Yan Tingli was in a bad mood, so naturally, his voice wasn’t loud either.

But the hotel’s soundproofing was really poor, and the sound still seemed to faintly reach outside the door.

The knocking gradually slowed down.

Shi Sui said to the door: “You go ahead first, I need to wait a bit longer.”

Li Tingyan fell silent for a moment, hesitating for a long while before saying: “Alright.”

“Do you need me to bring you breakfast from downstairs?”

As soon as these words fell, Yan Tingli’s gaze was like an icy net, densely pouring down from above.

He stared toward the door with a gloomy expression.

Shi Sui even had the illusion of a patch of dark clouds appearing above his head.

“No need,” she immediately said, “I brought my food.”

“Alright then, I’ll wait for you in the classroom.”

Shi Sui’s scalp tightened again: “Don’t wait, just go about your own business.”

“Okay.” Li Tingyan’s tone sounded somewhat dejected.

Only after Li Tingyan’s footsteps faded away did Shi Sui feel that strange sensation—as if something sharp and prickly had been licking the skin on the back of her neck with a barbed tongue—gradually recede.

Seeing that time was running out, Shi Sui rushed to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

During this time, Yan Tingli just kept staring at her without saying a word.

His whole being emanated a kind of cold feeling, having anger but unable to express it.

According to his previous temperament, he definitely wouldn’t wait for her to speak. He would immediately open the door and say some mind-blowing, crazy things to Li Tingyan.

Now he could only hide behind the door, wanting to explode but unable to.

How suffocating.

Shi Sui glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

Seeing the red spots still scattered across his pale skin, he looked rather dejected and pitiful at first glance.

The hardships Yan Tingli had endured in his life were probably all while being with her.

But Shi Sui had no time to comfort him. After washing up, she quickly applied some skincare products and hurriedly grabbed her bag.

Before leaving, she opened the door to look at him and instructed, “Go to the hospital for your face. It should get better quickly.”

Yan Tingli said expressionlessly: “So you also think I’m not presentable right now.”

Shi Sui: “…?”

She said helplessly, “Weren’t you the one who wouldn’t let me open the door?”

Yan Tingli: “But I also told you to tell him to get lost.”

Shi Sui tried to remain calm: “Randomly telling people to get lost isn’t something well-mannered people would say.”

Yan Tingli: “What manners do you need with this kind of male homewrecker?”

Cutting as always.

“You can’t say that,” Shi Sui patiently explained, “I never told him I have a boyfriend.”

Yan Tingli shamelessly asked back: “Was my voice very quiet last night?”

Shi Sui’s face burned: “Who would deliberately listen to that kind of thing?”

“Then why did he come over this morning and still want to probe after hearing my voice?”

Shi Sui was slightly stunned by what he said.

Some doubts also arose in her heart.

But looking down at the time, she hurriedly dropped a sentence: “I’m not talking to you anymore. Go to the hospital yourself.”

“Don’t stay here tonight either. Go home or find another place.” After these instructions, Shi Sui clutched her notebook and tablet and rushed straight downstairs to the hotel.

The training course content was boring, and they had to surrender their phones. The entire morning session felt like being in prison.

Shi Sui and Li Tingyan were in the same group, so naturally their seats were arranged together.

When class ended at noon, Shi Sui walked out with the crowd. He caught up and said gently, “Let’s eat together.”

Shi Sui was looking down at her phone, replying to Yan Tingli’s messages, and didn’t hear him.

She could tell that Yan Tingli cared about his face. As soon as she left, he spent time crossing half the city. Regular hospitals weren’t good enough—he insisted on going to a specialist hospital to find an expert for consultation and medication.

He had just returned. Yan Tingli: [Come downstairs]

Shi Sui: [I’m going to eat]

[I want you to eat with me]

Shi Sui: [But there’s only two hours of rest time at noon]

She also wanted to go back and take a nap.

The other end showed “typing.”

Suddenly sent: [But I’m sick]

This unexpected statement made Shi Sui’s heart tighten: [Is the allergy very serious?]

