Chapter 86: Drinking and Heart-to-Heart Talk

Lin Hexi never expected to actually meet You Chong here.

The countless reunion scenarios he had rehearsed in his mind never came in handy. After the initial panic and being caught off guard, Lin Hexi instinctively glanced at You Chong’s wrist and cuff.

The other person was dressed extremely formally, wearing a dark, custom-tailored suit that was both crisp and well-fitted. His tie was meticulously knotted, and the two legs wrapped in suit trousers were straight, long, and powerful. The hair on his forehead was brushed back, revealing a more strikingly prominent forehead and a high, sharp nose. The contours of his face were even more mature and defined than three years ago.

The watch and cufflinks looked expensive, yet unfamiliar.

Having expected this outcome, Lin Hexi didn’t show too much obvious disappointment. At the same time, he didn’t notice that You Chong’s gaze briefly swept past his own empty wrist.

When he came back to his senses, the hand that had been holding him had already loosened, as if the sudden grip a moment ago had been nothing more than his imagination, as if the two of them were merely strangers who had briefly crossed paths.

You Chong ignored his words of thanks and turned to walk toward the foreign client waiting ahead.

With no reason to linger by the elevator door any longer, Lin Hexi could only take a few steps forward as well.

You Chong was asking the foreign client about their situation in English. The latter, still shaken, responded and then noticed Lin Hexi walking over. The client bypassed You Chong, full of emotion, and said to Lin Hexi, “Now we’ve been through the same ordeal. Would you like to be friends with me?”

Lin Hexi didn’t respond immediately.

From his position as an observer, You Chong instinctively interjected, “His English isn’t too—”

Lin Hexi quickly interrupted him, as if grabbing onto a final lifeline, and responded in fluent and impeccable English, “Of course, I’d be happy to make a new friend.”

You Chong couldn’t help but pause in surprise.

Unaware of the shift in You Chong’s emotions, Lin Hexi took out his phone and exchanged names and email addresses with the foreign client.

He didn’t care what the other person’s intention was in striking up a conversation with him. All he knew was that since this foreign client knew You Chong, they would be his only chance to connect with You Chong while he was in the country.

Such a hard-earned opportunity, once missed, would never come again.

At this moment, Lin Hexi became more aware than ever before that perhaps the two years of cutting off contact and the news of You Chong’s engagement hadn’t actually made him completely give up.

The year he spent avoiding everything was nothing more than a form of self-deception buried deep inside—so long as he didn’t return to the country, there were some things he wouldn’t have to see, some news he wouldn’t have to hear.

But now that he had returned, he couldn’t change the fact that You Chong was about to get married, nor could he indulge in the fantasy of rekindling their past relationship. The only thing left for him to do was to make himself let go for good.

Throughout the entire interaction between Lin Hexi and the foreign client, You Chong never said a word to Lin Hexi.

However, Zhou Xuan, who had finally snapped out of his long state of shock, could see very clearly that You Chong’s gaze had never left Lin Hexi.

He signaled to the hotel manager beside him, indicating for the manager to reassure the two guests who had been trapped in the elevator.

The manager received the instruction and immediately stepped forward to apologize to the two guests, promising to waive all their hotel fees during their stay and offering to extend their stay for free.

When it came to specifying how many days to extend the stay, the manager discreetly glanced at Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan thought for a moment, then first raised his left hand, showing the number three, before discreetly glancing at You Chong.

You Chong’s expression remained indifferent, but he didn’t seem pleased.

Zhou Xuan noticed this, and while sighing inwardly about how his childhood friend’s thoughts had become increasingly difficult to read over the past three years, he tentatively raised his right hand, adding a zero after the three.

The manager’s eyes widened, worried that he might be hallucinating.

You Chong’s expression didn’t change, but his eyebrows subtly twitched.

Zhou Xuan immediately understood and waved his hand, urging the manager to continue.

The manager, after taking a deep breath and with a heavy heart, reluctantly added, “The maximum length of the complimentary extended stay is thirty days.”

The foreign client immediately showered the hotel with generous praise for its attentive service.

With the elevator issue resolved, You Chong left with the foreign client.

Lin Hexi took the stairs back to his room on the eighteenth floor.

This left Zhou Xuan and the hotel staff behind. The duty manager turned with a worried expression.

