After getting into the car, Cheng Wanyue’s expression was worse than when she had first come downstairs. She was someone who couldn’t hide her emotions.

Yan Ci saw Qing Hang in the distance and honked the horn.

Hearing the sound, Qing Hang instinctively looked over. He couldn’t see who was in the car, but Li Yu was still standing at the entrance.

The temporary parking lot only allowed parking for half an hour. Yan Ci remembered he was driving his colleague’s car, and Qing Hang might not know it was him, so he lowered the window and turned the steering wheel, preparing to drive toward Qing Hang.

The car had stopped just under a streetlight, and the light was somewhat glaring.

Cheng Wanyue lowered her head. “Yan Ci, lock the doors and drive toward the exit.”

Yan Ci said, “If there’s a misunderstanding, it’s better to clear it up sooner.”

“I don’t want to see him right now. If you won’t drive me, I’ll take a taxi,” she hadn’t finished speaking before trying to open the door.

Yan Ci couldn’t possibly let her leave on her own, so he quickly locked all the doors.

Cheng Wanyue thought about how the jade pendant was still in Qing Hang’s senior sister’s bag, which made her very uncomfortable. She had managed to control herself in the office, but she might not be able to now.

“If I stay here one more minute, I’m going to go snatch it back. I don’t do such tasteless things. Yan Ci, get me out of here quickly.”

Yan Ci had no choice but to drive toward the exit.

There was a barrier at the exit. He waited for the car in front to leave first, stopping for about ten seconds, which was enough time for Qing Hang to catch up.

Qing Hang knocked on the passenger side door. Cheng Wanyue covered her ears, refusing to listen to anything, just urging Yan Ci to drive away quickly.

Her phone was still vibrating, so she turned it off completely. In the rearview mirror, Qing Hang’s figure grew smaller and smaller.

He chased after them for a while until he was stopped by the traffic police.

Li Yu was still standing in the same spot. When Qing Hang returned, the exhaustion on his face looked as if he had just finished an emergency resuscitation.

He had no idea what had happened.

The Qing Hang that Li Yu knew was clear-headed and focused, someone who would never do something like chase a car on the road. So she was surprised and felt a sense of unfamiliarity. She had probably underestimated that girl’s influence on him.

“It’s because of this,” Li Yu held the jade pendant in front of Qing Hang. “If I’ve caused you any trouble, I apologize.”

“How did it end up with you?” Qing Hang had been searching for two days and had even checked the hospital cafeteria’s surveillance footage.

Li Yu explained, “I found it in the changing room. I brought it to the hospital today intending to return it to you, but I forgot when we started discussing work, and you were very busy.”

Qing Hang had been to the school lab two days ago.

His breathing was still heavy as he took the jade pendant and clutched it tightly in his palm. “What did you say to her?”

Li Yu suddenly felt like laughing. He wasn’t asking what Cheng Wanyue had said, but what she had said. “What could I have said?”

“Senior Sister, this jade pendant was a gift from her. I’m very grateful that you found it for me. I don’t have much personal time at the hospital. In the future, if we can discuss matters over the phone, let’s try to do that.”

“…What do you mean?” Li Yu was stunned.

Qing Hang spoke directly. “Let’s meet less often, or not at all. Senior Sister, if I’ve offended you with my words, please forgive me. She’s already angry. If I don’t side with her, she’ll get even angrier.”

“Qing Hang, is this still you? She doesn’t even acknowledge your relationship, so why do you need to lower yourself? Fine, let’s take a step back—even if you two are in a relationship, does dating mean you have to give up normal social interactions and work? There’s no absolute fairness in this world unless you’re so exceptional that everyone would assume something fishy if you weren’t chosen. Until the results are out, everything is uncertain. Qing Hang, a man, needs a career first, and love is just the icing on the cake. Our research collaboration is mutually beneficial. I believe you’re not so confused about this.”

“If I miss this opportunity this year, I can try again next year. But if she’s unhappy, she’ll ignore me, and I’ll be helpless.”

The result of their last extended cold war was eight years without contact.

He didn’t have many eight-year periods in his life.

Cheng Wanyue’s phone remained turned off. Qing Hang walked past Li Yu, went upstairs to change his clothes, and half an hour later, Yan Ci sent him a location share.

It was a bar.

Cheng Wanyue hadn’t drunk alcohol for many years. First, her family didn’t allow her to drink, and second, she had poor alcohol tolerance—when drunk, she tended to cause trouble. As soon as she got out of the car, she headed straight for the bar. Yan Ci couldn’t stop her and could only follow, pouring water into her glass when she wasn’t paying attention.

She used to drink very little and couldn’t tell that the taste had changed when water was added. When drunk, she didn’t even notice that she could never finish the drink in front of her.

Even mineral water could be drunk by her with the intensity of strong liquor.

Qing Hang hadn’t arrived yet, but Cheng Wanyue was already intoxicated. Yan Ci couldn’t get much information out of her, but it was clear her mood was bad. “That’s enough. Let me take you home to sleep.”

Cheng Wanyue refused. “I’m not going home. I’m not going to sleep.”

Tears were glistening in the corners of her eyes under the lights, but she wasn’t crying. She just felt uncomfortable in her stomach from the alcohol.

Yan Ci looked at his watch. In a little while, Cheng Yanqing might call to urge her to come home. “What’s yours will always be yours. It’s just the time it takes to sleep. No one can take it away.”

“That jade pendant was mine to begin with.”

“The person is yours too.”

“But he never confessed to me, never said he loved me.”

“Do you still not know whether he loves you or not?”