He didn’t answer, only saying: [I went to the hospital alone]

Shi Sui: [I’m coming down now]

She was so absorbed in reading messages that she completely forgot about Li Tingyan waiting for a response beside her.

“Suisui, did you hear what I said?”

“Huh?”

“Let’s eat together at noon.”

“Sorry.” As the elevator stopped at the first floor, Shi Sui said, “I’m going out to eat with my boyfriend.”

“Boy…friend?” Li Tingyan was stunned, then asked in a muffled voice, “The voice in your room this morning…” Realizing this was inappropriate, he suddenly stopped: “Your boyfriend—I’ve never heard you mention him before.”

“You came late,” Shi Sui walked out of the elevator, pretending not to notice his disappointment, saying flatly, “Everyone else at the company has met him.”

Exiting the elevator, Shi Sui also saw Yan Tingli standing by a pillar on the first floor, wearing a certain luxury brand’s autumn-winter black and gray color-blocked jacket.

He stood straight with broad shoulders and long legs.

Shi Sui knew that Yan Tingli always maintained good posture in public.

Even next to a pillar, he wouldn’t casually lean against it.

He had many quirks. Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t randomly touch any unknown objects in public places.

Now, Yan Tingli wore a mask over his face.

His whole person also appeared listless.

His pupils turned and immediately spotted her.

And also, Yan Tingli’s gaze moved past her to see Li Tingyan following closely behind.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

The picky, arrogant, mocking look in his eyes was fully displayed.

“Look, he’s right there.”

Saying this, Shi Sui quickly stepped forward and, under Li Tingyan’s gaze, took Yan Tingli’s arm naturally, saying smoothly: “This is my boyfriend, Yan Tingli.”

“Ali,” Shi Sui shook his hand, saying intimately, “This is my training colleague, Li Tingyan.”

After her introduction, the person beside her fell eerily silent.

Even the arm she was holding suddenly became rigid.

The sudden awkward silence made Shi Sui feel as if a row of crows had flown over her head, cawing.

She felt somewhat embarrassed.

Her fingers, hidden behind Yan Tingli’s arm, pinched him viciously.

Her eyes also hinted at him.

Say something! Aren’t you usually quite talkative?

After several long seconds, Li Tingyan was the first to snap out of it, looking Yan Tingli up and down. After a long moment, he barely maintained politeness: “Hello.”

Only then did Yan Tingli finally react, his brow arching slightly.

He was a head taller than Li Tingyan, his eyelids drooping lazily.

The condescending, scrutinizing look in his eyes had faded, but it was replaced by a kind of pleased yet inexplicably irritating appraisal.

After a long while, Yan Tingli drawled from his throat: “Yes, I’m her boyfriend.”

Li Tingyan forced a smile: “I just found out that Sui…Shi Sui has a boyfriend.”

Yan Tingli tilted his head.

Though his mouth was hidden behind the mask, from his upturned eye corners, he was smiling.

“We’ve been together for five years.”

“Getting married soon.”

Shi Sui looked at him sharply, question marks slowly appearing above her head.

Who asked you that?

“What’s your name? Li Tingyan?”

“…Yes.”

Yan Tingli suddenly laughed lightly.

He immediately caught the coincidence in the name, his brow arching slightly.

Shi Sui:?

“Suisui.” He suddenly looked at her, his tone gentle, as if genuinely seeking her opinion, “I’m so destined to meet your colleague. Let’s send him a wedding invitation too.”

Shi Sui could only give him face: “That depends on whether he’s willing.”

Yan Tingli smiled as he shifted his gaze. Every subtle change in Li Tingyan’s expression became a stimulant exciting his nerves, “You must come then.”

“Don’t be polite.”

Li Tingyan turned his face away, maintaining his last shred of dignity, “We’ll see.” Saying this, he headed toward the restaurant: “You two go eat, I won’t disturb you.”

He hadn’t gone far when Yan Tingli suddenly started laughing continuously.

It was unrestrained laughter, like a mischievous child successfully pulling a prank, wild with glee.

