That evening, Li Zong, whom I hadn't contacted in a long time, called me around seven o'clock and asked to meet outside.

I hurried from the restaurant to the agreed location, a coffee shop inside a hotel. When I arrived, I saw several people there. The back of one of them looked very young. I walked over and greeted Li Zong first:

"Li Zong."

"Lin Che, come, sit down."

I hadn't seen him for a while, and his face was radiant. He seemed to be doing well. I smiled, pulled out a chair, and sat down, looking at the other two people present. One was very young, about my age, and looked somewhat similar to me. The other was probably his assistant, sitting respectfully beside him.

While I was looking at him, his eyes were also fixed on my face. Maybe it was a coincidence, but we had certain things in common, both in height and temperament. However, I didn't dress up intentionally when I came out of the restaurant today, and I probably still smelled like the kitchen. The latter, on the other hand, was wrapped in an expensive suit, exuding a righteous aura.

Before I could look away, I heard Li Zong introducing, "This is our new investor, Shen Yi."

I just said "Oh," because the other person's aura had already overwhelmed me even without speaking. I didn't know why they had called me here. After leaving that circle, I no longer cared about their business.

"Shen Yi, this is Lin Che. He knows Shi Yu too."

This time, it was the other person's turn to say "Oh," and his eyes fixed on me again.

Li Zong's words were already clear. This Shen Yi probably knew Pei Shi Yu earlier than I did, or they had met recently...

"Lin Che, it's been a while. How have you been? Any thoughts of working with me again?"

I didn't answer. I felt that there was no point in working with Li Zong again. Li Zong was still unaware of what had happened after I left. I didn't want to rely on others for a living anymore, especially in front of this man, because he also knew Pei Shi Yu. Everyone has the desire to improve, and I didn't want to show weakness to him.

"I'm working in a restaurant now. It's pretty good," I replied flatly.

Li Zong was about to speak when I saw Shen Yi suddenly stand up and walk towards the lobby. My eyes immediately followed him. I quickly saw Pei Shi Yu walking gracefully towards us. At the same time, Shen Yi greeted her very attentively. I suddenly felt a tightness in my chest...

"This is Shi Yu's ex-boyfriend. He's currently launching a fierce offensive to get back together."

This time, I didn't make a sound but stared straight at them. So much had changed in just a few days, and I was completely unaware. I suppressed the anger in my heart.

I saw Shen Yi trying to hold Pei Shi Yu's wrist, but she skillfully dodged it. Even so, it didn't reduce the anger in my heart. Pei Shi Yu didn't see me until she got closer. She seemed very calm. Maybe it was because we hadn't been in contact for a few days, but she didn't greet me. Instead, she chose to sit with Shen Yi, several seats away from me.

I suddenly felt like I was in the way. The ex-boyfriend and the current boyfriend were in the same place at the same time. I guessed that before long, my identity would be switched with Shen Yi's. If I guessed correctly, he might be the man Pei Xianglong had mentioned before!

I immediately stood up and said in a roundabout way, "Li Zong, I'll go back first. You guys have a good chat."

"What about my suggestion just now?"

"I'm doing pretty well at my current job. I'll ask you for help if I need it in the future."

I strode out of the hotel with a feeling that my relationship with Pei Shi Yu was probably beyond even needing the word "breakup." Her being with me was perhaps the most boring and empty period of Pei Shi Yu's life, or perhaps it was just because she had suffered emotional setbacks that I got lucky, including Lin Yang back then.

I got into the car and didn't start it for a long time, staring blankly at the road in the distance. The scene of calling her a few days ago suddenly flashed in my mind. Pei Shi Yu that day must have been with Shen Yi too, which was why she spoke to me in that tone.

I felt very sad and lost. Maybe the relationship between us was not strong in the first place. Any small disturbance could cause ripples, let alone a man like that, an ex-boyfriend after all, who already had a foundation.

As I withdrew my gaze, I pressed the send button, but I didn't drive away immediately because Pei Shi Yu's figure appeared by the car window. I lowered the car window and looked at her face, as if trying to find the answer...

Pei Shi Yu didn't speak. I stared through her eyes. In that short moment, I read the content in Pei Shi Yu's eyes. Her feelings for me had begun to waver. At least I could feel the uncertainty, so she carried an apologetic expression.

I lit a cigarette and said after a while, with a tone of suppressed anger, "Go in. No need to explain."

I didn't want to tear apart our beautiful past. Even if we broke up, I wanted to leave a good impression. Being with a woman like this, I thought it would be worth it in this life, but the matter happened too suddenly.

Without waiting for Pei Shi Yu to speak, I immediately stepped on the accelerator and drove away from her side, and very quickly, as if I wanted to vent my anger on the wheels.

A few days ago, I was still trying to bring Wang Rui and Li Rui together, but now I was directly photoshopped out. It was ironic to think about it. They just hadn't reached an agreement on certain opinions, but I didn't even have the chance to argue.

Thinking about my family and experience, I didn't even have the qualification to ask, and I couldn't say those words. But I still dialed Li Rui's number...

"What are you doing?" I asked directly after the call connected.

"With Wang Rui. What about you?"

Li Rui's voice sounded very happy. Obviously, they had made up after that night.

"I just got off work. I was going to ask you to come out for a drink," I made an excuse.

"Not today. Wang Rui and I are shopping at the mall."

"Okay, then. Another day."

Just as I was about to hang up, Li Rui asked again, "Not with your girlfriend?"

"She's busy."

After saying that, I hung up directly. There was no sign of an emotional crisis. I didn't even have the courage to explain. Besides bitterness, all that was left in my heart was frustration. I sped up the car, so fast that it seemed like I wanted to see the King of Hell. In the process of accelerating, the car had already driven far away.

Under extreme thoughts, an electric scooter cut in front of me, almost causing a collision. The sound of brakes suddenly woke me up. After a wry smile, I slowed down the car and finally chose to live.