Lu Ang invited Shen Li out for dinner in the evening.
Shen Li calmly accepted his role as driver, leaving the company before five o’clock to head to JH and pick up Ji Zhouye, planning to drop Ji Zhouye off at the estate before heading out to his appointment.
Since Lu Ang had signed the cooperation contract without hesitation, Shen Li felt he ought to express his gratitude regardless of whether Lu Ang had any hidden motives.
By the time drowsiness began to creep up on Shen Li, Ji Zhouye still had not emerged.
Normally, Ji Zhouye either came out promptly at five o’clock or five minutes past five; he had never made him wait for more than ten minutes.
Today was an exception. Even after half an hour, there was still no sign of him.
His appointment with Lu Ang was set for seven o’clock in the evening.
Shen Li glanced at the time displayed on the car screen and started a game on his phone.
When the game ended, he lost, and over twenty minutes had slipped away. Shen Li leaned back against the headrest and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and when he checked the clock again, it was already 6:30 PM. Setting aside whether Ji Zhouye would come out anytime soon, even if he walked out right now, driving him back to the estate and then rushing over to the restaurant would mean they were already running out of time.
Shen Li called Lu Ang to inform him that something had come up and asked to reschedule for another day.
Lu Ang did not say much on the other end, simply telling him to take care of his own business first.
The moment the call ended, Ji Zhouye walked out of the building, accompanied by a radiant-looking young woman.
The two of them walked and talked along the way.
The girl laughed unrestrainedly, and the corners of Ji Zhouye’s lips also curved into a faint smile.
The girl stayed very close to Ji Zhouye, and this sight pierced sharply into Shen Li’s eyes.
Looking through the car window at the two figures drawing closer, Shen Li took a deep breath, forcing down emotions that had no business being there.
He had no status, let alone the qualification to feel jealous.
Shen Li stepped out of the car, swept his gaze past Ji Zhouye and the girl, and opened the backseat door.
The girl’s smile remained bright as she climbed into the car first. Ji Zhouye’s pitch-black eyes were unfathomably deep, his gaze lingering on Shen Li’s face for a few seconds.
Shen Li met his gaze, the hand at his side tightening slightly.
Ji Zhouye pulled back his gaze and got into the car. “To the old family residence.”
Shen Li naturally knew which old residence Ji Zhouye was referring to. Glancing at the two of them in the rearview mirror, he turned on the navigation system.
A trace of bitterness revealed itself in the depths of Shen Li’s eyes.
Were they meeting the parents already?
If so, was the next step going to be discussing marriage?
The cramped space inside the car suffocated him. Shen Li loosened his tie slightly before starting the engine.
Silence blanketed the car interior for a few seconds.
Then the girl asked, “Did you change your driver? I remember it was someone else last time.”
Ji Zhouye answered with a very indifferent sound.
Looking straight ahead, Shen Li’s expression shifted slightly as he listened to their conversation.
“Your little driver is quite handsome,” the girl remarked. “Let us add each other on WeChat later.”
Shen Li did not know whether that final sentence was meant for him or if she was seeking Ji Zhouye’s approval. He remained silent, waiting for Ji Zhouye’s response.
“No.” Ji Zhouye cast a sidelong glance at her, his voice icy and oppressive.
The girl pouted in dissatisfaction.
The outcome was entirely within Shen Li’s expectations. Ji Zhouye was an overbearing and domineering person; how could he possibly allow someone he cared about to add another man as a friend right in front of him, let alone when that man happened to be his ex-boyfriend?
Perhaps sensing that the atmosphere had turned sour, the girl kept her head down for the rest of the trip, playing on her phone and saying nothing more.
After Shen Li dropped them off at the Ji family residence, Ji Zhouye told him to wait at the entrance.
Ten minutes later, Ji Zhouye emerged from the estate alone, and Shen Li looked at him with a puzzled expression through the car window.
He had just left the female companion behind all by herself and walked away like this?
While his own heart was churning with jealousy, he also thought Ji Zhouye was being a bit heartless.
Getting out of the car to open the door for Ji Zhouye, just as Ji Zhouye stood by the door preparing to get in, a woman’s voice rang out from behind. “Older brother, you forgot your phone.”
