Zhang Jingchan had no choice but to rush to the bidding site first.

A tense day of presentations and bidding passed. When dusk fell, the bidding results were announced—Huicui had lost.

Even for a future business tycoon, the road of entrepreneurship couldn’t possibly be smooth sailing. Stumbling and falling, repeatedly fighting after defeats—that was the norm, that’s what would make him grow like a rocket.

This project was really important to Huicui. The entire team was very dejected. Even Zhang Moyun chain-smoked several cigarettes.

Zhang Jingchan drove back to the company in utter exhaustion. He decided to lead the team through a review one more time. Just then, he received a text from Li Weiyi: “I think we both need to calm down. Perhaps breaking up for a while would be better.”

Zhang Jingchan directly threw his phone.

Forcibly suppressing his emotions to lead the team through the review at the company, it was already past 11. He sat alone in the empty company—this place was much smaller than Fu Ming’s former building, just half a floor of office space, and rented at that. His head really hurt badly. He picked up his phone then put it down, ultimately not going to find her immediately.

As a result, he went home and slept until 2 AM when he suddenly woke up and couldn’t fall back asleep. He picked up his phone and scrolled to see that Li Weiyi had posted on her social media half an hour ago:

“Turns out sometimes being alone is more comfortable. (smug smiling face)”

Looking at it, Zhang Jingchan only felt a breath stuck in his chest, even breathing became difficult. Angry, he jumped out of bed, pulled open the curtains—the icy night wind blew on his face but didn’t dispel the anger and depression filling his heart. He poured himself several large glasses of cold water, but it was futile.

He picked up his phone, looked at the text she’d sent during the day and the social media post just now several more times, and only replied one sentence to her: “If you want to break up, then let’s break up.” Then he tossed the phone aside, not wanting to care about anything anymore.

Zhang Jingchan didn’t know that Li Weiyi had posted that social media update while crying. Last night, she had really been very sad, all hope lost. After sending that breakup text during the day, she was completely out of sorts. She waited all day with no reply. She realized it might really be over and posted that social media update. She didn’t even know who she was posting it for.

For the next two days, the two had no contact whatsoever. Li Weiyi continued going to classes at school as usual, except every morning when she got up, her eyes were swollen like a rabbit’s.

Zhang Jingchan completely followed the previously established tight schedule: working on his thesis, negotiating business, recruiting employees… except his eye circles were also severely dark, and he barely ate three meals a day, putting down his chopsticks after just a few bites.

On the evening of the third day, Zhang Jingchan was originally supposed to go with his father to attend a dinner engagement. Just before leaving, he suddenly said to his father: “I’m not going.”

Zhang Moyun: “What’s going on? Secretary Hu is also coming this time. It’s a rare opportunity. I wanted him to meet you.”

Zhang Jingchan didn’t explain anything and left first.

When Zhang Moyun walked out of the house, he cursed. This boy, suddenly running off was one thing, but he even drove away his car. Zhang Moyun had no choice but to walk to the roadside to hail a taxi himself.

Zhang Jingchan drove in one breath to the Academy of Fine Arts, below Li Weiyi’s dormitory building.

The heart that had been desolate for days finally seemed to settle into place.

At first, he called Li Weiyi’s phone—it wouldn’t connect. Thinking it was a signal problem, he then called her three roommates—all couldn’t be reached. Zhang Jingchan suddenly realized, almost gasping for breath.

Damn! He’d been blocked by all of them.

He had no choice but to ask a passing female student to go upstairs and relay a message. The girl came back down and told him: the entire dorm room was empty. Heard they went to play at a bar.

Zhang Jingchan’s whole being wasn’t good anymore.

When Li Weiyi and her roommates returned to school, it was already past 10 PM. She’d been really too depressed lately. Her roommates couldn’t stand watching anymore and dragged her out to “have fun.” Actually, they just went to a quiet bar, had some drinks, listened to some music, and came back. Li Weiyi’s mind wandered the entire time. When guys came over to chat her up, she avoided them like the plague. Her roommates were also helpless.

The night in early January was very, very cold. Before Zhang Jingchan left the house today, he was wearing a suit and hadn’t even bothered to change clothes. By the time Li Weiyi saw him, he had already been frozen downstairs for several hours. There was even frost in his hair, and his nose tip was red. When she approached from behind, she saw he kept stomping his feet, both hands always inserted in his suit pants pockets.

This scene was truly shocking—the famous Zhang Jingchan left outside by Li Weiyi all evening. In the surrounding several girls’ dormitory buildings, at least a hundred windows had heads crowding together, watching the excitement with great interest.

Her roommates quickly all went upstairs. Zhang Jingchan saw them and immediately turned around, seeing Li Weiyi with her head lowered, only able to see her jet-black hair.

For a moment, all the anger and dull pain faded by more than half.

But for the first time in Zhang Jingchan’s life, he didn’t dare speak casually, afraid of being confronted by her, being cast aside by her.

Deliberating and deliberating again, silent and silent again, he said: “I’m so tired. I haven’t slept properly in days. Can we find a place where I can sleep first, and when I wake up, we can talk?”

His calm and reasonable tone made Li Weiyi also breathe a sigh of relief. She nodded and answered “okay.”

So Zhang Jingchan drove them to the best hotel in the city and got an executive suite.

He hadn’t lied to her—he really was very tired. Now that she had come to his side again, Zhang Jingchan’s whole being relaxed. By the time she anxiously finished her shower and came out, Zhang Jingchan had already quietly fallen asleep on the sofa.

Li Weiyi crouched in front of him, looking at him. This young and handsome man, a man she never thought she could possess in this lifetime, hadn’t even taken off his suit. One hand rested on the sofa armrest, the black suit sleeve revealing a section of white shirt. Even sleeping, he looked like he was deep in thought, his brow slightly furrowed in an arc. She knew he was tired, under so much pressure. He was too excellent; his heart was so much bigger than ordinary people’s.

She wanted to work hard to keep up, but in this process, she would really feel confused, feel uneasy, feel longing, feel sad.

Li Weiyi kept wiping away tears.

Zhang Jingchan suddenly woke with a start, looking at the girl crouched before him. His tears also slowly seeped out. He sat up and also crouched in front of her, cupping her face. Both of them looked at each other with reddened eyes.

He said: “Let’s not break up anymore, okay?”

Li Weiyi nodded chaotically.

He continued: “How could you break up with me? How could you bear to? I… sometimes, I’m really afraid I’ll mess this up. The twenty-seven-year-old me’s original intention was to have myself wait until 2022 before being together with you, not changing anything. But I couldn’t hold back. Seeing you right in front of my eyes, how could I hold back? I know we’re too young, the future is too long. What if our relationship isn’t good, we fight and break up, each find someone else—when we ‘wake up’ again in the future, what will we do in this lifetime? So I’ve been working hard, wanting our relationship to proceed step by step, solidly and steadily, without any mishaps. But now there’s still been a mishap. It’s all my fault. I was single-mindedly busy with business and neglected you. I’ve never thought about being with anyone else. You’re the girl I want for this lifetime. I’m really afraid of losing you. Damn, I can’t have my twenty-seven-year-old self still crying over you, regretting it and ending up alone for the rest of my life, right?”