Lu Ang invited Shen Li out for dinner that evening.
Shen Li calmly accepted his role as driver. He left the company before five, went to JH to pick up Ji Zhouye, planning to send him back to the estate first before heading out to his appointment.
Lu Ang had signed the cooperation contract without hesitation. Regardless of whether Lu Ang had any ulterior motives, Shen Li still needed to express his thanks.
Shen Li waited until he was starting to feel drowsy, yet Ji Zhouye still hadn’t come out.
Under normal circumstances, Ji Zhouye either left exactly at five or at five past five—he had never made Shen Li wait more than ten minutes.
Today was an exception. Even after half an hour, there was still no sign of him.
The dinner with Lu Ang was scheduled for seven in the evening.
Shen Li glanced at the time displayed on the car screen and opened a game.
The game ended in a loss. More than twenty minutes had passed. Shen Li leaned back in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Time slipped by quickly. When he checked again, it was already six-thirty. Setting aside whether Ji Zhouye would come out or not—even if he did right now, sending him back to the estate and then rushing to the restaurant would already be too late.
Shen Li called Lu Ang and said he had something come up and would reschedule.
Lu Ang didn’t say much, just told him to take care of his own matters first.
The moment the call ended, Ji Zhouye walked out of the building, accompanied by a bright, beautiful girl.
The two walked side by side, chatting.
The girl smiled freely, and the corners of Ji Zhouye’s lips curved into a faint smile as well.
She stood very close to Ji Zhouye. That scene stabbed painfully into Shen Li’s eyes.
Watching the pair draw closer through the car window, Shen Li took a deep breath and forced down emotions he shouldn’t be feeling.
He had no status—and no right—to be jealous.
Shen Li got out of the car, swept his gaze over Ji Zhouye and the girl, and opened the rear door.
The smile on the girl’s face didn’t fade. She got into the car first. Ji Zhouye’s pitch-black eyes were unfathomable as his gaze lingered on Shen Li for a few seconds.
Shen Li met his eyes, his hand at his side tightening slightly.
Ji Zhouye withdrew his gaze and got into the car. “Back to the old house.”
Shen Li naturally knew which old house Ji Zhouye meant. He glanced at the two of them in the rearview mirror and turned on the navigation.
A trace of bitterness flickered in Shen Li’s eyes.
Meeting the family already—this fast?
Then was the next step talking about marriage?
The cramped space of the car made him feel stifled. Shen Li loosened his tie before starting the car.
The car fell into silence for a few seconds.
Then the girl asked, “Did you change drivers? I remember it wasn’t this one last time.”
Ji Zhouye replied with a faint “Mm.”
Shen Li stared straight ahead, listening to their conversation, his expression subtly shifting.
“Your new driver is pretty handsome,” the girl said. “Add me on WeChat later.”
Shen Li didn’t know whether that last sentence was meant for him or if she was asking Ji Zhouye for permission. He stayed silent, waiting for Ji Zhouye to answer.
“No,” Ji Zhouye shot her a glance. His voice was cold and oppressive.
The girl pouted in dissatisfaction.
The result was exactly what Shen Li expected. Ji Zhouye was domineering and controlling by nature—how could he possibly agree to let someone he cared about add another man, especially right in front of him? Not to mention that this man was his ex-boyfriend.
Perhaps sensing the awkward atmosphere, the girl lowered her head and played on her phone the rest of the way, not saying another word.
Shen Li drove them to the Ji family’s old residence. Ji Zhouye told him to wait at the gate.
Ten minutes later, Ji Zhouye came back out alone.
Shen Li looked at him through the car window in confusion.
He just left the girl behind like that?
Even though jealousy was churning inside him, he still felt Ji Zhouye was being a bit too heartless.
Shen Li got out to open the door for him. As Ji Zhouye stood there about to get in, a female voice sounded from behind them.
“Brother, you forgot your phone.”
The same girl hurried out from the old residence, holding the phone Ji Zhouye had left behind.
She handed it to him. “Auntie asked me to bring this to you, and also to ask how your blind date went last time. You left in such a hurry, she forgot to ask.”
Brother…
Auntie…
Shen Li froze for several seconds before realizing—he’d been jealous for nothing.
Ji Zhouye and this girl weren’t the kind of relationship he’d imagined at all…
But a blind date…
When had Ji Zhouye gone on a blind date?
Just as the knot in his chest loosened, it was tied tight again. He also wanted to know how things were between Ji Zhouye and his blind date.
Ji Zhouye took the phone. His gaze paused briefly on Shen Li before turning back to the girl. “It wasn’t great. We didn’t keep in touch.”
The girl covered her mouth and laughed. “I figured. Auntie told me your blind date was a man. Brother, a steel-straight guy like you—how could you like men? But Auntie’s just worried about your future, so don’t blame her.”
She spoke seriously, but the moment she finished, she burst into laughter, nearly laughing to the point of tears.
What Shen Li focused on, however, was this—
Ji Zhouye’s mother didn’t care about his sexual orientation.
Ji Zhouye shot the girl a sharp look. She immediately shut up, stifled her laughter, said “Bye,” and ran off.
Shen Li’s mood that day was a complete roller coaster. Fortunately, the clouds had cleared, and he was in fairly good spirits.
What he didn’t know was that Ji Zhouye had deliberately left his phone behind. He’d noticed something in Shen Li’s expression, didn’t want to rush to explain, yet also didn’t want him to misunderstand—so he’d staged this entire scene.
Shen Li sat back in the driver’s seat. “I want to treat you to dinner.”
Ji Zhouye looked over, his eyes filled with confusion at Shen Li’s sudden proposal.
“You helped Jiangqing get through its current crisis. I should thank you,” Shen Li explained.
He’d been planning to invite Ji Zhouye to dinner for days now. Since his mood was good today, there was no reason to put it off.
“Alright,” Ji Zhouye said, as if thinking of something. His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Since you’re the one treating me, I’ll choose the restaurant.”
“Okay.” Shen Li glanced at him through the rearview mirror, suddenly feeling a bad premonition.
That feeling was confirmed the moment Ji Zhouye spoke again.
“Yuxian Restaurant.”
Shen Li: “……”
Just as he thought—Ji Zhouye already knew he’d planned to eat at Yuxian Restaurant with Lu Ang.
Ji Zhouye knowing this didn’t surprise Shen Li. In front of him, Shen Li felt like an open book.
A thought he shouldn’t have had surfaced—Ji Zhouye was jealous.
But within seconds, Shen Li suppressed it. How could Ji Zhouye be jealous? He was the one who’d been irrationally jealous earlier.
Back then, he was the one who dumped Ji Zhouye—and the one who still couldn’t let go was also him.
Ji Zhouye keeping him by his side was nothing more than revenge for being dumped all those years ago.
In this fast-paced era, who would love someone for years—especially someone who had hurt them? Others wouldn’t, and someone as proud as Ji Zhouye certainly wouldn’t.
Shen Li started the car and said quietly, “Ji Zhouye, I know you want revenge on me.”
Ji Zhouye pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
Shen Li continued, “Can we stop this slow torture? Can you make your revenge a little more intense?”
Sometimes he was treated badly, sometimes well—hot and cold, impossible to read. Shen Li couldn’t grasp his intentions at all.
Ji Zhouye looked out the window, his fingers lightly rubbing his watch, and said calmly, “I’m afraid you won’t be able to take it.”
Shen Li: “……”
He almost laughed in anger. Anyone who didn’t know better would think Ji Zhouye was some kind of philanthropist.