The Breakup Didn’t Stop Me From Owning the World - Chapter 1

The rain had been falling incessantly for over a week, gradually forming a thin layer of water on the ground. A biting cold wind howled as gloom enveloped the entire city of Yan. Solemn black cars slowly filed into the cemetery for the final mourning ceremony.

Lan Muyu floated in mid-air, having long forgotten how she got there. Her body seemed trapped by some invisible force, leaving her to hover aimlessly, observing the varied expressions of the people below—from day to night—yet unable to find her own rightful path.

Today was the funeral of the daughter of the Lan family in Yan City. The Lan family boasted a century-old legacy, and the current chairman’s wife was the only daughter of a military-political dynasty. Their powerful union had elevated the Lan family even further. Whether out of genuine grief or mere obligation, mourners filled the entire hillside.

“Ah, that Lan family daughter—what a waste. She had everything, a privileged life, a fiancée, yet she threw it all away to chase after some minor celebrity in Yun City. Was it really worth it?”

Hmm? Some drama?

Lan Muyu, having spent days idly floating around with nothing to do, perked up at the gossip, wishing she could press her ears right up to the speakers.

“I heard about that too. A year ago, when Miss Lan insisted on breaking off the engagement, it caused quite a stir in Yan City. The chairman was so furious he cut ties with her. Everyone thought she was just being young and reckless, starting a business abroad—who knew things would turn out like this?”

Lan Muyu nodded and drifted closer.

Breaking off an engagement… she vaguely remembered doing something like that herself.

Who hadn’t been young and reckless, throwing everything away for love?

But… who had it been for?

Hmm, she couldn’t quite recall.

“In the end, sheltered rich girls just don’t understand the hardships of the real world. Rumor has it she didn’t die from depression—she was drugged and forced into one of those ‘parties.’ She jumped to her death rather than submit. The Lan family had to pull a lot of strings to keep it quiet.”

Lan Muyu floated behind the gossips, watching them shake their heads and sigh. She clicked her tongue in sympathy.

So tragic, so tragic. How could someone end up as miserable as her?

Maybe they’d meet by the Naihe Bridge and become sworn sisters?

A gust of wind swept by, and one of the gossips was suddenly shoved from behind. A low voice hissed, “Dare to spread rumors here? Do you have a death wish? Don’t you know that after the celebrity who ‘stole’ Miss Lan was ruined, she just vanished?”

“That was a top-tier actress in the entertainment industry. Ups and downs are normal, but vanishing without a trace? Don’t be ridiculous.”

The person pulled out their phone, opened the entertainment tab, and showed the trending headlines:

Explosive! Tianhao Entertainment accused of tax evasion involving 10 billion, now shut down.

Explosive! A-list actress Fu Yao exposed for late-night drug parties.

“Cross anyone but these two families. The Fu family is doomed now.”

“Doomed? I heard everyone involved in that night’s events was ‘taken care of’ by President Li. The business scene in Yun City got a thorough purge.”

“No wonder I felt a chill down my spine earlier. Forget what you heard—none of this ever happened.”

Lan Muyu let out a soft “Wow.” An actress and a homewrecker, once at the peak of their lives, suddenly left with nothing?

Tsk tsk, how thrilling.

If Miss Lan were still alive, this would be the perfect script for a melodramatic revenge story. What a shame. What a real shame.

Lan Muyu suddenly felt an urge to see what kind of celestial beauty this “Miss Lan” had grown into. With great effort, she squeezed her way to the front of the tombstone and saw the large name engraved on it, “Lan Muyu.” It felt strangely familiar.

Who was this again…

She tilted her head, lost in thought. The name felt so familiar, yet she couldn’t quite place it.

A commotion broke out nearby. Lan Muyu turned around to see a group of black-suited bodyguards escorting a young woman toward her. The woman carried an air of someone long accustomed to authority. Despite her stunningly beautiful face, there was an unmistakable weariness and sorrow in the furrow of her brows.

Lan Muyu couldn’t help but reach out a finger. How could someone so lovely wear such a deeply aggrieved expression? She wanted to smooth out the frown on that person’s face, only to realize her hand passed right through.

