Yu Nian dragged his heavy body up the stairs. He hadn’t used an umbrella just now, and although it was only a short distance, he was still soaked by the rain.

His cuffs clung damply to his skin, black hair sticking to his face, his skin so pale it looked bluish. Looking at himself in the mirror in the elevator, he looked like a water ghost.

On the 16th floor, he walked into the room from the elevator, took off his suit jacket and casually threw it on the floor, took a few steps to the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of whiskey.

But he only drank a small cup before his stomach started hurting again, curling up on the floor.

His ankles, visible from his suit pants, were very thin, with protruding ankle bones that seemed somewhat sharp, covered by a thin layer of skin, with faintly visible veins.

Personally witnessing the impact of Qi Wang was even greater than Yu Nian had imagined.

He had already mentally prepared himself for the possibility of encountering Qi Wang.

Ever since Qi Wang emerged as a prominent painter in the art world, he would often hear news about this person inadvertently, even his siblings had heard of Qi Wang’s name.

The first time he saw Qi Wang in the news, Yu Xinli raised an eyebrow, thinking she must have been mistaken.

When she realized it was indeed the same person, Yu Xinli’s expression became extremely complex, even a bit flustered as if she wanted to shield Yu Nian from seeing that tablet.

But Yu Nian, with his eyelashes drooping slightly, remained calm as he spread jam on his bread.

He had thoroughly investigated the information about “Painter Qi Wang”.

Under the tutelage of the oil painting master Zeng Nanyue, graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, long-term residence in New York, his works collected by many art museums, his latest work “Evening Breeze” just sold for a high price of millions at Christie’s, anyone could see his potential, as well as the prestige of being a disciple of Zeng Nanyue.

Even among his friends, there were fans of Qi Wang. With mouths open, they would say, “Master Qi” this, “Mr. Qi” that. Not only did they collect several of his paintings, but they also lamented by his side, regretting that Qi Wang was too low-key. If there was a chance to meet him in person, they would definitely go all out to pursue him.

Yu Nian lay on the floor, chuckling softly.

This pile of lofty titles sounded quite impressive, no wonder his friends were full of admiration.

But he thought, what was there to pursue?

He had pursued before, but it was cold and hard. It looked like a sweet candy, but when swallowed, it turned out to be poisonous, utterly disappointing.

He pressed his hand against his stomach, which was twisted into knots again, feeling like a block of ice was congealed inside, tormenting him to the point where sweat beaded on his forehead.

His stomach medicine was not far away in the cabinet, but he was reluctant to get it.

It was strange, he thought, clearly it was Qi Wang who had let him down.

It should have been Qi Wang who fled in despair, haunted by guilt.

So why was it him who ended up in such a sorry state in the end?

Even though he had rehearsed it in his mind countless times, when faced with each other, when their eyes met, he still fell apart.

Utterly worthless.

Yu Nian lay on the cold floor until midnight. Although he eventually moved back to bed, he still woke up the next day with a headache like it was about to explode.

He drove to the company with great effort, eating painkillers while holding a meeting with his subordinates to discuss the development of new products for the upcoming season.

He had been a workaholic for the past few years.

After graduating from Central Saint Martins, he worked for a famous luxury brand for two years before founding “THE ONE,” an independent designer brand.

The entire company revolved around him. At first, he could only be considered a novice in the fashion world. If it weren’t for his family’s deep pockets giving him plenty of room for trial and error, and if he hadn’t hired a capable team leader at a high salary, it would be hard to say whether his small design company could survive.

But now his designs were gradually gaining recognition. Last year, not only did his works appear at New York Fashion Week, but also the actress Lang Yuhong wore his dress to the Cannes Film Festival. Her red dress had become a classic case study frequently featured on various video covers, and the celebrity effect was immeasurable. Orders from the industry poured into his company like snowflakes.

But along with that came exploding pressure.

Yu Nian pressed his temples, feeling the fabric of his eyes hurting.

He lay back in the large chair, dripping eye drops into his eyes, but heard his phone vibrating repeatedly. Fumbling for it, he saw that it was Zhang Yunyao reminding him not to forget their evening at the hot springs.

“Got it.”

He replied to the message.

After sending the message, he stared at the ceiling for a while, lightly tapping his toes on the ground, spinning around in the chair.

Since his fruitless search for Qi Wang, he had hardly contacted anyone from “Morning Ten,” especially Song Yunchun.

He dared not go back and did not want to face those months of the past.

So he had no choice but to artificially sever all ties related to Qi Wang.

