Lu Yan really wanted to leave this place right now. If it weren’t for his boss’s orders to stick around, he would’ve bolted the moment he laid eyes on Wei Yuhe.

Slumped groggily in a corner, he gazed blankly around the hall, his eyes sweeping the space in a patterned search, as though he was looking for something. His mind was in a daze, and he couldn’t help but recall that cold, indifferent look Wei Yuhe had given him earlier, like he was just another stranger.

He should’ve known better. Choosing to come back to the country meant he’d eventually run into this person, but he didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

In retrospect, it was mostly his fault that things between him and Wei Yuhe had ended in such a mess. Back then, he was quick to accuse Wei Yuhe of being overly controlling, fickle, almost neurotic. But now, looking back, he realized that it was his own behavior that had pushed Wei Yuhe into becoming that way.

When he first fell for Wei Yuhe, he’d spouted endless sweet, intoxicating words, coaxing and deceiving him until he had him wrapped around his finger. But when he grew tired, his first thought was how to cut ties.

He assumed Wei Yuhe would react like the others he had messed around with, maybe try to cling for a bit, then get mad if he didn’t succeed. But he was wrong. In Wei Yuhe’s world, there was no such thing as a peaceful breakup.

He never really understood Wei Yuhe’s true nature; they were never compatible to begin with. That’s why things fell apart so disastrously when they separated, leaving both of them in a tangle of bitterness.

Just then, Lu Yan tried to get up and leave, but his dazed mind and body wouldn’t cooperate, and he stumbled right into someone next to him.

“Sorry,” Lu Yan apologized, looking at the person with a guilty expression.

The guy gave Lu Yan a thoughtful look, without a hint of surprise on his face. Suddenly, he grabbed Lu Yan’s hand and said, “Just a sorry?”

“What do you mean?” Lu Yan frowned at him, trying to pull his hand free, but the guy only gripped tighter. In their tug-of-war, the guy’s drink tilted, spilling all over Lu Yan.

“Oops, not on purpose,” the guy smirked, eyeing the wet spot on Lu Yan’s clothes with a look of schadenfreude. “But hey, that outfit looks like it’s from a street market. Shouldn’t be too pricey, right?”

“Yu Lele, stop stirring up trouble,” said Liu Xing, who’d been watching the scene unfold. He stepped in, steadying the slightly wobbly Lu Yan.

Lu Yan was about ready to curse his luck. How was it that situations straight out of some trashy TV drama always seemed to happen to him?

Their scuffle drew enough attention that a small crowd had started to gather. Lu Yan glanced around but couldn’t spot his assistant. Instead, he caught sight of Wei Yuhe, who was standing just outside the crowd.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, Lu Yan didn’t look away. Instead, he instinctively moved to cover the wet patch on his clothes, feeling a surge of embarrassment. He saw Wei Yuhe’s brow crease slightly, but couldn’t read his expression.

Was it disdain? Disgust? Or maybe he just didn’t want to look at him?

Lu Yan lowered his gaze, lost in thought, unaware that Wei Yuhe had already walked over to him.

“President Wei,” the guy beside him, Yu Lele, whined in a tone dripping with fake innocence, “he’s the one who bumped into me!”

Wei Yuhe spared Yu Lele a brief, dismissive glance before his gaze shifted to Liu Xing.

Liu Xing shivered under that glance. He didn’t know what Wei Yuhe meant by it, but it felt like he was sizing up something to be disposed of. It was unnerving.

“Both of you, come with me,” Wei Yuhe’s assistant announced.

“What’s going on here?” people murmured softly around them.

“No idea,” someone replied.

Lu Yan followed Wei Yuhe to a nearby lounge. Soon after, his own assistant also arrived, though he had no idea when Wei Yuhe had sent someone to call her over.

“What’s going on?” his assistant asked Lu Yan in a low voice.

“Got bitten by a dog,” Lu Yan replied quietly.

His assistant almost gasped. “What dog? Aren’t pets banned at this event? Did it bite you badly?”

Nearby, Yu Lele glared at Lu Yan, looking very much like an angry little dog.

“Mr. Lu,” Wei Yuhe’s assistant suddenly handed a bag to Lu Yan.

“What is it?” Lu Yan glanced from the assistant to Wei Yuhe. Inside the bag was a set of fresh clothes. His assistant, Xiao Wang, quickly thanked them, took the bag, and led Lu Yan to the changing room.

Meanwhile, Yu Lele’s face had gone pale. This was not how he’d imagined things going. Not only did Wei Yuhe fail to side with him, but he’d even arranged clothes for Lu Yan.

“What’s your name?” Wei Yuhe asked, his face expressionless.

“I’m Yu Lele, a streamer with Azure,” he replied, a bit shaken.

“Come by the office tomorrow and settle your contract termination,” Wei Yuhe said flatly before turning to leave.

Yu Lele stood there, stunned. What had just happened? It took him a moment to realize that he was in real trouble now.

By the time Lu Yan finished changing, only he and his assistant were left in the lounge. After all the commotion, he was exhausted. Coupled with the alcohol he’d had, a wave of drunkenness was now overtaking him.

A cup of honey water sat on the table, still warm, with a note tucked beneath it.

