The suburban resort in Nanyu City was in the prime of noon. At the end of April, the weather had become unexpectedly muggy. Alone, Ding Fan returned to his hotel and the ringtone of his mobile phone resounded inside the bag.
"Fan Fan, I'm heading back, did you miss me?" A familiar voice came through the phone. It had lost its previous pampering tone and replaced it with an air of joy.
Ding Fan, with a faint smile on his lips, responded calmly. "Yes, I'm already back at the hotel." He then asked, "Are you finished with your business?"
"Everything is going smoothly on my end..." The voice on the phone paused suddenly, followed by a curious inquiry, "Oh! Fan Fan, who's behind you?"
Ding Fan's heart quickened. Spooked, he turned around swiftly and let out a shriek, "Ah!"
Subsequently, he discovered there was nobody there. Fear still lingered in Ding Fan's heart. After all, he was in the hotel room where it was impossible for anyone else to be present.
"Ha ha!" To his surprise, Lu Nanbo, who was on the phone, laughed, "It's nothing. I was just joking around to lighten the mood. I'll be home soon."
It took Ding Fan a while before he managed to say, "Ah, alright. Hang up if there's nothing else, I'll wait for you."
After ending the call, Ding Fan felt a particular unease in his mind.
A sensitive person by nature, Ding Fan began to suspect that Lu Nanbo was hiding something from him, clutching at the last strand of hope. After all, losing a relationship of three years would not be easy on him either.
He sat on the edge of the bed staring at the empty room, which, for some reason, had suddenly become colder and lonelier.
They had been boyfriend and girlfriend for more than three years. He had graduated half a year ago, but Lu Nanbo had never spoken about marriage nor had he introduced Ding Fan to his parents.
This time, Lu Nanbo invited him on a quick trip and took a few days off from work.
He said that he had some matters to attend to in the morning and left. Little did Ding Fan know that he would pull such a prank when he returned.
Ding Fan had undergone some grueling military training in the past, but that didn’t take away his inherently timid personality. Hence, Lu Nanbo’s words had hit him at his most vulnerable spot.
There's something called a sense of security, getting farther away as time passes…
An uneasy sentiment started to spread. At that moment, Ding Fan's cell phone rang again. It was a message this time.
"Little Sis, I must tell you something. The eldest son of Lu Family, who is none other than your current boyfriend, Lu Nanbo, will hold an engagement ceremony with the heiress of the Cai Family, Cai Fangya, on the second day of next month. Lu Nanbo is not worth your trust. Big Brother and Second Brother are waiting for you to return.”
Time and space seemed to freeze at that moment.
Ding Fan stared at the message her big brother had sent. For a moment, her mind was a blank canvas.
Ding Fan would never forget that day, April 26!
To be tied to the prestigious Cai family, Lu Nanbo not only abandoned her but also lied to her!
“Big brother…” Despite her efforts, Ding Fan couldn’t resist making the call.
"Little sis, don’t be sad.”
A deep, magnetic voice came through the receiver, warming Ding Fan's heart. “I'm fine, big brother, is the news reliable?"
"Absolutely certain, the Lu family has already announced it publicly. I suspect, his vacation with you was just to keep you in the dark."
Ding Fan's clenched fists were already wrinkling the bedsheets. "Okay, I understand. I will return to the city shortly."
"Your second brother is waiting in the dark alley to the east of your hotel with a car, use your fingerprints, be careful on the road and contact me anytime if there's an issue.”
"Thank you, big brother…"
After hanging up, Ding Fan felt a lot easier. A relationship of over three years was profound, but she was more rational.
Ding Fan still remembered the beginning of her relationship with Lu Nanbo, he hadn't graduated yet. Her family investigated him thoroughly, giving him a barely passing grade but didn't intervene in their relationship.
Ding Fan also remembered what she once said to her older brothers, "Do you think there's a man who's perfect like you, without a single flaw?"
Indeed, she had two perfect brothers and in Ding Fan's heart, no other man could compare to them.
Until Lu Nanbo appeared, pursuing her with unwavering determination in school...
But now, he had changed, Ding Fan could see that. If Lu Nanbo chose her, he would receive far more than a marriage alliance with the Cai family, but he didn't make that choice.
In the shortest time, Ding Fan acknowledged her feelings and her current situation. She decided to leave; with her status, there was no need for her to compromise.
Lu Nanbo, having wrapped up his affairs, was in high spirits, and didn't notice Ding Fan's earlier mood.
Upon returning, he entered Ding Fan's room only to find her sitting at the edge of the bed, her back towards him, packing her belongings.
Sensing something unusual, Lu Nanbo suppressed his anger, "What are you packing for?"
Turning around, Ding Fan coldly looked at Lu Nanbo, wondering, “You're getting engaged, why are you still bothering me?”
She steadied her emotions and gave a forced smile, "Congratulations on your engagement with Miss Cai. I wish you well."
Taken aback, Lu Nanbo was clearly unhappy, "Who told you all this? Don't believe in hearsay!"
Regarding Ding Fan, he didn't want her to leave. He thought he handled everything perfectly but news still leaked.
Who should she trust then? How could she not believe her own brother's words?
