Li Si straightened her back abruptly upon hearing the content of the voice. She turned around to look at the so-called "perfect couple" in front of her. The woman was wearing a pink haute couture evening gown from the C Family, her tall and curvaceous figure perfectly accentuated by the dress. She looked stunning, with her hair styled in an elegant updo adorned with sparkling diamond clips. Her delicate facial features appeared even more captivating under the crystal chandelier's light. The man, handsome and dressed in a tailored light gray Italian suit, cast a complicated gaze at Li Si.
"Li Si, I..."
Before he could finish, Li Fei interrupted in an exaggerated tone.
"Sis, this glass of wine is a gesture from Zijun and me to you. Let's let bygones be bygones, okay? From today onward, we're family. And as family, why draw lines between us, right? I know you might still have feelings for Zijun, but he's my man now. As the older sister, shouldn't you set an example and give way to your younger sister? Okay? As for what happened before, I won't hold it against you. Who hasn't been blinded by love at some point?"
Li Fei's smug expression flashed briefly before she resumed her pitiful, wide-eyed look as she held the wine glass.
Bai Shasha, standing to the side, was beside herself with anger. Damn it. If this isn't intolerable, what is? If even uncles could endure this, the aunts couldn't! This was shameless beyond belief—snatching someone's boyfriend and then acting high and mighty by asking the sister to give in? What the hell, are you insane?!
Li Si furrowed her brows, feeling extremely uncomfortable at Li Fei's words. She was just about to speak up when Bai Shasha beat her to it.
"Li Fei, are you drunk or something? Talking such nonsense! You of all people know very well what went on between you and Zijun. Stop playing the victim, will you? Meng Zijun used to be Li Si's boyfriend. It was you who played the third wheel and stole him—how do you even have the face to stand here and yap on like this?"
Li Si tugged at Bai Shasha's sleeve, signaling her to stop. Many of their former classmates were watching them, and making a scene wouldn't look good for anyone.
She looked at Li Fei seriously and said, "Li Fei, today is your big day. You don't need to bring up those meaningless things. We both know what really happened. Why be so aggressive? Does it bring you any joy?"
"You, you..."
Li Fei, trembling with anger, pointed a finger at Li Si but failed to say anything.
Ignoring the darkened expression on Li Fei's face, Li Si turned to Meng Zijun and said, "And you, Meng Zijun. Stop putting on that 'tragic lover' act. It's disgusting! Do you hear me? The moment you chose Li Fei back then, you should've been all in with her. Stop giving me this lingering affection nonsense. Let me tell you, I don't care for someone like you anymore!"
Bai Shasha, overjoyed, struck a worshipful pose. "Well said, my queen! Finally, you stood up for yourself!" With that, she grabbed Li Si's hand and began dragging her away, ignoring the other two's expressions.
"Oh wow, and here I was wondering who was speaking up for justice. Turns out it's Heroine Bai. Do you really think standing up for Li Si is worth it? You know plenty of our classmates always saw Li Fei and Zijun as the true couple back then!"
At that moment, a woman in a purple evening gown with short black hair and a playful smirk walked over.
"Yao Meiling, don't you start backing her up too. You think I don't know about your little schemes? Pretending to be friends with Li Si while badmouthing her behind her back. Those rumors about her being a homewrecker? You were the one who spread them, weren't you? Don't think I can't tell. You had your eye on Scholar Meng too, didn't you? Stop pretending!"
Yao Meiling's expression changed drastically. She snapped at Bai Shasha in rage, "You're talking nonsense! When did I ever like Brother Zijun? We're all friends here. Can't we get along?"
"What a joke! Who's friends with you? Let me tell you, what's done in the dark will eventually come to light. I can't wait to see your comeuppance!" With that, ignoring the varied expressions of the people behind them, the two marched off haughtily.
While waiting for the elevator, Li Si's flushed face bore traces of the alcohol she had consumed. Feeling slightly dizzy, she glanced at Bai Shasha, who was still pouting, then squeezed her hand tightly and couldn't help but smile. "Alright, alright. I'm not even angry anymore, so why are you so worked up? Let it go. I'm severing ties with them completely starting tomorrow. I feel so light now, as though I could float away. Promise me, take care of yourself!" She then closed her eyes, playfully flapping her arms as though mimicking wings.
Bai Shasha stared at her exaggerated display and rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, you and your theatrics! Where are you flying off to? Can't handle staying on Earth anymore? You sound like you're giving a final farewell or something."
They waited for quite some time, but the elevator didn't move. Bai Shasha pressed the down button again. "Huh? What's going on? Why isn't this elevator working?"
"No way. Let me try."
Li Si pressed the button a few times, but still, nothing happened.
"How about you wait here? I'll go find a staff member to check this out."
Bai Shasha saw Li Si nod and then walked toward the banquet hall.
As Li Si watched Bai Shasha's retreating figure, she listened to the faint music coming from the distance and took in the mingling scents of hotel food and perfume. She exhaled a long breath.
Ding! The elevator arrived, and inside stood a tall, lean, and strikingly handsome man with a cold expression. He must have come down from an upper floor. Seeing Li Si standing there with her mouth half open, he frowned in mild displeasure. "Are you coming in or not?"
He then placed his hand on the door close button. Li Si glanced behind her; Bai Shasha had yet to return. Thinking she might as well wait downstairs in the lobby since the air felt stifling here anyway, she stepped into the elevator.
But as the doors closed, the elevator suddenly plummeted downwards. In that fleeting moment, piercing screams from a man and woman echoed. Fragments of her life flashed in Li Si's mind—her father, images of herself laughing, crying. As she felt the pain, her only thought before everything went black was: If there is another life, I want to live it fully and gloriously.