Zhu Yiyi’s face flashed with a moment of panic, and she pretended not to see, turning around.

But her heart was still pounding.

Even though they had broken up, she still felt guilty in this kind of situation. Zhu Yiyi, you have no backbone!

The man was still waiting for a response.

The more Zhu Yiyi looked at him, the more irritated she felt. She dismissed him with a few words and drank her milk absentmindedly.

Amy had a great time chatting and turned to see Zhu Yiyi alone again, “Where’s that man from earlier?”

“He left.”

“Tsk, pity. You like the suave and debauched type, huh?”

Zhu Yiyi finished the last sip of milk, “I guess so.”

Amy blinked her bright eyes, “Then He Shen must be your type.”

Zhu Yiyi almost choked on her milk.

“Zhuzhu, I’m curious, have you ever been in love?”

“I’ve been in one relationship.”

“Really?” Amy was excited, “When did you break up?”

“Recently.”

“Why did you break up?”

Zhu Yiyi twisted the bottle, and said softly, “We weren’t compatible.”

“Do you still like him?”

A ripple of emotion appeared in Zhu Yiyi’s eyes.

She had answered similar questions before.

That time, Zhu Yiyi had been losing weight excessively and almost fainted.

He Shen didn’t react much, his expression was calm, and his actions were still gentle and refined.

As if he didn’t care at all.

Only when Zhu Yiyi called out to him, did the man look at her. His usually relaxed eyes had a moment of coldness.

She only vaguely realized then that he was angry.

She sat in the passenger seat and called out softly, “He Shen.”

“Hmm.”

“I was wrong.”

“…”

“I won’t lose weight anymore. This time was an accident. Don’t be angry, okay?”

The man didn’t speak.

Zhu Yiyi, not wanting to waste any time, leaned over and kissed him as soon as the car stopped. “Still angry?”

He Shen was taken aback by her sudden boldness and coyness.

This was the first time Zhu Yiyi had done this. Her face was flushed, and she leaned against the seat, kissing him again. “Still angry?”

He Shen’s sharp eyes behind his glasses narrowed, his words were a reminder, but his tone was subtly seductive, “We’re still outside.”

“I know…”

The little girl’s voice was soft.

She slowly snuggled into his arms, rubbed against him, then pushed herself up on his thighs, carefully pecking his face a few times, “Boyfriend, don’t be angry, okay?”

“I wasn’t angry at you, I was angry at myself. I didn’t fulfill my responsibilities as a boyfriend, I didn’t give you enough security, and I didn’t give you enough care, which made you doubt your own body.” He Shen lowered his head, his nose brushing against hers, his voice deepening, “You should be the one not to be angry with me.”

He always did this.

He could easily capture Zhu Yiyi’s heart. A word, a gesture, and she would be lost forever.

Zhu Yiyi’s heart softened at that moment.

She whispered, “I like you.”

“Hmm?” The man didn’t hear clearly, and lowered his head.

“I said I like you,” she confessed softly, “I really like you.”

“How much do you like me?”

“I’ll like you for a lifetime.”

At that time, Zhu Yiyi felt that she was happier than anyone else in the world. She also ignored the fact that after she said she liked him, the man didn’t respond in the same way.

The lights of the bar shifted and changed, and Amy was still waiting for her answer.

Zhu Yiyi suddenly wanted to look back.

To see if he was there.

Like many times before, whenever He Shen was around, Zhu Yiyi’s heart would always be drawn to him.

But this time, she managed to restrain herself, “I probably don’t like him anymore.”

The first floor of the BOOM bar was mainly a dance floor, a place for men and women to have fun. The second floor and above were quieter, mainly for pool tables and private boxes.

Nan Er was playing pool in the box. Hearing the door open, he glanced over, “Why did it take you so long to get a drink?”

He Shen placed a few bottles of wine on the table, picked up a cue stick from the side, and hit the ball with a cold face.

He looked down from above, his waist didn’t even bend, he just moved his elbow slightly, and the pool balls scattered all over the table, clinking into the holes.

Only one red ball was left.

Nan Er grabbed the cue stick and said he would take it. He got into position, aimed the cue stick, and was about to hit the ball when He Shen expressionlessly potted it with one shot.

Ruthlessly.

Nan Er was in a hurry, “Are you on some kind of explosive? You didn’t even leave me one ball?”

He Shen didn’t even bother to look at him.

Nan Er leaned against the pool table, twirled the cue stick in his hand, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Few people in Beijing could affect He Shen.

His parents were in America.

The entire He family also respected him.

