Chapter 2

“I used to think that Xu Jiheng was one of the rare romantic types in the finance world. That stereotype about finance guys being scumbags didn’t seem to apply to him. Turns out, those warnings left behind by others were written in blood,” Meng Yuange fumed across the table.

Meng Yuange had known Cheng Li since elementary school. Though they went to different middle schools, they reunited in high school and later in college. Even their families were intimately familiar with each other, practically treating them as sisters.

She had originally planned to spend this Qixi Festival avoiding all the lovey-dovey couples by staying home to binge-watch dramas. But after Cheng Li’s call, she rushed over without hesitation.

Cheng Li sat quietly as Meng Yuange vented her anger for a full thirty minutes.

In her tirade, Meng Yuange paused to take a swig of wine before continuing, “That scumbag was such a convincing actor. Seriously, even my scumbag radar failed to pick up on him. Who would have thought a man who pursued you so earnestly could turn out to be like this?”

Who, indeed?

Cheng Li herself had been deceived by his polished facade.

Though she and Xu Jiheng had attended the same university, they were two years apart and hadn’t known each other. They only met later during a financing project at Fanhai Intelligent Systems.

Initially, Cheng Li had no special feelings toward him and treated him like any other business partner.

But Xu Jiheng had taken a liking to her at first sight.

At the start, he didn’t make his intentions too obvious, choosing instead to quietly offer thoughtful gestures.

When he realized Cheng Li wasn’t responding, he straightforwardly confessed his feelings. Naturally, she turned him down.

She thought that would be the end of it. After all, they were adults. Rejection was nothing unusual.

Especially in today’s fast-paced society, and with Xu Jiheng’s demanding finance career, who would have the patience to pursue someone like a lovestruck schoolboy?

But Xu Jiheng didn’t give up.

He persisted, patiently courting her for two years.

Finally, one night a year ago, Cheng Li’s heart softened when she saw him waiting outside her office late at night, smoking a cigarette to stay awake.

That’s how they ended up together.

Yet, after only a year, the man had completely changed.

Even Cheng Li found it laughable.

If he couldn’t control his desires, why go to such lengths to win her over in the first place?

Seeing Cheng Li quietly drinking, Meng Yuange grew more frustrated. “Why are you so calm? Shouldn’t you be angry?”

Cheng Li replied, “I am angry. Listening to you curse him out is pretty satisfying. You’re speaking on my behalf.”

Meng Yuange, who had studied journalism and now worked in financial media, never failed to surprise Cheng Li with her growing arsenal of creative insults.

“Curse him? I want to beat him up! Why didn’t you storm in and give him a piece of your mind back there?” Meng Yuange asked, exasperated. “Or better yet, tell me which restaurant that scumbag’s at, and I’ll go handle it for you.”

“So we can both enjoy free accommodations in a detention center for fifteen days?” Cheng Li replied dryly.

Meng Yuange touched Cheng Li’s forehead and sighed, “Even now, you’ve got the energy to crack jokes.”

Cheng Li wasn’t unaffected. Her mind was still buzzing.

Perhaps she was so angry she couldn’t even cry.

Seeing Cheng Li’s downcast demeanor, as if she’d been beaten by life, made Meng Yuange’s heart ache even more.

“Let’s find a handsome guy tonight. Look around this bar—see anyone you like? The best way to move on from heartbreak is to find someone new, right?”

Cheng Li gave a wry smile. “So because he cheated, I should do the same?”

“Of course! Why would you stay loyal to a jerk like that? Besides, how do you know this is his first time cheating? He might’ve had a wandering eye even while chasing you,” Meng Yuange said.

Hearing this only made Cheng Li feel worse.

“If he’s into mistresses, you should find someone who’s leagues ahead of him in every way. Show that scumbag you’ll only get better without him!” Meng Yuange’s indignation grew. “My gorgeous best friend gets cheated on—what an idiot he is!”

As she spoke, her tone suddenly changed. “Wait, look over there. Second table to the left.”

Meng Yuange tugged at Cheng Li’s arm insistently, leaving her no choice but to look.

