41: Zhao Yue's dream was shattered.

Zhao Yue lay lazily on the messy sheets, a lingering flush still on her face.

Liang Xin propped himself up, lit a cigarette, and asked casually, "Yueyue, why did you take a taxi here today? Where is your car?"

Zhao Yue's eyes flickered, then she leaned into his arms coquettishly, "I'm planning to trade that car in for a new one, so I let my family use it for now."

"Trading it in?"

Liang Xin became interested immediately, "What brand are you planning to get?"

"Honey,"

Zhao Yue lifted her chin triumphantly, "Whatever car you want, I'll go buy it tomorrow. Buying any car I want isn't a problem right now."

Liang Xin's eyes lit up, "Any car? Then… even a Rolls-Royce?"

"Of course."

Zhao Yue agreed without hesitation, "I'll go order it tomorrow."

"Wifey, you're the best!"

Liang Xin excitedly stubbed out his cigarette, turned over to pull Zhao Yue into his arms, and the room was once again filled with an ambiguous atmosphere.

Rest now, everything is possible in dreams… This fantasy was destined to last only through the night…

From early the next morning, Zhao Yue kept checking her phone, but she never received any messages from Chen Li.

Watching the time tick away, and under Liang Xin's constant urging, she finally couldn't hold back and took the initiative to text Chen Li: "Chen Li, are you there?"

The message was like a stone dropped into the ocean. She sent a few more, her tone shifting from probing to anxious, but she still received no reply.

At this moment, in the Villa area in the south of the city, Chen Li had just woken up.

Meng Yu was still sleeping soundly in his arms. He picked up the phone from the bedside table; the screen was full of messages from Zhao Yue.

Almost simultaneously, the system's notification sound rang in his mind:

【Note: Bound target Zhao Yue has been conquered by someone else. Quota automatically unlocked. Quota locked for 30 days.】

Although he had expected it, the moment he confirmed the news, Chen Li couldn't help but frown.

However, this displeasure was quickly replaced by reason—it was just a one-month cooling-off period. A woman like Zhao Yue wasn't worth his time or effort at all.

"Since you have a boyfriend, don't contact me anymore," he replied briefly.

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Yue immediately replied in a panic: "Chen Li, what are you talking about? That's not true at all."

"You know what you did. Goodbye!"

After sending this, Chen Li deleted her without hesitation.

Chen Li had zero tolerance for people like this; there was no point in saying anything more.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

Meng Yu, in his arms, was woken up by the phone notification and asked with sleepy eyes.

"It's nothing."

Chen Li gently stroked her long hair, "It's time to get up. I have class this afternoon."

…

Zhao Yue sat alone on the chair in the Hotel room, staring fixedly at the bright red exclamation mark on her phone screen, as if her entire world had collapsed at that moment.

Chen Li knew? How could he have known? Countless questions swirled crazily in her mind, but she couldn't find any answers.

A chill crept up her spine, making her shiver involuntarily.

She grabbed her hair in regret, hating herself for being so weak-willed and unable to hold her ground against Liang Xin's sweet words.

Now look, not only was the car taken away, but her biggest financial source, Chen Li, was also cut off.

The sunlight from outside shone through the gaps in the blinds, casting mottled shadows on her face.

She stared blankly at the messy bed in the room, remembering how she was still imagining the future with Liang Xin last night.

The conversation interface with Chen Li still remained on her phone screen; that 'Goodbye' was like a sharp blade, completely severing her fantasies of a wealthy life.

But soon, she forced herself to pull it together. It was okay; at least she still had Liang Xin.

She tried hard to comfort herself that those hundreds of thousands had all been invested in Liang Xin's project, and once he succeeded, she would still be able to live a good life.

Just then, her phone vibrated, and a message from Liang Xin popped up on the screen: "Darling, how are things going with the car and the money?"

Zhao Yue's heart sank suddenly. Her fingers hesitated on the keyboard for a long time before she slowly typed:

"Honey, there was a sudden accident at home. I can't buy the car for now, and the money is also…"

As soon as the message was sent, Liang Xin called.

Listening to the urgent ringing on the other end, Zhao Yue took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound calm and normal.

"What's going on? Didn't we agree that it would be settled today?" Liang Xin's tone was clearly filled with dissatisfaction.

"I'm sorry, something suddenly happened at home, there was nothing I could do…"

Zhao Yue said aggrievedly, her heart pounding.

"Then what about my project? This is the most critical time, I'm just waiting for this money to keep things running!"

Liang Xin's voice became more and more urgent, completely devoid of his usual tenderness and consideration.

Cold sweat seeped from Zhao Yue's palms as she gripped the phone. She forced a smile and comforted him, "Don't worry, I'll think of another way…"

After hanging up, Zhao Yue collapsed weakly into the chair.

Car horns blared outside the window, reminding her that the city was still running normally, but her world had been turned upside down.

Zhao Yue dragged her heavy feet back to Campus. The afternoon sun shone through the lush leaves, casting flickering, dappled spots of light and shadow on the ground.

The laughter and chatter of the students around her seemed to come from another world.

She walked dizzily along the Shady Path, Chen Li's words and that glaring red exclamation mark echoing constantly in her mind.

What should she do? Should she confess everything to Liang Xin? And if she didn't, what then?

The truth would come out sooner or later, but she didn't even have the courage to face it now.

A wave of resentment surged in her heart—if not for Liang Xin's appearance,

she could still be enjoying the unlimited wealth provided by Chen Li and living a comfortable life.

That had once been a mountain of gold and silver for her to draw from, but now she had squandered it all herself, ending up with nothing.

Just then, her phone vibrated, and Liang Xin's name flashed on the screen.

She tapped on the message with trembling fingers, only to see a cold interrogation: "Zhao Yue, do you have the money?"

This sentence was like the last straw, crushing her final psychological defense.

She replied, almost crying: "I… I don't have any money. Can you pay me back some money?"

"Zhao Yue, what do you mean? What do you mean 'pay you back'?"

The impatience in Liang Xin's tone almost pierced through the screen.

"I mean the hundreds of thousands I gave you before. Didn't you say you were working on a project? Can you pay me back a little now?"

"No, it's all lost."

After this message, no matter what Zhao Yue sent, there was only a red exclamation mark left.

She stood blankly on the Campus Shady Path, watching that familiar avatar disappear from her contact list, as if it had never existed.

At this moment, she finally realized clearly that she had not only been tricked out of everything by this scumbag, but had also lost everything truly worth cherishing because of it.

A breeze blew by, bringing down a few withered sycamore leaves.

Zhao Yue slowly crouched down, buried her face in her knees, and tears silently soaked her sleeves.

Students passing by cast curious glances, but no one asked what kind of life-shattering collapse this girl crouching by the side of the road was experiencing.

She thought of those days and nights she had squandered at will, remembered Chen Li's unhesitating transfers time and time again, and recalled Liang Xin's sworn promises.

Now, apart from those expensive designer clothes in her closet, she really had nothing left.

But these trophies that she had once been so proud of now felt like ironic labels, reminding her of her stupidity and vanity.

As the sun set, Zhao Yue remained crouching in the same spot, like a frozen statue.

How she wished all of this was just a nightmare, and that upon waking, she could return to the yesterday where she could squander everything at will.

But the two glaring red exclamation marks on her phone screen reminded her every moment: the dream had shattered.