He Jinxing’s coming-of-age speech was very interesting, and the audience kept applauding throughout. The usually dull and routine speech suddenly became something to look forward to this year.

Even so, in the latter half of the speech, a handful of people were so distracted that they didn’t hear a single word said.

Gou An, chin in hand, stared blankly with an air of nonchalance.

He Ran stared at the open collar of his elder’s shirt, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.

There was also Lu Wan, sitting in the corner, who couldn’t help but turn her head to look at the five-hole button on the collection table for the evening’s borrowing game.

Lu Wan had seen this button before. The Loyal Loron brand logo on it was more discreet and understated than that on the usual custom-made shirt buttons. Unless you got very close, most people in the social circle would hardly notice it.

Perhaps a beam of moonlight shone down back when they were hidden in the cramped space in the shadows of the ship’s cabin and this allowed her to see the words on it clearly…

Inevitably, the image of the man, still smiling as he rejected her, flashed through her mind, looking exactly the same as he did now standing on the podium in front—

At this moment, Lu Wan suddenly realized that some people were not as approachable and gentle as they seemed on the surface. The soft words and gentle manner were just a protective barrier, transparent yet incredibly strong, making it impossible for anyone to get close.

Her gaze involuntarily slid to the row in front of her, to the person who had casually tossed the five-hole button onto the collection table earlier…

At this moment, Gou An also seemed to be in a daze. And when everyone started to applaud enthusiastically because of a certain sentence from the man on stage, she took the opportunity to carefully turn her head away, yawn, and rub her eyes, looking extremely sleepy.

… A tiny spark called envy began spreading across the overgrown wasteland.

It wasn’t about something as trivial as a button. It was something like a scene where a tornado had just swept through, now surrounded by the panic and devastation left behind, and then looking up to see someone standing unharmed in the eye of the storm. That person seemed pampered and protected, as if they had never even known that such a terrifying phenomenon had struck.

It was a natural sense of disappointment.

It was at this moment that Lu Wan truly realized that perhaps people were indeed born different and were never on a level playing field at all…

Just as her courageous requests were always met with rejection, Gou An’s nonchalant attitude always managed to turn the tide, as if the heavens has already arranged everything that was best for her.

Lu Wan understood that it didn’t mean she couldn’t catch up, but compared to those who started ahead, those who started from behind would probably suffer much more.

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

The coming-of-age ceremony lasted about an hour. Around 1:00 AM, the people in the banquet hall finally dispersed. Some, who had been jumping around all night, were now exhausted and eager to go back to their cabins to sleep, while others discussed going to the bar to have some more fun…

They had no scheduled activities for the next two days of the cruise and could sleep in until they naturally woke up the next day, so it didn’t matter how late they stay out tonight.

Lu Wan walked alone down the corridor towards her cabin, getting a little lost and needing to take several detours. Unexpectedly, she overheard the conversation between the uncle and nephew of the He family.

“Why is your button with Gou An?”

The boy lowered his voice, but he couldn’t hide his anger.

He Ran must have been drinking, otherwise he wouldn’t have spoken to his respected elder in such an aggressive tone.

“…Why, you ask?” The man had been giving a congratulatory speech for an hour, and now his voice sounded a little hoarse and languid. “Isn’t it because you never thought to check if there were other notes similar to hers, and when Gou An met you, your button had already been given to someone else.”

There was a slight pause, as if accompanied by a sigh.

“I was also implicated and questioned so much.”

The man even started complaining.

After being falsely accused by the robber himself, a stunned, speechless silence lasted for a few seconds.

“You asked me to give it to her!” He Ran, unable to bear it any longer, pointed out the truth.

“Huh? I didn’t,” He Jinxing answered innocently. “I just told Miss Lu that I wasn’t the only one on the ship with a shirt that cost over 20,000 yuan.”

“You’re the one who sent her to find me!”

The previous sentence could also be replied to this accusation.

“Young Uncle, you…”

Whether it was her imagination or not, even from that distance, Lu Wan could hear the tremor in He Ran’s voice, “Are you even interested in Lu Wan? If you really are, why wouldn’t you even care about this button—”

Standing in the corridor, the moment Lu Wan heard her name mentioned, she realized she should leave immediately, but she couldn’t. It was as if her high heels had suddenly grown roots that dug directly to the soft carpet, fixing her firmly in place.

She instinctively held her breath, and after a moment of silence, she heard the man chuckle softly.

“I never said such a thing.”

It was probably because the evening was late; even demons got tired sometimes.

Or perhaps they’re tired of this game of being suspected and weary of dealing with questions from the younger generation…

“A’Ran, haven’t you just been talking to yourself this whole time?”

