Cen Wei still couldn’t make it that night. He had several places to visit before the new year, and there was just too much work to finish. The matter of the defamation suit was left to someone else to handle, but even while on a business trip, he was pushing for progress on it every day.

On the other hand, Chu Lai didn’t seem too bothered. When Xuan Rongqing and Cen Wei spoke on the phone, they both agreed that Lai Lai had excellent mental resilience. They joked about how stressed they were by the negative comments, yet he continued to stream his gaming sessions as usual.

The Lunar New Year was approaching, and Chu Lai had completed all his resignation handover procedures. After the new year, the official resignation would just require him to return and sign some paperwork. Xuan Rongqing had also prepared a lot of gifts for the new year, asking Chu Lai if he had any colleagues or friends to whom he wanted to send gifts. If so, he could take a gift box directly from home.

Chu Lai had only one friend, Liu Yuan, whose parents’ small restaurant would be closed during the New Year. Liu Yuan was surprised that Chu Lai actually came to deliver gifts, clearly feeling flattered: “No way? You’re being so polite! I’ve never gotten this kind of treatment before!”

The gift box looked expensive. Chu Lai said, “My family told me to send it. I wouldn’t have bought it on my own.”

Liu Yuan, used to his attitude, laughed, “As if I don’t know you’re pretty loaded now.”

Chu Lai: “I’m unemployed.”

Liu Yuan: “Oh, sure, Mr. Big Streamer. I’m telling you, you could even switch to being a romance vlogger.”

Chu Lai was too lazy to engage with his bad ideas. “Nah, I’ve only dated twice, not much experience.”

Perhaps noticing that Chu Lai had taken a taxi, Liu Yuan asked, “Why didn’t Cen Wei drop you off?”

Both of them were technically unemployed on the surface. Liu Yuan came from a family with a business inheritance, and at least his cooking skills were quite good. After resigning, he expanded the family restaurant.

His parents had no objections to him taking over. Liu Yuan often mentioned that while Chu Lai was a big-time streamer, his own cooking videos had several million views, so the two of them weren’t exactly competing in the same arena.

Chu Lai: “He’s on a business trip.”

Liu Yuan looked at Chu Lai’s reaction, noticing he was still the same as before. He couldn’t help but ask, “Do you miss him?”

Liu Yuan had witnessed Chu Lai’s romantic life, but it was anything but ordinary. At least, there were none of the usual emotions you’d expect from a typical person in love. No mad impulsive gestures like [I’ll drive a forklift and steal you away in the middle of the night]; it was more like he just wanted to avoid any trouble.

Chu Lai nodded, “Yeah, I miss him.”

Liu Yuan had expected a rebuttal, but after a few seconds, all he could do was make a sound of surprise.

Chu Lai laughed, “What’s so surprising about that?”

He was sitting on the sofa. Liu Yuan had moved to a simple place near the restaurant after opening the business and now lived just across the street. Recently, Liu Yuan had rescued a nearly dead kitten, which had since come back to life and was now curling up on Chu Lai’s lap. Liu Yuan was clearly jealous, cursing the ungrateful little furball.

Curious, Liu Yuan asked, “What about before?”

Chu Lai shook his head. Liu Yuan clicked his tongue, “I knew you picked Shen Quanzhang purely because he satisfied some weird quirk of yours. It wasn’t really about love, was it?”

Chu Lai didn’t quite agree with that, “People do have feelings.”

Liu Yuan: “True, like how I can’t help but think of my ungrateful ex whenever I cook liver now.”

Chu Lai thought about Liu Yuan’s viral “Ex-Boyfriend Bone Broth” tutorial, which wasn’t much different from the popular “Beating Up Your Ex Lemon Tea” series.

“But Chu Lai, you really don’t feel anything about all those nasty comments online? Just reading them makes me furious.”

Liu Yuan still stumbled upon them every now and then. “What the hell is Cen Wei even doing?”

Chu Lai: “He said he would handle it, so I don’t worry about it.”

