Chapter 1: Breakup

"Happy Sheep, Pretty Sheep..."

Inside the mall, accompanied by familiar music, a large Happy Sheep continuously made various funny movements, taking photos and playing with the surrounding children.

Time flew by, and soon it was evening.

"Xiao Yang, this is your pay for today." A well-dressed man in a suit took out a green bill.

"Thank you, Brother Chen. If there are more opportunities like this in the future, please let me know." Yang Qi wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking grateful.

The man in the suit nodded slightly and said, "Put the costume in the storage room later, and you can leave."

"Understood." Yang Qi nodded.

The man in the suit wasn't much older than Yang Qi, but he was specifically in charge of the part-time jobs for college students. In front of him, Yang Qi always kept a low profile.

Wearing a thick cartoon costume, he earned only fifty yuan for a day's work, which was really low. However, for college students like Yang Qi who had no income, it was already considered a high-paying job. Even distributing flyers on the street, which paid twenty to thirty yuan a day, had many takers within the school.

"Three days of part-time work, plus the time spent grinding and leveling up accounts for others, adds up to eight hundred. That's about enough." Counting the money in his pocket, Yang Qi's face broke into a smile.

Leaving the mall, the evening breeze blew, bringing a chill. Yang Qi quickly put on his jacket and headed towards a jewelry store at the street corner.

This jewelry store mainly sold various jade and wooden ornaments, with a history of several decades. The more popular wooden ornaments were even made on-site. Although the store wasn't large, its reputation in the area was excellent. This was why Yang Qi chose it. After all, he knew nothing about jewelry, and he didn't want to waste money on a piece of glass or plastic.

On a normal day, he wouldn't spend this much money, but today was his girlfriend Luo Rong's birthday, and they had been together for almost a year. Apart from the Qixi Festival and Christmas, he hadn't given Luo Rong any gifts.

The store owner was an elderly man with gray hair. Seeing Yang Qi, he smiled and said, "Young man, you're back again? This time, you seem to be planning to buy something?"

Yang Qi couldn't help but smile awkwardly. He had come to the store several times and looked at the items, but he never had the money to buy anything.

"Grandpa, how much is this bracelet?" Yang Qi pointed to a bracelet in the display case. He had seen this bracelet several times. It was made of small-leaf rosewood, and although the stars on it weren't as numerous as a full sky, they were still quite good.

"Three hundred and fifty yuan." The store owner smiled.

"Three hundred and fifty yuan." Yang Qi frowned slightly. Three hundred was a bit higher than his budget, as he still needed to celebrate Luo Rong's birthday with her and her friends, which would require some additional expenses. "Grandpa, can you give me a discount..."

The store owner looked at Yang Qi and smiled, "This bracelet is made of genuine small-leaf rosewood, and the stars are quite good. Even on Taobao, you might not find something like this, and those items have no guarantee. The bracelets here are made on-site. This price is really not high, so I can't give a discount."

"Grandpa, can you give me a discount? Several of my friends have bought from you." Yang Qi looked at the store owner, using his best bargaining tactic.

The store owner smiled and looked at Yang Qi, then said, "From the look of you, you're not buying it for yourself but for your girlfriend. This bracelet will definitely make your girlfriend happy."

Yang Qi sighed. It seemed he would have to grind a few more accounts to earn the money. He paid, put the bracelet in his pocket, and hurried to the bus stop.

"Beep~ Beep~"

After a phone ring, the call was automatically disconnected.

"Not there?" Yang Qi was taken aback.

"Never mind, I'll go directly and give her a surprise."

After hesitating, Yang Qi didn't call again but decided to go directly to Luo Rong's dorm to surprise her.

Getting off the bus, it was already past six. Yang Qi quickly headed to the dorm.

As he approached Luo Rong's dorm, he called her again, but strangely, no one answered.

"No answer?"

Yang Qi was taken aback and was about to call again when a car horn sounded behind him. An Audi drove past him and stopped in front of the dorm.

A tall boy got out of the car, holding a bouquet of flowers.

Yang Qi turned his gaze, and his phone vibrated. It was a message from Luo Rong.

"Yang Qi, don't call me anymore. Let's break up."

Seeing the message, Yang Qi's smile froze.

"Break up?" Yang Qi couldn't believe it. Although they had been together for a while and weren't as sweet as when they first met, there were no major issues between them. Why would they suddenly break up?

Yang Qi quickly called Luo Rong, looking anxiously towards the dorm. Suddenly, a familiar figure rushed out of the dorm. To his despair, that familiar figure threw herself into the arms of the tall boy. The phone still rang, but Yang Qi's mind went blank.

Looking at the two tightly hugging not far away, Yang Qi suddenly felt as if he couldn't breathe, and his chest ached.

"Why, how could she do this to me..." Yang Qi looked at the scene, his face filled with pain.

"Vroom~ Vroom~"

The sound of the car engine brought Yang Qi back to his senses. His eyes were red, and his fists were clenched. He wanted to rush out and ask the woman he loved why.

But he knew that even if he did, he couldn't change anything; it would only bring him humiliation.

The Audi slowly drove away and disappeared. Looking at the message on his phone, Yang Qi smiled bitterly. The breakup season during graduation, he thought he could escape this fate, but reality proved too strong for his love.

...

"Why? Just because he has more money than me?" On the soccer field, Yang Qi took a big gulp of beer and muttered, "I worked so hard, why couldn't you wait a few more years? Can't I earn more money in the future?"

"Why? Why?"

Yang Qi's heart was filled with frustration and anger. He would have preferred if Luo Rong had broken up with him first before moving on with someone else. This was betrayal!

The pain of the breakup and the anger of betrayal made the alcohol seem like an anesthetic. Yang Qi couldn't remember how much he had drunk or for how long.

"Don't underestimate a poor young man..." Yang Qi lay on the grass, looking at the night sky. "A rainbow? In the evening... how... can there be a rainbow..."

"Ha ha..."

Yang Qi laughed foolishly, and his heavy eyelids slowly closed.

Whoosh~

A seven-colored light streaked across the sky like a comet, moving as fast as lightning, and disappeared into the night, entering Yang Qi's body.