"So what's the reason for the breakup?"
Renee Jennings pursed her lips and fell silent.
Jaden Forrest's eyes were fixed on her as he quietly waited for her answer.
Renee Jennings met the man's probing gaze. She was struggling internally, desperately wanting to tell him the truth. But an overwhelming sense of helplessness made it impossible to speak, as if something was physically preventing her.
She tried several times, but to no avail. In the end, she managed only a few quiet words. "I just want to break up."
This time, it was Jaden Forrest's turn to fall silent.
Renee Jennings looked down and focused on her food.
He watched the gentle slope of her brow and her downcast eyes, weighing his options.
In terms of looks, Renee Jennings was more than pretty enough, with a slender, statuesque figure.
But whenever they were together, Jaden Forrest could never recapture the feeling they had five years ago.
Renee Jennings wiped her mouth, her tone sincere. "Since you agree to the breakup, let's go our separate ways and never see each other again."
With that said, she rose and left without a backward glance, ignoring his reaction.
As Jaden Forrest's gaze followed her, he noticed her clothes were completely different from her usual style.
A down jacket, a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers.
He had never seen Renee Jennings in such casual attire. Even when it snowed, she would only wear a thin dress under a coat, her high heels a permanent fixture.
'What's gotten into her today?'
Stepping out of the private dining room, Renee Jennings let out a deep sigh. It felt as if a great weight had been half-lifted from her chest.
Standing in the elevator, her delicate fingers flew across her phone's screen, eager to share the good news with Michelle Fuller.
A light snow had begun to fall, the white flakes drifting down. Renee Jennings jogged to her ride-hail, and just as she got in, a call came from Michelle Fuller.
"Babe, congrats on the breakup!!!"
A smile spread across Renee Jennings's lips. "I'm finally free!"
"Then let's go to a hot spring to celebrate! You left early on Christmas and didn't even get to take a dip," Michelle Fuller suggested. "This weather is perfect for it."
Renee Jennings grinned. "Sure. My treat."
"Hey, now," Michelle Fuller protested. "Why are we keeping score? If I'm not spending my money on you, am I supposed to save it for some freeloader?"
Renee Jennings chuckled, a wave of emotion washing over her.
'I had a little heiress right by my side, and I completely ignored her to go chase after Jaden Forrest?'
'Had I lost my mind, or was I just an idiot?'
**
「At ten in the morning,」 a red BMW pulled up in front of a bakery.
Renee Jennings got out and went inside, carefully selecting some cakes.
She wanted to do everything she could to make it up to the twins. The childhood trauma inflicted by their 'wicked little auntie' might follow them for the rest of their lives, but she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
Renee Jennings chose two small cakes: a pink lamb and a yellow bear.
While she was paying, a mother and daughter lined up behind her. The girl was about Jasmine's age.
Renee Jennings overheard the little girl asking her mom for some chicken wings and made a mental note.
She placed the cakes in her car and started looking for a place that sold chicken wings.
The area was full of boba tea shops. After walking for a bit, she finally spotted a shop selling fried food: Old Man Wallace's Fry Shack. The counter looked clean and tidy, and the oil in the fryer seemed clear enough.
"What can I get for you, miss?" The owner was a middle-aged man wearing a hat and a mask.
Renee Jennings figured it was probably hygienic. She looked at the menu and ordered the fried chicken wings and some crispy pork strips.
The owner chuckled. "That'll be sixty-eight yuan, miss. It'll be about a twenty-minute wait. Everything's fried to order."
"That's fine." Renee Jennings ordered a boba tea from the shop next door and waited by their heater.
Music was playing in the shop. As Renee listened, she suddenly overheard a strange conversation.
"You heartless jerk! What's wrong with me having one extra piece of meat? How dare you stand there whining about it?"
"Wifey, I didn't! You deserve to eat more!"
"Hmph! That's more like it."
"Happy wife, happy life!"
"And don't you go learning from that nasty old man! It's wrong to deep-fry your wife!"
At first, Renee Jennings was amused, sipping her boba tea as she listened in.
But the last part of the conversation suddenly struck her as odd.
'Who is that nasty old man?'
She put down her drink and stood up, looking for the two mice she had just heard talking.
In the eyes of a mouse, a human is a giant.
Renee Jennings's sudden appearance sent the mouse couple scurrying for cover.
"Mr. and Mrs. Mouse, please don't be afraid," she said quickly. "I just want to ask you a few questions. I won't hurt you."
The mouse couple hid in a nearby shrubbery.
Hearing her voice, Mrs. Mouse was stunned. "You… You can understand what we're saying?"
"I can," Renee Jennings said in a low voice, crouching by the bushes. "Just answer a few questions for me, and I'll buy you something to eat."
Mrs. Mouse was the braver of the two, and she slowly poked her head out.
Mr. Mouse was more cautious. "Wifey, be careful!" he squeaked. "Humans hate us mice! She's probably trying to trick us! Don't fall for it! I'm too young to be a widower!"
Renee Jennings was speechless.
'This mouse sure is cautious.'
Renee Jennings decided to just ask them from where they were. "A moment ago, I heard you say a nasty old man deep-fried his wife. Who is he? Is he a mouse, too?"
"What?! Don't you dare say such things, human!" Mrs. Mouse squeaked angrily. "We mice would never do something like that! Only you humans are so cruel!"
Renee Jennings's brow furrowed, her expression growing grim. "Are you saying this nasty old man… is a human?"
Mrs. Mouse: "Of course! It's that man who sells fried chicken! He's so mean!"
Mr. Mouse immediately chimed in. "That old man is vicious! I went in there once to find food for my wife, and he almost beat me to death!"
Mrs. Mouse: "My heart still aches thinking about it. He chopped off a piece of my husband's tail—a whole piece!"
Mr. Mouse sighed with great emotion. "My beautiful, long tail that I was so proud of… It's gone forever…"
The mouse couple was comical, but Renee Jennings's mind was completely fixated on one thing: the owner of the fry shack deep-frying his wife.
Just as she was about to ask for more details, she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder.
Renee Jennings turned around and was startled to find a face right in front of hers.
The fry shack owner had taken off his mask. He grinned at her, revealing a row of large, yellow teeth. "Your food's ready, miss."
Renee Jennings's back went rigid. A foul odor wafted from him as he spoke, and she suddenly felt her stomach turn.
She pressed her lips together and said calmly, "Thank you."
The owner handed her the takeout bag, his eyes crinkling into slits as he smiled. "If you like it, come back again, miss."
Suddenly, Renee Jennings found his smile deeply unsettling.
"Okay, I will," she said, reaching for the bag.
The owner went back into his shop and put his mask on again.
Renee Jennings decided this wasn't the right place to talk. After giving the mouse couple repeated assurances, she finally convinced them to move to a different spot to continue their conversation.
She had the two mice crawl into the takeout bag.
Mr. Mouse exclaimed excitedly, "It smells amazing in here!"
As she walked, Renee Jennings said, "Like the smell? You can have it all."