He spoke with such trust that Liu Yuan instantly recognized the difference: “Yeah, being legally married does make a difference.”

“Did Cen Wei ever tell you how he was going to handle it?”

Chu Lai shook his head, “I’m too lazy to ask, and he wouldn’t tell me anyway.”

Liu Yuan: “So, do you two at least call each other while he’s away?”

Liu Yuan was too curious. Before marriage, both of them seemed distant and cold, but afterward, they became so sweet that it was nauseating. Liu Yuan had even urged Chu Lai to record a vlog.

Chu Lai nodded, “Yeah, we call, sometimes even video chat.”

Liu Yuan let out an exaggerated “Wow.” “You don’t find that annoying?”

Chu Lai shook his head. It had been several days since Cen Wei left, and while his quirks hadn’t yet reached the point of addiction, he couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of longing.

The casually dressed young man shook his phone. The lock screen showed a scanned photo of a seventeen-year-old Cen Wei.

In a low voice, he said, “Not annoying at all. I look forward to it.”

This should have been the end of the conversation, but Liu Yuan, either too clueless or deliberately provoking, pressed on: “Look forward to what?”

Chu Lai glanced at him, “Of course, the hugs.”

Liu Yuan sighed, “Some things never change.”

The company had been busy lately, and Shen Quanzhang hadn’t had much desire to go on dates. His phone was full of app notifications, with avatars saying hello or even sending pictures directly.

After breaking up with Chu Lai, Shen Quanzhang didn’t care much initially. It was a relationship he thought he could easily let go of. But after learning that Chu Lai had gotten together with his boss, Shen Quanzhang began to feel increasingly bothered.

What exactly was so great about Chu Lai? What did CEO Cen see in him?

Shen Quanzhang knew the answer deep down. Chu Lai gave people an unparalleled sense of security. No matter how far you went, when you turned back, Chu Lai would always be there, waiting.

A single hug could soothe everything. You didn’t need to put much effort into the relationship—Chu Lai’s greatest demand was just that, a hug.

Yet after the breakup, Shen Quanzhang couldn’t stop thinking about Chu Lai, feeling an uncontrollable jealousy towards Cen Wei.

The company belonged to Cen Wei, a successful, young professional constantly on business trips, chauffeured in luxury cars, and with a wealthy background.

On the day of Chu Lai’s wedding, Shen Quanzhang had tried to avoid hearing the news, only to be called into work. There was no escaping the rumors. His coworkers had even shared pictures from the wedding in the group chat—Chu Lai in a suit, standing closely with Cen Wei in a matching outfit, looking inseparable.

Shen Quanzhang had been with Chu Lai for three years, and while he hadn’t fully understood him, he recognized that expression on his face well. Chu Lai was more in love with Cen Wei than he had ever been with him.

If this wasn’t about abandoning the poor for the rich, then what was it?

These two probably started hooking up behind my back long ago.

Shen Quanzhang thought bitterly, “Chu Lai still holds onto my cheating, but what about him? He only ever wanted hugs, avoiding kisses, let alone anything more.”

Is it just because he’s with a rich guy now?

By the end of the year, many employees at Cen Corporation’s headquarters were waiting to clock out. After a meeting, Shen Quanzhang received a call from his parents.

His mother’s voice came through, “I’m not rushing you, but since you broke up with your boyfriend, how’s work going? You know, now even same-sex couples can get married. We’d like to see you settle down soon too.”

Shen Quanzhang’s parents had met Chu Lai during a trip to S City last year. They had all shared a meal together, and Shen parents were very satisfied with Chu Lai’s background: no overbearing relatives, his mother remarried and living far away, and he had a house in the city.

However, Chu Lai’s personality was too distant, and they couldn’t quite figure out what he was really thinking.

His father believed their son could find someone better and had been pushing Shen Quanzhang to keep looking. There was no need to rush—after all, he was a “phoenix” who had risen from the countryside. People saw him as someone with a bright future in a big city full of opportunities, where there had to be someone better.

