"Marry him!... Marry him!" The crowd's cheers rang out, distant and unreal. Song Meiqi pressed her lips together, her gaze locked on Si Haoran. After a long, steadying breath, she whispered,
"No." The memories they had once shared blurred and faded, leaving behind only a dull, aching emptiness.
Haoran froze, his smile fading, eyes darting toward her as if searching for an answer he couldn't grasp. Meiqi wiped away a single tear, her gaze returning to him — colder, sharper, detached. "No… I'm not going to marry you, Haoran," she said, her words clear, cutting through the cheers.
Everyone gasped. Silence hung thick across the rooftop, broken only by murmurs of the crowd.
Haoran parted his lips, but no sound came. He had been sure she would say yes—certain he had planned this proposal exactly the way she had always dreamed, certain this was the perfect moment.
"Meiqi…" he finally managed, the single word heavy with disbelief, trembling under the stunned onlookers. "You… you must be surprised. That's why you said that," he stammered. "But… I'm serious. I want to spend my life with you—"
"But I don't want to." Meiqi's words cut through him like ice. She snapped the box shut, the ring disappearing from view, beyond his grasp.
"Haoran… you'll never have a place in my life….I should've broken up with you a long time ago."
Haoran's eyes widened, jaw tightening. The crowd blurred into a distant hum, leaving only the sting of her rejection. He tried to speak, but only a strangled, uneven breath escaped.
For a long moment, he stared at her, disbelief and hurt etched across his face. Slowly, his gaze swept the onlookers, and the weight of their eyes twisted his stomach with embarrassment.
He stood unsteadily, brows drawn together, fingers gripping the box. Shame and anger surged through him as he finally asked, "You… you're breaking up with me?"
…
Just beyond the rooftop bar where everything unfolded, a small building rested in the far corner of H.City, half-hidden by the buzzing city life, neon lights and passing traffic.
Inside, the faint glow of computer screens cast shifting lights across the room. A few people moved briskly, waiting for the man at the desk to finish his draft.
Then the keyboard fell silent. All eyes were glued to the screen, where the headline screamed:
"Everbloom's Zheng Mengyao Spotted Dating Actor Si Haoran!"
And then the evidence appeared — a sequence of revealing photos: Mengyao pressed close to Haoran outside a hotel, the two lingering in a late-night jewelry store, and sharing an intimate candlelit dinner.
The photos spoke for themselves—it was no denying it.
Without hesitation, the man at the desk pressed "Post" on their Weixin account. The page was a popular paparazzi account with thousands of followers, but next to Echo, it was small — its reach and influence barely a fraction of the company's.
Thus, they couldn't wait. With a story like this, their popularity was bound to soar.
…
The night breeze drifted through the rooftop, making the fairy lights flicker lightly. The crowd held their breath, eyes fixed on Meiqi.
"Yes… I'm breaking up with you." Meiqi's voice was firm and steady, leaving no room for doubt.
Hurt, confusion, and disbelief crossed Haoran's face. The knot of embarrassment he'd felt moments before loosened as her words sank in.
Meiqi's eyes swept over the crowd, their once-delighted faces now stunned. Then they landed on Mengyao—those same eyes that had once made her believe their friendship was unbreakable—now cutting through her like a knife. She had been wrong.
Her chest ached, fists clenched until her knuckles whitened. She had held this pain back for the concert, her groupmates, the fans—but now, the pretense felt meaningless.
Her gaze returned to Haoran, stunned in confusion. Without a word, she flung the bouquet to the floor and threaded her way through the small crowd, leaving everyone behind.
Meiqi rushed down the hallway toward the elevator, her heart hammering. But before she could reach it, Haoran's hands shot out, gripping her arm. She twisted sharply, freeing herself, and in a flash, her palm connected with his cheek.
The sharp thud echoed through the quiet hallway. Haoran froze, lips quivering, unable to comprehend what had just happened as the sting spread across his face. His breath hitched, searching for words, but nothing came.
"You think I wouldn't find out? You think proposing could make it all right?" Meiqi's voice was sharp, edged with pain.
"No… your proposal can't undo the hurt you've caused me." Tears she'd fought back for so long slipped down her cheeks. "You cheated on me, Haoran… and not just anyone. But with Mengyao."
Guilt twisted across Haoran's face as memories of that night in the hotel surged through his mind. His lips trembled, words failing him. "Meiqi… that… that…" he stammered, gripping her shoulders, desperate.
Meiqi shrugged him off, eyes cold yet pained. "I let myself fall… trusted you… loved you. And I was wrong." Her voice wavered, betraying just a flicker of the hurt she'd held back. She lingered on Haoran for a second then pressed the elevator button. The doors slid open, and she stepped inside, leaving him standing in place.
Hidden in the shadows, Mengyao pressed herself against the wall, tears slipping freely as guilt twisted tight in her chest. The weight of her mistakes pressed down on her. "I'm sorry, Meiqi," she murmured, her voice cracking.
Yet unbeknownst to them, the news of Haoran and Mengyao's relationship had already erupted across the internet.