar scent of polished wood and soy-based sauces wrapped around him like an old memory.
A waiter recognized him instantly."Miss Lin, your table has already been prepared. Weren't you coming with Mr. Xu today? I think I just saw him with—"
The sentence was abruptly cut off by the restaurant manager approaching from the other direction.
"Miss Lin, long time no see. You're dining alone today, correct?"
"We've moved you to a quieter private room. You should visit us more often."
The waiter, sensing the tension, quickly bowed and retreated.The manager forced a polite, slightly stiff smile,trying to gloss over the awkwardness.
But Selene wasn't about to let it go.
He turned to the manager,looking him directly in the eyes.
"What was she saying just now? Is Dorian Xu here?"
The manager paused,his eyes flicking sideways, clearly weighing his response.
But Selene's gaze held something heavier than confrontation—not anger,but a gentleness already riddled with a thousand quiet wounds.
The kind of sadness that didn't need an answer to know the truth.
"I'm not here to cause a scene," he said softly, his voice catching slightly.
"I just want to see him. Just one look. Is he with a man or a woman?"
The manager clenched his jaw.
"...A woman."
Selene lowered his head and took a deep breath.The corners of his eyes shimmered with tears that refused to stay hidden.
He forced a fragile smile.
"Take me to where I can see him. Just for a second."
The manager let out a quiet sigh,then led him around to the far side of the main dining hall,stopping behind a large potted plant.
Through the gaps in the green leaves,Selene saw them clearly—Dorian Xu, sitting across from a woman in business attire and glasses,the two of them chatting and laughing,a picture of effortless comfort.
That smile—he hadn't seen it in a long time.
And in that moment,it felt as though the entire world had gone silent.
All that remained was the slow, heavy thud of his heart,echoing like it was sinking
to the bottom of the river.
"Is he always like this?"
"When I'm not around?"
Standing behind the potted plant, Selene's eyes didn't move—still fixed on the two figures laughing at the table.
But his voice was so soft, it nearly disappeared beneath the low hum of the restaurant's air conditioning.
The manager's expression shifted.He hesitated, then finally let out a sigh.
"I won't lie to you…"
"Mr. Xu has been coming here with that woman pretty often this past year."
"She's practically a regular at this point."
As if finally deciding to speak his mind,the manager added quietly,
"I think... you shouldn't hold on so tightly.Someone like him... he's not worth it."
He hesitated, then said with a sigh,
"To be honest, every time you came here with him, you were the one who paid."
"But whenever he comes here with that woman—he always pays without being asked."
Selene froze.
Something heavy and dull slammed into his chest,and for a moment,he could hardly breathe.
His fingers slowly curled into a fist.He clenched his jaw, struggling to keep his face still—to remain composed,mature,dignified.
But inside,the shame,the humiliation,and the slow-burning fury of being used
rose like a tidal surge behind his eyes—threatening to spill over at any moment.
"You... you're such a beautiful girl—"
"Or, well... boy..."
"Anyway, someone like you—so gentle, so stunning—you'll meet someone better, I'm sure."
The manager's voice trailed off,caught between not wanting to say the wrong thing
and fearing Selene wouldn't hear the truth at all.
In the end, he simply spoke with as much sincerity as he could manage.
Selene drew in a slow breath and closed his eyes for a moment,as if whispering to himself:
"Stay calm. Just hold on a little longer."
He still couldn't believe it.The same person who, just a few years ago, had promised to love him forever—could now do something like this,while still living under the same roof.
And he—he had been naive enough to believe that every late night home was just another project deadline.
At last, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.He unlocked it, searched,
and tapped on a name he knew by heart—a contact saved under one simple note:
"Baby "
The moment he pressed the call button,his chest seized with a sharp, sudden ache.
It was a nickname he had chosen with such care,so full of love, of trust, of need.
He remembered Dorian once brushing it off with a laugh:"Call me whatever you want. I won't change yours anyway."
But sometime later,by sheer accident,he'd caught a glimpse of Dorian's phone screen—where his name was listed plainly as:
"Lin Xingyao."
Just three cold, distant words.
The call kept ringing,that familiar caller tune playing over and over again in his ear.
Through the gap in the leaves,Selene watched as Dorian Xu glanced down at his phone—his lips barely moved in a slight, unreadable press—then calmly placed the phone back on the table,returning to his conversation with the woman in front of him.
Smiling.
As if nothing had happened at all.
"Manager Chen..."Selene finally spoke,his voice soft—as soft as a feather falling into water.
"I… don't think I can eat tonight."
"I… just can't."
As he said it,his voice had already begun to tremble,unable to hide the cracks spreading beneath it.
His hands clutched tightly at the lace sleeves on both sides of his dress,his whole body tensed,as if trying to hold together something on the verge of collapse.
"Of course," Manager Chen nodded quickly,his expression unusually gentle now.
"You can sit here and rest for a bit. We won't charge anything for the reservation."
"And next time… whenever you want to come back—just let me know."
As he spoke, Manager Chen gently guided him out of the main dining hall.
Just as Selene sat down on a bench near the entrance,a faint commotion drifted over from the front.
"I'm sorry, sir, but without a reservation, we can't accommodate you at the moment."
"I can wait."
The reply came in a low, soft voice—gentle, but unmistakably persistent—spoken in accented Mandarin.
Selene looked up slightly.
At the entrance stood a foreign man with ash-blond short hair and deep-set features,
conversing with the same waiter from earlier.He wore a light-colored suit, impeccably tailored,his expression calm yet unwavering.
For a brief moment,under the soft glow of the exterior lights,his side profile took on a sculpted elegance—like a figure carved from stillness and intent.
Manager Chen walked over to the two men and exchanged a few quiet words.When he returned, his expression was slightly conflicted.He looked at Selene, as if he wanted to say more, but held back.
"Miss Lin, are you really not going to eat tonight?"
"This gentleman doesn't have a reservation, but he insisted on staying.If you don't mind... would you be willing to give him your private room?"
He picked up a box of tissues from the bar and handed it to Selene.
"Have some water. Don't force yourself to eat tonight."
Selene took the tissues, pulled a few out, and pressed them gently to the corners of his eyes.He was trying hard to hold himself together,but even then,he could still hear the faint sound of paper brushing against his skin.
He wiped a little too firmly.The once-delicate eye makeup had begun to smudge—
fine, broken patterns trailing from the outer corners of his eyes,like fading flowers unraveling in the rain.
Manager Chen returned to the foreign man.They exchanged a few more words.
This time, the man's gaze drifted quietly past the manager—and settled on the slender figure seated near the door.
He frowned slightly,as if catching the trace of something vaguely familiar.
The next second,he had quietly stepped forward,coming to a stop just in front of Selene Lin.He leaned down a little, his posture polite.
"Miss, thank you for giving up your room for me."
His voice was gentle and courteous,laced with a slightly imperfect Mandarin accent.
"Are you dining alone as well?"
Selene looked up at him.
His gaze was cool, tinged with wariness.He didn't answer—only turned his face slightly away,trying to hide the fragility still lingering in his expression.
"Alessio Moretti," the man introduced himself,then extended a hand.
"May I invite you to dine with me?"