Looking ahead, Li Tingyan’s steps had quickened.

Almost walking briskly.

Shi Sui turned her head, her cheeks still flushed from embarrassment, restraining the urge to pinch him: “Why did you say so much to him?”

Yan Tingli calmly led her outside.

His tone cold and indifferent: “He wants to be a homewrecker, I tell him to get lost—what’s wrong with that?”

“…”

Shi Sui said: “But he wasn’t sure—”

Yan Tingli looked at her with a half-smile: “Guess whether he heard my voice this morning or not.”

“That doesn’t rise to the level of wanting to be a homewrecker.” Shi Sui muttered. This was too harsh.

But Yan Tingli suddenly stopped, looking at her with his smile fading.

His eyes held a kind of lawless arrogance, as if saying, “So what if I call him a homewrecker?”

Shi Sui’s mouth twitched at the sight.

Speechless.

Only after getting in the car did Yan Tingli have 3.0 recommend good, clean restaurants.

Shi Sui was concerned about what he’d said earlier about being sick: “How is your face? Is it serious?”

Yan Tingli said nothing.

Shi Sui happened to see the prescription and medical record on the seat, so she opened them to look.

No matter how she looked at it, it was just ordinary allergies. Shi Sui couldn’t help asking: “Isn’t this just regular allergies?”

Seeing Yan Tingli silently turning the steering wheel and starting the vehicle, several seconds passed before he seemed to notice her stare.

He turned his head, saying lightly: “Aren’t allergies an illness?”

“…”

“Allergies are allergies, why did you say you were sick?! Are you cursing yourself!”

Yan Tingli: “I just wanted you to worry about me.”

Shi Sui instantly lost all her energy, waving her hand: “Don’t go too far.”

Fortunately, Yan Tingli had already ordered food in the car, so they could eat immediately upon arrival.

They finished lunch in half an hour. Seeing there was still over an hour of rest time, Shi Sui asked him to take her back to the hotel.

But she saw Yan Tingli driving in another direction.

Shi Sui opened her eyes: “Where are we going?”

“To sleep.”

“This isn’t the direction to the hotel.”

Speaking of that budget hotel, Yan Tingli suddenly became expressionless: “Do you think I would go back to that petri dish?”

“…”

What a petri dish.

Successfully making Shi Sui also instantly loses the desire to return to the hotel.

She waved her hand, letting him do as he pleased.

But Yan Tingli’s low pressure inexplicably spread again.

Shi Sui sensitively sensed this and looked at him strangely: “What are you unhappy about now?”

Yan Tingli said coldly: “I’m going to file a complaint against that hotel.”

Shi Sui: ?

“Everyone else was fine,” she said carefully, “Is there any possibility it’s your problem?”

“You’re taking the hotel’s side?”

Shi Sui: “Just don’t stay in budget hotels next time.”

“I’m unhappy.”

Thinking he was worried about his appearance, Shi Sui patiently said: “You just have simple allergies. Relax, it’ll get better soon.”

Yan Tingli directly instructed 3.0: “Tell me this city’s consumer complaint hotline.”

Shi Sui really didn’t understand: “Why do you insist on finding this trouble?”

Yan Tingli said nothing, just pressed the dial pad on his own.

“…”

Fine. Let him be.

The car drove into the parking garage of a star-rated hotel.

Shi Sui drowsily followed Yan Tingli all the way, yawning, and collapsed on the soft big bed of the five-star hotel as soon as she entered.

After a short rest, her whole spirit became refreshed.

When Shi Sui just woke up, probably thinking she still had bacteria on her, Yan Tingli called someone to come up and change the bed linens.

Shi Sui: “…”

She walked to the window.

Yan Tingli leaned against the sofa, looking uninterested.

Shi Sui bent down to look at his face.

The marks that had been obviously red in the morning had faded considerably.

Shi Sui reached out to poke them, comforting him: “It’s fine, much better now.”

“Too late.” He didn’t even lift his eyelids.