"Lu Nanbo, I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions, and the last person I should trust is you!" Ding Fan didn’t stop packing, but she found that she couldn’t get her luggage prepared properly. Finally, she just grabbed her bag and prepared to leave.
"Fanfan, have you misunderstood something?"
Seeing Ding Fan leave directly without even taking her luggage, Lu Nanbo promptly became anxious, yelling, “Fanfan, come back!”
Ding Fan had always thought that true love had nothing to do with fame and wealth. But, she was wrong this time.
She stopped in her tracks, turned around and sarcastically looked at Lu Nanbo, “You are already engaged to the Cai family. There's no need to deceive me anymore. I am just an insignificant woman. I will not cause trouble for you."
"No, Fanfan, I love you. My engagement to the Cai family is out of necessity. Believe in my love for you, stay with me…" Perhaps truly afraid that Ding Fan might leave him, Lu Nanbo had no choice but to temporarily put aside his pride, blocking the doorway, hoping to make a last-ditch effort to keep her from leaving.
"Stay? In what capacity?" Ding Fan sneered. She could no longer discern Lu Nanbo's true feelings for her, and didn't want to bother figuring it out either. She resented herself for being so cautious and yet still ending up with such a man. What a failure.
Without any hesitation, Lu Nanbo frankly said, "As my lover. I can be in love with only you!"
"Slap!" She landed a slap, and Lu Nanbo looked disbelievingly at Ding Fan in front of him. Who would have thought this once gentle woman could hit him!
"Compared to me, a woman without status or background, I think the heiress of the Cai family suits you better, but this doesn't mean you can insult my dignity!”
Ding Fan pushed Lu Nanbo away without looking back and left. Where else could he demean her now!
His words seemed to be carefully thought out. Was this his solution? Ridiculous.
For a moment, Lu Nanbo was dumbfounded. How did Ding Fan become so strong? But he quickly got over his surprise and ran after her, "Fanfan come back, isn't there anything we can't discuss? Even if I get married, we can still be lovers. I can give you a lot…"
"Discuss? Lover?" At the elevator, Ding Fan didn't turn her head. The sarcasm in her voice was even more pronounced, "You young masters always think so highly of yourselves, presuming that everything and everyone revolves around you. Sadly, you knew the moment you met me, Ding Fan, that I don’t give a damn about you!”
The elevator doors closed and Lu Nanbo stood in place, recalling a conversation with Ding Fan from their schooldays. She had once told him, "You just moved me a bit more than the others, so don't think you are my one and only. Trust me, it's not feelings for people I despise, get it?"
At that time, Lu Nanbo thought Ding Fan was being melodramatic, never realizing…she meant it all along…
Leaving the hotel, Ding Fan quickly found the car in the dark alley on the east side.
Looking at the luxury car in front of him, Ding Fan was slightly stunned, and while scanning his fingerprint, he sighed, "Oh my God, Second Brother, can't you be a little subtle?"
It's even a limited edition for this year!
Looking at this, the ordinary Ding Fan will have a luxury car as a vehicle in the future.
On the way back to Nanyu City, Ding Fan gradually calmed down, not feeling so indignant about Lu Nanbo. It can only be said that Lu Nanbo, as Ding Fan's first love, had a bit of status.
Now, he is toying with her and making her swallow her words and stay behind?
That's not Ding Fan's style. She can't take things lying down, and Ding Fan doesn't deign to pin her happiness on Lu Nanbo.
The phone on the car seat rang incessantly, with the three characters "Lu Nanbo" flashing constantly.
"What a messed-up first love!"
At this moment, Ding Fan only blamed herself for being blind then and overestimating Lu Nanbo. If she had known this would happen, it would have been more relaxing to find a husband to support her.
She even wondered if she had been too low-key over the years, making everyone think she was easy to bully.
When she was about to reach Nanyu City, the previously clear day suddenly turned as dark as night, and a violent rainstorm arrived in a blink.
What made Ding Fan uneasy was the lightning and thunder, combined with the current scene, made her feel more panicked.
She had to slow down the car, until she saw the warning sign ahead, the road was jammed...
Looking at the thunderstorm outside the car, she decided to call for help, "Big Brother, the road is jammed, and I'm stuck outside Nanyu City due to the heavy rain."
"Wait for awhile, your second brother is already on his way," the voice on the phone sounded worried, bringing warmth to Ding Fan's heart. No matter what, she still had family who loved her.
"Okay."
Ding Fan gazed into the thunderstorms in the night sky, she was truly terrified, but she didn’t have a choice, she was alone.
Left with no option, she made a U-turn to find a spacious place to wait for her second brother.
Suddenly, a car was zigzagging towards her direction.
Ding Fan's first reaction was, could someone be trying to murder her?
The next moment, she abandoned that thought, because following that car were several predatory vehicles in pursuit.
Two cars passed by each other, a flash of lightning revealed the man's face in the car, which was covered in blood, it was a bit horrifying.
Before she had a chance to drive away, in that split second under the lightning's light, Ding Fan saw on the man's neck, a five-leaf clover pendant that was bobbing up and down on a chain.
Looking back at the chasing cars, for that five-leaf clover, Ding Fan decided to risk it all.
