Chapter 2  : It Must Feel Bad to Wake Up Alone

Lin Yiqian did not know when she had fallen asleep. She was suddenly woken up by the sound of her phone ringing.

She fumbled around and finally got a hold of her phone from the table next to the bed. The name ‘Bai Se’ appeared on the phone’s screen.

She suddenly felt guilty as she picked up the phone. Bai Se sounded relieved. “Oh, my dear. I have finally reached you on the line.”

“Sorry, I returned to the country without informing you.”

Lin Yiqian sat upright on the bed as she hugged the duvet. She looked out the window and realized it was already bright in the day.

Bai Se said, “You don’t have to apologize to me. In fact, you went back at the right time. Life is organizing a conference and they want to invite you. This is the third invitation I have received from them. You can decide if you would like to attend.”

Lin Yiqian hesitated for a moment before answering, “I’ll go.”

After answering, she could not help but smile at herself in a self-deprecating way. She knew that she would not be able to escape this from the moment she returned.

All of her years of suffering and sacrifices meant nothing now.

“I’ll sort things out then.”

After discussing work, Bai Se started asking Lin Yiqian about her personal life. “Can you tell me what prompted you to return to the country out of the blue?”

“I got married.” Lin Yiqian answered in a nonchalant tone. She could not help but smile.

Bai Se, on the other hand, was thoroughly shocked. “Married? Oh my god!!!”

The surprised scream filled Lin Yiqian’s ears as she smiled and hung up promptly.

…

It all felt like a dream. From getting the phone call to Lin Yiqian’s return to the country to get married, it all happened in the span of two days.

She had not brought anything with her. There was nothing in the room which belonged to her. Even the few clothes which she had were gifts from the Lim family which were meant to be her dowry.

She had no choice but to wear these clothes gifted to her. She picked a black dress with a black belt and a deep V-neck design which was very old-fashioned.

Standing in front of the mirror, she flattened the dress as she smiled coolly at herself.

Regardless of how bad the world treated her, Lin Yiqian was determined to live and to do so fashionably.

Having been away from Shanghai for five years, Lin Yiqian had not kept in touch with her friends and classmates. It was a miracle that someone still remembered her and had asked her out for a meal. The person was a classmate whom she had gotten along with rather well back in school, Tong Huan.

Lin Yiqian agreed to meet with Tong Huan as she also had to leave the house to purchase some items which she needed to use at home.

“I have no idea what grudge Grandpa had against Third Brother. Why would Grandpa force him to marry this woman before Grandpa passed away?”

Lin Yiqian had only just stepped out of the room when she overheard someone talking about her.

They were Lin Yiqian’s sister-in-law Gu Nianjia, and Gu Nianshen’s second aunt.

When Gu Nianshen’s second aunt saw Lin Yiqian, she immediately turned red.

Gu Nianjia, on the other hand, remained perplexed and immediately started taunting Lin Yiqian, “Lin Yiqian, it must feel horrible to wake up to an empty room all alone, doesn’t it?”