“You don’t have to go back out for more socializing after you finish this.”

Lu Yan planned to just stay in the lounge to avoid being dragged into more toasts. “What’s this?” he asked his assistant, looking puzzled.

“President Wei sent it over,” the assistant explained.

Lu Yan looked confused, unsure what Wei Yuhe was up to. Just a boss’s responsibility?

Too tipsy to dwell on it, Lu Yan dismissed the thought. Besides, he doubted he could figure it out anyway.

“You can go ahead. Pick me up at the parking lot when it’s over,” he told his assistant with a wave.

He didn’t know how long he’d been in the lounge. His phone was missing, and he was drowsy enough that he’d probably fall asleep if there were a bed here.

Lu Yan eventually made his way to the parking lot, finding his way to the car by memory. But his assistant seemed to have taken it somewhere, leaving a thick layer of dust on the hood. He leaned against the cleanest-looking car nearby.

The lot was deserted, so early that not a soul was around. He just wanted to get away from that gleaming hall. Even a dark underground lot felt better than that place.

It wasn’t that he hated Wei Yuhe. He just felt uneasy. After all, their past had ended in such bitterness, “falling out” was putting it mildly. Liang Mu had been right; he never should’ve gotten involved with Wei Yuhe.

And then, as if summoned by his thoughts, Wei Yuhe suddenly appeared in front of him.

Lu Yan finally realized that the nondescript business car he was leaning against belonged to none other than Wei Yuhe.

With a black suit jacket draped over his arm, Wei Yuhe approached, his gaze as cold as ever. His right arm was completely concealed by layers of fabric, but Lu Yan’s eyes involuntarily drifted there, recalling the image of that arm always injured, bloody.

The memory made the back of his neck prickle uncomfortably. Just as he was about to scratch it, Wei Yuhe stepped closer, staring at him with a frigid, intense gaze.

Lu Yan didn’t dare speak. His past with Wei Yuhe had left deep scars, a sense of suffocation that resurfaced whenever they were alone. That oppressive atmosphere, deeply ingrained, made it hard for him to breathe, especially in this dark, quiet setting.

“Long time no see,” Lu Yan managed, thinking that a simple greeting might ease the tension, given that this was technically his boss now.

But as expected, Wei Yuhe ignored him, instead watching him with a gaze colder than he’d imagined, layered with unreadable emotions—hurt? Accusation? Maybe he was just seeing things.

Lu Yan thought, in a way, they were enemies now.

Wei Yuhe’s stare was unnerving, so Lu Yan tried to edge away, but before he could, Wei Yuhe grabbed his arm, shoving him back against the car.

“What’s your deal?” Lu Yan asked sharply, memories of their past relationship flashing in his mind.

Wei Yuhe held him down firmly, his gaze fierce, as his hand slowly moved to Lu Yan’s neck, fingers cold against his skin, toying as if with something amusing.

Lu Yan felt a prickling heat under each touch, his body responding with a flare of goosebumps. “Let me go,” he demanded, gripping Wei Yuhe’s right arm gingerly, as though it were fragile.

But Wei Yuhe didn’t seem to hear. His fingers pressed lightly against Lu Yan’s neck, encircling it almost entirely. The look in his eyes had changed since before—no longer showing love, just a mixture of emotions too complex to decipher.

Lu Yan’s breathing grew strained as he tightened his grip on Wei Yuhe’s arm. “You’re insane,” he spat, his voice hoarse. “Let go, psycho.”

His voice trailed off as he struggled, finally leaving a deep mark on Wei Yuhe’s hand.

Just as he prepared to resist further, Wei Yuhe released him abruptly, taking a step back, restrained.

Gasping, Lu Yan pressed a hand to his throat, eyeing Wei Yuhe warily, afraid he’d lash out again. “You’ve lost it!” he hissed.

“Slut,” Wei Yuhe muttered, his gaze briefly dropping to Lu Yan’s chest, where his shirt had come undone during the scuffle, revealing pale skin in the dim parking lot.

Lu Yan looked down, realizing his disheveled shirt had popped open. In that instant, he could barely process the icy accusation, as if it hadn’t even come from the man before him.

After that biting remark, Wei Yuhe remained motionless, just watching Lu Yan. Even as Lu Yan slowly edged away, he didn’t react, as if nothing had happened.

Lu Yan reached his own car and turned to find Wei Yuhe still standing there, unmoving, like a statue.

As if deciding something, Wei Yuhe suddenly turned, opened his car door, locked it, and drove off without sparing Lu Yan another glance.

Soon, Lu Yan’s assistant arrived. Without keys or his phone, he’d been waiting by the car, and after what had just happened, he wasn’t about to lean on anyone else’s car.

“Sister Wang was called back to the office, so I’ll take you home,” his assistant said, noticing his lingering daze, still shaken from the encounter with Wei Yuhe.

“Brother Yan?”

“Let’s go,” Lu Yan mumbled, reclining in his seat, his hand instinctively covering the faint bruises on his neck.

“What happened to your neck?” his assistant asked, glancing curiously at him.

“It’s nothing,” Lu Yan replied, lowering his head slightly to hide the bruising.