“Why are you in such a rush? They’re not the kind to lounge around aimlessly; they won’t stay for the full thirty days. Besides,” Zhou Xuan walked over and patted the manager on the shoulder, “the extended stay expenses won’t be covered by the hotel. Someone else will take care of it.”

After saying that, Zhou Xuan casually turned and left, leaving the manager standing there, bewildered.

While the foreign client was on the phone notifying his assistant to bring down some documents, You Chong retrieved an item from the hotel front desk that Mrs. You had left before departing.

It was a camera she had borrowed from him earlier in the year.

You Chong turned the camera on and flipped through the photos Mrs. You had taken.

There weren’t many photos, most of them landscape shots taken while traveling around the world, with many set in summer.

You Chong’s fingers continued moving, and in a flash, the photos shifted from summer waves and rocky shores to a snow-covered backyard in winter.

In one photo from four years ago, Lin Hexi was wearing a thick, white down jacket, crouching in the snow and smiling up at him with sparkling eyes.

Now, four years later, Lin Hexi had reunited with him in the hotel after years of separation, yet they were like strangers.

The lingering sensation on his fingertips had faded, but You Chong stared at the person in the photo, lost in thought for a long time.

That night, after wrapping up an important meeting with overseas clients, Zhou Xuan drove over, using the excuse of a bar performance to invite You Chong out for drinks.

They went to a bar called “Seven Degrees Celsius.” The owner behind it was also a wealthy and influential figure in their circle. Zhou Xuan was a regular there, and the bar manager greeted them with enthusiasm and respect. After they sat down in a dimly lit corner, Zhou Xuan asked his usual question, “Where’s your boss?”

The manager replied, “The boss had some business out of town and won’t be back for a couple of days.”

Zhou Xuan nodded without saying more, then directly instructed the manager to grab a bottle from the wine cabinet.

Since the two of them were drinking, a deep conversation was inevitable. Zhou Xuan hadn’t really invited him just to watch a performance, no matter how impressive it might be.

Besides, the dancers performing seductive routines at the bar were all women, and since You Chong now liked men, it wasn’t likely he’d suddenly change back anytime soon.

Zhou Xuan got straight to the point and asked, “Did you know Lin Hexi returned to the country?”

You Chong replied, “I knew he was coming back, but I didn’t know he was already here.”

Zhou Xuan was skeptical. “Really?”

You Chong turned his head and glanced at him, saying, “Weren’t you there when I took the call in the car this afternoon?”

Zhou Xuan paused for a moment, then suddenly widened his eyes as if something had just clicked. “That call in the car this afternoon—was it to check his flight time?” His face was full of realization. “If it weren’t for that call, I would’ve really thought you were just using meeting the client at the hotel and picking up the package as an excuse to brush me off.”

You Chong’s expression was hard to read. “Why would I need to brush you off?”

Zhou Xuan snorted lightly at this and refrained from exposing the fragile bit of dignity that You Chong was clinging to. “Fine, we won’t talk about you then. Let’s talk about your ex. Of all the hotels in the city, why did he just happen to choose mine?”

“Could it be—” He dragged out his words while rubbing his chin, the underlying implication already clear without being fully said. Zhou Xuan held off on finishing the sentence, waiting for You Chong to respond.

After a long silence, You Chong succinctly replied, “I don’t know.”

Zhou Xuan said, “How could you not know?” He was genuinely surprised. “Is there even a time when you don’t know?”

You Chong didn’t respond further. He truly didn’t know.

In the past few years, since he took over the decision-making power from You Yueteng, he had indeed stopped uttering phrases like “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure.” In the business world, he had gradually become decisive and ruthless, preemptively eliminating and cutting off any uncertainties.

But Lin Hexi, who he hadn’t seen or been in contact with for nearly four years, was the only uncertainty left in his life.

And this uncertainty continued to deepen with the passage of time.

What had started as a small speck of doubt had now grown into a wide, gaping breach.

In the period right after Lin Hexi went abroad, You Chong hadn’t believed the explanations given by You Yueteng either.

Rather than believing that Lin Hexi had left him for the opportunity to study abroad, You Chong’s suspicions leaned more toward the idea that Lin Hexi’s sudden departure was due to You Yueteng’s interference behind the scenes.

In the You family, every generation’s heir had their marriage arranged as part of powerful family alliances. Even You Yueteng and his mother were no exception. Before their marriage, the two had reached an agreement not to interfere in each other’s careers or lives after getting married.

