Chapter 95: Wanting to See You Chong

Lin Hexi picked up his American colleague at the airport and brought them to the hotel where he was staying.

The fashion show was scheduled within the next two days, and since You Chong wouldn’t return until the weekend, Lin Hexi decided to set aside thoughts about him for now and focus on completing some preparations with his colleague at the hotel.

During this time, he was also called Zhou Xuan. However, the things that had been puzzling Lin Hexi couldn’t be clarified by Zhou Xuan either. All Zhou Xuan could do was suggest, “Just ask You Chong directly.”

Thinking about what You Chong had said over the phone—that he would talk to him once he returned—Lin Hexi assumed You Chong intended to lay everything out in the open. Hearing Zhou Xuan’s equally puzzled tone, Lin Hexi wasn’t too disappointed.

He hung up the phone, deciding to wait and ask You Chong when the time came.

However, to his surprise, someone else provided answers before You Chong’s return.

On the night of the fashion show, Lin Hexi ran into Fang Qingning outside the lounge next to the event venue.

The show had not yet started, so Lin Hexi sat in Fang Qingning’s lounge for a while.

Fang Qingning was attending the event as a celebrity guest on behalf of the brand. Lin Hexi had already noticed that most of the celebrity guests at the show were well-known figures in the entertainment industry. In contrast, Fang Qingning, a newly debuted artist, seemed rather obscure among such high-profile guests.

When Lin Hexi asked about the source of the invitation, Fang Qingning appeared just as puzzled. She admitted that she had little connection with the brand and no significant background in the entertainment industry. She, too, couldn’t understand why the brand would invite her to such a large-scale show.

Choosing not to dwell on the invitation and the brand, Lin Hexi took the opportunity—now that no one else was in the lounge and the assistant had discreetly left—to ask about Fang Qingning’s breakup with Xia Chengfeng.

Fang Qingning didn’t show much sadness. She brushed it off with a calm tone, saying simply, “We had different values.”

As she spoke, her eyelids lowered slightly, avoiding direct eye contact with Lin Hexi.

Having been through a breakup himself, Lin Hexi recognized the subtle signs. Beneath her composed tone, it was clear that mentioning Xia Chengfeng still stirred emotions she hadn’t yet fully let go of.

She hadn’t moved on from Xia Chengfeng.

Realizing this, Lin Hexi refrained from asking further. As he subtly shifted the topic, he found himself reflecting on the years since his own separation from You Chong, and an inexplicable urge to laugh welled up within him.

If he thought about it carefully, the relationships he and Fang Qingning had experienced back in college were, in essence, equally insignificant—neither worth more than the other.

With that thought, he glanced at the tips of his shoes and allowed himself a small, fleeting smile.

Noticing the faint smile at the corner of his lips, Fang Qingning blinked, momentarily stunned, as if a certain memory—neither big nor small—suddenly came back to her.

Fang Qingning was still hesitating about whether she should tell Lin Hexi, but he had already noticed her inner struggle. With a light chuckle, he asked, “Something you want to tell me?”

She nodded, no longer hesitating, and began, “When I arrived today, I saw—”

Before she could finish, her assistant knocked and entered, reminding them that the show was about to begin.

Fang Qingning pressed her lips together in frustration, instinctively glancing up at Lin Hexi.

Lin Hexi shook his head gently, signaling that it was fine. Then, standing up, he bid her farewell and left the lounge ahead of her.

After leaving the lounge, Lin Hexi walked down the long hallway, turning into another corridor before reaching the door that led to the show venue.

As he rounded the corner, he unexpectedly caught sight of Xia Chengfeng, someone he hadn’t seen in years.

Xia Chengfeng was standing at the edge of the corridor, engaged in conversation with others, completely unaware of Lin Hexi’s presence.

Lin Hexi made no effort to approach him. Instead, he quietly stepped through the door leading to the show, his expression still tinged with lingering contemplation.

And in the next moment, he suddenly smiled.

Since Xia Chengfeng was here, it explained how Fang Qingning had received the invitation.

There was only one entrance to the venue, and with Xia Chengfeng waiting outside, it was clear he was there for Fang Qingning.

Mistakenly assuming that Fang Qingning wanted to tell him about her encounter with Xia Chengfeng, Lin Hexi quickly dismissed the unfinished words from earlier and gave them no further thought.

However, two hours later, after the show and press conference had concluded, Lin Hexi made a stop at the nearest restroom. It was only then that he realized the person Fang Qingning had mentioned wasn’t Xia Chengfeng—nor was it someone he even knew.

Or more accurately, it was someone he didn’t know but had encountered before.

The sinks were positioned outside the entrances to the men’s and women’s restrooms. After exiting the restroom, Lin Hexi bent over slightly at the sink to wash his hands.

As the water began to flow, the sound of high heels echoed behind him. At the same time, the light dimmed slightly as someone stopped at the sink next to his.

