Jiang Heng paused for a second.
He reached out, picked up his phone, swiped to answer, then stood up and walked straight toward the quieter terrace outside the private room.
Zhou Yichi's movements froze mid-air.
He stared in the direction Jiang Heng had left, his Adam's apple bobbing, then abruptly averted his gaze, picked up the glass Pei Yi had just refilled, tilted his head back, and downed it in one go.
Immediately after, he stared at the WeChat screen on his phone, and as if he could no longer hold it in, opened the message input box and lowered his head to type.
"…"
Zhuang Jingyi silently moved Zhou Yichi's empty glass a little farther away from him, then spoke at a leisurely pace, "President Pei, you come from a wealthy family and have seen a lot of the world. You must… be fairly familiar with the temperaments of rich young ladies, right?"
"Rich young ladies?"
Pei Yi had just shaken out a cigarette. At her words, he raised an eyebrow, leaned back against the arm of the sofa, and gave Zhuang Jingyi a look. Only after receiving her silent assent did he lower his head and light it.
He took a drag and slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke. "What, Dr. Zhou's girlfriend is that type?"
"Mm-hmm."
Zhuang Jingyi answered softly, then got up and walked over to the small bar counter, poured a glass of warm water, and gently set it in front of Zhou Yichi.
She sighed, her face full of concern. "Probably because she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and raised in a greenhouse, she doesn't quite understand how to be considerate of others' difficulties. Being with her means our senior here has to put in extra effort and be extra tolerant."
Pei Yi, cigarette in hand, looked somewhat puzzled. "There's such a thing? Is that… being high-maintenance?"
"I wouldn't go that far." Zhuang Jingyi seemed to be carefully weighing her words, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing against the glass. "Perhaps 'spoiled' would be more accurate? When someone grows up being doted on, they inevitably become a bit self-centered, thinking the whole world should revolve around them."
Pei Yi frowned and thought about it seriously for a few seconds, then happened to glance up and see Jiang Heng pushing the door open and coming back from his phone call. He cried out as if he'd seen his savior.
"Boss! Perfect timing! Doesn't your family have a young lady of its own? Come quick and give Dr. Zhou some advice—how is he supposed to deal with this?"
Jiang Heng walked back to the sofa and gave Pei Yi a cool, sweeping glance.
As his gaze passed by, he inadvertently caught sight of the screen full of long, rambling messages on Zhou Yichi's phone, and his brow furrowed slightly.
He sat back down, long legs crossed, posture languid, and casually set his phone back on the table, looking completely indifferent to the matter.
"The young lady in my family," he began, his voice betraying no emotion, yet for once picking up the thread of conversation—and even, rare for him, carrying a hint of near-mocking amusement—"spoiled?"
He paused, then unhurriedly finished the sentence: "As it happens, the young lady is downstairs having drinks. She'll come up to say hello in a bit. You can explain it to her yourself."
"…"
Pei Yi had only been trying to throw out some random topic to lighten the mood, never expecting to get shut down by Jiang Heng.
For some reason, he recalled the sight of Jiang Ningchu being frightened to tears by him. "Right… ours isn't a young lady, she's a little ancestor—and the timid kind at that. If someone bullies her, all she can do is hide and whimper."
He glumly spread his hands toward Zhuang Jingyi and Zhou Yichi. "I've really got nothing here. Our young lady has such a sweet personality—practically a little angel. She's got no reference value whatsoever."
Zhuang Jingyi hadn't expected the topic to swerve toward someone completely unrelated, and to drift further and further off course.
She forced a polite smile, trying to pull the focus back. "Perhaps… it was just an isolated case. Senior Yichi has a gentle temperament and always handles things with grace, so…"
Before she could finish, she turned her head—Zhou Yichi had downed another two drinks.
The alcohol had completely taken hold. The corners of his eyes flushed red as he gripped his phone, fiddling with it for a long while before deleting the message he'd typed out in the chat box.