“But I’m still angry,” Cheng Wanyue slid off her chair and staggered just two steps before nearly falling. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Yan Ci steadied her. “After the bathroom, we’re going home. If not, I won’t let you go.”

“…I’m not going home.”

“Want to sleep under a bridge?”

“How could someone as beautiful as me sleep under a bridge? I want to sleep in a hotel with massage chairs.”

As long as she wasn’t insisting on drinking more, it was fine. She could barely stand steadily. Since it wasn’t convenient for Yan Ci, he asked a female server to help look after her in the bathroom while he called Qing Hang outside.

No one answered the first call, but the second one connected.

However, it wasn’t Qing Hang who answered.

The person on the other end had an accent and said he was a taxi driver—the phone had been left in his cab.

Yan Ci asked the driver to deliver the phone to the bar, saying he would pay when it arrived. The call hadn’t ended when Qing Hang emerged from the elevator.

“Over here,” Yan Ci noticed the blood on Qing Hang’s clothes. “What happened to you?”

Qing Hang said, “The taxi was rear-ended. I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and scraped my skin on the door.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Your phone is still in the taxi. The driver said he’s asking a friend to bring it over.”

Qing Hang looked inside. “Where’s Cheng Wanyue?”

“In the bathroom. Someone’s looking after her. She should be fine. You should wipe the blood off the back of your hand first.”

Yan Ci went to ask the front desk if they had a first aid kit. The scrape on the back of Qing Hang’s hand wasn’t serious, but the bloodstains on his white clothes had darkened as they dried, making them very noticeable.

Cheng Wanyue wouldn’t let anyone help her. Unable to stand steadily, she kicked off her high heels. She didn’t trip herself, but she hit someone.

Chi Yue had just walked out of the bathroom when a high heel flew at him from behind.

Seeing that the boss had been hit, the server hurried over to apologize, explaining that the customer was drunk and didn’t mean it.

Leaning against the wall corner, Cheng Wanyue muttered, “I did mean it.”

Chi Yue didn’t hear clearly, just casually glanced back, his originally cold eyes rippling with amusement under the lights.

The world was fucking small.

He walked up to Cheng Wanyue, slightly bending down to look at her from the side. “Beautiful girl?”

Cheng Wanyue slapped his face away, the sound of the slap echoing in the hallway.

The server was stunned.

“Your way of greeting is somewhat violent,” Chi Yue straightened up, smiling as he touched his face. She had probably mistakenly thought he was going to kiss her. “Do you still recognize me?”

Cheng Wanyue stared at him for a good while before reacting. “Oh, it’s you… Your helmet is still at my place.”

He thought for a moment. “I think so. Does that mean you need to return it to me?”

“I’m not going home. You can go get it yourself,” she waved her hand casually, took a few steps, then suddenly turned around. “Don’t tell my brother… I’m drinking.”

Chi Yue picked up the high heel and followed behind her. “Beautiful girl, don’t you want your shoe?”

She found it annoying. “Don’t want it.”

“The floor is cold. It’s not good for your health to go barefoot. What if there’s broken glass on the floor and you get cut? It’s not worth it,” Chi Yue half-squatted and looked up at her. “Let me help you put it on. You won’t kick me, will you?”

Cheng Wanyue raised one foot. “Don’t touch me.”

Chi Yue was amused by her. “I almost knelt to call you princess.”

The high heels were just the right size, but she wasn’t cooperating, making them difficult to put on. It was impossible to avoid physical contact, but her reactions were slow.

“Cheng Wanyue,” a cold voice came from not far away.

She raised her head in confusion. “Hmm?”

Chi Yue heard it too. So that was her name, though he didn’t know which characters.

One shoe hadn’t been put on yet when someone suddenly pushed him forcefully. He lost his balance and sat on the ground. Chi Yue cursed, turning his head. By the time he stood up, Cheng Wanyue had already been pulled behind the other person.

Chi Yue dusted off his hands. “I remember she doesn’t have a boyfriend. Are you her brother?”

“It’s none of your business,” Qing Hang snatched the high heel from Chi Yue’s hand and picked up the other one from the ground, pulling Cheng Wanyue toward the exit.

Chi Yue stopped him. “Someone made a scene here yesterday. The glass shards might not have been completely cleaned up. Let her put on her shoes.”

The floor was dark-colored, but the lights in the hallway outside the bathroom were very bright. Cheng Wanyue was barefoot, and even the red marks from mosquito bites on her skin were visible.

Qing Hang squatted down, letting her hand rest on his shoulder. He held her ankle with one hand and the high heel with the other, quickly putting it on for her.

When Cheng Wanyue was pulled away by him, she didn’t struggle, didn’t slap him, and certainly didn’t kick him.

So this time, Chi Yue didn’t stop them. “Beautiful girl, see you next time.”

“Bye-bye,” Cheng Wanyue turned back and waved to Chi Yue.

Yan Ci went to get Cheng Wanyue’s bag. He missed the elevator and came downstairs two minutes later, noticing Qing Hang’s unusual expression, so he didn’t approach them.

In matters of the heart, no matter how close you are, you’re still an outsider.

People and cars moved around them. Cheng Wanyue still carried the smell of alcohol from the bar.

Her hand was shaken off, and only then did Qing Hang stop walking. After taking a deep breath, he took her hand again and held it tightly. “I thought you had to work today. I didn’t know you went to the hospital.”

Cheng Wanyue turned her head away, not looking at him. “I quit my job. I’m not working.”

Qing Hang was stunned. “…You quit?”

Was she leaving Beijing?