“It’s already healing very quickly.”

Shi Sui was helpless.

He’d already filed his complaint—shouldn’t any anger, however great, be gone by now?

Yan Tingli said flatly: “Li Tingyan.”

Shi Sui: “?”

“He might think I’m insecure and can’t show my face.”

After being sulky all afternoon, even after she woke up from her nap, she finally slowly understood what Yan Tingli meant. He was actually still annoyed about not being able to completely crush Li Tingyan.

Shi Sui’s mouth twitched.

She really couldn’t help saying: “You can stop now.”

Yan Tingli suddenly looked at her coldly, articulating: “It’s all your fault.”

Shi Sui pointed at herself absurdly: “Me?”

Yan Tingli pulled her arm down, pressing her onto his thigh.

Biting her ear from behind, he said displeasedly: “You’ve never let me win before.”

“This is the first time.”

Shi Sui couldn’t follow his train of thought: “Win? Win what?”

As if suddenly enlightened, he began his belated accounting.

“In front of Fang Huaijing, you never acknowledged me.”

“Every time you saw him, you slapped me.”

“Theodore—you went on multiple dates with him, saying his eyes were beautiful.”

“You never praised my eyes.”

Seeming to get angrier as he spoke, Yan Tingli’s breathing also fluctuated.

“Even with trash like Fu Ze, you’d rather stay with him than get in my car.”

He turned her chin around, saying word by word: “Only today did you truly acknowledge what I am to you.”

In the long silence, Shi Sui was shocked beyond words.

She wanted to argue back but found that every single incident was true.

She couldn’t refute any of it.

Shi Sui tried to lighten the atmosphere, cupping his face with both hands and shaking it: “So I let you win today—you should be happy.”

Yan Tingli’s expression showed not a trace of emotion: “Winning without even daring to show my face?”

“…”

“Next time,” Shi Sui coaxed, “there will be many more opportunities in the future.”

Yan Tingli’s expression cleared slightly.

That strange gloom that had been circling all afternoon finally seemed to show signs of loosening.

Shi Sui breathed a sigh of relief.

He was getting harder and harder to appease.

Yan Tingli only stayed here until the weekend, returning to Hangzhou on Monday.

By Wednesday, when Shi Sui finished her training, she also returned home with the group.

After that day, Li Tingyan proactively became much more distant.

Once again, Yan Tingli had successfully eliminated all budding romantic interests around her.

Time entered December.

Unlike the north, the damp cold of the south could inadvertently seep into one’s bones, making people shiver.

As it happened, Yan Tingli hated humidity.

Holding a cup of hot cocoa, Shi Sui stood by the window in the company’s break room. Seeing the dense drizzle outside, she couldn’t help thinking of Yan Tingli.

He threw himself into work upon returning.

3.0 testing was complete and about to be piloted for mass production.

The interests among various suppliers and distributors were complex and intricate.

Yan Tingli was so busy he could only spare time to come home for dinner once every two days.

Saturday.

Shi Sui opened her eyes to see a message Yan Tingli had sent just before 1 AM, guessing he had just finished working overtime.

[I want to see you]

Shi Sui rubbed her eyes and replied: [You can come to my house for dinner]

The other end was actually awake too.

[You come to mine]

[I want to see you alone]

Shi Sui didn’t need to think to know what he was planning.

She didn’t reply, and the next second, the screen showed a new message.

[Don’t you want to see Ping’an?]

He was tempting her.

Shi Sui’s heart itched unbearably, and she couldn’t help but give in: [Then come pick me up tonight]

But in the afternoon, she received an unexpected phone call.

Looking at the caller ID, Shi Sui instinctively sat up straight, her heartbeat quickening for two seconds.

When she realized what was happening, she was startled.

She no longer needed to be so nervous in front of Song Jie.

Actually, Song Jie wasn’t in her contacts on this phone card she’d gotten after returning to the country.

But Shi Sui recognized Song Jie’s number.

She didn’t want to think about how Song Jie could know her new number.