Jiang Heng and Pei Yi's gazes withdrew from the screen full of text almost simultaneously, meeting briefly in midair.
Pei Yi arched his eyebrows at Jiang Heng meaningfully: See? Even the most formidable research maniac still ends up a simp when it comes to love.
Jiang Heng ignored his exaggerated theatrics, his gaze settling back on Zhou Yichi.
Zhou Yichi's head felt terribly heavy, his temples throbbing.
He took off his gold-rimmed glasses and pressed hard on the bridge of his nose. "You guys…"
"Don't talk, Senior."
Zhuang Jingyi snatched his phone first, locked the screen, and slipped it into his coat pocket.
Her voice was low, soothing. "You've had a bit too much."
With that, she naturally took Zhou Yichi's arm and turned to Pei Yi and Jiang Heng.
"President Pei, President Jiang, I'm so sorry. Senior Yichi almost never attends these functions, and he's had a bit much tonight."
"He has an important seminar tomorrow morning, so I'm afraid we'll have to take our leave and get him home to rest."
"Of course, no problem."
Pei Yi, relieved to have a way out, immediately rose and waved to the assistant who had been waiting by the door. "Make sure Dr. Zhou and Dr. Zhuang get home safely. Watch them go inside before coming back."
Zhou Yichi was half-lifted, half-dragged to his feet by Zhuang Jingyi and stumbled toward the exit.
She struggled to support him by one arm, and Pei Yi's assistant quickly stepped forward to steady the other side.
"Xiao Chu…"
Zhou Yichi's head spun, his steps unsteady, the matters weighing on his heart undiminished as he mumbled, "Xiao Chu, I really know I was wrong. I shouldn't have left you alone… Don't ignore me…"
"Senior, it's Jingyi."
Zhuang Jingyi paused slightly, saying in a low voice, "Not Junior Jiang."
As if he hadn't heard, Zhou Yichi stubbornly repeated, "Xiao Chu…"
The three of them, supporting one another, stumbled down the corridor outside the private room until they disappeared from view.
A dead silence fell over the room.
The air seemed to have been sucked dry in an instant.
Pei Yi even found it hard to breathe, his throat tight.
"Ju—Junior Jiang…"
"Xi—Xiao Chu…"
"Nan—Nancheng University…"
Pei Yi could practically hear his heart drumming in his chest.
He instinctively wanted to turn and look at Jiang Heng's face, but his neck was stiff with tension; he only dared let his gaze skim past the edge of the sofa.
"It can't… be that much of a coincidence, right…"
As he spoke, he opened his phone, tapped on Zhou Yichi's WeChat avatar, and quickly scrolled through his Moments.
The evening's information flashed through his mind like a slideshow: "Someone's taking care of Dr. Zhou," "a rich family's daughter," "born with a silver spoon," "spoiled"…
Please don't let it be…
His silent muttering had nearly become a prayer. His finger slid across the screen faster and faster, his breath growing ragged.
Nothing.
No photos together, no suggestive hints, no clear traces of a "girlfriend" anywhere.
Zhou Yichi's WeChat Moments were as clean as his lab reports—nothing but academic updates and a scant handful of landscape photos.
Pei Yi stared at his phone screen, fingers frozen midair. "No, no, no, no. There are no photos of a girlfriend on Dr. Zhou's Moments."
Jiang Heng's face was dark enough to drip water. He said nothing, only remained silent.
"Oh oh oh oh!"
Pei Yi, as if grasping at the last straw, hastily exited Zhou Yichi's Moments and frantically searched his WeChat list with trembling hands. "I added his roommate today—what was his surname again? Wei, yes, yes! Let me check!"
The latest post on Wei Wei's Moments was, sure enough, a group photo from that evening's gathering of Professor Zhuang's research group.
In the photo, the atmosphere was lively. Professor Zhuang and Zhuang Jingyi were at the center, and beside Zhou Yichi stood a girl in a light apricot-colored blazer.
She smiled with eyes curved into crescents, sweet and demure.
It was Jiang Ningchu.
