C2 After Four Years of Bitter Cultivation, She Had Not Achieved Anything. One Day, She Broke up with

"You just refuse to listen!" Qin Mengli snapped.

"No, you've never outright rejected me!" Tang Bing retorted, his eyes burning with anger. "If you truly couldn't accept me, you should have made it crystal clear from the start! But you didn't! If you didn't want me as your boyfriend, why suggest we could start as friends? Throughout college, I did everything you asked, always ready at your beck and call! After graduation, I was there for shopping, meals, movies, job hunting... If you never wanted to be with me, why lead me on? And this..."

His grip tightened on the handbag he held, causing a flicker in Qin Mengli's gaze.

"Do you even remember what you promised?" Tang Bing bellowed. "Do you?!"

"Tang Bing, please, calm down!" Qin Mengli implored gently.

"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down?!" He pushed her against the wall, towering over her. "You said if I worked hard, earned enough money, and bought you this handbag, you'd be my girlfriend! I've slaved away for six months, scrimping and saving every penny for this outrageously expensive bag! Now I've got it, but you... you... How can you justify this to me?"

"Tang Bing! The handbag was meant to discourage you!" Qin Mengli looked up at him, exasperated. "I've always wanted you to realize it's impossible between us! Fine! Maybe my approach was wrong, complicating things further. So I'll be blunt: I don't like you, not one bit. We're simply not possible. Can't you see that for yourself?"

"Why not?" Tang Bing's eyes were red with fury. "Why?!"

Qin Mengli frowned and pushed him back as he advanced. "That's enough! I've put up with you for four years! Since sophomore year, you've clung to me. I didn't want to hurt you because I'm too kind, so I've always rejected you gently. But you've only gotten more relentless, making it unbearable. I don't like you, not in the slightest. You're nothing like the man I envision. Ever wonder why I made you do all those things in college? Why I'd ask you to skip class for me with outrageous demands? It was to make you give up, to drive you away!"

Tang Bing was speechless, his heart twisted in pain.

"I never imagined that no matter how tough I was on you, you'd persist!" Qin Mengli continued. "I appreciate your feelings, but I can't reciprocate. These four years haven't just been hard on you; they've been hard on me too! And the handbag... couldn't you see the obvious hint? It was never something you could afford for me! And yet... you actually managed to save enough to buy it. I'm astounded! With that money, couldn't you have improved your own life? Look at yourself, when was the last time you had a haircut? You're a mess, not some artist, but a street thug! How could you ever think you'd match up to me? You'd disappear in a crowd; there's nothing distinctive about you, nothing handsome. Why would I settle for someone like you?"

Tang Bing was stunned; he had never heard such harsh words from Qin Mengli before, and he was utterly dumbfounded.

"Now I get it, Tang Bing!" Qin Mengli's eyes were filled with revulsion. "Subtlety is lost on you. You're the fool who'd follow a wrong path to the bitter end. So let me be clear: I don't like you. I feel nothing for you. You're not my ideal man."

"Then who is? Zhang Tao?" Tang Bing asked through clenched teeth.

"Yes!" Qin Mengli exclaimed. "Is he not more handsome than you?"

"What good is being handsome?" Tang Bing challenged, seething.

"It's pleasing to the eye. Isn't that enough?"

"You..."

"See! You lose your temper at the drop of a hat. Do you know how much I despise that about you?" Qin Mengli's voice was icy. "With your temper, I'd fear domestic violence in the future!"

"I'm angry because of the indecent things you do at work!" Tang Bing's anger was palpable.

"Am I your girlfriend?" Qin Mengli shot back coldly. "And what's so indecent? Zhang Tao is my boyfriend. Isn't kissing normal for a couple?"

"I..." Tang Bing started, thinking of the handbag promise, but her previous words silenced him.

"I'm single, an adult, and free to do as I please. Is wanting a proper boyfriend too much to ask?" Qin Mengli's tone was frosty. "As for you, don't come looking for me again. I'll reimburse you for the door. This is the end of it. I've made myself clear, so stop pestering me from now on!"

"Mengli, my feelings for you are genuine!" Tang Bing's heart was awash with sorrow.

"I'm aware," Qin Mengli responded coolly. "That's exactly why I'm troubled. Tang Bing, let's set aside whether you're my ideal type. The real question is, can you actually provide for me?"

"Mengli, as long as you're by my side, I'll make sure you have everything you desire!" Tang Bing's eyes brimmed with sadness. "Didn't I get you that LV bag you wanted?"

"Yes, you did, but it took you six months," Qin Mengli pointed out. "That model is already outdated! It's practically useless to me now. Tang Bing, you still don't get it. The divide between us isn't something you can bridge with effort alone! Do you have any idea how much this outfit cost? No, you don't! This one set me back $5,000. And my closet? It's filled with at least a dozen outfits of similar value. Are you aware of the cost of my makeup and perfume? Do you realize I get a new bag periodically? And then there's the matter of owning a house and a car. Do you have those? You have nothing! It took you half a year to afford this bag, and it's already out of fashion. Can you honestly say you can afford to keep up with me?"

"I..." Tang Bing was at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond.

"Can't you face reality?" Qin Mengli challenged him. "We were never meant to be on the same path. There should have been no intersection between us."

"Is that Zhang Tao on your level?" Tang Bing, looking at the Qin Mengli who now seemed like a stranger, felt a deep sense of loss.

"Yes!" Qin Mengli affirmed. "For starters, he's tall and handsome. Plus, his father is the chairman of Bluestar Group, which makes him my equal in status. And unlike you, he doesn't lose his temper easily and is always so gentle with me."

"Is it just looks and wealth that matter in a relationship?" Tang Bing muttered, his expression darkening. "They say you can't judge a book by its cover. I may be hot-tempered, but I would never hurt you. After four years, don't you know me at all? Are you so certain of his sincerity, that he won't ever harm you? Qin Mengli, you're being superficial. I've respected you for four years, never once laying a finger on you. Yet, you've only known him for a short while and you're already so close? Men like him are just toying with you!"

"Why are you so concerned about what I do?" Qin Mengli retorted, her brow furrowed. "It's clear now. I want nothing more to do with you. From today on, I expect you to stay out of my life."

"Qin Mengli, can you really be so cold-hearted? Is this all I get after four years?" Tang Bing's voice shook with emotion.

"Don't twist the truth. We were never together. You've deluded yourself," Qin Mengli said icily. "Now, take your bag and go. It's still in good condition; perhaps you can return it and get your money back."

"Mengli..."

"Leave!" Qin Mengli cut him off sharply. "I've told you, don't disrupt my life again!"

With those final words, she turned and strode toward the information room.

"Qin Mengli, one day you'll regret this! I'll show you that you've passed up someone far better than Zhang Tao!"

"That day will never come!" Her voice echoed down the hallway as she vanished from sight.