Chapter 54 (1/2): Silent rhythm, shared blade

That sentence was just the beginning.

Someone nearby who had just been watching the drama while sipping their drink suddenly spat it all out.

“Pfft!”

Wait a minute—this young master really had no filter!

He came to a party hosted by his fiancée’s family and then had the audacity to thank her ex-fiancé for stepping aside?!

Is that even reasonable?

How arrogant!

How presumptuous!

What’s more, this young man seemed completely serious about it—his reaction caught everyone off guard.

Valentin didn’t care one bit about this so-called fiancé, or even the issue of “two-timing.”

He actually thanked Shen Yifeng.

He thanked him for stepping down?

Holy crap, who would’ve thought they’d witness such explosive drama at a simple little gathering?

The host of the party, Shen Yifeng, the rising star of the internet Gu Zhaoping, and this young master from the Laroche family—how did they end up in such a bizarre love triangle?

You rarely see this kind of thing even in TV dramas.

Those present truly got their money’s worth.

Everyone was cringing on Shen Yifeng’s behalf, curling their toes in second-hand embarrassment.

What on earth was he thinking?

Why invite both his fiancée and this Laroche heir to the same event?

Was he trying to provoke a confrontation right then and there?

And this Laroche guy?

So bold!

He didn’t back down at all and clearly didn’t care about who was engaged to whom first.

He truly embodied one saying: “The one who isn’t loved is the third wheel.”

So, who would Miss Gu choose in the end?

Shen Yifeng was in disbelief.

He looked at Valentin like he was out of his mind.

What was he even saying?

Even Gu Zhaoping glanced at Valentin again, slightly surprised by his reaction.

Valentin, mustering his courage, remained open and composed.

When he first heard that Miss Gu had a fiancé, he was nervous—but not because he was afraid of a love rival.

He was just worried it might be harder to approach her.

But once he heard that Miss Gu had already decided to break off the engagement, he relaxed.

Great!

That problem was already solved.

A person with no competitive value wasn’t worth worrying about—he’d just be polite.

Besides, this “engaged couple” had already discussed the breakup in advance.

And when Mr. Shen saw him arrive with Miss Gu, he didn’t show any strong reaction—he seemed to have accepted it.

So Valentin politely expressed his thanks.

“Thank you for having the self-awareness to step aside.”

Valentin had no idea just how much damage that one sentence caused.

The Li siblings were completely dumbfounded.

They were the last ones to expect that reaction.

Wait, weren’t they trying to stir the pot?

Why was it Shen Yifeng who ended up looking humiliated?

What was going on?

Could it be that this Laroche heir had courted Gu Zhaoping?

What the hell??

Why did he look like the winner in all this?

Shen Yifeng’s hand trembled violently.

He never expected that kind of response—he nearly spilled his wine.

He stood silently for a long moment, gripping his wine glass tightly.

Eventually, he lifted his head, suppressing his emotions, and said,

“Yes, we’re about to break off the engagement.”

He averted his gaze and added: “Our personalities don’t match, and we hadn’t gotten around to telling everyone.”

“So this really isn’t something worth overthinking. Just a misunderstanding that got too much attention.”

Sometimes, Shen Yifeng hated how much he valued appearances.

But at this point, he couldn’t think of a less humiliating explanation.

He could only try his best to stay composed.

He even raised his wine glass toward the two of them, forcing a calm expression, and said:

“Enjoy the party.”

Boom.

Like a thunderclap out of a clear sky.

The Li siblings stared, stunned by everything happening before them.

They were completely speechless.

Wait, wasn’t it always Shen Yifeng who didn’t like Gu Zhaoping?

Wasn’t she the one desperately clinging to him, while he got tired of her?

Wasn’t she the one not good enough for him?

Then what the hell was going on now??

How did Gu Zhaoping suddenly become the one in demand?

And why was Shen Yifeng now being “thanked” by some random guy for quitting the race?

Something didn’t add up!

Even if Shen Yifeng had been the one to break it off, that one line made him seem like the loser!

Besides…the way they heard it, it almost sounded like Gu Zhaoping was the one who initiated the breakup.

They looked at Gu Zhaoping as if struck by lightning.

Utterly shocked.

Thinking back to what they’d said before—wasn’t Gu Zhaoping just trying to spite Shen Yifeng by bringing someone else to the party?

Didn’t they say she only came to L.A. because of him?

But now, it didn’t seem like she left any room for reconciliation at all!

If she just wanted to be petty, she wouldn’t have publicly announced the breakup.

Given Shen Yifeng’s pride, he’d never take her back after this.

Did that mean she truly didn’t want to be his fiancée anymore?

But why?