The color drained from Pei Yi's face in an instant. His fingers went slack, and his phone nearly slipped from his grasp.
It's over.
It really was little Jiang.
Then… that night on the mountain…
He whipped his head around to look at Jiang Heng, his eyes full of disbelief and panic.
Jiang Heng's gaze had landed on his phone screen.
So that rainy night, it was to attend Zhou Yichi's research group dinner.
The image of Jiang Ningchu awkwardly changing the subject surfaced in his mind: "How did you know I wear this outfit for debate competitions?"
So that was it.
She'd been abandoned by him—not just once.
"Wait… wait, wait, wait! Boss, listen to me!"
Sensing the temperature around him plummet to freezing, Pei Yi instinctively grabbed Jiang Heng's hand, which was clenched so tight its knuckles had gone white. "There's… there's a misunderstanding. It has to be a misunderstanding!"
He babbled incoherently, his brain racing, trying to dredge up some reasonable explanation from the chaos. "Dr… Dr. Zhou is a simp, right? That… that long essay he wrote, see?"
Pei Yi frantically searched his memory for details, not knowing whether he was trying to convince Jiang Heng or himself. "Our little Jiang…"
His words caught in his throat.
Jiang Heng's gaze made it impossible to continue.
It wasn't anger, but something deeper, colder—a bone-chilling frost.
"Ah, damn it!"
Pei Yi roughly wiped his face and gave up struggling. "Unbelievable. A respectable-looking doctor, and he's a total scumbag when it comes to love. Fine—I'm going to ask him right now!"
Jiang Heng abruptly picked up the glass on the table and downed it in one gulp.
"In here?"
The waiter pushed open the door and stepped aside to reveal the person behind him, speaking respectfully. "Young Master Pei, Miss Jiang is here."
Pei Yi instantly turned to stone.
He was frozen half-risen from his seat, his face still wearing the jumbled expression of anger and shock he hadn't had time to compose.
Jiang Ningchu gently closed the door behind her. Her gaze swept over the messy glasses and leftover fruit platters on the table, then over the frozen Pei Yi and Jiang Heng, who sat on the sofa with his eyes closed and said nothing. "You all… weren't you at a dinner? It's… already over?"
"…" Pei Yi opened his mouth, momentarily speechless, his scalp tingling.
"Mm." Jiang Heng's emotions barely rippled, his tone as mild as ever, as if everything just now had been nothing but Pei Yi's imagination.
"What's wrong, Big brother Pei Yi?"
Jiang Ningchu sat down on the single sofa across from Jiang Heng, looking at Pei Yi's odd expression, and explained, "My company is having a team-building event downstairs, and I figured since I was here, I should at least come up and say hello."
"Y-yeah!"
Pei Yi took a deep breath and forced himself to squeeze out a somewhat unnatural smile. "So, uh, what floor are your colleagues on? Let me make a call—they should enjoy themselves tonight. Everything's on me!"
Perhaps because her mindset had quietly shifted, Jiang Ningchu didn't feel the least bit put off by Pei Yi's overly familiar enthusiasm. Instead, there was a sense that… this was how it should be—a familiarity, as if they should have been this close many years ago.
"No need!"
She quickly waved her hand, glancing instinctively at Jiang Heng, who sat expressionless on the sofa as if asleep. "Everyone's already having fun with their own plans. I won't trouble you."
"How could I let that slide!"
Pei Yi pulled out his phone, ready to call. "You're on my turf—how could I let you spend money? What would happen to my reputation if word got out?"
"Hey, hey, Big brother Pei Yi!"
A flicker of panic crossed Jiang Ningchu's eyes, and she told him the truth. "I'm just an intern at this company… No one… knows about my family."
"Huh? An intern?!"
Pei Yi felt his brain about to overheat from the flood of information tonight. "You're not at Jiang Corporation?"
As he spoke, he murmured to himself, "That makes sense—Jiang Corporation wouldn't come to my place for team building…"
Jiang Ningchu pressed her lips together and explained concisely, "I studied law, but I'm more interested in marketing, so I'm interning at a friend's advertising company."