The murmurs around her grew louder, and she vaguely caught the keywords, “Li Ruonan,” “fiancée.”

Huh? So this stunning beauty was the abandoned fiancée?

Lan Muyu took a moment to appraise her—her face, her figure, those long legs—enough to make even a ghost like her feel parched.

How could anyone bear to abandon such a beauty? Was that Miss Lan blind?

But now that she was dead, and the fiancée had come knocking with a group of black-suited bodyguards in tow, it was clear she was here to make a scene.

Lan Muyu leaned lazily against the tombstone, wishing she had a handful of sunflower seeds to munch on.

The hushed discussions about the deceased continued, but the next moment, the beauty’s face darkened as she turned and swept a glance across the crowd. Wherever her gaze landed, silence fell instantly.

When she turned back, Lan Muyu watched as the beauty bowed deeply to the bereaved family, then carefully wiped the mist from the photo on the tombstone. Her fingers traced the image with tender reverence, as though caressing the love of her life.

Wait—was she actually here to pay her respects?

Could there be more to this story?

Lan Muyu’s mind immediately conjured up a melodramatic love triangle: you love me, I love her, she loves her.

Just as her imagination ran wild, the mist on the photo gradually cleared, revealing a radiant smile and clear, unclouded eyes. The moment she met those peach-blossom eyes, Lan Muyu’s pupils contracted in shock. She froze in place.

That face—it was unmistakably her own!

Lan Muyu stiffly floated closer, disbelieving, and double-checked.

Damn, it really is me.

So the one who lived such a miserable and foolish life… was actually me.

Fragments of her past memories finally pieced themselves together in that instant, flashing through her mind like a reel of film.

She was Lan Muyu, born in Yan City, the capital of Huaguo. From childhood, she had been the center of attention, her life smooth sailing. The first time she clashed with her family was when she changed her college preference—despite being Yan City’s top scorer in the national college entrance exams, she enrolled in Yun City’s best film school.

Her parents had been deeply embarrassed, but at least she still had her childhood fiancée, Li Ruonan. Li Ruonan was seven years her senior—by the time Lan Muyu was packing her bags for university, Li Ruonan was already making waves in the business world, her sharp instincts earning her a reputation as a rising star in investment.

But then, at university, she met Fu Yao. To be with Fu Yao, she broke off her engagement, enraging her father to the point of disowning her and cutting all ties.

Fortunately, just before graduation, she was noticed by a renowned director and won the Best Newcomer Award, which gave her a brief moment in the spotlight. It should have been a heartwarming story, but appearances can be deceiving—Fu Yao had long harbored feelings for her first love, Jiang Qianrou. In fact, the two had rekindled their romance the very first time Fu Yao brought her home to meet the family.

By all logic, she should have stood her ground and broken up with Fu Yao right then. But at the time, love had blinded her. Later, Jiang Qianrou’s screenplay helped Fu Yao win the Best Actress award. After countless late nights, she finally uncovered their affair. To silence her, the two drugged her and handed her over to a group of lecherous investors. Unable to bear the humiliation, she leaped from the 39th floor…

As the memories flooded back, Lan Muyu realized the funeral ceremony had already ended. Li Ruonan dismissed the bodyguards and drove alone along the winding mountain road.

Somehow, Lan Muyu found herself drifting along in a daze, following the car the entire way.

She didn’t know why she was trailing Li Ruonan, but with nowhere else to go, she took advantage of the fact that Li Ruonan couldn’t sense her presence. Floating into the passenger seat, she poked and prodded at Li Ruonan, studying this person she hadn’t seen in years with curiosity.

Lan Muyu touched Li Ruonan’s face—flawless, porcelain skin without a single blemish.

Tsk, how does someone seven years older than me not have a single wrinkle? What kind of skincare routine does she have?

Must be Botox!

Her restless hands circled Li Ruonan’s waist, then boldly crept higher.

Ahhh, I’m so jealous!

She glanced down at her own figure, artificially enhanced by a push-up bra. Is Li Ruonan’s body even real?

She must’ve had surgery!

