Chapter 685: He’s Not Worth It
“Exactly. Jaden is the boss’s daughter’s boyfriend—that gigolo who’s always trying to latch onto rich women.”
For a moment, Daphne was stunned.
When she had been listening to the two waitstaff earlier, she had internally mocked the boss’s daughter for having such terrible taste in men.
But she never expected it to be Jaden.
She had seen Jaden with his new girlfriend last night, but she had simply assumed they were both ordinary service staff at the hotel. Until she heard the waitstaff mention his name, it never crossed her mind that he might be the boss’s daughter’s boyfriend.
She couldn’t reconcile the clean-cut, fresh-faced boy in her memories with the sleazy gigolo he had become.
“Are you… sure?” Daphne’s voice tightened. “His name is really Jaden?”
“Of course we’re sure. That’s definitely his name.”
The two waitstaff noticed her expression but didn’t think much of it.
Just then, Daphne’s pasta with meat sauce arrived.
Not wanting to interrupt her meal, they left.
Daphne picked up her fork and twirled some noodles, but she couldn’t taste a thing.
The peace she had found earlier was already crumbling.
She had made up her mind to let go and never dwell on that past relationship again.
But now, learning that Jaden had turned into this kind of person…
Had he changed into this, or had he always been this way?
Daphne suddenly recalled that when she had been crying to Adeline about the past last night, there had been a moment when Adeline’s expression seemed strange.
It was when she mentioned buying Jaden an expensive pair of sneakers as a gift, wasn’t it?
That was during the Qixi Festival—their first time together.
They were both university students at the time.
Two months before Qixi, Jaden had repeatedly mentioned that he had his eye on a pair of sneakers. He really wanted them, he said, but they were too expensive.
He brought it up almost every day.
Back then, Daphne refused to take money from her biological father. She only had the living allowance her aunt gave her each month.
Her aunt had always been good to her, but her aunt’s family wasn’t wealthy, so her allowance was limited.
To afford the sneakers for Jaden, Daphne worked various part-time jobs every single day. During summer break, she only went home for a week before heading out to work again.
For that period, she was exhausted, sleeping less than five hours a night. She pinched pennies, even hesitating to buy herself takoyaki from a street vendor when she craved it.
In the end, she saved up almost ten thousand, enough to buy Jaden the sneakers he wanted.
She still remembered how happy Jaden had been when he received them. Seeing his smile, she had felt that all her hard work was worth it.
As for what Jaden gave her that Qixi?
A box of chocolates—the kind you buy at a supermarket, costing less than a hundred.
She had felt a little disappointed when she received them.
But then she reasoned that Jaden didn’t have much money, and she had never told him what she wanted. Maybe, as a clueless guy, chocolates were all he could think of.
Back then, she had even thought those chocolates were sweet and delicious.
Last night, when she told that story, Adeline’s expression had turned odd.
Daphne stared at the pasta on her plate, her appetite completely gone.
If she really thought about it, certain things became clear.
She was no longer the naive university student she once was.
Having worked as a photographer for the past few years, traveling all over the world, she had seen plenty.
She simply hadn’t wanted to think about it.
Hadn’t wanted to confront the ugly truth and tarnish the memory of her first love with a layer of grime.
As she sat there lost in thought, she felt someone sit down across from her.
She looked up and saw Adeline.
Adeline was still yawning, the remnants of sleep clinging to her face.
“How did you end up coming anyway?” Daphne’s voice was tinged with guilt. “I told you to sleep in.”
“It’s fine. I couldn’t fall back asleep,” Adeline said.
She didn’t look like someone who couldn’t sleep.
Daphne knew Adeline must have still been worried about her and had gotten up to find her.
She stirred her noodles with her fork, her voice small. “Adeline… did Jaden harass you last night?”
“You heard about it?”
“Yeah. I just heard.”
Adeline rubbed her temples. “I was wondering how I was going to tell you about this.”
“Adeline…” Daphne’s lips trembled. “I’m sorry.”
“What are you apologizing for? Are you an idiot?” Adeline said immediately. “This has nothing to do with you. And besides, I’m fine. It was just gross, that’s all.”
Seeing Daphne’s deflated posture, Adeline sighed.
Daphne must be feeling awful.
First, she saw her unforgettable first love with a new girlfriend. Just as she finally decided to let go, she found out what kind of person he really was.
“Daphne, stop thinking about him.” Adeline gently patted the back of her hand. “He’s not worth it. Not the person he was back then, and not the person he is now.”
Back then, Jaden not only accepted expensive gifts from Daphne but also spent her money. Every time they went out—dinner, movies—Daphne paid.
On top of that, he often gave her the silent treatment, leaving Daphne to be the one to coax him back every time.
If Adeline had been around back then, she would have shaken Daphne by the shoulders and told her to wake up.
Unfortunately, they hadn’t known each other at the time.
Besides, Daphne’s friends back then had probably tried to talk some sense into her.
But a girl caught up in love rarely listens to anything against it.
“I know,” Daphne said, her voice choked. “I just feel like… all these years, I’ve been a joke.”
“You’re not a joke,” Adeline said firmly. “People who give their genuine feelings are never the joke. The joke is the ones who trample on those feelings. Daphne, Jaden is the joke.”
Daphne managed a weak smile.
Seeing that Daphne had barely touched her noodles, Adeline coaxed her into eating a little more, then ordered her a glass of milk and watched until she finished it before she felt reassured.
Back in the room, Daphne immediately packed all her things.
“I’m not staying here. It feels jinxed.”
Adeline had been thinking of inviting Daphne to stay at her place again.
But she considered that Daphne probably didn’t want to be around too many people right now.
If she went to Adeline’s home, she would have to greet the family and likely exchange a few pleasantries.
That would be a burden for Daphne right now, and it would make things awkward for everyone.
So instead, Adeline had someone book Daphne a room at another hotel.
Coincidentally, it was the same one Harrison had stayed at the night before.
👀 “Do you think Jaden was always using Daphne, or did he genuinely love her back then and only changed later?”
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