At a round table, a man leaned casually against its edge. His suit jacket was folded over his arm, and he wore a crisp white shirt with two undone buttons at the collar. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing slender yet defined forearms. His hands moved deftly over his phone screen, the light catching the faint contours of his knuckles, exuding a restrained sensuality.

Positioned just in the shadows, his face was hard to make out, but his silhouette was strikingly clean-cut.

After a moment, the man’s companion seemed to say something. Leaning slightly to listen, his face briefly caught the bar’s rotating lights.

In that instant, Cheng Li recognized him.

“Oh my god,” Meng Yuange gasped. Her grip tightened painfully on Cheng Li’s arm as she exclaimed, “That’s Rong Qi!”

“Ow, that hurts!” Cheng Li yanked her arm free.

“Do you remember Rong Qi? The guy who transferred to our school in sophomore year, the one who left the accelerated program for gifted students?”

Back then, it had been the biggest news at their school.

It happened about a month after the school year began, right after the National Day holiday. Everyone was lamenting how short the break felt when a classmate burst in announcing they had a new transfer student.

The news caused a stir.

“That can’t be true—it’s already been a month since school started.”

“Yeah, our school isn’t just open to anyone.”

“Where’d you hear this from?”

Their school was a prestigious institution, and anyone who got in had been top of their class in middle school. A sudden transfer like this naturally led to endless speculation about the new student’s background.

There was a subtle sense of disdain.

Who would have thought that the nosiest student in class would suddenly whisper conspiratorially, “This one’s a real prodigy.”

Everyone immediately turned their attention to him, urging him to spill.

“Come on, stop teasing and just say it.”
“Yeah, like we haven’t seen enough top students at this school. Alumni from Tsinghua and Peking University come back to give speeches all the time.”

At that moment, Cheng Li was sprawled across her desk, lazily working on an IELTS practice book. Her mother, Mrs. Ling, was an English teacher at their school and had always been especially strict about Cheng Li’s English studies. On top of her regular homework assignments, Cheng Li had to complete the additional tasks assigned by her mother.

Finally, the boy, under everyone’s impatient stares, announced, “This guy dropped out of the gifted youth program.”

The entire class erupted.

“Wow, the gifted youth program? That’s impressive!”
“Pfft, big deal. So what if he dropped out? Why is that surprising?”
“Are you serious? That’s the gifted youth program. Think you could get in?”
“Of course I could, I just don’t want to.”

Amidst the commotion, Cheng Li could barely concentrate on the letters in her workbook. Her first impression of Rong Qi was that he was trouble.

Throughout their three years in high school, Cheng Li didn’t have much interaction with Rong Qi.

He was reserved, rarely speaking unless spoken to, and his aloofness made him seem like a solitary genius.

But his exceptional academic performance was enough for everyone to tolerate his indifference.

Cheng Li herself wasn’t the type to initiate conversations, so they hardly spoke, except in that one instance outside school.

After high school, Rong Qi was accepted to Tsinghua University in Beijing, while Cheng Li stayed in Shanghai to attend J University. Their lives diverged like two straight lines intersecting briefly before veering off in opposite directions.

Cheng Li sipped her drink and said calmly, “Did you forget what I do for a living?”

Meng Yuange slapped her thigh in realization. “Oh, right! You’re in tech. There’s no way you don’t know Rong Qi. Who could’ve guessed back in high school that our class would produce a billionaire—one worth hundreds of billions, no less?”

Eight years ago, while still a student at Tsinghua, Rong Qi and his childhood friend from the gifted youth program co-founded Qiyu Tech. The company quickly became one of the hottest unicorn startups in the tech industry, its valuation skyrocketing into the trillions within a few short years.

In the age of the internet, these Zuckerberg-style entrepreneurial legends weren’t unheard of.

Rong Qi had become one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the country, with unparalleled wealth and prestige.

Meng Yuange sighed. “Do you think he still remembers his high school classmates?”