As if sensing something, Li Ruonan pulled the car over at a crossroads and turned to look in Lan Muyu’s direction, though her gaze quickly dimmed.

Startled, Lan Muyu guiltily tucked her hands behind her back, sitting quietly like a student caught misbehaving. A wave of inexplicable frustration rose in her chest, and her tone shifted:

“Hey, I humiliated you by breaking off the engagement back then. Why did you still come to see me?”

“I was blind and got used by the wrong people. Why aren’t you gloating?”

“Why did you avenge me? You pissed off the entire elite of Yuncheng—was it even worth it?”

Lan Muyu sighed. “You’re so beautiful—why did you have to be so good to me?”

The emotions in Li Ruonan’s eyes were complex, impossible to decipher.

“I failed to protect you. If I hadn’t agreed to cancel the engagement back then… would you have suffered like this?”

A crystalline tear slid down Li Ruonan’s cheek.

Lan Muyu froze.

Li Ruonan… was crying?

She pressed a hand to her chest. Why does it still hurt so much, even as a ghost?

Back in high school, Li Ruonan, fresh out of college, used to visit her often. Li Ruonan always said she loved the purity in her eyes, that she wanted to protect her.

But at the time, Lan Muyu had taken it as mockery—as if Li Ruonan saw her as some naive fool. She’d been desperate to keep her distance. Now, looking back, wasn’t she exactly that fool who couldn’t see people for who they really were?

Wind and dust swirled through the mountains, and blinding headlights from the opposite lane nearly seared her vision.

Her eyes widened as she watched the speeding sports car hurtle toward them.

“Run, Li Ruonan, run!” Lan Muyu desperately tried to pull Li Ruonan away, but her transparent form passed through her over and over again.

Lan Muyu screamed with all her might, yet she could only watch helplessly as the sports car crashed into them. The world spun violently, and Li Ruonan’s car flipped over, rolling more than ten meters.

The driver of the sports car leisurely opened the door, removing her oversized sunglasses and mask.

A delicate, beautiful face was revealed.

Fu Yao!

Fu Yao stepped on the shattered glass, slowly approaching Li Ruonan.

When she saw Li Ruonan lying in a pool of bl00d, a deranged smile curled at the corners of her lips. “Li Ruonan, you took everything from me—now I’ll make sure you die a miserable death! Was it worth it, all for that b1tch Lan Muyu?”

She pulled a lighter from her pocket, her white-gloved hand moving deliberately as she struck a flame and tossed it onto the ground.

“Goodbye, Li Ruonan.”

She turned on her high heels, got back into her car, and sped away.

The spark ignited the gasoline spilled on the ground, instantly erupting into a sea of flames.

Bl00d gushed from Li Ruonan’s body, unstoppable.

Li… Li Ruonan! Wake up! Please wake up!

Lan Muyu, frantic, tried again and again to pull Li Ruonan out, but in her spectral form, she could only watch as her hands passed through her over and over.

Even when Fu Yao had framed her, she had never hated her own helplessness as much as she did now.

Li Ruonan’s hand trembled slightly.

A flicker of hope flashed in Lan Muyu’s eyes.

She’s awake! Hurry, get out! The car’s about to explode—there’s no time!

With the last remnants of her consciousness, Li Ruonan fumbled inside the car.

What are you looking for?! The fire’s right there—just go!

Li Ruonan painstakingly pushed aside the shattered glass, her fair fingertips sliced open by the sharp fragments, though she seemed oblivious to the pain.

With great effort, she pulled out a photo trapped beneath the seat.

It was the same photo as the one on the tombstone earlier.

It was a picture of Lan Muyu.

Lan Muyu felt as though she had been struck by lightning.

Her lips parted, but no words came out.

The bl00d had already stained the image in the photo. Li Ruonan carefully wiped it with her bloodied hand, gazing at it with deep longing before bringing it to her lips.

Her crimson lips pressed against the radiant smile in the photo.

“Mu Mu…”

Her eyes slowly closed.

The raging flames surged forward, devouring everything.

Her body, too, gradually turned transparent amidst the flickering firelight.

Li Ruonan, I’m sorry… I didn’t know…

If there’s a next life… I swear…