"Got it, got it."
Seeing that Jiang Ningchu's complexion was pale and clear, not looking like she'd been drinking, Pei Yi went to the bar, brought back a glass of juice, and set it in front of her. "So—a rich young lady hiding her identity, going deep into the ranks to experience the working-class life, right?"
As the words left his mouth, he unconsciously ran his tongue over his back teeth.
The phrase "rich young lady" had somehow taken on a strange flavor. The more he chewed on it, the more off it felt.
"Not at all, just for the summer."
Jiang Ningchu didn't pick up on anything special in his words. "I'm going back to grad school when the semester starts, and I'll probably end up working in Jiang Corporation's legal department anyway."
"You haven't had anything to drink tonight, right?" Pei Yi thought for a moment, then figured he still had to ask.
"Nope."
Jiang Ningchu shook her head and took a sip of juice, her eyes curving slightly as she praised him sincerely, "Big brother Pei Yi, you've really made this place wonderful. I sat in the basement level for a while, then went up to the second floor and listened to a few folk songs—it was fantastic!"
"Oh, it's nothing… just a little side project." Pei Yi waved his hand, but his gaze drifted involuntarily toward the sofa.
Jiang Heng remained in the same position, head tilted back against the sofa, eyes closed, breathing slow and even, as if already asleep.
Or maybe he'd been gone for a while now, Pei Yi thought.
He licked his suddenly dry lips, awkwardly picked up his glass and took a sip, then, as if making a great resolution, said, "Can Big brother Pei Yi talk to you about something… personal? Just, you know, casual questions."
"Hm?" Jiang Ningchu found it odd that the usually forthright Pei Yi was being so hesitant, and it piqued her curiosity. "Go ahead."
"Little Jiang…
Pei Yi felt that the high emotional intelligence he'd always prided himself on had completely evaporated the moment Zhuang Jingyi left arm in arm with Zhou Yichi.
He steeled himself and tried to make his tone sound like ordinary concern: "Do you… have a boyfriend?"
"Yep."
Jiang Ningchu hadn't expected that to be his question. She nodded and answered honestly, "We've been together three years. Why?"
"…"
Three years?!
Three years!
Pei Yi stole another glance at Jiang Heng. No reaction.
He took a deep breath and did his best to sound like a caring elder: "Then… is the relationship going well? Have you… suffered any grievances?"
Jiang Ningchu found the question a bit abrupt.
But on second thought, that night on the mountaintop, Pei Yi had earnestly urged her to treat herself better.
Maybe… Jiang Heng had mentioned to him how he'd found her by the roadside?
"Big brother Pei, are you talking about that night?"
Not wanting them to worry, she decided to lay it all out. "That night my boyfriend was driving me home, and the car broke down halfway up the mountain. He went to find help, and I was scared waiting alone by the road. That's when my brother showed up, so I went up the mountain with him."
So that was it.
Pei Yi finally pieced the whole story together and suddenly understood. "Ah, so that's what 'leaving you all alone' meant."
Jiang Ningchu assumed the "leaving you all alone" he mentioned was what Jiang Heng had said, so she explained patiently, "It wasn't as bad as being abandoned. I'm scared of the dark, but he just left, so I got a little angry."
Afraid that Jiang Heng and Pei Yi might take it to heart, she paused and lightened her tone. "Besides… it wasn't really his fault. There was no phone signal at the time. If he didn't go find help, were the two of us supposed to just sit by the roadside?"
Even though she'd already decided to break up, a relationship was ultimately between two people.
The matter wasn't settled yet, and she didn't want uninvolved people worrying over it.
"…"
Pei Yi drew in a sharp breath, feeling troubled.
From the sound of it, Zhou Yichi was indeed in the wrong.
But considering his behavior tonight… it looked like he knew he'd messed up, was genuinely remorseful, and was trying hard to make amends.