It was clear that You Yueteng didn’t want any unexpected complications in You Chong’s marriage either.

At that time, You Chong had no real power to challenge You Yueteng. He was desperate to gain the kind of authority from You Yueteng that would allow him to stand on his own and no longer be controlled.

For a long period, You Chong worked around the clock, often turning day into night. His efforts did not go unnoticed by You Yueteng, and soon, You Chong was recognized and brought into the core management of the family business.

What sustained him through those long, tedious nights, aside from the goals he set for himself, was the call that Lin Hexi never made.

He guessed that every late night in China was when Lin Hexi would be getting up for classes, so he kept waiting for Lin Hexi’s call.

Lin Hexi’s phone number was never deactivated, and the phone wasn’t turned off, yet Lin Hexi never answered any of the calls You Chong made.

Lin Hexi’s WeChat was still active, but he had blocked You Chong and all the mutual acquaintances they had.

On the day Lin Hexi left for abroad, half of the wardrobe in the rented apartment was empty, yet the two feeding bowls were filled with dog and cat food.

You Chong could convince himself that Lin Hexi wasn’t answering his calls or had blocked him on WeChat because someone had taken his phone. And that the missing clothes from the wardrobe and the full bowls of pet food were intentional misdirection by someone else.

But the truth was, Lin Hexi never reached out to him.

One month, two months—it didn’t matter. Even half a year didn’t matter. But the severed communication lasted for a full two years.

You Chong began to wonder if the unanswered calls and the WeChat block meant that Lin Hexi no longer wanted to stay in touch. The methodical way Lin Hexi had packed his belongings, not forgetting to leave enough food for the dog and cat, made You Chong question whether Lin Hexi had planned to leave all along.

His thoughts even drifted back to the early days of their relationship.

Why, when the topic of going abroad came up, had Lin Hexi analyzed his own reality and reasoned that he wouldn’t go because the Lin family wouldn’t spend the money to send him abroad?

Why, when making New Year’s wishes, had Lin Hexi only considered their second year together in his resolutions?

And then there were the more distant memories, from before they had openly expressed their feelings for each other.

Lin Hexi’s half-truths, always using jokes to cover his true thoughts, and his habit of always leaving himself some room to back out, some kind of retreat in his words.

Pulling himself out of these tangled thoughts, You Chong gently swirled the transparent glass in his hand, lowering his gaze to watch the liquid swirling inside.

Zhou Xuan, by this point, was left utterly speechless.

He truly hadn’t expected that what seemed like an ordinary breakup to outsiders could lead You Chong to analyze things with such intricately connected reasoning. It made Zhou Xuan feel that perhaps his own thinking was far too simple.

“Maybe he really was forced to go abroad. Getting a master’s degree overseas isn’t easy these days, so maybe he’s just waiting until after graduation to come back and find you,” Zhou Xuan tried to comfort him.

As if not surprised by Zhou Xuan’s line of thinking, You Chong slowly lifted his gaze, his dark eyes clouded and heavy. “Then why hasn’t he come back?”

The music in the bar was loud and chaotic, and Zhou Xuan didn’t quite catch what he said. “What?”

You Chong’s expression had returned to calm, and he repeated his reasoning with more clarity, “If that’s the case, then why didn’t he come back after graduating?”

Zhou Xuan was left speechless by the question.

After a long pause, he shifted to a relatively lighter topic. “Let’s not dwell on the past. Now that he’s back, what do you think about him?”

You Chong’s response remained the same: “I don’t know.”

It was the second time that evening Zhou Xuan had heard him say, “I don’t know.”

This time, however, Zhou Xuan could see clearly—You Chong wasn’t truly uncertain. He already had an answer in his heart, but there were still concerns holding him back.

In fact, for this last question, even without asking You Chong directly, Zhou Xuan could tell what he was thinking just from You Chong’s behavior earlier when they ran into each other at the hotel.

Zhou Xuan didn’t know what was still causing You Chong to hesitate. Based on their conversation, he could only guess that You Chong was still hiding something from him.

Seeing You Chong being led around by his emotions like this, Zhou Xuan had to admit to himself that those cringeworthy motivational quotes Xia Chengfeng used to feed him, which once gave him goosebumps, weren’t entirely without truth.

Love isn’t a choice; it’s an instinct.

If it were truly something he could choose, You Chong would never have allowed himself to be bound by a relationship that, for more than three years, has shown no clear path forward.