4: Chapter 4: The Satisfaction of Slapping My Ex-Girlfriend in the Face

The sales manager personally opened the car door for Yu Bo. The G63's engine let out a low rumble, like a waking beast.

Yu Bo sat in the driver's seat; the dark interior felt incredibly snug. He adjusted the seat and rearview mirror with calm, deliberate movements.

Outside the window, Lu Yuner and Chen Ming remained frozen in place like two ridiculous statues.

The sales manager leaned against the window, his face beaming. "Mr. Yu, the paperwork has been expedited. The temporary license plate will be ready in a few minutes. Please wait just a moment."

Yu Bo nodded, but his gaze drifted toward the glass wall of the showroom.

Chen Ming's brand-new BMW 5 Series was parked in the most prominent spot—the car they had come to pick up today.

Lu Yuner had nagged him countless times: "When I get married, I'm definitely going to make my husband buy a BMW. A white one. It'll look so grand parked in the neighborhood."

Now, she had it.

But why did she look like she was about to cry?

"Mr. Yu, your temporary license plate is ready." The sales manager jogged back and presented the documents with both hands.

Yu Bo took them and placed them on the center console.

"Would you like me to explain the vehicle's features? Or perhaps I can arrange for someone to accompany you on a test drive?" the manager asked cautiously.

"No need."

Yu Bo buckled his seatbelt, shifted gears, and released the handbrake.

The G63 slowly pulled out of the VIP area. He didn't slow down as he passed the main showroom.

Lu Yuner's eyes followed the car, her lips trembling slightly. She stared at the rugged lines of the black SUV—it was more than five times more expensive than Chen Ming's BMW.

Chen Ming's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He was supposed to be the star of the show today, picking up his car. But now, every salesperson's gaze followed that G63; no one cared about him or his BMW anymore.

Roar—

Yu Bo tapped the accelerator at the exit. The V8 engine let out a heart-pounding roar before merging into traffic and vanishing at the end of the road.

Lu Yuner didn't move.

She stared in the direction the G63 had disappeared, the black silhouette of the car seemingly burned into her retinas. Her chest felt tight, as if stuffed with waterlogged cotton—heavy and suffocating.

She clearly should have been happy—today she was picking up the BMW Chen Ming had promised her, a gift she had been talking about for nearly six months.

But now, she didn't even have the heart to spare a glance at that white BMW.

Did she regret it?

She didn't dare think about it too deeply.

But the thought slithered out like a venomous snake: If we hadn't broken up back then...

Lu Yuner shook her head violently, trying to cast aside the pathetic thought. Her nails dug deep into her palms, the pain snapping her back to reality.

But after the clarity came an even deeper sense of loss.

She pulled out her phone. Her finger hovered over Yu Bo's name in her contacts, trembling, unable to press it.

Finally, she switched to WeChat.

The chat history ended three months ago with her last message: "Yu Bo, we're really not right for each other. Let's break up. Don't contact me anymore."

Yu Bo hadn't replied.

She thought he would try to keep her, beg her, or buy her gifts to coax her like he used to after their fights.

But he didn't.

Three months. Ninety whole days without a word.

Lu Yuner stared at the screen, her fingertips hovering over the virtual keyboard. Finally, she typed out word by word:

"Yu Bo, I'm sorry about today. Can we talk?"

Send.

She stared intently at the chat box.

"The other party is typing..." did not appear at the top.

One minute, two minutes, five minutes.

The screen dimmed and brightened, brightened and dimmed, but there was only her solitary green bubble.

Lu Yuner bit her lip and typed another line: "I know I was wrong in the past, but we can—"

She suddenly stopped and deleted it, character by character.

Such words were too cheap; even she didn't believe them.

Chen Ming walked over, his expression sour. "What are you still looking at? We've got the car. Let's go."

He reached out to pull her.

Lu Yuner instinctively dodged.

Chen Ming's hand froze in mid-air, his face darkening further. "Lu Yuner, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Lu Yuner put away her phone and forced a smile. "Let's go."

She turned and walked toward the brand-new white BMW.

As she sat in the passenger seat, she couldn't help but look back one more time toward where the G63 had disappeared.

The car was filled with that new-car smell; the scent of leather should have been pleasant.

But Lu Yuner only felt stifled.

Chen Ming started the car. The engine sounded smooth and steady—but compared to the G63's roar from earlier, it was as gentle as a sigh.

"That Yu Bo kid," Chen Ming suddenly spoke up, his tone dismissive. "I don't know where he got the money. I bet that car is rented. What a poser."

Lu Yuner didn't respond.

She watched the scenery blur past the window and suddenly remembered a night from a year ago.

It was raining heavily that day, and she and Yu Bo were trapped at the subway station. Yu Bo had draped his only jacket over her, shivering from the cold himself.

She had complained, "When will we ever have a nice car? Then we wouldn't have to suffer like this in the rain."

Yu Bo had held her and said earnestly, "Yuner, just wait two more years for me. Once we've saved enough for a house down payment, I'll definitely buy a BMW so you never have to stand in the rain again."

How had she replied then?

It was something like: "Two years? Yu Bo, I can't wait that long. My Best Friend's boyfriend is already driving an Audi."

And then?

Then she met Chen Ming. Chen Ming, who drove a BMW. Chen Ming, who promised to put her name on the deed when they got married.

Lu Yuner closed her eyes.

Her phone vibrated in her hand.

She snapped her eyes open and unlocked the screen—

It wasn't Yu Bo.

It was a message from her Best Friend: "Babe, did you get the car? Take a picture and show me!"

Lu Yuner looked at the message and suddenly felt incredibly exhausted.

She slowly typed: "Got it."

Then she raised her phone and took a photo of the blue-and-white logo on the steering wheel.

Send.

Her Best Friend replied instantly: "Ahhh, I'm so jealous! Chen Ming is so good to you!"

Lu Yuner stared at those words for a long time.

Finally, she turned off the screen and tossed her phone into her bag.

On the other side.

Yu Bo drove the G63 into the evening rush hour traffic.

His phone vibrated.

He glanced at it.

Lu Yuner's WeChat message popped up on the screen.

Yu Bo scanned the words, his eyes showing not a hint of emotion.

He turned off the screen and threw the phone into the storage compartment of the center console.

The car stopped at a red light.

Yu Bo watched the crowd scurrying across the crosswalk and suddenly remembered the winter of his senior year.

It was Lu Yuner's birthday. He had worked part-time delivering food in the freezing wind for a week to save up for a scarf she liked.

When she took the scarf, she frowned. "Are you really this dull? Couldn't you have bought me a lipstick?"

He explained, "It's cold in winter; a scarf is practical..."

She interrupted him, "Yu Bo, you're not romantic at all!"

The light turned green.

The car behind him honked.

Yu Bo pulled his thoughts back and stepped on the gas.

The G63 accelerated smoothly, leaving the past far behind.

The phone vibrated again.

Yu Bo didn't look.

He knew who sent it and what the content would be.

But those apologies, explanations, or feelers were all meaningless now.

Some paths, once taken, cannot be retraced.

Some people, once lost, are gone forever.

Yu Bo rolled down the window. The evening breeze poured in, carrying the city's characteristic bustle.

He reached out to adjust the rearview mirror.

The man in the mirror had calm eyes, devoid of emotion.

The Yu Bo who once stayed up late working overtime just because of something Lu Yuner said, who was overjoyed for a whole day just because of one of her smiles, had died on some unknown night.