He had not attempted to contact anyone from that restaurant again. He knew that Chu Hejun and Xiao Gu had married, and he had sent wedding gifts through intermediaries, but he hadn’t attended the wedding himself, not even leaving a signature. He was like a phantom hiding his whereabouts.

But he had somehow managed to maintain contact with Zhang Yunyao.

When he was studying abroad, Zhang Yunyao happened to be studying in London.

The two unexpectedly met on the bustling streets and exchanged contact information once again.

Zhang Yunyao was already smart, with excellent observation skills. Seeing him alone, he only invited him to coffee and art exhibitions, never mentioning his experience of leaving home to work.

As time went on, he grew closer to Zhang Yunyao.

Later, Zhang Yunyao also went to study in the UK, and he introduced him to Ying Quanshen. The three of them often hung out together, wandering the streets of London, becoming a stable trio.

Now both he and Zhang Yunyao had returned to China to develop, while Ying Quanshen had been sent by his brother to develop overseas business, crying and complaining to the two of them all day long.

Life was so strange.

Those who thought they had a deep connection ended up dispersing at the slightest touch of the red string.

Those who thought they had a shallow connection wandered around and ended up rekindling their past.

In the evening, after finishing work, Yu Nian had the driver take him to the club address sent by Zhang Yunyao.

As soon as he entered the club, under the hazy lights, slender waitresses came up to greet him, speaking softly and skillfully guiding him to the private room where Zhang Yunyao was.

Zhang Yunyao had already showered and changed into a bathrobe.

Eight years had passed, and he had grown taller, but he was still slender and delicate, with a bit of softness between his brows, eliciting even more pity from the women around him, but unfortunately, he only liked handsome young men.

He waved at Yu Nian, “Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”

Yu Nian sat down at the table opposite him and casually brought the nut plate over.

As he ate nuts, he complained, “Is there anything to eat? I’m starving. I only had a sandwich for lunch. I’ve been surviving on coffee since then.”

Zhang Yunyao smiled and brought over the fruit plate and snacks on the table to Yu Nian. “Help yourself to some snacks first. It’s not good to soak in the hot spring on an empty stomach. You can eat after soaking.”

“Such a hassle.”

But Yu Nian obediently took the snack plate and picked up a chestnut pastry, taking a bite.

After soaking in the hot spring, the meal that Zhang Yunyao had ordered in advance was also delivered.

He introduced it to Yu Nian, “This is their autumn set menu, made by the head chef with seasonal ingredients, it’s more nourishing and better for your stomach. Last time when I came with friends, I thought the taste was pretty good.”

Yu Nian was starving now, nodding absentmindedly, not really caring about what he said.

Zhang Yunyao could only shake his head helplessly.

He scrutinized Yu Nian’s face, frowning critically, “Have you been working overtime and not eating properly again recently? Why do I feel like your dark circles are heavier than last month? Looks like you haven’t had a good night’s sleep in ten days.”

He said, “Aren’t you folks in the fashion industry all about appearances? Why do you look like a little raggedy dog, not taking care of yourself properly every day?”

Yu Nian rolled his eyes while eating bamboo shoots. “Mind your own business. How am I not taking care of myself? I even won the Best Dressed award at a party last time.”

Zhang Yunyao chuckled and lowered his head to scoop up some more mushrooms for Yu Nian’s bowl. “If it weren’t for knowing you’re all alone and pitiful, I would’ve thought someone had sucked the life out of you.”

He waited for Yu Nian to retort, but for once, there was silence on the other side.

Zhang Yunyao raised an eyebrow in confusion, looking at Yu Nian’s expression, “What’s wrong? You haven’t really been ensnared by some little demon, have you?”

If that were the case, he’d have to set off fireworks.

Yu Nian shook his head, chuckling softly with a hint of sarcasm, “If only it were a little demon.”

He took a sip of soup, casually dropping a bombshell, “I ran into Qi Wang at a party yesterday.”

A white shrimp fell off Zhang Yunyao’s chopsticks into the plate, leaving a streak on the clean, white dish.

A few seconds later, Zhang Yunyao finally found his voice again, frowning, “Are you serious?”

As one of Yu Nian’s acquaintances since childhood, although he initially had the foresight not to inquire about Yu Nian’s heartache, over the years, he gradually learned about Yu Nian’s past, partly from Ying Quanshen’s indignation.

Although Ying Quanshen had never met Qi Wang, he harbored deep hatred for the man who had hurt his childhood friend, cursing Qi Wang as garbage who would eventually end up in the sewer whenever he was behind Yu Nian’s back.