Initially, Shen Quanzhang felt the same. But as he worked more, he noticed that some of the people who seemed unconcerned had already found someone to rely on. Others who weren’t expecting much from marriage were just living independently, not hungry for financial gain or social climbing. The rich playboys were sharp—fine with having fun, but when it came to marriage, it was a different matter entirely.

Everyone distrusted one another. In contrast, couples from school, who knew each other well, seemed the most solid for building a life together.

But Chu Lai wouldn’t turn back. The more Shen Quanzhang thought about it, the more he felt like there was a lump in his throat. Even his paycheck seemed like something Chu Lai had tossed to him out of pity.

Why is Chu Lai doing so well after our breakup? His coworkers even claimed they saw Cen Wei’s mom dropping Chu Lai off at work.

Rumor had it that Cen Wei’s grandfather gifted Chu Lai several properties too.

And this guy who said he didn’t care how much money I made—someone who claimed all he needed was a daily hug—wasn’t he just a gold digger at heart?

Shen Quanzhang desperately wished that Cen Wei would get bored of Chu Lai, but he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the opposite scenario. By all accounts, it was obvious that Cen Wei and his spouse were in an enviably good relationship after marriage.

Plus, Cen Wei’s wedding video had gone viral, attracting a lot of attention for the company’s new product. Orders had surged, even though some investors had initially doubted the luxury, handmade umbrella’s high-end positioning.

Unable to swallow his resentment, Shen Quanzhang used his connections to buy an account and anonymously leaked details about the wedding video while it was still trending.

Who doesn’t love gossip? In the S City business circle, Cen Wei was well-known, and Chu Lai had worked at a big company. With the right tags, it wasn’t hard to attract curiosity.

As expected, many people took the bait, condemning Chu Lai for abandoning the poor in favor of the rich. They even dug up his live streaming account, but Chu Lai didn’t seem to care. His streams went on as usual, and surprisingly, his following grew. Though he wasn’t streaming daily, the number of people criticizing him decreased. Many even became fans after being drawn in by his calm, collected streaming style.

Some viewers even thought that Cen Wei and Chu Lai were a perfect match, eagerly anticipating their daily vlog.

At work, as usual, Shen Quanzhang checked the feedback on his burner phone while in the restroom. He stumbled across a thread that was rapidly gaining attention:

[The streamer is really interesting, but he never responds to personal questions. If you spam them, the moderators will ban you.]
[Ask him about gaming instead, and he’ll reply. It’s kinda weird; even before he revealed his face, there was something really attractive about him.]
[His horror streams are hands-down the most fun on the internet. Way better than those other streamers who just scream to scare you. He’s all like, “Oh, I got scared,” when he clearly didn’t!]
[Lol, I think whoever’s making these anonymous accusations has a guilty conscience. The streamer and his partner are totally fine. I even checked with someone in the industry—it was love at first sight. How is that “seamless transition”? The streamer said himself his ex cheated on him.]
[I’ve been following @Laic for years. No way was it a seamless transition! Who knows who’s behind this anonymous nonsense.]

Sitting in the bathroom stall, Shen Quanzhang was floored by how many people had come to criticize him recently.

Not long after, someone knocked on the door. It was his coworker from the next cubicle. “Shen Quanzhang, are you in there? We have a meeting before the year-end party. Why aren’t you responding to messages?”

“Today’s meeting is with CEO Cen.”

The news nearly made Shen Quanzhang drop his phone.

Cen Wei was holding a meeting? Why would he meet with our team?

Did he find out?

Impossible. I had professionals scrub my browsing history. Plus, I never used the company network for this, and my phone’s secure…

Right, I just need to ditch the phone…

Before he could do that, his colleague said, “It’s about the project. The data in the report you submitted to the supervisor had issues. We’re all meeting about it.”

This coworker had joined the company with Shen Quanzhang as part of the same graduate intake. They often ate together and had a decent relationship. “We need to finalize next quarter’s plans before the new year.”

Relieved, Shen Quanzhang followed his team to the meeting room.

But as soon as he sat down, the supervisor said, “You’ll be in the other room.”

