Chapter Two: The Ring Vanishes—A Breakup?

"I... well..." Zhou Man glanced at Sun Shao, then lowered her eyes to the bracelet in his hand, clearly tempted.

Yan Xuan’s brow twitched sharply. He stood up at once to intervene, "Sir, I thank you on Manman’s behalf, but this is too valuable. If Manman wants anything, let her boyfriend be the one to buy it for her."

"You? With what money?" Liu Peina sneered, her voice piercing. "You’re just a low-level office worker. After paying rent, utilities, and food, I doubt you’ve got a thousand left each month. By the time you can afford it, Manman’s child will be in school!"

As her words faded, Zhou Man raised her head, her expression unpleasant. "Yan Xuan, what have you prepared for me?"

"Probably the same as last time—a cheap lipstick from some online store. You fob her off with two or three hundred yuan gifts every time. Yan Xuan, really—after three years of giving her these worthless things, they don’t even add up to half the price of this bracelet. Isn’t it pointless?" Liu Peina covered her mouth, laughing scornfully. "Some people are just born to be poor. If that’s your fate, don’t drag others down with you."

"You—!" Yan Xuan glared at this troublemaking woman, but what unsettled him even more was that Zhou Man, who always used to defend him, now hung her head as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

"Manman, I’m about to become a full-time employee. Once I’m an official designer, my salary—"

Yes, the things he bought her weren’t as expensive as whatever Sun Shao offered, but for Zhou Man, his girlfriend, he had truly given all he could.

He rented a bed in a shared apartment to save money. He never took a taxi, no matter how late or tired he was, always squeezing onto the bus to get home. He never dared go out with friends; except for a decent lunch, breakfast and dinner were always flatbread with pickles or bean curd, and a glass of plain water.

All of it was so he could save every cent to buy Zhou Man lipstick or the latest smartphone.

"Getting better? You’ve been talking about becoming a full employee for ages—where’s the result?" Zhou Man looked at him coldly.

"Exactly, Yan Xuan. You’re just made to be poor, destined to be a loser. Accept your fate. You’re not good enough for our Manman," Liu Peina mocked. "Look at my boyfriend, then look at you. Why should a beauty like Manman stay with you?"

Seeing things turn sour, Zhou Jing hurriedly tried to signal Yan Xuan with her eyes. "Yan Xuan, weren’t you planning a surprise for Manman?"

"That’s right!" Yan Xuan quickly stood up. "Manman, wait for me!"

He went to fetch the roses. Kneeling with flowers and presenting a ring—these were points in a proposal.

With the roses in hand, he excitedly took out the ring and headed back to their table.

Just then, the sky outside darkened suddenly. Before Yan Xuan could react, a burst of light flashed at the window.

Yan Xuan watched, stunned, as the light leapt through the window and landed on his hand.

With a bang, the light exploded. His brand-new casual clothes were instantly reduced to rags—torn and blackened. The bouquet of red roses was nothing but a handful of dead twigs.

He could endure losing the flowers and even the ruined clothes, but what about the ring he was going to propose with?

He froze in shock, then shouted, dropping to the floor to search, "Where’s my ring?!"

What just happened?

What on earth was that thing that flew in from outside? Why did it explode—and most importantly, how did it take his ring?

Unwilling to give up, Yan Xuan groped around on the ground, but there was no trace of the ring. When he finally pulled back his hand, he noticed a small, black, round object spinning on his palm.

What on earth was this?

He touched it, and in an instant, the dark little object vanished into his hand.

At the same moment, a voice echoed in his mind:

Black Hole System now activating. Wormhole establishment in progress. Please remain still, Host!

The explosion had startled not only Yan Xuan, but also the other diners in the steakhouse. Everyone turned toward the scene of the incident.

Especially at Zhou Jiang’s table, where everyone stared in shock before bursting out laughing.

"Yan Xuan, did you prepare a firecracker for Manman? That’s certainly a surprise!" Liu Peina was the first to speak, her contempt plain on her face.

"Exactly. If you’re going to give a girl something, it should be jewelry or a handbag. This is just... really out there," Sun Shao said, sounding as if he were giving advice, though his face was full of derision. After all, it was only natural for a rival in love to seize the chance to trample him.

"Nana, your friend’s boyfriend is truly something else."

"He’s not my boyfriend!" Zhou Man abruptly stood up. "Yan Xuan, we’re through!"

"Manman!" Sun Shao hurried after her. "I know a very nice upscale restaurant—reservation only, but I already have a table. Will you do me the honor?"

At that moment, a waiter happened to clear a table beside them. Sun Shao shifted to the side, bumping into the waiter. With the crash of plates and bowls falling, the leftover salad and steak sauce splattered all over Yan Xuan, who was still on the floor.

"Oh, my apologies!" Sun Shao exclaimed theatrically, stuffing several hundred-yuan bills into the waiter’s hand. "Here, compensation."

Zhou Man glanced at Yan Xuan, who was still crouched on the ground, filthy and disheveled. There was no affection left in her eyes—only disgust and disdain, and she stepped back. Then she looked at Sun Shao, radiating wealth, bit her lip, and nodded softly.

"Let’s go. After dinner, I’ll take you for a ride in my Lamborghini," Sun Shao said, his hand sliding around her slender waist.

Zhou Man trembled slightly, but did not pull away; instead, she leaned into Sun Shao’s arms. Delighted, he cast a triumphantly mocking glance at Yan Xuan, then led her quickly away.

"Darling, let’s go too. Looks like things are settled between Sun Shao and Manman. Sun Shao will take good care of us," Liu Peina cooed, latching onto her wealthy boyfriend’s arm as they left. Passing Yan Xuan, she paused. "Poor Manman, wasted three years on this trash! Darling, what does he look like to you?"

"Just garbage, what else?"

"Doesn’t he look like a clown?"

"He really does."

The two laughed and left.

Everyone at the table left one after another—except Bai Jing, who genuinely cared about Yan Xuan. She didn’t leave; in fact, she hurried over, worry etched on her face. "Yan Xuan, are you all right?"

No one around really understood what had happened, but in their eyes, it all looked like Yan Xuan making a spectacle of himself.