Ruined for Anyone Else

“Am I really that good-looking?” Lin Wanzhao laughed, her features softening beautifully. “Two hours staring at me, and you’re still not tired of it?”

Yu Qingkong let out a soft murmur, a small smile playing on her lips: “How could two hours ever be enough?”

Hearing that, Lin Wanzhao hid her blushing face in her hands and giggled helplessly.

“You know, back then you used to…” Lin Wanzhao continued her playful trial, pointing a finger. “Every single time I tried to get close to you, you’d turn your head away and look anywhere else, acting like I was some kind of terrifying, dangerous creature.”

“Let’s just forget about the past,” Yu Qingkong laughed softly, turning her head to gaze out at the street.

“Oh, I am absolutely not forgetting that. You have no idea how tragic it felt trying to pursue you. I genuinely felt like I was never, ever going to get a response…” Lin Wanzhao murmured, nervously twirling a stray lock of hair around her finger as she aired her quiet grievances.

“I was just…” Yu Qingkong paused, her expression turning earnest. “Before I was certain whether there was a real possibility for us—and before I completely understood my own heart—I didn’t want to let myself fall too deep. And I definitely didn’t want to drag you down with me.”

Lin Wanzhao smiled triumphantly at this: “But in the end, you still ended up following me meekly anyway.”

“What else was I supposed to do when I completely lost control of my own feelings?” Yu Qingkong looked at her, her lips curving into a tender arc.

“Is it because I’m simply too charming?” Lin Wanzhao teased, arching an eyebrow.

“Aren’t you just asking questions you already know the answer to?” Yu Qingkong chuckled, tapping her arm gently. “Alright, it’s getting late. Let me get you home first.”

“Mm.” Lin Wanzhao nodded, her smile sweet and thoroughly content.

The next day, Yu Qingkong found herself in an exceptionally bright mood. Yet, with Lin Wanzhao away on a business trip, the corporate office felt remarkably empty, as if a vital piece of the puzzle was missing.

When she was buried under paperwork or out inspecting the retail storefronts, she managed fine because her mind was occupied. But the very second she had a quiet moment to breathe, her thoughts would instantly drift back to Lin Wanzhao. Her mind was entirely occupied, filled to the absolute brim with images of her. Remembering how Lin Wanzhao had looked the previous night, Yu Qingkong found herself smiling even while doing something as mundane as trimming the leaves of the office plant on her desk.

She realized she owed a strange debt of gratitude to Wang Min. If Wang Min hadn’t gotten into an argument with her girlfriend, hadn’t dragged her out to the Snake lounge to drown her sorrows, and hadn’t ultimately stood her up that night… she might never have crossed that line with Lin Wanzhao. They would have likely remained nothing more than a standard, professional boss and subordinate. If that were the case, what would their interactions look like right now?

As the thoughts swirled, Lin Wanzhao’s striking face and brilliant smile vividly flashed across her mind once more. It was undeniable—if even a single link in that chain of events had gone differently, they wouldn’t be standing where they were today.

Before she knew it, lunchtime arrived. Yu Qingkong grabbed her phone and cafeteria card and stepped out of her office. Walking past Lin Wanzhao’s suite alongside Zhang Xue, she stared down at the tightly closed door and instinctively lowered her gaze. With Lin Wanzhao gone, the entire floor felt desolate. Today was only Wednesday, and Lin Wanzhao wasn’t scheduled to return until Friday afternoon. Although it was a brief trip, Yu Qingkong felt the hours stretching out like a vast desert. Only half a day had ticked by, yet time felt entirely stagnant, as though the hands of the clock had been heavily glued in place.

“Oh, by the way, we’re having our team dinner this Friday. We’ve narrowed it down to two choices: Japanese teppanyaki or a whole roasted lamb. Which one do you vote for?” Zhang Xue asked as they lined up for food in the cafeteria.

“Teppanyaki,” Yu Qingkong replied smoothly. “I ate way too much mutton over the Lunar New Year; I’m completely sick of it.”

“Awesome, that’s another vote for teppanyaki!” Zhang Xue noted, tilting her head thoughtfully. “You know, thinking about it, Director Lin is actually pretty great. Sure, she’s incredibly strict and demanding, but she’s exceptionally dedicated to her work. She never slacks off or shifts her responsibilities. I honestly feel bad for complaining so much about her in the past.”

“Of course,” Yu Qingkong smiled softly, picking up a small dish of stir-fried pork with chili from the counter and placing it onto her tray. “She has always been someone who shines incredibly bright.”

“She really is amazing. I honestly don’t get how someone so incredible is still single…” Zhang Xue furrowed her brows in deep confusion. “I only just found out that the guy I saw her with before was actually her cousin, not her boyfriend. Director Lin is completely single. I just don’t get it—is she just so intimidatingly successful that nobody dares to approach her?”

