After the Breakup, the Possessive Heiress Regretted It - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: You Could Call It Friendship.

It had started to drizzle outside. The sound of raindrops ticking against the windows marked the passing of several more days. Time moved too fast — in the blink of an eye, the end of the year was already near.

Ji Wanmian sat at her desk, quietly listening to the rain. Whenever she felt tired, her eyes would drift to the window. The glass was completely covered in water; through that sheet of rain, she couldn’t see the outside world clearly.

If only it would snow.

In the south, winter rarely brought snow, but Ji Wanmian longed desperately to see it. She wanted to watch those fluttering snowflakes dance in the sky, to hold out her hand and catch them gently in her palm.

Her most vivid memory of snow was from the city where she had grown up — a beautiful snowfall. The trees had all donned lovely white coats, and it felt like the whole world was playing in the snow together.

But that memory was too distant now. Like fogged-up glass, everything had turned blurry and unclear.

Has it snowed back home this year?

Should I go back?

Ji Wanmian pulled her gaze back from the window, but she couldn’t stop herself from thinking about snow in the middle of this rain.

Sometimes she felt like a simple rainfall was enough. But now she was wondering again when she’d get to see snow. If she really saw it, would she just want even more?

When would she ever be satisfied?

She touched the painting in front of her with her fingertips and let out a soft sigh.

In the painting, she and Pei Jinyue stood side by side, smiling and making peace signs.

After knowing each other for so many years, they didn’t even have a single photo together.

So Ji Wanmian had to draw one herself — a moment with Pei Jinyue.

She tried her best to recreate Pei Jinyue’s features with her brush, but when it came to imagining her expression, she just couldn’t picture what Pei Jinyue’s genuine smile would look like.

It was at that moment she suddenly realized — Pei Jinyue had never truly smiled at her.

Most of the time, Pei Jinyue was expressionless, emotions unreadable. Ji Wanmian had occasionally seen her angry and had once accidentally caught a glimpse of her sadness in the past.

But never, not once, had she seen Pei Jinyue smile at her from the heart.

Not a polite smile, not a courteous one.

A real one.

So Ji Wanmian had no choice but to imagine it again and again.

She imagined the corners of Pei Jinyue’s mouth turning up, the soft lift of her brows as they took a photo together — surely, it would be dazzling.

If only we could take a photo together.

No, wait.

Ji Wanmian shook her head.

Even asking for a photo together felt too extravagant.

She lowered her eyes to the figure in the painting.

If only Pei Jinyue could smile at me once.

Ji Wanmian pulled her feet up onto the chair, hugging her legs and resting her chin on her knees, her heart a complete mess.

To be honest, she knew that deep down, it wasn’t just snow she wanted to see.

The rain slowly stopped.

Her hunger finally pulled her away from her tangled thoughts. Ji Wanmian stretched, glanced at the time — it was nearly 7 p.m.

Winter nights came too fast. It felt like she’d only just woken up and done a bit of work before it was already dinner time.

She debated for a long time between ordering takeout or cooking and ultimately decided to go out and grab something.

She’d been sitting all day, her back and shoulders aching — she needed to move around a bit, clear her head, maybe stock up on some snacks from the convenience store.

Even though her job seemed flexible, working from home, in reality, she was no different from any office worker — ruled by time.

During work, she felt limp and drained, but as soon as she thought about going out to eat and walk around, she suddenly felt energized again, like her bl00d had come back to life. Just getting away from the desk, computer, and mouse made her feel years younger.

She didn’t hesitate.

Ji Wanmian stood up, threw on a scarf and hat, and left the house. She didn’t bother with makeup.

It’s not like she was going to bump into the one person she wanted to see.

But still, Pei Jinyue’s face flashed through her mind.

Her mood, which had just begun to recover, crumbled again. The rain might stop, the sky might clear — but why couldn’t she move on?

With every step down the street, Ji Wanmian felt distracted.

People came and went, brushing past her, and each time, she found herself dazed, thinking that maybe — just maybe — the person in her heart would appear suddenly and surprise her.

Her sadness surged again, but if she didn’t eat soon, she wouldn’t even have the strength to feel miserable.

Before she knew it, she had wandered to the snack street. The smell of freshly grilled scallion pancakes drew her in, and she drifted toward the source.

I’ll think about Pei Jinyue again after I’ve eaten.

Ji Wanmian stood at the pancake stall, trying to see how many people were in line.

“Ji Wanmian?”

So many people. She was starving. She didn’t even register the voice calling her.

The person repeated: “Ji Wanmian.”

A plain pancake was five yuan, an egg added two more. Ji Wanmian propped her hand under her chin, wondering if she should get the egg.

Someone behind her cleared their throat and raised their voice: “Ji Wanmian.”