Judging by Jiang Ningchu's casual account just now, it seemed… it hadn't quite reached the level of unpardonable sin.
Even an upright judge finds family disputes hard to arbitrate.
Unable to sort it out on the spot, Pei Yi decided not to wade into these muddy waters. "Well, no matter what, making you angry was his fault!"
"It's fine, Big brother Pei."
Jiang Ningchu had no intention of continuing this topic. She glanced down at the time on her phone screen. "Don't worry. If there's a problem, I'll handle it properly. I won't let myself be wronged."
She stood up, her tone brisk. "The others are still playing downstairs. I just came up to say hi, so… I'll head back down, okay?"
"Brother." She hesitated, then turned toward the sofa, softening her voice. "I'm heading out now!"
"Mm." Jiang Heng still had his eyes closed, answering in a low voice. "No drinking."
"I haven't had any!" Jiang Ningchu turned and headed for the door.
Watching her leave, then looking at the motionless Jiang Heng on the sofa, Pei Yi felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest and hurriedly got up to follow her out.
"No need to walk me out, you can go back."
Jiang Ningchu turned her head, her gaze landing on that silent figure on the sofa inside the private room. Her steps faltered, and her brow furrowed slightly. "Big brother Pei, is my brother… not feeling well today? Or is he in a bad mood?"
Pei Yi followed her gaze and glanced back, his heart skipping a beat.
He couldn't exactly say that as her older brother's friend, he knew Jiang Heng had been bullied—and that the bastard responsible was right under their noses.
But then again…
If the big brother was "lovesick and troubled," and the little sister worried about him, the two of them could use this as an opening for a deep heart-to-heart about life, about feelings…
Perfect!
A sly glint flashed through Pei Yi's eyes.
With this smooth little combo, shaking Jiang Heng down for a sports car later would be no problem at all!
"Ah."
He instantly summoned all his acting skills and replied breezily, "You know your brother, don't you? He keeps hours like an owl—up all night, dead asleep all day. At this hour, it's exactly his bedtime."
He paused, deliberately stroking his chin as if choosing his words, while pressing the elevator button for Jiang Ningchu. "As for his mood… yeah, it's not great today. But don't worry about him. That guy just drinks himself to the right point, flops down somewhere, and that's that."
"Not sleeping at night? Why?" It was a lot to take in, and Jiang Ningchu felt a bit dazed. "Has it always been like this? Or is it occasional?"
Fragments of memory floated up unbidden in her mind…
The night she had a fever, when she went downstairs at dawn to find the medicine box, Jiang Heng had been sitting alone on the living room sofa. At the time, he'd seemed… not to be sleeping.
But that night camping on the mountaintop… he had clearly been asleep.
"If your brother didn't want outsiders knowing his business, do you think I'd know?"
Pei Yi leaned against the wall with a shrug, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Maybe he's under a lot of stress? Habitually staying up late? Staying up until it's an all-nighter? Anyway, ever since he came back to the country, he's been crashing at my place every night, and I've never seen him get a proper night's sleep."
Jiang Ningchu didn't respond, her brow furrowing even deeper, lost in thought.
Seeing her like this, Pei Yi put on a show of sighing and waved his hand. "Go have fun. It's really nothing—don't worry yourself over nothing. He's a grown man; what hurdle could he possibly not get over?"
Ding—
The elevator arrived, and the metal doors slowly opened.
"…"
But Jiang Ningchu's feet stayed rooted to the spot.
She turned her head and glanced once more toward the private room. "Big brother Pei Yi… maybe you could talk to him some more?"
"Mm-hmm."
Pei Yi feigned absentmindedness, waving her off repeatedly. "Go on down and have fun. This isn't the first time. He can handle it himself—no need for us to worry."
Jiang Ningchu slowly shuffled into the elevator car.
In the instant before the doors closed, Pei Yi's words—"not the first time" and "no need for us to worry"—echoed in her ears.
How could she not worry…
She suddenly remembered the night of her fever, the way he had kept silent vigil by her bedside.