The girl who had been with Ji Zhouye earlier came hurrying out of the estate, holding the phone he had left behind.
She handed the device to him. “Little aunt asked me to bring your phone to you and wanted me to ask how the blind date went. You left in such a rush that little aunt forgot to ask.”
Older brother.
Little aunt.
Shen Li froze in place for a few seconds before it finally registered. He had been wasting his energy getting jealous over nothing.
Ji Zhouye and this girl were completely unrelated in the way he had imagined.
Yet, a blind date. When on earth had he gone on a blind date?
The knot in his chest had barely untied before it was tied right back up. He also wanted to know how things had gone between Ji Zhouye and his blind date.
Ji Zhouye took the phone, his gaze lingering briefly on Shen Li before turning back to the girl. “It went nowhere. We are not in contact.”
The girl covered her mouth with a chuckle. “I figured as much. Little aunt told me your blind date was a guy. How could a straight-laced guy like you, older brother, possibly like men? Still, little aunt was just looking out for your lifelong happiness, so do not hold it against her.”
While she spoke with a straight frame of mind, the moment she finished, she burst into giggles so hard the tears almost came out.
Meanwhile, Shen Li’s mind was racing with the realization that Ji Zhouye’s mother did not mind his sexual orientation at all.
Ji Zhouye shot a piercing glare in her direction, causing the girl to instantly shut her mouth. Suppressing her laughter with great effort, she muttered a quick “Goodbye” and scurried off.
Shen Li’s emotional rollercoaster for the day could be described as having twists and turns, but fortunately, the dark clouds had parted, and his mood was relatively pleasant.
Little did he know that Ji Zhouye had left his phone behind on purpose. Having picked up on clues from Shen Li’s expression and unwilling to lower himself to explain things proactively while also not wanting him to misunderstand, he had orchestrated the whole scene.
Shen Li climbed into the driver’s seat. “I would like to treat you to dinner.”
Ji Zhouye looked over, his eyes carrying a hint of confusion regarding his behavior.
“You helped Jiangqing get through its current crisis, so I ought to thank you,” Shen Li explained.
He had planned to treat Ji Zhouye to a meal over the past couple of days anyway. Since he was in a good mood today, there was no time like the present.
“Alright.” Thinking of something, Ji Zhouye’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Since you are treating me, I will pick the restaurant.”
“Sure.” Shen Li glanced at him through the rearview mirror, instantly developing a bad premonition.
That bad premonition was confirmed the moment Ji Zhouye spoke.
“We are going to Yuxian Restaurant.”
Shen Li fell silent.
True to form, Ji Zhouye had known all along that he and Lu Ang had an appointment to dine at Yuxian Restaurant.
Shen Li was not even surprised that Ji Zhouye knew about it; in front of Ji Zhouye, he was as transparent as a sheet of white paper.
A forbidden thought crossed his mind: Was Ji Zhouye jealous?
Within seconds, Shen Li crushed that thought. How could Ji Zhouye possibly be jealous? If anything, he was the one who had been pointlessly drowning in jealousy.
Back then, the one who dumped Ji Zhouye was him, and the one who still could not let go was also him.
By keeping him chained by his side, Ji Zhouye was undoubtedly looking to exact revenge for being dumped all those years ago.
In this fast-paced era, who would love someone for several years, let alone someone who had hurt them? Ordinary people would not, and someone as proud and aloof as Ji Zhouye certainly would not.
Shen Li started the car engine and murmured softly, “Ji Zhouye, I know you want to take revenge on me.”
Ji Zhouye pressed his thin lips together and remained silent.
Shen Li continued, “Can we skip the boiling-frog approach and just let your revenge hit a little harder?”
Treating him well one moment and badly the next, fluctuating unpredictably, made it impossible for him to guess what was going on in his mind.
Ji Zhouye gazed out the window, his thumb lightly stroking his wristwatch, and replied with serene indifference, “I am afraid you cannot handle it.”
Shen Li fell silent.
He was almost laughed out of his anger. Anyone who did not know better would think Ji Zhouye was some kind of philanthropist.