Double Eleven was approaching. Amid her busy schedule, Cheng Lele had planned a romantic confession event, and now everything was ready except for the crucial element.

The male lead had disappeared.

In the first few days, she hadn’t noticed anything unusual. Chen An often went out to find investors to share the risk, so she assumed he had gone on another business trip and didn’t pay it much mind.

But later, when she sent him messages, they sank like stones into the sea; when she called him, he didn’t answer; the house upstairs remained empty all along. She went to ask the finance department, and they said Chen An had replied to all the approval emails.

This meant the young master hadn’t been captured by debt collectors. Could something have happened to his godfather and godmother again? Was he deliberately hiding from her because he intended to keep it from her?

Cheng Lele’s thoughts ran wild. Thinking of his godfather and godmother, she lost her composure and sent a message to Quan Zirong.

Ever since they had added each other on WeChat, Quan Zirong had been indifferent toward her, probably standing up for his best friend over what happened seven years ago.

Cheng Lele knew he didn’t like her, and after adding him on WeChat, they hadn’t really talked much.

This time, Cheng Lele was forced into desperation and had no choice but to seek information from him: [Sorry to bother you, Quan Zirong. I haven’t been able to contact young master for many days. I wanted to ask, do you know where young master went?]

After a long while, Quan Zirong deliberately replied vaguely: [He went to the provincial capital to find his girlfriend.]

Cheng Lele felt puzzled: [Where did he get a girlfriend from?]

Quan Zirong, exasperated, sent several messages: [That’s what I want to ask you—where do you get your confidence from? Can’t Chen An have a girlfriend? Does he have to hang himself on your tree?]

He held his phone with his fingers flying, and simply sent several more messages:

[Seven years ago when you fled without a trace, how come you weren’t anxious to contact him then? Now that he’s gone off to have fun with his girlfriend, why are you clinging to him? Playing hard to get or pretending to refuse while welcoming?]

[Back then you treated him with indifference; now he’s beyond your reach.]

[People shouldn’t be so greedy. Just cherish the person in front of you. Don’t maintain a fish pond.]

[Hehe, maybe Chen An is making you taste what it’s like to have someone cut off contact without warning.]

[The bitterness you’re swallowing today isn’t even one ten-thousandth of what my brother suffered back then.]

[Haha! What goes around comes around!]

[I advise you to stop harassing him. It’s useless!]

Cheng Lele watched the WeChat messages jump in one after another, with “typing…” still showing. Taking the essence and discarding the dross, she asked: [So young master just went out to have fun with his girlfriend?]

Quan Zirong’s painstakingly crafted scolding felt like punches hitting cotton. He grimaced and sent: [So what if he did? Do you have a problem with that?]

[No. I wish them everlasting happiness and eternal unity!]

Cheng Lele locked her screen and sat down dejectedly on a small stool in the courtyard.

It was early morning. Mist rose up, tinged with the golden light of dawn, drifting hazily through the small courtyard, making it difficult to see things clearly.

Cheng Lele accepted all of Quan Zirong’s cold mockery and hot sarcasm without protest. If you make a mistake, you must take your punishment—she had no defense to offer. Even if young master said these things to her face, she wouldn’t feel wronged.

But she didn’t believe what Quan Zirong said about Chen An finding a girlfriend.

She remembered Chen An begging to be fed popcorn at the exhibition, Chen An waiting for a kiss in the dusk of evening, Chen An holding her tightly in his arms under the pouring rain. She didn’t believe that such a person would have a girlfriend she knew nothing about.

There must be some unavoidable difficulty. Just like when she had left without a word years ago, she too hadn’t told young master many things.

Cheng Lele continued sending Chen An messages every day as if nothing had happened.

She mentioned to him that Shao Kang had agreed to be Xingchen’s exclusive agent, and that Miss Ma had finally broken up with Mr. Zhang, spent the money she would have used to book a venue on medical aesthetics instead, but had introduced clients to her—gossip like that.

Things like these, some long and some short, some mentioned in work reports, others brought up for the first time.

But Cheng Lele never received any reply from Chen An.

Occasionally, Cheng Lele also suspected that Quan Zirong hadn’t lied to her. That Chen An had gotten a girlfriend. Generally, girlfriends wouldn’t allow their boyfriends to have intimate relationships with other women, which of course would include a sister of unclear status like herself. So his girlfriend had ordered him to distance himself from her, to expel her from his world.

But Cheng Lele still couldn’t understand Chen An’s previous actions. She had to calm down and consider one possibility: that those intimate contacts were her own wishful thinking and inference. After all, Chen An had never said from beginning to end that he liked her.

Or perhaps, as Quan Zirong had said, Chen An was getting back at her, paying her back in kind.

However, Cheng Lele still felt this possibility was extremely slim.

Not until the moment she openly tore off the mask with Tongda Company did Cheng Lele feel a trace of belated chill.