“It’s true.”

Yu Nian ate his meal with his head down, nonchalant, still focused on picking out the scallions in his bowl.

He said, “I didn’t expect to see him there. Xu Yilin dragged me to her charity gala. I didn’t even care about who the guests were. If I had known he was on the guest list, I wouldn’t have been happy to go. He probably didn’t know I was there either. He looked quite surprised when he saw me…”

Zhang Yunyao wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin, unsure of what expression to wear.

He studied Yu Nian’s expression, who seemed calm and composed, showing no signs of being distraught from last night.

Before Zhang Yunyao could ask, Yu Nian confessed, “Actually, seeing him yesterday, besides being surprised, I was also quite upset. After all, the way we parted was really ugly, and this person has caused me so much pain over the years. I couldn’t help but scold him and even grabbed him. If he wants to sue me for intentional injury, he can.”

The corner of Zhang Yunyao’s mouth twitched. It did sound like something Yu Nian would do.

“And him, Qi Wang, how did he react?” he asked worriedly. “Did he come to bother you?”

His impression of Qi Wang wasn’t too good either.

Of course, the world wasn’t black and white. From an observer’s perspective, he could understand Qi Wang’s actions to some extent. However, as Yu Nian’s friend, it was difficult for him to remain calm.

When his date wanted to take him to Qi Wang’s art exhibition, he had arrived at the venue, saw the name of the exhibiting artist, turned around, and left. Even the handsome young man he had just hit it off with became hideous in his eyes.

Yu Nian shrugged.

“I don’t care about him,” he said disdainfully. “He apologized to me, saying he had been suffering for years, but those were just clichés. The sincerity of the hustlers in the bar is more genuine.”

Hearing him speak like this, Zhang Yunyao felt slightly relieved. At least Yu Nian still had his wits about him, didn’t get hurt a second time, and didn’t get swayed by another scumbag.

Indeed.

Eight years had passed.

Even the deepest feelings had been smoothed out. Although Yu Nian still looked like he had old wounds that wouldn’t heal, at least he hadn’t been torn apart.

“Don’t pay attention to him,” Zhang Yunyao said coldly, “Now that he’s successful and has his own company, he might think you two are a match made in heaven again, and want to reconcile with you. You can’t go back to him.”

Yu Nian sneered, “Who wants to go back to him? He’s hard to digest.”

He picked up a small glass of wine and clinked it with Zhang Yunyao. “I was just too upset yesterday, but I’m calm today. It doesn’t matter how he is to me now.”

Zhang Yunyao was very satisfied. “That’s the attitude.”

But he couldn’t help but furrow his brow, wanting to take the wine glass from Yu Nian’s hand. “Can you stop drinking? Don’t you know what’s going on with your stomach? Put it down…”

But he was too slow.

Yu Nian had already downed the wine in one gulp and even held up the empty glass to him.

Zhang Yunyao lost his temper completely.

He deeply suspected that he had spoiled Yu Nian’s young master temperament when they were in class together.

Now the tables had turned, and it was his turn to worry endlessly.

He glanced at Yu Nian and said, “Wait until Ying Quanshen comes back, I’ll drag him here to scold you.”

“Scold away,” Yu Nian didn’t care, “You two are inseparable now, always ganging up on me. I’m just a little cabbage, you don’t cherish or love me.”

What a mess.

Zhang Yunyao was amused again, wiping his hands with a wet towel before saying, “Don’t say nobody cherishes or loves you. There are plenty of people who like you, willing to cater to you, be obedient to you. Can’t you pick one to bring you some warmth? Look at Ying Quanshen, he always has someone around him, much more graceful than you.”

Yu Nian toyed with his small wine glass absentmindedly, “I’d like to find someone too, but as they say, all the admirers are boring and superficial, not worth it.”

Zhang Yunyao was speechless.

He sighed, “You’re in the fashion industry, surrounded by dazzling beauties, and yet all of them are boring and superficial? Then who are you looking for, some kind of deity?”

He held back another thought, how about, is Qi Wang the most ethereal?

You’ve been fixated on your eighteen-year-old affair with him, haven’t you?

But that would be too ominous and a bit too piercing, so Zhang Yunyao just thought about it but didn’t dare say it.

Fortunately, Yu Nian didn’t want to go back to his ex now. Optimistically, Zhang Yunyao thought, perhaps one day Yu Nian would break free from this past.

But he never imagined.

This person sitting across from him, with an appearance of detachment and emptiness, would end up in bed with someone a month later.

And it was the same person.

Qi Wang.