Who had the power and influence to make the unmoved He Shen so angry?

He stopped turning the cue stick in his hand and probed, “You wouldn’t have run into Zhu Yiyi, would you?”

He Shen dropped the cue stick he was holding, making a dull thud.

He leaned against the pool table, reached for a bottle of wine, popped it open, and took a gulp. The arrogance and wildness that inadvertently showed through were in stark contrast to his usual gentlemanly demeanor.

He clearly had no patience. He threw the cue stick aside, his jacket draped over his arm, ready to leave, “What did you want me to come here for today?”

Nan Er’s eyes darted around, “It’s not a big deal, just brothers playing pool.”

He Shen frowned, “Nan Er, I hate it when people use me.”

Nan Er felt uneasy and swallowed nervously.

As they were talking, the box door was pushed open again.

Lü Pe was wearing a woolen coat and high heels.

Seeing the man she had been longing for, she was overjoyed and excited, but she still pretended to be surprised, “He Shen, you’re here too. I thought Nan Er was only inviting me today.”

He Shen didn’t respond.

He turned to Nan Er, his eyes behind the lenses were sharp and scrutinizing, and he chuckled softly, “Nan Er, is this why you invited me here today?”

Nan Er felt guilty and made up an excuse, “We’ve been friends since we were kids. What’s wrong with us getting together to play pool?”

The He, Nan, and Lü families were all old friends, and the three of them had grown up together.

Lü Pe had been in love with He Shen since they were in school. Originally, He Shen hadn’t shown any signs of liking anyone, so Lü Pe didn’t break through that invisible barrier. She was willing to wait.

But who knew that a rival would appear out of nowhere.

Zhu Yiyi started dating He Shen.

During He Shen and Zhu Yiyi’s relationship, although the company didn’t know, it was already common knowledge among their circle of friends.

Lü Pe was heartbroken and even drank to drown her sorrows.

Nan Er had seen all of this.

He wanted to help Lü Pe.

After all, Lü Pe was a better match for He Shen than Zhu Yiyi.

Lü Pe felt the awkward atmosphere between the two, and she tried to defuse it, “He Shen, don’t blame Nan Er. He just wants us three to get together more often.”

Nan Er scratched his head and apologized, “I was wrong, I was wrong.”

He Shen’s face softened slightly.

Perhaps he himself didn’t know whether the raging fire in his chest was because Nan Er had tricked him, or because of what he had seen and heard downstairs.

“It’s okay.”

He Shen returned to his well-mannered gentlemanly self.

Lü Pe breathed a sigh of relief.

She was afraid that He Shen would be angry with her because of this.

She smiled, “By the way, I learned how to mix cocktails recently. Do you guys want to try some?”

Nan Er ordered a fiery red cocktail, took a sip, “It’s a strong drink.”

Lü Pe teased, “It’s perfect for a hot-headed guy like you.”

There was also a glass of ice-blue cocktail, with mint and lemon at the rim, giving off a mysterious and cold feeling.

Just like He Shen.

Lü Pe named this cocktail “Melting Ice.”

“He Shen, this is for you,” Lü Pe was a little shy, “Do you want to try it?”

“No.”

“Try it?” She was persistent, as if trying to prove something.

He Shen didn’t even look at her, just shook his head.

Lü Pe’s eyes fell, disappointment followed by anger.

Before Zhu Yiyi appeared, they were childhood sweethearts, friends who grew up together, and no matter what, they were closer than anyone else. But ever since He Shen had dated and broken up with Zhu Yiyi, she felt that he had changed a lot.

He was even colder than before.

“I saw Yiyi downstairs when I was mixing cocktails,” she said casually, “She was with another man.”

He Shen listened without any emotion, as if he didn’t care.

“Yiyi just broke up with you, and she’s already flirting with other men. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

He Shen dropped the cue stick, as if he had been touched on a sore spot.

He gave Lü Pe his first real look of the night, “She’s the kind of person who doesn’t need your judgment.”

His tone was a serious warning.

Lü Pe had never been so directly insulted, and her eyes immediately turned red.

He Shen withdrew his gaze, ignoring Nan Er’s attempts to stop him and left the box.

The last time Ms. Zhu and Zhu Yiyi had a fight, Ms. Zhu ran away in anger and stayed at a friend’s house for a week.

Zhu Yiyi called and texted her, but she didn’t reply.

It took a lot of persuasion to get Ms. Zhu back home.

Finally, the mother and daughter were able to sit down and watch TV peacefully.