Although Yan Tingli would definitely not admit it, to some extent, his behavior was indeed inherited from Song Jie.

Shi Sui didn’t hesitate long before answering the call.

Politely distant: “Aunt Song.”

Except for that hypocritical moment on her first night back in the country, Shi Sui had been out of contact with Song Jie for so long that hearing her voice again felt somewhat unreal.

“This afternoon, I want to see you.”

“Are you free?”

She was as domineering as always, cutting straight to the point.

Shi Sui also answered simply: “Alright.”

In the afternoon, she kept the appointment and came to the tea house Song Jie had mentioned.

Previously, when Shi Sui first met the noble and precious Mrs. Yan, she thought she was young, noble, elegant—a beauty that even stars couldn’t match.

Shi Sui looked up to her, even fearing her because of the distance she felt.

But seeing Song Jie again this time, Shi Sui couldn’t help feeling dazed.

The woman in her memory who was high and mighty like an ice queen actually showed traces of time on her face.

Although her makeup was still flawlessly exquisite, her skin remained tight under the support of medical beauty treatments and maintenance, her eyes couldn’t hide their fatigue.

Amid the curling tea vapors, Song Jie glanced at her lightly: “Sit.”

Shi Sui nodded.

The server quietly served tea, then left them private space.

Song Jie looked her over and suddenly smiled coldly: “I should have thought it was you.”

“In some ways, you’re quite bold.”

Shi Sui still found it incredible that she would have a day of facing Song Jie openly.

She smiled, meeting her gaze directly: “If I were really bold, I wouldn’t have hidden abroad for so long.”

Song Jie had always maintained a vague impression of Shi Sui as pretty and well-behaved but timid and not particularly capable.

Now being countered so skillfully, she couldn’t help being somewhat surprised.

But she showed nothing on her face.

Still using her previous tone: “Are you attracted to his family background or his appearance?”

“He’s a psychopath, you know?”

Although Shi Sui had called Yan Tingli a psychopath countless times in her heart, hearing these words from Song Jie’s mouth stirred up an inexplicable hostility from deep within.

Shi Sui gripped her teacup tightly: “He’s not.”

Song Jie scoffed: “You don’t know about the crazy things he’s done, do you?”

“He shot your suitor twice in California, broke his father’s ribs and fractured his thigh—he’s still in the hospital.”

“Since you returned to the country, he’s been blackmailing me into acting with him, setting up a trap for you.”

“Such a lawless madman who brings misfortune to family and himself—aren’t you afraid? Do you expect him to understand love?”

Shi Sui: “Even if all of this is true, it shouldn’t come from your mouth!”

“Yes, Yan Tingli doesn’t understand, but you never taught him—how could he learn?”

The private room suddenly fell quiet.

Song Jie’s shoulders trembled, and her face paled somewhat.

But she quickly adjusted her breathing: “I’m not here to discuss this with you.”

Shi Sui looked at her: “Then what do you want to talk about?”

She directly used “talk.”

Song Jie immediately understood and stopped wasting words.

She said flatly: “I can send your whole family away, give you money you’ll never be able to spend in your lifetime, and make it so Yan Tingli can never find you again.”

Shi Sui smiled slightly.

Instead of answering, she asked: “The conditions.”

Song Jie: “I need full supplier selection rights for this 3.0 launch.”

Shi Sui curled her lips: “There’s no way I could do that.”

“As long as you want to help me, you can help me.” Song Jie said, “He listens to everything you say.”

Winter days always got dark particularly early.

It was barely 5 o’clock, but the sky outside the glass window had already pressed down darkly.

The interior was even dimmer.

On the other end, the two women’s conversation resonated clearly in the room.

After Song Jie finished speaking, there was silence on the other end.

She seemed to be hesitating.

Yan Tingli’s fingers were stiff and cold.

His head hung down, his thoughts drifting.

The breathing on the other end shifted slowly. Finally, she was about to speak and give her answer.

But Yan Tingli suddenly smashed the listening device.

He slowly lowered his head.

His face showed an expression approaching complete blankness.