Yu Qingkong let out a quiet, knowing chuckle, turning around with her cafeteria tray in hand: “Come on, let’s go find a table and eat.”

Zhang Xue quickly trotted after her, balancing her own tray. The moment they sat down, she eagerly pressed on: “The same goes for you, honestly. Are you seriously planning to commit to the single life forever?”

Yu Qingkong picked up her chopsticks, keeping her eyes trained firmly on her food: “Just say it—what kind of scheme are you cooking up now?”

“Nothing crazy! There’s just a mixer happening this weekend, and I wanted to see if you’d be interested in coming along with me…” Zhang Xue flashed a mischievous, pleading grin.

Yu Qingkong moved a piece of food around her bowl, a subtle, beautiful smile gracing her lips as she looked up: “I’ll pass. I already have someone I like.”

“Wait, WHAT?!” Zhang Xue froze completely, looking as though she had just sustained a physical shock. “Yu Qingkong!”

“What’s wrong?” Yu Qingkong looked up, utterly unbothered.

“Nothing… it’s just completely unbelievable! You flipped the script way too fast. No wonder you’ve looked so radiantly happy and practically glowing lately,” Zhang Xue muttered, her natural gossip instincts instantly flaring to life. “Who is it? Are they tall? Attractive? How’s their character? Do they work here at our company?”

“Their character is perfect,” Yu Qingkong smiled tenderly. “She is the most stunningly beautiful and endearing person I have ever met in my entire life. And honestly… I might be the only person who knows exactly how incredibly precious she can be.”

“Wow… for you to actually praise someone’s looks like that means they must be an absolute goddess. Now I’m dying of curiosity! Do you have a photo?”

“Just focus on your food,” Yu Qingkong countered, deftly placing a piece of meat into her mouth to deflect the interrogation.

The snow that had blanketed the city on Valentine’s Day had finally ground to a halt by the following morning. Yet, as the accumulated ice began to melt, the damp air felt infinitely more piercing and bitter than it had while the flakes were actively falling.

After clocking out of work, Yu Qingkong bypassed her usual route home and drove over to the apartment she had recently purchased.

It was a spacious three-bedroom, two-living-room unit. The layout was excellent. She had initially bought it with the intention of moving her parents in, but they had stubbornly refused to leave their old neighborhood, leaving it for her to occupy alone. The initial renovation work had wrapped up towards the end of last year, but between her chaotic work schedule and the fact that a newly renovated space needed months to properly ventilate, she had left it sitting empty. Now, after several months of airing out, the sharp scent of paint and construction materials had completely faded.

The foundational interior work was entirely complete—the walls were neatly papered, the floor tiles were laid out beautifully, the drop ceilings were finished, and all the light fixtures and wiring were fully installed. The only things missing were the primary furniture pieces like a bed, a television, and a sofa. Once those details were taken care of, the place would be perfectly livable. Conveniently, the lease on her current rental property was set to expire in exactly one month.

After conducting a thorough walk-through of the rooms, Yu Qingkong nodded to herself in satisfaction before locking up and heading back to her rental. Though she had accomplished a great deal throughout the day, the hours still felt agonizingly slow. Lin Wanzhao was entirely swamped with her business meetings, meaning her text replies were few and far between. Yu Qingkong found herself repeatedly opening her WeChat messages and staring at the calendar, checking the time constantly as the minutes dragged on.

Finally, Friday arrived.

The team dinner was hosted at a high-end Japanese teppanyaki restaurant. The interior design was exceptionally sleek, modern, and beautiful.

“Is everyone here yet?” a familiar voice chimed in. Lin Wanzhao had rushed directly to the restaurant straight from the airport; her face mask was still dangling loosely from one ear.

“Yes, yes! Everyone’s made it!” Zhang Xue answered instantly with a bright smile.

“Alright, let’s all get seated then.” Lin Wanzhao’s lips curved into a subtle smile. Her eyes swept over to Yu Qingkong, gesturing subtly toward the empty chair directly beside her.

Catching the unspoken signal, Yu Qingkong looked down to hide her smile, casually walking over to slide into the seat. Having not seen her for two agonizing days, Lin Wanzhao looked just as captivatingly beautiful as ever. Yu Qingkong gazed at her quietly for a long beat before forcing herself to look away. Being in a public corporate setting like this was a unique kind of torture—she desperately wanted to reach out to her, yet she had to remain completely professional. I really have wandered deep into Lin Wanzhao’s world, she realized, and there’s absolutely no going back.

After the team placed an initial round of orders, Yu Tao raised his glass, scanning the faces around the long table before speaking up: “Hey, wait, where’s Lulu? Did she not make it tonight?”

Zhang Xue burst into laughter at the question: “She took the evening off. Today is her boyfriend’s birthday.”