Yes, I’ll get the egg. I haven’t had one in ages, and it smells so good.

Having made up her mind, Ji Wanmian started to inch forward through the crowd to place her order.

Suddenly, someone tugged on the back of her coat, making her stop in her tracks.

Starving and lightheaded, Ji Wanmian turned around to see who had grabbed her.

The moment their eyes met, she froze.

“Ji Wanmian, do you still remember me?” The person had short hair, bangs covering her brows, and wore a pale pink puffer jacket. She smiled warmly at Ji Wanmian.

“I do! You’re…” Ji Wanmian rubbed her nose and returned a polite smile.

But in her mind, she was panicking.

Who is this?? She looks familiar. What was her name again?

Think! Think faster, brain!

Working late, creating nonstop, sleep-deprived — she was practically running on fumes.

The girl kept smiling, her eyes curving like little moons, clearly waiting for her answer.

Wanmian felt more and more anxious. Was she a college roommate? No, didn’t look like one. Then who…?

Forget it. Ji Wanmian gave up.

She just blurted: “I remember now! You’re my friend!”

“I thought you might’ve forgotten me.” The girl smiled shyly and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m Lu Yu — we were high school classmates, front and back desks.”

“Oh! It’s you!” Ji Wanmian smacked her forehead. The long-forgotten memory began surfacing.

Seeing Lu Yu’s hopeful expression earlier made her feel a little guilty. She lowered her head and said, “Ah, Yu, I’m really sorry. My brain hasn’t been working right lately. I just couldn’t recall your name.”

“It’s okay. I’m just really happy to run into you again, Wanmian.” Lu Yu gently patted her on the shoulder. “Have you been really busy lately?”

“Not too bad…” Ji Wanmian began, but then remembered the constant all-nighters, and corrected herself. “No, actually, it’s been rough.”

Lu Yu said gently, “You must be amazing at what you do to be this exhausted. But you should take care of yourself — you’ve gotten skinnier since high school.”

“Okay.” Ji Wanmian nodded, still stunned from seeing a familiar face in this city. Curiosity got the better of her. “Why are you here? Are you also—”

—here chasing someone you love?

She almost said it, since that’s why she came herself.

“I moved here for work two years ago after graduation. Saved up some money and bought a little corner store nearby,” Lu Yu said, pointing in a direction.

Bought a store.

How did she say that so sweetly and innocently, like it was nothing at all?

Ji Wanmian stared in disbelief, relieved she hadn’t voiced her earlier assumption.

Turns out, everyone else had moved forward, and she was the only one stuck in place, still mourning the past.

“You’re incredible,” she said, giving a thumbs-up, stunned enough to forget how hungry she was.

“Not at all. I just wanted to tell you where my store is — you can come visit me sometime.” Lu Yu glanced behind her. “You’re getting a pancake?”

“Yeah, it’s my dinner,” Ji Wanmian said.

Lu Yu made a thoughtful sound, then pointed to a nearby hot pot restaurant. “Since we’ve run into each other, how about eating together?”

“Sure,” Ji Wanmian nodded — she’d been craving food from that place for a long time.

She’d always wanted to eat there, but Pei Jinyue didn’t like hot pot, so Ji Wanmian had kept the thought to herself.

But now that she had someone to eat with, she couldn’t pass it up.

Just as they neared the restaurant’s entrance, someone softly called her name from behind.

So soft.

Soft like a snowflake landing on the ground.

But this time, Ji Wanmian heard it clearly.

She stopped, her whole body tingling.

Sure enough, when she turned around—

Pei Jinyue was standing right behind her.

The glow from the streetlights fell on her. She stood quietly, wearing an off-white coat, her wine-red hair pinned up, with a few loose strands falling gently over her cheeks. Without her usual sharpness, she looked much gentler.

Ji Wanmian froze, still stunned that Pei Jinyue had appeared so suddenly, saying nothing as she stood there.

“You two know each other?” Lu Yu asked, tugging at Ji Wanmian’s sleeve and whispering.

Snapping out of it, Ji Wanmian turned to Lu Yu. “Ah, yes, we…”

She paused.

She pursed her lips, unsure how to describe their relationship.

Lovers?

The word flashed through her mind. She wanted to say it.

They’d done everything couples do — so why couldn’t she call it that?

But the moment hovered in her throat. She glanced at Pei Jinyue, trying to read her expression.

As if sensing her gaze, Pei Jinyue smiled slightly and said, “We were university classmates. Ran into each other a few times. You could call us friends.”

Ji Wanmian’s lips relaxed, as if letting out a breath. She smiled at Pei Jinyue and echoed, “Yeah.”

But beneath that smile, something inside her tore open.

And from that crack, something delicate and sharp slipped through.

Like snow, falling from the sky.