The office door was ajar, and Chen Dongyang had just returned after a team meeting to optimize some game details. He had received a WeChat message from Lu Huaijin half an hour earlier asking him to come to the office, so he came directly.
Upon entering, he saw Lu Huaijin on the phone and instinctively moved to leave, but Lu Huaijin signaled him to stay.
Chen Dongyang didn't want to eavesdrop on phone calls, so he chose a spot on the sofa further away and sat down.
Lu Huaijin continued his conversation with Tiantian.
"So it's settled, okay? Send me the location, and I'll head out tomorrow to find you. We can talk face-to-face about anything."
How ridiculous. Had their relationship become so close that he needed to travel a thousand miles to talk face-to-face?
Tiantian rejected him listlessly.
"Whether you talk or not, I'm not interested in your affairs. I'm about to move to the next place, so don't come looking for me."
"Oh, Tiantian, be good, can't you just talk to me properly?"
"Oh, Tiantian?"
A nerve in Chen Dongyang's body seemed to be pricked by a needle, and he instantly turned his head to look at Lu Huaijin.
So he was on the phone with Tiantian.
He didn't hear a single word Lu Huaijin said afterward. His mind buzzed, a chaotic mess, making him restless and finding everything displeasing.
Lu Huaijin finally hung up the phone, a smile on his face as he walked towards Chen Dongyang with a newly released data analysis chart.
"Dongyang, I have to say, heaven has blessed us. No one expected your game's performance to be so outstanding this time. Look, this is the data analysis chart that was just submitted. You're far ahead of everyone else. You've become a hot commodity in the industry now, truly remarkable, truly remarkable."
Chen Dongyang could estimate the data himself without Lu Huaijin's analysis.
In fact, on the third day after the game became popular, he had privately received many job offers from headhunting companies.
There were even TV program directors who, having somehow obtained his contact information, invited him to participate in their shows.
This world was like that. Some people spent their entire lives in obscurity in one position, achieving nothing until old age.
While others, with a single move, commanded universal attention.
Lu Huaijin believed Chen Dongyang was the chosen one, but only Chen Dongyang knew the truth.
He was already thirty years old. After experiencing so much hardship, this was fate's reward to him.
Without looking at the data, he forced a smile at Lu Huaijin.
"Don't tell me all that fluff. Just transfer my share of the profits to my account as soon as possible. Is there anything else? If not, I'll head back."
Lu Huaijin liked people who were good at technology; they were straightforward and lacked ulterior motives.
Chen Dongyang was handsome, capable, and honest. He didn't like men, otherwise, he would have wanted to pursue such a high-quality individual.
"Alright, alright, you can go back. Don't worry, you'll get every penny. I'll have finance transfer it to you right away."
"I have some matters to attend to these past few days, and I'll be traveling. Please inform everyone, and tell them not to worry. The celebration banquet will be held after I return."
"Everyone in the project team will receive a generous bonus, and you won't be shortchanged on year-end dividends either. Stick with Brother Lu, and you'll eat well. Rest assured, everyone."
On his way back to his workstation, Chen Dongyang felt conflicted. Should he call Tiantian?
He didn't want to disturb her in a muddled state since Zeng Hui hadn't been properly dealt with yet, but seeing Lu Huaijin making a move...
In the end, he detoured to the balcony, closed the glass door, and dialed the number he knew by heart.
After playing games all afternoon, feeling dizzy and disoriented, and realizing that while she had been idle for two months with no achievements, Lu Huaijin had seized the opportunity to soar, Tiantian felt even more depressed.
Lying listlessly on the sofa, she pondered whether to continue traveling or return to work.
As she was thinking, her phone rang again.
She thought it was Lu Huaijin again and answered impatiently.
"Are you done yet? Are you that eager to show off? Fine, fine, I'm in Xianyang now. If you want to come, hurry up. Bring me two roast ducks from Juxian Hall on your way. I haven't eaten anything from Nancheng for two months; honestly, I'm starving."
Her tone was casual, and she rattled off a string of words.
After speaking, seeing no reaction from the other end, she belatedly pulled the screen further away to look.
Uh, it wasn't Lu Huaijin.
The number looked so familiar. It was Chen Dongyang.
Do you know what it means for a couple to not contact each other for over two months?
It felt like two years, no, two lifetimes, since they last spoke.
Even though she had photos on her phone and old chat screenshots, the memories felt so distant.
After they parted ways at the hospital that day, Tiantian thought they would never interact again.
She tried her best to keep busy every day, leaving no time to think about him. After finally getting through that long period, why did he reappear now?
Unsure of what to say, and recalling what she had just said, Tiantian felt a little awkward.
Chen Dongyang, however, let out a soft laugh on the other end of the phone.
"Tiantian, it's me. It's been a long time since I heard your voice. I'm truly happy to hear that you're doing well."
Tiantian's heart felt as if it had been tugged, causing a pang of pain.
What was this all about?
They had broken up, and now they were suddenly reconnecting.
And he spoke with such a casual tone, expressing happiness for her. Wasn't this like throwing a stone into a calm lake, asking for trouble?
Did he expect her to thank him? Was all this necessary?
To be honest, she would have preferred to hear Chen Dongyang lose control, cry on the phone, get angry, or shout hoarsely, even if his words were slurred from drinking. She absolutely did not want to hear him speak in such a calm tone.
Emotional outbursts at least proved that he was hurting, that he had loved her.
Such a calm tone only made Tiantian feel as if he had moved on, leaving her alone, stuck in the same place.
Receiving his call, Tiantian felt a mix of surprise, sadness, and anger.
She couldn't help but sit up and say to the person on the other end of the phone with a complex tone.
"Did you call out of the blue just to wish me happiness? Are you alright?"
After her self-introduction, Tiantian's tone changed. It was impossible for Chen Dongyang not to feel hurt.
But he could understand.
Miss Zhan, who had never suffered any grievances in her life, had endured all of them with him.
The fact that she was willing to answer his call and speak to him was already a tremendous gift.
"I didn't call to wish you happiness. I wanted to tell you something else."
"Tell me what? That your game was successful, you're now rich, and about to become a prominent figure, able to provide a good life for her?"
Chen Dongyang was taken aback: "Lu Huaijin told you?"
It seemed he had indeed come to say this.
How ironic, Tiantian's first reaction was to think he missed her.
"There's no need for him to tell me, nor for you to tell me. Remember to repay the debt you owe me when you get rich. The rest is none of my business. You can hang up now."
Chen Dongyang felt somewhat embarrassed by her words, but he didn't hang up.
"Okay. I'll give you all the money I earn from this game. But you can't hang up. I haven't finished speaking."