I went to the garden and stared at the building for a while, hesitating slightly before calling out, "Pei Shi Yu."

There was no response. I stood uneasily downstairs, watching for any movement above.

After about half an hour, I began to feel deflated. I realized that being angry and being bothered were two different things.

If she was just angry, I could explain. But if she was bothered, no matter how much I said, it would only annoy her.

Losing patience, I started to back down. I turned around, got into the car, and drove away immediately.

What happened was a bit too sudden, and the fact that it came out of nowhere made me feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

......

I wandered around outside for a while, then called Lin Hai. As soon as he answered, he asked, "Where are you?"

I cleared my throat and said, "Did Pei Shi Yu call you?"

"You keep asking me if she called me. Don't you know if she's coming to see me today?"

"We weren't together today."

"Then give her a call and ask if she's coming or not. If she is, I'll make time. If not, I have a lot of other things to do."

"I called, but she didn't answer. I'll try again later."

"She didn't even bother to tell me she was canceling, making me wait for so long."

"She was supposed to see you in the afternoon anyway. Why did you go so early?"

"Shi Yu clearly arranged to meet at ten in the morning that day. Are you two mixed up, or am I just forgetful?"

"You must be forgetful."

With that, I ended the call. If the appointment was indeed at ten in the morning, Pei Shi Yu and I might not have had a conflict. Of course, that was just wishful thinking.

That day, I called every so often from noon until night, but Pei Shi Yu never answered.

So, I finally gave up the idea of going to Zhijiang Road. If she wouldn't even answer the phone, there was no point in hoping she would open the door for me.

......

The next day.

I arrived at the office early, more than half an hour earlier than usual. Because Pei Shi Yu chose to avoid dealing with things, I felt melancholic all night. That feeling was very unpleasant.

At exactly eight thirty, I finally heard movement from the office next door. I immediately got up and walked in. Before I could speak, Pei Xianglong looked at me strangely and casually said, "So early today?"

"Yeah."

"Sit down first. I have something to tell you."

"I'm going to see Pei Shi Yu first. I'll be right back."

After saying that, I immediately walked out. I even heard Pei Xianglong calling my name in the corridor, but I couldn't care less. I was eager to see Pei Shi Yu's attitude towards me today.

When I went up, Pei Shi Yu's office door wasn't closed. I walked straight in. When she saw me, she didn't avoid me but calmly looked at me and asked, "Didn't my dad tell you?"

"Tell me what?" I murmured.

"Go back and ask him."

"Is it about us?" I asked with a premonition.

"Yeah."

"Want to break up?" I asked her directly, because I could already guess from the expression on her face.

"Do you think there's any need to continue?"

"What's the reason?"

"No reason. If I have to find one, it's that I don't understand you at all."

"Are you kidding me?"

"Does it look like I am?"

"In your eyes, is a relationship something you can just break up whenever you want?"

"I don't want to dwell on this issue anymore. It's meaningless to say more," Pei Shi Yu said bluntly.

I stared at her face for a while, but she didn't even look at me. She turned around and started organizing the documents on her desk, showing that there was no room for discussion.

Although I wanted to explain what happened yesterday, Pei Shi Yu's attitude told me that it was unnecessary. She didn't mention yesterday's events at all, and even revealed an indifferent and uncaring attitude.

I took out the keys to the Zhijiang Road villa from my pocket and placed them heavily on the table. Without saying a word, I started to walk back. Pei Shi Yu was already showing me the door. No matter how thick-skinned I was, I couldn't possibly bother her with things she didn't care about at all. It showed that I had no weight in her heart, not even a basic display of anger. She directly sentenced our relationship to death.

I re-entered Pei Xianglong's office. He was smoking, and the expression on his face was complex. When he saw me come in, he immediately asked, "What's going on with you and Shi Yu?"

"I don't know either," I replied evasively.

"You didn't argue with her?" Pei Xianglong looked at me suspiciously.

"I didn't even get the chance to argue."

Hearing my answer, I saw Pei Xianglong immediately pick up his phone and make a call...

"Pei Shi Yu, you come here right now," Pei Xianglong roared into the phone.

I don't know what was said on the other end of the phone. After a while, he hung up and kept staring at me, saying, "Lin Che, I've always been good to you, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"You definitely know what happened between you two. If you lie to me, it's no wonder Pei Shi Yu wants to break up with you, and wants to do it decisively. Don't you think you should look for the reason in yourself?"

Other things I could explain, but if I had to tear open that past life again, I felt especially unable to say it, and it would be difficult to explain. So, not saying anything would save me some face.

"Pei Shi Yu and I have different family backgrounds, so our previous circumstances were also very different. If she can't accept what happened to me in the past, then I agree to break up."

"I won't interfere with whether you break up or not, but Pei Shi Yu seems very resistant to you. Do you know what I mean?"

"I understand. I'll pack my things immediately."

"This is what Pei Shi Yu wants," Pei Xianglong said tactfully.

Of course, I understood what they meant. They were telling me I could leave. In just a few days, things had changed too suddenly, giving me the feeling of being swept out the door.

I immediately returned to my office. There wasn't much to pack, just some personal belongings. I simply sorted them out and threw them into the trash can. When I looked up, I saw Pei Xianglong standing at the door, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated. I smiled and said magnanimously, "You don't have to say anything. I know it's my own fault. I won't blame anyone. Let's part on good terms."

"I don't even know what you two are doing. You were about to get married, and now you're in such a stalemate. And no one can persuade Pei Shi Yu. I still don't understand what happened."

I was originally packing my desk, but when I heard this, I immediately stopped and looked at Pei Xianglong in silence for a while, while sorting out my thoughts and said, "Actually, it's not a big deal. It's just that my past life was a bit too unrestrained. Yesterday, I wanted to rent out the apartment I lived in, but the person renting the apartment happened to be a girl I knew from a nightclub. Pei Shi Yu may not be able to accept my past."

"Just knew?" Pei Xianglong keenly grasped the point and asked.

I paused and said, "I don't want to hide anything. I did have a relationship with her, but that was many years ago. If Pei Shi Yu minds these things, I have nothing to say."

After I finished speaking, Pei Xianglong frowned, looking very dissatisfied, and I directly brushed past him and left.