Cheng Li replied evenly, “Want the truth?”
“Yeah.”
“He probably doesn’t. At best, he might vaguely remember some faces but not the names.” Cheng Li took a sip of her drink. “The other day, I ran into a high school classmate on the street. He chatted with me for ages, but I couldn’t even remember his name.”

“Well, that’s the perk of being pretty. Even classmates you don’t recognize will still stop to talk to you.”

Cheng Li: “…”

Meng Yuange’s eyes suddenly widened. “But if you went over and said hi now, he’d definitely remember you, right? You were our school’s famous beauty back then. Ordinary classmates might forget you, but a school beauty? No way.”

Meng Yuange wasn’t exaggerating. Cheng Li had been a natural beauty since childhood.

While most girls went through awkward phases in high school, Cheng Li had flawless skin and strikingly delicate features, making her a standout school beauty. Even now, she was still the face of her company.

Cheng Li shot her a skeptical glance and said dryly, “You think someone like him hasn’t seen enough beautiful women?”

“Well, yeah, he’s probably met plenty of celebrities,” Meng Yuange admitted. Then, glancing at Cheng Li, she added, “But honestly, you’re not any less stunning than them.”

“Thanks, but you don’t need to look at me through rose-colored glasses.”

Their conversation gradually drifted to gossip, lifting the somber mood.

Still, after a couple more drinks, Meng Yuange couldn’t resist saying, “Do you think if I reached out to him for an exclusive interview as a former classmate, he’d agree?”

“You wouldn’t believe how popular he is now—handsome and full of intrigue. Every interview with him becomes a viral article, with sky-high click and share rates. If I landed one, I wouldn’t have to worry about my KPIs for the rest of the year.”

“Too bad he’s so aloof. He barely grants one interview a year.”

Cheng Li encouraged her. “Why not give it a shot?”

“Maybe I should.” Meng Yuange acted like she was about to stand up.

But noticing Cheng Li’s expression, she suddenly remembered why she was here tonight—to comfort her best friend after being cheated on, not to chase after a work opportunity.

“Forget it. That can wait. Let’s get back to cursing that scumbag Xu Jiheng.”

Cheng Li finally broke into a small laugh—the first smile she’d shown all evening.

Seeing this, Meng Yuange relaxed and grinned. “See? Scumbag men aren’t worth it. Gossip is way more fun.”

Then, as if struck by a brilliant idea, she said, “Babe, if you snagged someone like Rong Qi, wouldn’t that be the ultimate revenge on Xu Jiheng? Just imagine: you walking up to that scumbag and his mistress, arm in arm with Rong Qi, saying, ‘You’re only good enough for someone like her. I deserve the best.’”

Cheng Li couldn’t hold it in this time. She had just taken a sip of her drink and ended up coughing violently from being choked.

Out of the corner of her eye, she unintentionally glanced in that direction.

At that moment, Rong Qi had just taken a seat, directly facing Cheng Li.

Perhaps by chance, as she looked over, he lifted his eyes and met her gaze.

Caught off guard by his cold and indifferent expression, Cheng Li quickly averted her eyes, terrified he might somehow realize her friend was fantasizing about some outlandish nonsense.

“The kind of nonsense you’re spouting could actually get you sued,” Cheng Li whispered in a low voice.

*

The man sitting across from Rong Qi raised an eyebrow, surprised to see Rong Qi finally look up from his phone.

“Well, it’s about time you stopped staring at your phone.”

“If it weren’t for you, I’d still be using my computer to get work done.”

If not for the other man insisting that it was Qixi Festival, the air was full of lovey-dovey couples everywhere, and he didn’t want to drink alone, Rong Qi would still be at the office working overtime.

“Who were you just looking at?” Jiang Zhe asked curiously, turning his head in the direction Rong Qi had been glancing. His gaze landed on Cheng Li not far away. “Wow, she’s gorgeous. Do you know her?”

Then, with a teasing smile, he added, “You’re not the type to fall for beauty, are you? Isn’t it usually ‘code in the heart, beauty in the background’ for you?”

Rong Qi lifted his eyelashes slightly, fixing Jiang Zhe with a cold stare. He enunciated each word deliberately: “Mind your own damn business.”