Looking at the plush rabbit on the bed that resembled Jiang Ning, Lu Yan's expression hardened and her brows furrowed.

Just then, Jiang Ning returned after washing the dishes. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Lu Yan looking at the rabbit on her bed.

Jiang Ning picked up the rabbit and asked, "Zhuang Yan bought it for me. Doesn't it look a lot like me?"

Even though she realized she was no longer qualified, she was still competitive and unwilling to admit defeat when facing Lu Yan.

How could she suddenly let go? Zhuang Yan was someone she had liked for over ten years, and many of her firsts in life were with him.

Even after five years apart, she still couldn't forget him and relied on memories to get through those agonizing days.

The thought that the person you love will one day be holding someone else, and that you won't be the one beside them in bed, brings an indescribable heartache.

It seems that even an award-winning actress can't hide her true emotions in real life. Lu Yan really wanted to push her in front of the mirror and let her see the resentful jealousy in her eyes.

Lu Yan withdrew her gaze and walked towards her with a smile: "Then may I ask, did he give this to you on his own initiative? If not, then it's charity, and I wouldn't care about it."

Jiang Ning's already fair complexion suddenly seemed to lose all color. She hugged the rabbit tightly in her arms, as if only in this way could she warm her body.

“You’re right, this is what I asked him for, but I don’t think it’s cheap.” Jiang Ning put the rabbit back in its place and began to organize the things she had brought.

Lu Yan watched her pack her suitcase and asked, "What are you doing?"

Jiang Ning squatted down and put down her clothes: "I'm getting ready to pack my things and leave."

"You're not recording anymore?"

"The company has other arrangements."

Lu Yan thought about the trending topics today. Jiang Ning's "clarification" only added fuel to the fire for the Zhuang family, but it also burned her as well.

Jiang Ning's fame has brought a lot of backlash, with netizens digging up old stories and turning trivial matters into something as if the sky were falling.

Therefore, Lu Yan deduced that it wasn't Jiang Ning who wanted to go back, but rather that the company required her to return, wanting to leave her isolated for a few days before releasing her.

“Lu Yan.” Jiang Ning stood up and looked at Lu Yan with a serious gaze. “I know you are not as simple as you seem. I have no right to stop you from liking Zhuang Yan, but I only ask that you do not hurt him, do not give up on him, love him more than others, and take good care of his health.”

“I love him no less than you love him. I’ve done everything you can for him, and even better than you. I know about your past with Zhuang Yan. You broke up five years ago, and you were the one who initiated it. You gave him up and now you’re back. I just want to ask you, can you distinguish between obsession and love?”

Jiang Ning was briefly distracted, and a smile that looked even uglier than a grimace appeared on her face.

Many people confuse love with obsession. You can't have him because he doesn't belong to you; you can't let go because you're unwilling to accept it.

She always reminisces about Zhuang Yan's past words, ignoring the changes he has undergone.

Isn't this a kind of obsession?

Liking someone is wanting to change, while obsession arises from wanting to change for them; the more you change, the deeper your obsession becomes.

Jiang Ning asked, "Lu Yan, have you always looked down on me?"

"It's not that I look down on you, it's that I've never taken you seriously."

"Your purpose in coming here is nothing more than wanting to reconcile with Zhuang Yan. But there are only three possibilities for a broken mirror to be reconciled: there was no brokenness, there was no mirror, and there was no reconciliation. Which of these three do you think you are?"

Lu Yan sat in the chair, her hand casually resting on the armrest, her head slightly raised, looking down like a queen: "I did have a bad impression of you before. You've been an actress for too long and have forgotten that there are no scripts in reality. You're too self-righteous, thinking you can control everything. Take Zhuang Yan being cyberbullied this time, for example. I don't believe you only found out today. I want to ask, what have you been thinking about these past ten days? Have you been weighing the pros and cons, or trying to have the best of both worlds? The ancients told you long ago that you can't have your cake and eat it too. The more you want, the more you lose."

Jiang Ning retorted, "Then what have you done for him?"

Lu Yan was both amused and exasperated, raising an eyebrow: "Guess why no one dares to spread rumors about Zhuang Yan online anymore?"

Faced with absolute power, these problems that others cannot solve are nothing but trash in her eyes.

This was the first time Lu Yan had revealed her strength to Jiang Ning, and she was pleased to see the shocked expression on his face.

Jiang Ning murmured, "So it was you..." Her agent had repeatedly texted her to remind her not to meddle in other people's business, as Zhuang Yan had powerful backers who would help him clear his name and fight his lawsuit.

Jiang Ning had thought of many people, but she never imagined that person would be Lu Yan.

This person is so unfathomable. If that's the case, then what can she use to compete with him?

“What you can do for him, I can do too, and what I can do, you may not be able to do.” Lu Yan stood up and walked gracefully to Jiang Ning, saying understandingly, “You are Zhuang Yan’s friend, so you are my friend. As your friend, I promise you that I will treat Zhuang Yan well.”

Simply put, whether I can accept you depends entirely on how you define yourself.

Should they become friends or rivals? If Jiang Ning is open-minded, she can invite her to her wedding after she and Zhuang Yan get married, or allow her to visit once a year for a meal. But don't think about anything else; she's petty.

Lu Yan made it clear to Jiang Ning that she couldn't win against her, and that there was no way she and Zhuang Yan could ever get back together.

Under Lu Yan's forceful pressure, Jiang Ning took a small step back.

"Lu Yan, if you were me, could you let it go so easily?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I can't be like you. If I caught him, I would cling to him and never let go, even if it meant death."

All the weighing of pros and cons had to give way when it came to Zhuang Yan. Zhuang Yan was her only choice, but only if she was given the opportunity.

“I understand you can’t let him go. After all, treasures are always coveted.” Lu Yan patted Jiang Ning’s shoulder like a caring older sister. “It’s okay. I’ll make sure you keep a close eye on him. He’ll get used to it after a while.”

The words that were about to come out seemed to turn into cement, flowing through his blood to every part of his body, making him incredibly stiff. After a long time, Jiang Ning finally managed to speak, "Okay, I'll wait and see."

The two, who had been at odds, reached a consensus at this moment. Upon closer reflection, Jiang Ning felt more envy than jealousy towards Lu Yan. She envied that Lu Yan could do whatever she wanted without any interference.

She admitted defeat. In her countless recollections of Zhuang Yan at 18, she realized that she was no longer worthy of the current Zhuang Yan and was far inferior to Lu Yan.