Shen Quanzhang blinked, “What?”

The supervisor replied, “CEO Cen wants to talk to you privately.”

Pushing open the door to the smaller meeting room, Shen Quanzhang saw Cen Wei and the legal team. At that moment, he knew he was done for.

He tried to escape but was immediately shoved back inside. His superior glanced at him coldly, “Have a seat, Mr. Shen.”

As the heir to a century-old company, Cen Wei was known for being aloof and unreachable. Shen Quanzhang had seen him hosting overseas partners with impeccable etiquette and flawless foreign language skills. It was then that Shen Quanzhang realized that some people are born on top of the pyramid, no amount of hard work could compare.

Chu Lai was just like him, so why did he get the shortcut?

He kept claiming he liked a simple, ordinary life, but would a person like that live such a luxurious lifestyle? He drove flashy cars, lived in the kind of mansion Shen Quanzhang had dreamed of in his student days, and wore high-end watches that Shen Quanzhang had only seen in magazines but could never afford.

How could Chu Lai possibly deserve any of this?

In the room was a senior lawyer that Cen Wei had specifically hired, as well as Vice President Shen Yangxu and several other high-level executives and shareholders that Shen Quanzhang had seen on the company website.

The intimidating lineup would terrify any ordinary employee. Cen Wei, expressionless, looked down at Shen Quanzhang like he was some disgusting piece of trash.

Without saying a word, Cen Wei’s secretary handed Shen Quanzhang the evidence of his defamation. Thankfully, Shen Quanzhang had hidden his phone well.

He refused to admit it. “You don’t have the right to fire me. You don’t have any proof.”

But Shen Quanzhang soon found himself at a loss for words. His phone slipped out of his pocket.

From start to finish, Cen Wei didn’t say a word. It was as if the reputational damage caused by Shen Quanzhang didn’t matter to him at all. After Shen Quanzhang signed the papers, everyone else left, leaving only him and Cen Wei in the small meeting room.

They both knew each other’s identities well, but they had never directly spoken before. Whether it was Shen Quanzhang running into Chu Lai at the company or their chance encounter in Xunxi, Cen Wei had always pretended he didn’t see Shen Quanzhang.

His indifference only made Shen Quanzhang angrier. Looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the year-end countdown across the street, this confrontation seemed to mark the end of Shen Quanzhang’s first job.

Glaring at the tall man before him, Shen Quanzhang asked, “Are you satisfied now?”

“You two were hooking up long before, weren’t you?”

Cen Wei stood up from his chair. In the eyes of the company’s employees, his appearance was as polished as a model’s—far more stylish than the previous CEO, yet not overly flashy.

The man was imposing, especially when he stood directly in front of Shen Quanzhang. “I was there the day you cheated.”

Shen Quanzhang was stunned. “What?”

His expression twisted as he looked at Cen Wei. “So, you two were together all along?”

Cen Wei replied, “That day was your probationary promotion celebration. Chu Lai bought you that limited-edition keyboard you had in your shopping cart for ages but never dared to buy.”

Shen Quanzhang remembered that day—Chu Lai had indeed shown up with a box.

A celebration? Since when did Chu Lai care about things like anniversaries?

He laughed, “So what? He still ended up with you, didn’t he? Who knows how long you two were—”

Cen Wei seemed repulsed by the mere sight of Shen Quanzhang, cutting him off, “That day, I was sitting in the booth next to yours.”

Holding back the urge to hit him, Cen Wei said, “You think Chu Lai had no feelings for you?”

This kind of talk wasn’t something Cen Wei wanted to dwell on. Spending time with Chu Lai had made Cen Wei realize how sensitive and cautious he was. His calm exterior could deceive people, and in a way, he was good at masking his true self. Without expectations, there wouldn’t be disappointment, which is why Chu Lai preferred to let things flow naturally—surprises felt more special that way.

“You were the one who was fickle and evasive, always avoiding responsibility. People are sensitive creatures—how could he not feel your love slipping away?”

Cen Wei’s voice grew cold. “You didn’t deserve him.”