How could she even give up someone like Shen Yifeng?

They were completely bewildered.

“It’s not just because of incompatible personalities,”

Gu Zhaoping said bluntly, showing no intention of sparing him any dignity.

This was the perfect chance to kick Shen Yifeng out of her life completely.

Even without Valentin in the picture, she would’ve found another way to make it public.

“I was engaged to Shen Yifeng for ten years. There was no affection, and he treated me with nothing but disdain. When I sought love elsewhere, he expressed displeasure—but I can’t keep investing in something that gives nothing back.”

“Since you have no sense of responsibility toward this engagement, Mr. Shen, and couldn’t even bring yourself to end it, then I’ll do it.”

She smiled at him, her eyes calm.

She didn’t see those ten years of chasing him as anything shameful.

In fact, the one who should feel shame was him—

The one who disrespected the engagement, wanted everything without committing, looked at her with prideful contempt.

And now he still wanted to save face?

She wasn’t going to let him have that.

In the silence, which was on the verge of shattering, Gu Zhaoping gracefully lifted her wine glass, turned to Valentin, and asked: “Is there any more wine?”

Valentin blinked, nodded, and picked up a nearby bottle.

He opened it carefully and poured her half a glass.

Gu Zhaoping then walked through the crowd straight toward Shen Yifeng.

Even facing her approach, some in the crowd instinctively took a step back.

When they realized what they were doing, they felt awkward.

Had they just been intimidated by her presence?

It’s hard to blame them—no one dared to stand in front of Gu Zhaoping at that moment.

Shen Yifeng’s whole body tensed as he realized Gu Zhaoping was getting closer.

Just yesterday, during her speech, he had imagined many times what it would be like if she walked toward him.

But now that it was actually happening, it felt unbearable.

Then, her wine glass clinked against his.

Her glass rim was slightly higher than his—completely disregarding social etiquette.

This was because, deep down, she genuinely believed her status was higher than his.

With a clear clink, Gu Zhaoping said,

“From now on, don’t associate yourself with me.”

Shen Yifeng watched as she walked away with Valentin.

He stared for a long time, eyes wide open, almost to the point of tearing up.

He could no longer hear anything around him, nor did he care to imagine what others might be saying about him.

He knew—he and Gu Zhaoping had completely fallen out.

And it was her choice.

She didn’t leave even a shred of room for reconciliation.

It was only then that the Li siblings slowly started to process what had just happened.

Their faces were full of panic and guilt.

They looked at each other in disbelief, realizing—had they just made a terrible mistake?

If they hadn’t stopped Gu Zhaoping earlier, this utterly humiliating scene wouldn’t have happened at all.

At that moment, Shen Yifeng finally closed his eyes.

He forcibly suppressed the emotions surging in his chest.

Then he turned to them, his voice dark and low, filled with a suppressed rage that made them tremble.

“Have you caused enough trouble?”

The Li siblings were dazed, unable to even recall how they left the scene.

Even after returning to the hotel, they couldn’t snap out of the shock.

It hurt—so badly.

Their faces burned with shame.

They had always relied on the fact that Gu Zhaoping cared deeply about Shen Yifeng’s opinion.

As long as they played on this weakness and poisoned her image in his eyes, she would be deeply affected.

But why…why did Gu Zhaoping not care at all?

Why would she humiliate Shen Yifeng like that—publicly and with such finality?

Did she not care about him at all?

The image of Gu Zhaoping in that moment left such a deep impression in their minds—it didn’t just confuse them.

It scared them.

She’s gone mad.

Gu Zhaoping seems to have completely gone mad.

She truly no longer cared about Shen Yifeng.

And it was because of their smugness that Shen Yifeng had ended up being humiliated so badly at this gathering.

They couldn’t imagine how many people would talk behind his back once this got out.

If this incident spread, they didn’t even dare to think about how much criticism and trouble Shen Yifeng would face.

Especially after Gu Zhaoping publicly accused him of being indifferent to all the years she spent fulfilling their engagement—this was a serious blow to the reputation of someone who needed to maintain a perfect public image as a wealthy heir.

If he couldn’t even uphold the responsibilities of a betrothal, who would dare to form an alliance or a marriage contract with him in the future?

This incident damaged Shen Yifeng’s credibility—and it all started with them.

The two of them were filled with dread, unable to meet Shen Yifeng’s cold, piercing gaze.

Worst of all, they still had no idea why Gu Zhaoping had shown up at the summit.

Didn’t she take a leave of absence because she had developed a private relationship with that young master from the LaRoche family?

Did she come here just to announce the annulment of the engagement?

Just to publicly slap him in the face?

Ridiculous.

Absurd!

Who could’ve seen that coming?