Chapter 1: Breakup – Why?
"Buy, buy, buy! We should break up!" Jiang Shiyu finally said the words that had been trapped in his heart for forty-six days, nineteen hours, and six minutes.
"Break up? Now? Why?" The girl looked at him with disbelief, standing at the cashier counter of a Lego store, one hand holding a limited edition Lego accessory.
Just a second ago, she had been filled with excitement, preparing to pay. For many girls, the feeling of checking out, of buying something they loved, holds a special place in their hearts.
And now, in the blink of an eye, because of the sudden breakup announcement from the guy who had just walked into the store, her face was marked with confusion.
She had just been a bit preoccupied the past month and a half, so how had the boy who’d been a model of patience for over two years suddenly walked into this store, only ten minutes after it had opened, and dropped the bombshell of a breakup?
If they were going to break up, why not do it six months ago, back when things had fallen apart at her house? Back then, all the friends who had been close to her avoided her like the plague, terrified that the chaos of her family’s situation would drag them down too.
Even those boys who had pursued her since middle school had disappeared without a trace.
Now, when things were starting to settle at home, the one boy who had stayed by her side through it all, the one constant in her life, was here, dropping this bombshell? Why now?
If they broke up now, would everything she had struggled for, everything her family had fought through, all be for nothing?
Could Jiang Shiyu, the last lifeline she had, really just abandon her like this? She couldn’t help but wonder how the troublemakers—who had always feared she might just cut ties or disappear—would react. What extreme actions might they take?
And the thing was, Jiang Shiyu was the one person she couldn’t just get rid of.
Time had proven that he was the only one who truly loved her.
“You’re not a three-year-old anymore, are you? You really still believe in things people say on a whim?” Jiang Shiyu’s words were sharp, as if they had been building up for days.
"I pursued you for so long, confessed so many times. Everything I said, you turned me down. Eventually, I ran out of things to say. 'Only death will separate us'—that was something I heard at my sister's wedding. It was the wedding vows she made. I just remembered them, took a few words from it, and casually said it. What’s the big deal? Even if I had recited the entire thing word for word, so what?”
“Half of those who get married today end up divorced. My sister was so determined to marry that guy she almost died for it, and now, look at her. She’s already filing for divorce!”
She paused, her voice getting colder. “You always said that my love for you was ‘just a little,’ but you never thought to understand why. Now you want to break up with me, and then what? You think I’ll just beg you to stay?”
Jiang Shiyu’s decision to break up was one that had been deeply considered. His patience had reached its breaking point.
“What's wrong with you today?” The girl’s face showed a mixture of confusion and hurt.
"I’ll admit, when I agreed to be with you, I didn’t love you. I just wanted to irritate my parents, to have a boyfriend to rebel against them. Back then, I was so rebellious that everything they didn’t want me to do, I would do. I didn’t understand love, friendship, or family at all.”
“But now, I’ve changed. The moment things fell apart at home, I realized a lot of things, things I’d never understood before. And when I had given up on myself, you didn’t leave me. You stayed with me. That’s when I knew I wanted to be with you for the rest of my life.”
“You need to believe me, my love for you may have seemed small, but it’s unique. In the past, I had everything, but gave nothing. Now, I have so little, but I’m willing to give you everything.”
Jiang Shiyu stood there, conflicted, watching her. His heart was heavy. Did she care for him, after all?
But if she truly cared, why had she spent the past month and a half—forty-six days, nineteen hours, and six minutes—acting as if he didn’t even exist? Not a single message, not even a call.
Had she only confessed her feelings now, just because he was the one who had finally asked for a breakup?
Was he really the "one" for her?
Jiang Shiyu couldn’t help but wonder if the word "one" now felt hollow and mocking.
Unable to bear it any longer, he looked at her one last time, disappointment in his eyes, before he turned and quickly walked out of the store.
Just moments ago, the girl had been happily shopping, her mind far from the thought of a breakup. But now, as she saw him leaving, panic swept over her.
She had two Lego boxes in her hands, each holding a limited edition set, and without thinking, she held them in one arm, freeing her other hand to rush after him.
“Wait for me. You can’t just leave like this!”
“You can’t just come here and tell me you want to break up. I won’t accept it.”
“Breaking up should be something we both decide, not just you saying it out of nowhere. At least tell me why! Was there something going on with your family that I don’t know about?”
She ran faster, finally catching up just as they were about to exit the store. Grabbing the edge of his shirt with her hand, she tried to stop him.
But just as she did, the store’s security alarm went off, blaring an ear-piercing noise, signaling the unexpected chaos.