Without intentionally glancing at the person, Lin Hexi pulled his hands from the running water, straightened up, and turned to leave.

The person beside him also withdrew their hands, and the sound of running water quickly ceased. Without missing a beat, a voice followed—a young woman’s voice.

It wasn’t Fang Qingning. The woman addressed him directly: “Mr. Lin.”

Lin Hexi paused slightly, his expression calm as he turned to face the speaker, his gaze settling on her face.

It was a beautiful and refined face, though unfamiliar to him. However, Lin Hexi recognized her—he had seen her before, both in news photos and in the reception hall of You Chong’s company.

After more than a year, she was still dressed in pieces designed by renowned designers, yet she was no longer You Chong’s fiancée.

A year ago, Lin Hexi had passed by Zhuang Yixia in the reception hall of You Chong’s company. Now, a year later, she had taken the initiative to stop him.

Lin Hexi maintained his usual composure, a faint smile curving his lips. “You know me?”

“I don’t just know you,” Zhuang Yixia responded with a perfectly measured smile. “I’ve looked into you.”

Hearing her words, Lin Hexi’s smile faded, and his expression cooled slightly. “Why did Miss Zhuang look into me?”

Zhuang Yixia seemed surprised and blurted out, “You know me?”

Before Lin Hexi could respond, she realized the answer herself and smiled playfully, blinking at him. “It makes sense you know me, after all, I was once engaged to You Chong.”

Lin Hexi stared at her directly, unable to discern the intent behind her words, and had no desire to continue the conversation.

Zhuang Yixia remained unbothered, her smile unwavering as she continued, “Don’t get the wrong idea. When I said I looked into you, it wasn’t because I wanted to investigate my fiancé’s ex-boyfriend. You Chong asked me to do it for him.”

Lin Hexi’s expression flickered slightly, momentarily caught off guard by her unexpected words.

Zhuang Yixia went on, “At the time, You Chong and I were merely in a cooperative arrangement, each getting what we needed. His father was keeping a close watch on him, making it difficult for him to reach out to anyone, so he used my name to find you.”

Lin Hexi had already guessed the circumstances behind You Chong and Zhuang Yixia’s engagement, so he showed no surprise. He merely gave her a small nod and said, “I know.”

Zhuang Yixia thought for a moment, realizing that since Lin Hexi already knew, there wasn’t much else to say. But she couldn’t resist asking, “Have you and You Chong gotten back together?”

Lin Hexi glanced at her without responding.

From the look in his eyes, Zhuang Yixia gradually understood the answer, her expression shifting to one of surprise.

A second later, Zhuang Yixia followed up with another question: “So, have you broken up with your boyfriend from abroad?”

This time, it was Lin Hexi’s turn to look surprised.

Before he could respond, Zhuang Yixia’s phone rang. She answered the call without waiting for his reply, gave him a brief smile, and hurried off with her phone in hand.

Lin Hexi remained standing in place, stunned and lost in thought.

So, Zhuang Yixia really had looked into him—so much so that she even knew about the boyfriend he’d had in the U.S.

Since Zhuang Yixia was investigating on You Chong’s behalf, it meant that whatever she found out, You Chong also knew.

Her parting question echoed once again in Lin Hexi’s mind, overlapping with the memory of that night at You Chong’s house—when he had pretended to be asleep, lying with his eyes closed, and heard You Chong murmur something quietly by the bedside.

He closed his eyes now, and for the first time, everything became startlingly clear.

That night, You Chong had been asking whether he had broken up.

And with that realization, the way You Chong had acted—his shifts between warmth and distance since Lin Hexi’s return—suddenly made perfect sense.

In the second year of their separation, Lin Hexi had quietly returned to the country, only to be greeted by news of You Chong’s engagement. At the same time, You Chong, through Zhuang Yixia’s connections, had tried to find him—only to discover that Lin Hexi had started a new relationship in the U.S.

It wasn’t during his first or third year abroad, but precisely in the second year, when both events coincided so perfectly that Lin Hexi couldn’t help but suspect that You Yueteng’s hand was involved.

Perhaps what he thought had been a secret return to the country was known all along by You Yueteng’s people. And maybe the information Zhuang Yixia uncovered wasn’t something she found herself, but something You Yueteng’s people had deliberately fed to her.

Yet whether this was the truth or not no longer mattered now.

After graduating and starting his job, Lin Hexi remained close with Wells and his roommate, both good friends of his. Occasionally, he would fly to their city to meet them and even stay overnight in their shared apartment.

He wasn’t sure if You Chong had stopped investigating him altogether or if You Chong had misunderstood his occasional short trips as visits to a so-called “long-distance boyfriend.”

These were things he couldn’t know—and no longer wished to overanalyze.

There was only one thing on his mind now: to see You Chong as soon as possible.