Chapter 126: So You Knew All Along

"Isn't that the truth? I've heard that quite a few of Zhang Kai's girlfriends were broken up with because she stirred the pot."

Wang Ling paused, then sat down, listening with keen interest. She hadn't realized she was so formidable!

"It's not just hearsay; it's the truth. A friend of mine, Lu Jiuer, was one of Zhang Kai's exes. Do you know how they broke up?"

"How? Tell us, quick!"

Wang Ling searched her memory. The name sounded familiar. She recalled Zhang Kai once mentioning that the girl was incredibly clingy, calling him every few minutes. She also remembered that after they broke up, Zhang Kai had been in such high spirits that he insisted on taking her out to dinner.

"It was all because of Wang Ling."

Wang Ling nearly choked. How did this involve her?

"Jiuer told me herself. She was jealous that Zhang Kai was always with Wang Ling and asked him to keep his distance. That’s when Zhang Kai broke up with her. He even accused her of not trusting him. Looking at it now, wasn't there clearly something going on between them all along?"

Wang Ling remembered that day well. Zhang Kai had been so delighted, thanking her profusely for his "freedom." She hadn't understood it then, but now it was clear she had been used as an excuse. It was laughable.

"And you have to say, like manager, like artist. Look at her own protégé, Bai Chenxi—isn't she caught up in rumors with Chu Muyun?"

"Exactly. It’s not enough for her to cling to Zhang Kai; she has to have her artists cling to his, too."

As the woman finished her sentence with a smirk, a glass of red wine was splashed directly into her face.

"Wang Ling, are you insane?"

"The one who's insane is you. Your mouth is filthy and your brain is addled, so I thought I’d help you sober up."

The commotion drew a crowd. Wang Ling continued, "My artists are not for you to judge. If you dare to fabricate stories about them again, next time..." She glanced toward the swimming pool. "It won't just be a glass of red wine that helps you clear your head; it might be somewhere else entirely."

Everyone understood her implication. Amid the murmurs of the crowd, one person shouted defiantly, "You think we’re afraid of you? You had the nerve to be the third party, inserting yourself between Zhang Kai and his girlfriends, and now you’re afraid of people talking?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Zhang Kai, who had just arrived, suddenly appeared.

The girl, fueled by anger, ignored those trying to hold her back. "Is it nonsense? Didn't you and your girlfriends break up because of Wang Ling?"

Zhang Kai immediately looked at Wang Ling, but she remained expressionless. He reached out to grab her hand, saying, "Let’s go outside and talk."

Wang Ling pulled her hand away. "Is there something you can't say here?"

Zhang Kai whispered, "Wang Ling, it’s not like that. You’ve misunderstood. Let me explain."

"Fine. Explain." Her response caught him off guard.

"Well? If you won't explain, then let me ask you: did you use me as an excuse to break up with Lu Jiuer?"

"Yes, but it's complicated. I can explain it to you slowly."

His admission shattered all of Wang Ling's hopes. She closed her eyes as a single tear slid silently down her cheek.

"And did you use me as an excuse to break up with those other girls, too?" she asked, as if seeking a final closure.

Seeing her tears, Zhang Kai panicked, reaching out to wipe them away. Wang Ling stepped back. "Did you?"

Zhang Kai stood silent, his mouth opening and closing. The seasoned player of hearts was utterly at a loss for words.

"Zhang Kai, you're a jerk." With that, she delivered a resounding slap across his face. The onlookers gasped in unison.

With that one strike, Wang Ling felt years of burden dissipate.

"Zhang Kai, I liked you. I could accept that you didn't know, or that you didn't feel the same. But I cannot accept that you knew all along..."

Voicing her long-held secret in such a way felt like an unbearable weight on her heart.

"You knew I liked you, yet you feigned ignorance and used me, time and again, to end your relationships. Don't you feel ashamed?"

Zhang Kai seemed stunned by the slap, standing motionless and speechless.

Wang Ling took a necklace from her bag—a gift Zhang Kai had bought to celebrate her award. It was one she had loved dearly. She had always believed that even if he didn't love her, she held a special place in his heart. Now, she felt like a fool.

She looked at the necklace and threw it hard at Zhang Kai. He let it slip from his face onto the floor.

Ren Xinyi, seeing the necklace she had always envied, chimed in, "Isn't this the necklace I wanted? The one that was forgotten after we argued?"

Wang Ling watched as Zhang Kai remained silent, and she let out a self-deprecating laugh.

"Zhang Kai, I did like you, but I never imagined that all these years of feelings were just a joke. I don't like you anymore."

Even then, Zhang Kai remained unmoved. It turned out that her feelings, whether present or absent, had never mattered to him at all.

"I, Wang Ling, love and hate with conviction. If I say I’m done, then I am done with you forever. Zhang Kai!"

She walked toward him, and he actually retreated in panic. But to Wang Ling, none of that mattered anymore.

"Zhang Kai, failing to appreciate me is your loss. Your little games of romance—I’m done playing."

With that, Wang Ling walked away with a confident stride. When she arrived, she had been clinging to his arm, wishing the path were longer. Now, she felt a sense of relief; the length of the road didn't matter, for she knew exactly where she was going.

He Kaici glanced at the stunned Zhang Kai, shook his head, and stood up to leave. Ren Xinyi tried to stop him, but he turned back and said politely, "Ms. Ren, I forgot to inform you. We are finished." He brushed her off and walked away.

***

[Short Scene]

Zhang Kai stood alone for a long time—so long that the staff eventually told him they were closing. Only then did he slowly crouch down to pick up the necklace.

He had bought it specifically for her. Every time they passed that store, she would stop and stare at it for a long time. Whenever he asked if she liked it so he could buy it for her, she would always shake her head and walk away. Eventually, it became a habit for him to stop and look at it every time he passed.

One day, he discovered it was gone, bought by a couple for their daughter's birthday. It took days of coaxing the little girl to convince her to part with it.

"You must really love her, right?"

Zhang Kai had been so happy to get the necklace that he just nodded, not even registering the question. He kept it with him, not quite knowing why. When Ren Xinyi saw it and assumed it was for her, he had taken it back without hesitation—not to protect Ren Xinyi's feelings, but out of a fear of damaging the necklace.

When Wang Ling invited him to celebrate, he had missed the event, then spontaneously decided to give the necklace to her. He had never analyzed why; he just knew that seeing her happy was enough.