Dawn of Life

Through the glass wall, Lin Yue saw a woman in the distance. She was slender, around 35 years old, with long, flowing black hair casually draped over her shoulders, a few strands tucked behind her ears, revealing delicate pearl earrings. She wore a simple silk blouse paired with a camel-colored A-line long skirt, exuding an artistic aura from within.

She walked straight to Lin Yue, extended her slender, fair hand, and said gently, "Hello Lin Yue, I'm Jin Yingying."

Lin Yue gave her a faint smile. Although she felt a little uncomfortable with the handshake, she still politely touched her hand and said, "Hello, Ms. Jin. Xiao Feng and I have already broken up, and I have absolutely no interest in your story, so you really don't need to make this special trip."

Jin Yingying sat down by herself, scanned the QR code on the table with her phone, and ordered herself a coffee. Before placing the order, she looked up at Lin Yue with her beautiful eyes and asked, "What do you want to drink? I'll order you another one."

Lin Yue pointed to her half-full cup of matcha latte on the table and shook her head. After ordering, Jin Yingying placed her phone on the table and then looked up to scrutinize Lin Yue. After a while, she said, "You're even prettier than in the photos. No wonder Xiao Feng hesitated for so long."

Lin Yue's hand holding the coffee cup visibly paused. Jin Yingying's words contained a lot of information. Jin Yingying had seen her photo beforehand, and even before Lin Yue and Xiao Feng broke up, this woman across from her had rekindled her old flame with Xiao Feng, her ex-boyfriend.

I'm really something. First, Gao Ming cheated on me, and now I've been cuckolded by Xiao Feng. With this kind of luck, I should find some time to go to a temple to pray and get rid of the bad luck.

Seeing that Lin Yue remained silent, Jin Yingying felt as if she could see through her calm exterior to her turbulent inner world.

She picked up the coffee the waiter had just brought her, took a sip, and said, "He didn't cheat on me. We only really got together after you two broke off contact. Although he always seems to have a seamless transition, he would never be two-timing."

Yue couldn't hold back any longer, her contempt for the two men showing on her face. Was this the moral standard for relationships in their circle? Cutting off contact with his current girlfriend today, sleeping with his "white moonlight" tomorrow—and that's considered not cheating, making him a good man?

What's even more ridiculous is that she once thought this man was affectionate and that he wanted a long and lasting future with her.

Jin Yingying gave a bitter smile and continued, "I only found out about his standards later. When he caught me and my classmate together in France, he was furious and determined to break up with me. I was devastated at the time and always thought it was this misunderstanding that caused our breakup. It wasn't until many years later that I learned he already had another suitor, who was also his ex-wife. On one hand, there was his girlfriend of four years, who was still studying, and on the other hand, there was a successful career woman who had actively pursued him. So, it was just that he happened to see me and my classmate while he was struggling with his decision, which gave him a reason to break up. Many years later, after confirming with him, I learned that he did indeed break up with me before confirming his relationship with his ex-wife."

Jin Yingying picked up her coffee cup and took two big gulps, hiding her disappointment behind the rim of the cup. When she put the cup down, her expression had mostly recovered.

For some reason, Lin Yue felt no hatred towards Jin Yingying at this moment, but instead felt a little sympathy for her.

To be able to forgive and forget a man who once hurt her, and to go to great lengths to snatch him away from her, is truly pitiful and pathetic.

Lin Yue had already heard two versions of this story.

Lin Yue couldn't help but ask the question that had been on her mind: "So you've been unmarried and waiting for him all these years?"

Jin Yingying, with a mouthful of coffee in her mouth, almost choked when she heard Lin Yue's question. She put down her cup, blinked her big eyes at Lin Yue, and said, "Do you believe in such pure love? No one is indispensable to anyone else. Of course, I did go back to China to look for him once, but he avoided me at the time. Because I still had studies to complete, I quickly went back to France. After that, we each dated other people and got married."

"Last year, a mutual alumnus organized a gathering, and that's how I ran into him again. He said he'd met many people over the years and had been searching for the feeling we had when we were dating, and it wasn't until he met me again that he found that feeling again. So, he hoped I would divorce my husband for him, but I couldn't bear to leave my daughter, so I refused. Then, he met you. Until a month ago, my husband saw our chat history, and I got a divorce. Of course, to be precise, it was the chat history I sent to him."

Lin Yue didn't know why she had come to see her today—was it a victor's boast or a warning from someone in a higher position?

At this moment, Jin Yingying's voice rang out again: "Lin Yue, don't you think we look alike? From appearance and figure to temperament, so when he sent me your photo, I was both jealous and resentful. He has always liked me, you are just someone who looks a lot like me."

"To kill someone is to destroy their spirit," Lin Yue admitted, her heart was still clenched tightly at that moment. Putting aside the whole truth of the matter, her passivity and being used in this relationship were enough to make her suffer.

When Xiao Feng cut off contact with her, she thought it was because his interest had waned and he didn't love her enough. When she learned about Xiao Feng's relationship with Wen Xing, she felt that Xiao Feng had abandoned her after weighing the pros and cons. Only then did she realize that she had been just a tool from the very beginning.

She thought he was a ray of light to save her, but she never expected him to be a demon who would take her to the eighteenth level of hell. What's even more ridiculous is that she thought she had already reached the eighteenth level of hell, but he kept telling her that there were eighteen more levels below.

Jin Yingying came to see Lin Yue today, of course, to shatter all of Lin Yue's illusions and expectations. Knowing Xiao Feng as she did, she knew he wouldn't break up with Lin Yue amicably; he habitually left himself an escape route. She knew this man too well; he was realistic and rational, yet always tried to disguise himself as romantic and passionate.

He wants a long-term and stable relationship, but he always hesitates, struggles, and tests things out in relationships.

On-again, off-again relationships are commonplace for him; it seems only such dramatic emotional experiences can ignite his passion for love. Whether pursuing a new love or seeking reconciliation with an ex, he sees it all as a means to prove his own charm.

Lin Yue didn't know how she ended her conversation with Jin Yingying. Afterwards, she wandered aimlessly on the streets for a long, long time. When she finally got home, her head was still foggy and her body was exhausted, it was already past 11 p.m.