“Oh, wow! She’s off the market?” Yu Tao set his glass back down, looking surprised. “When did that happen? How am I just hearing about this?”

“It’s been almost two months now. They are absolutely head over heels and completely sweet together,” Zhang Xue beamed.

“I’m so jealous,” another colleague sighed, shaking her head. “I wonder when I’ll finally manage to find a boyfriend.”

“Don’t stress about it, being single has plenty of perks. Just look at our Director Lin over here—isn’t she living her absolute best life completely on her own?” Yu Tao said, flashing a cheerful, good-natured grin toward Lin Wanzhao.

Lin Wanzhao, who was in the middle of taking a sip of her drink, nearly choked on the liquid. She let out a couple of sharp coughs, remaining silent as her eyes instinctively darted toward Yu Qingkong sitting right beside her.

At the same time, Yu Qingkong set her cutlery down, using a warm towel to elegantly dab the corner of her mouth. Her eyes shifted subtly, locking onto Lin Wanzhao’s flustered expression. Their gazes collided for a fraction of a second before breaking away with practiced nonchalance. Yu Qingkong looked down, gently swirling her spoon through her soup bowl as her lips curved into a slight, amused smile.

“I am indeed exceptionally happy right now—honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy in my entire life,” Lin Wanzhao finally stated, putting her glass down. “But… it has absolutely nothing to do with being single.”

“Ah, haha! Well, as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters!” Yu Tao quickly recovered, raising his glass once more. “Come on, Director Lin, let me toast to you!”

Yu Qingkong turned her head toward Lin Wanzhao again, raising her eyebrows in a silent, amused challenge.

Lin Wanzhao’s lips twitched into a subtle smile as her fingers brushed the rim of her glass: “I’ll have to substitute my drink with juice tonight. I’m strictly focusing on a healthier lifestyle lately.”

“Haha, no problem at all! Cheers!” Yu Tao laughed heartily, clinking his glass gently against Lin Wanzhao’s.

Only then did Yu Qingkong smile to herself, picking her fork back up to continue eating.

A moment later, Colleague A let out a dramatic sigh: “Still, after being single for a long time, it definitely gets old. I really want to experience being in a relationship again.”

Colleague B immediately chimed in to counter: “Honestly, I have zero desire to date right now. Being together with someone isn’t nearly as magical as people make it out to be. When my ex-boyfriend was pursuing me, he poured absolutely everything into it—it wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to say he treated me like royalty. But the moment we actually became official, he transformed into a demanding, lazy lord. It drove me absolutely insane.”

Sitting right next to Yu Qingkong, Zhang Xue shook her head sagely: “That’s exactly why you have to maintain absolute logic and control when you’re dating. You can never, ever spoil your partner too much. Human nature can be incredibly ungrateful sometimes; the moment they feel secure, they stop cherishing what they have. If you keep doting on them unconditionally at that point, they’ll just become completely entitled. They’ll get entirely ruined, acting incredibly spoiled and immature, taking everything you do for granted as if it’s simply their birthright.”

Yu Tao laughed at her passionate speech: “Wow, you sound like you’re speaking from extensive personal experience.”

“I don’t have any personal experience!” Zhang Xue laughed. “But just because I haven’t eaten pork doesn’t mean I haven’t seen a pig run, right? I’ve analyzed all of this purely from watching my friends’ catastrophic relationships. Honestly, I can never comprehend what goes through their partners’ minds. If you tried to give those kinds of partners away to a stranger, nobody would take them, yet my friends still guard them like priceless treasures. Let me give everyone here a vital piece of advice—even when you’re completely head over heels in love, do not let romance completely fry your brain. Never treat your partner like an ancestral deity to be worshiped, or you’re going to face an endless stream of misery.”

Zhang Xue laughed heartily, casually resting an arm on Yu Qingkong’s shoulder: “Qingkong, don’t you agree I’m entirely right?”

Hearing her name called, Yu Qingkong lifted her eyes. In an instant, the attention of the entire table shifted toward her. Even Lin Wanzhao set her glass down, resting her chin comfortably on her crossed hands as she stared at her unblinkingly, her eyes sparkling with pure, unadulterated curiosity.

Faced with the scrutiny, Yu Qingkong calmly lowered her head, elegantly slicing off a piece of her steak: “Does overindulging a partner really lead to those kinds of consequences?”

“Absolutely!” Zhang Xue nodded frantically. “It ends terribly!”

Yu Qingkong let out a low, incredibly tender chuckle. She lifted her head, her gaze deliberately sweeping over Lin Wanzhao’s face before slowly pulling it back, her voice dripping with absolute affection:

“Then that works out even better for me. I’ll just spoil her until she becomes completely impossible and impossible to handle. That way, absolutely nobody else will ever dare to make a move on her, and her only option will be to act spoiled with me, throw her tantrums with me, and accept her fate to remain strictly by my side forever.”