Lyra’s footsteps faltered.

She knew Lucien’s circle didn't welcome her.

Lucien was a leading figure in theoretical physics, the youngest professor at Caltech.

His colleagues, who considered themselves the intellectual elite, always looked down on her education. They thought she couldn't compare to Sylvie, that she wasn't worthy of being by Lucien’s side.

She never thought she was any less than them, but for the sake of Lucien's social life, she had always endured it.

Now, there was no reason to endure it anymore.

Lyra took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The people inside saw her, but they showed no embarrassment at being caught gossiping. Instead, one of them drawled, "Well, look who it is. Little Lyra. We were just joking around…"

Amidst the stifled giggles, Lyra flashed a smile of her own. "It is pretty funny. I wonder if your entire annual salary even covers my monthly bonus. How do you manage to live with so much confidence?"

The entire room fell silent. Everyone stared in shock at the woman who had always silently accepted their teasing.

The man who had just spoken turned shades of red and white.

Lucien looked up at Lyra, his voice cold. "Lyra, that's not funny."

Lyra met his gaze.

When the others made a "joke" at her expense, he said nothing. When she fought back, he spoke up.

Deep down, it was because he agreed with them.

He looked down on her education too. He also thought she couldn't measure up to Sylvie. He believed he was settling for her…

A tightness gripped Lyra’s chest. Just then, Sylvie approached with a placating smile, trying to smooth things over.

"Oh, Lyra's always had a temper. Don't mind her, everyone."

The saccharine, manipulative tone was suffocating.

The old Lyra would have immediately started a fight with Sylvie. But strangely, now that she had decided to let Lucien go, she couldn't be bothered to argue.

Lyra just chuckled and sat down. "Yeah, I've got a big temper."

Sylvie was the most surprised of all. She hadn't expected Lyra to not fight back.

It took a while for the conversation to resume.

Someone intentionally spoke loudly. "Hey, Zhou, your new project is a national-level grant, right? The research funding alone is in the tens of millions."

"Not like some people, who make their money from dirty deals!"

Lyra couldn't be bothered to engage with them. After this, she'd never see them again anyway.

But seeing Lucien remain completely indifferent to the comment, she still felt a pang of pity for herself.

After the meal started, Sylvie picked up a spicy buffalo wing. Lucien immediately frowned. "You can't eat spicy food. Do you want to destroy your stomach?"

Lucien was clueless about daily life. For most things, Lyra had to leave him sticky notes to tell him what to do.

Yet this man, so oblivious to the mundane world, remembered every one of Sylvie's habits…

Lyra had lost her appetite to begin with. Now, she couldn't eat a single bite.

When the party ended, Lucien went ahead to pay the bill. He and Sylvie walked in front, with Lyra trailing behind.

Lyra suddenly remembered that this was how the three of them always were before Sylvie left.

After Sylvie went abroad, Lyra finally became Lucien’s girlfriend. She had finally moved from behind him to his side.

She thought she had changed everything.

But it turned out, all it took was for Sylvie to come back, and everything would revert to how it was.

The three of them reached the hotel entrance. Lucien looked at Sylvie earnestly. "Does someone have a ride for you?"

Sylvie nodded. "My brother will be here any second."

Just then, a car pulled up to the curb.

The door opened, and a child leaped out, throwing his arms around Sylvie. "Aunt Sylvie, happy birthday!"

The next moment, the child saw Lucien and whined, "Uncle Lucien! You haven't come to see me in forever!"

Lyra froze.

Lucien instinctively glanced at Lyra before turning to pat the boy's head. He then instructed Sylvie, "Text me when you get home."

Sylvie nodded at him, then shot a look at Lyra.

There was no boastfulness in her eyes, but the message was clear: *See? Even after five years apart, my relationship with Lucien is something you can never compete with.*

After watching the car drive away, Lucien finally turned back to Lyra. "Let's go."

Lyra paused for a beat before following him.

Once they were in the car, Lucien finally offered an explanation. "I used to be close with the kid. I guess Sylvie never told him we broke up."

Hearing this, Lyra turned to look at him. The car's interior lights were off. She could only see half of his face cloaked in shadow, his expression unreadable.

Lyra mulled over his excuse, then let out a soft, humorless laugh.

The kid was the one who was mistaken. Lucien could have cleared it up with a single sentence right then and there. He didn't.

But now he was explaining it to her…

How funny is that?

Lyra turned her head to look out the window.

Getting no response, Lucien looked at her, his gaze lingering on her vibrant red dress.

His brow furrowed instantly. "And another thing," he said. "Don't wear red again. It doesn't look good on you."