Thus, the mask of hypocrisy was torn off, revealing his true face, hideous and cruel.

… …

Lu Wan felt her heart soar high and then plummet to the depths. From around the corner, she knew perfectly well that there was still one question the boy hasn’t finished asking—

The most crucial question.

The man appeared again and again, seemingly casually reaching out to help at the most crucial moments, as if pushing someone still learning to walk and who knew nothing into the spotlight….

Behind that girl stood the man’s silent and tall figure, making it impossible for anyone to make her stumble.

“Then—”

Do you like Gou An?

The boy finally spoke, and Lu Wan instinctively bit her lip, but even as her heart pounded like a drum, all sounds ceased from round the corner—

Perhaps fearing the answer he didn’t want to hear, which would be a death sentence, the ostrich effect once again appeared in the younger generation. At the last moment, He Ran tightly shut his mouth.

After waiting a long time, hidden behind a huge antique vase, Lu Wan finally saw He Ran’s hurried departure.

… …

When the banquet ended, Gou An respectfully went to the collection table and took back the five-hole button, slipping it into her bag.

By this time, these members of the ‘daughters of wealthy families’ group chat had already digested this earth-shattering fact with considerable experience. 

Zhou Yutong even managed to make a joke, “What, are you planning to sew the button back on for Uncle Perky Butt yourself?”

Gou An broke out in a cold sweat and reached out to cover her dog mouth which could only spout nonsense.

The group didn’t go to a second bar party. Instead, they returned to their rooms, laughing and joking all the way. By the time they finished removing their makeup, washing their hair, and getting everything done, it was almost four in the morning, putting an end to their chaotic day.

… Gou An’s day was particularly chaotic, so she slept very soundly. When she opened her eyes the next day, she checked the time on her phone and was almost blinded by the sight of 3:23 PM.

Her phone was already filled with various WeChat messages.

Aside from a couple of curious messages sent late last night asking, [Is that Loyal Loron five-hole button you handed over really He Jinxing’s? I can’t think of anyone else but him, please tell me, otherwise I won’t be able to sleep tonight], the rest of the messages were random chats from this morning, asking if she was awake yet, and finally, confirming if she was still alive.

Zhou Yutong was more direct.

[SHY GROUNDHOG: If you don’t get up, I’m going to kick down your cabin door and check to see if there’s a man lying in your bed.]

Gou An replied with a question mark and a period. Less than a minute later, the other party called back, asking in a cheerful tone if she wanted to come to the bar for afternoon tea.

… Go to a bar for afternoon tea.

SHY GROUNDHOG sent her two pictures of a small cake: just a slice of chiffon topped with a dollop of cream and a few chocolate chips as decoration—that was all.

This was probably the most decent pastry the bar could offer. 

Had He Jinxing known how much trouble these kids would cause him, he probably would have saved himself the huge expense of hiring a French pastry chef to run a proper afternoon tea at the restaurant on the third deck.

… Speaking of He Jinxing.

Gou An left this group chat of friends who kept urging her to hurry up and come to the bar. She scrolled down and down. Of course, the Crayon Shin-chan avatar wasn’t at the top of the chat list.

Because it had only messaged her a few times.

But the last conversation was still fresh—last night before the banquet started, when the man asked her in a matter-of-fact tone if she wanted to throw that eyesore off the ship.

For no reason she could say, her heart started beating faster. Gou An turned over in bed and moistened her suddenly dry lips with the tip of her tongue.

After thinking about it for a while, she took the button out of her bag, took a picture of it, and sent it over.

She added a few words.

[GOU CAN WIN: What should I do with this?]

She must have known this moment would come when she took the button back from the collection table last night.

She was feeling a little timid.

She did it anyway.

From the Day the Engagement was Broken translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

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T/N: KO-FI has permanently unpublished my page. In the meantime, check out my PATREON. You can subscribe to get advance access to all ongoing translation works, single work only, or bundled works. Or just leave a tip! Thank you for your support.

Here are this story’s scheduled postings for the various Patreon Tiers:
…Devoted 2nd Male Lead
Chapter 45.2 — You Didn’t See Me Here
Chapter 46.1 — Fighting from All Directions (Part 1)
Chapter 46.2 — Fighting from All Directions (Part 1)
Chapter 47.1 — Fighting from All Directions (Part 2)
Chapter 47.2 — Fighting from All Directions (Part 2) BONUS
… Awakened Villainess
Chapter 48.1 — You’re Jealous
Chapter 48.2 — You’re Jealous
… Unattainable White Moonlight
Chapter 48.3 — You’re Jealous
Chapter 49.1 — Vicious Female Supporting Character: I’m Here to Save the Female Lead!