Zhu Yiyi squeezed a glass of juice, heated it up, and then drank it, “Mom, have you seen a black windbreaker in my room?”

Ms. Zhu hummed, “Your Aunt Chen’s cousin came over last time, and his clothes were thin. I was afraid he would be cold, so I just gave him the coat to wear.”

Zhu Yiyi jumped up from the sofa, “Where did he go wearing it?”

“He went back to Shanghai.”

“…”

Ms. Zhu switched the TV to “The Temptation of a Homecoming,” and started watching Pinru tormenting the scumbag Ai Li and Hong Shixian again, casually saying, “It’s just a coat.”

“It’s a coat that my colleague borrowed from me. It’s very expensive.”

“How expensive?”

Zhu Yiyi: “…”

If I tell you, you’ll be scared to death.

Looking at Ms. Zhu’s carefree attitude, Zhu Yiyi sighed heavily.

This time, she really couldn’t explain it to He Shen.

The next day, Zhu Yiyi went to work with two panda eyes.

She was listless and lethargic.

Amy was wearing exquisite makeup, and she put her arm around Zhu Yiyi’s shoulder, “Zhuzhu, are you sick?”

Zhu Yiyi was half-dead, “No.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Zhu Yiyi forced a smile, “Amy, did you need something?”

“Bingo!”

Amy handed her a document, “There’s a high-level executive going on a business trip to Linshi recently. It was originally supposed to be me, but I still have that project in France to follow up on, so it’s been assigned to you.”

Business trips with high-level executives were not simple projects.

It was a stroke of luck that many junior employees would die for.

In the publicity and planning department, Zhu Yiyi was still considered a newcomer and didn’t have the qualifications for this.

“Amy, I can’t do it.”

“My dear, how do you know you can’t do it if you don’t try?” Amy pinched her cheek, like a caring older sister, “Last time, everyone thought you couldn’t handle Yu Jia’s interview assignment, but didn’t you still complete it?”

“That’s because someone helped me.”

“It doesn’t matter. You have to remember that in the workplace, it doesn’t matter how you do it, what matters is the result.”

Zhu Yiyi paused for a few seconds, “Amy, I actually have a question I’ve been wanting to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why did you choose me back then?”

This question had been weighing on Zhu Yiyi’s mind for a long time.

“Do you have an answer in your heart?” Amy looked at her, “Or do you also think you got in because of luck?”

“I can’t think of any other answer for now.”

“Then when you have another answer in your heart, come ask me again. I’ll answer you then.”

Amy then smiled charmingly, “But before that, my dear, this business trip assignment is yours. Don’t disappoint me.”

Ms. Zhu had recently started asking about the baby and marriage again, and things at home were not peaceful. Zhu Yiyi thought that going on a business trip to Linshi at this time would be a good buffer.

“Okay, Amy,” she took the document, “Where are we going on this business trip?”

“Xuanzhou.”

Zhu Yiyi’s fingers tightened around the document.

Xuanzhou.

It was her hometown before she moved to Beijing.

…

When she got home from work, Ms. Zhu was playing mahjong with her friends again.

Zhu Yiyi sent a message saying that she was going on a business trip, and then went to her bedroom to pack her clothes.

From graduating from college to now, Zhu Yiyi hadn’t been back to Xuanzhou for almost eight years. She checked her phone and found that it was even colder there than in Beijing.

The weather forecast said that there would be snow in the coming days.

It was funny to think about. She had lived in Xuanzhou since she was a child and had only seen snow a few times. Now, she was going back on a business trip and would be caught in a once-in-a-decade snowstorm.

Her phone buzzed. She thought it was Ms. Zhu, but it was a voice message from Amy, “My dear, the car is downstairs. Just get in when you’re ready.”

So fast?

So thoughtful?

Zhu Yiyi was worried that the high-level executive would be difficult to deal with, but it seemed that they were quite considerate of their subordinates.

After replying to Amy, she finished packing her clothes and was about to go to the living room to organize the documents she was taking with her –

The front door was suddenly knocked on.

Knock knock knock.

Three slow, steady knocks.

“Coming, coming.” Zhu Yiyi kicked off her slippers and went to open the door. She was wearing a bunny headband and hadn’t changed clothes. She just went to open the door like that.

The moment the door opened.

A tall figure blocked the light from the hallway. The man lowered his head slightly, his features were sharp and cold, and his hair was bathed in a layer of soft light.

He Shen said, “I came to pick you up.”

Zhu Yiyi froze at the door.

She never expected that the high-level executive she would be traveling with –

Would be him.