“I think I should be able to afford it,” the woman said casually.
Chen Zan, adjusting his face mask, paused and slightly widened his eyes in disbelief. Jiang Youwei was actually standing up for him?
President Zhang naturally wouldn’t contradict someone of Jiang Youwei’s current status. He forced a careless smile and said, “There’s no need for CEO Jiang to step in. This suit isn’t worth mentioning to me.”
Jiang Youwei raised an eyebrow, recalling the moment from earlier as if something had suddenly fallen into place. “Then continue what you were saying before, President Zhang.”
“If CEO Jiang wants to know, then come with me. I know Chen Zan from back then very well,” he said, glancing down at the dessert stains on his suit before shooting her a calculating look, clearly sensing her eagerness.
An unexpected blessing in disguise.
Chen Zan, standing nearby, shook his head silently. Don’t go, you fool…
But Jiang Youwei made her decision without hesitation. “Alright.”
Chen Zan felt a wave of helplessness.
Jiang Youwei followed him toward the corridor of the banquet hall, their figures gradually fading from view. Chen Zan clenched his fists, then loosened them, over and over. In the end, risking exposure, he followed.
In the corridor, soft moonlight filtered through the windows, casting a gentle glow.
Jiang Youwei stood there, her elegant and refined presence radiating the charm of a mature woman.
Only then did Chen Zan finally remember who he was.
Zhang Zou.
Back then, this man had also pursued Jiang Youwei. Relying on his family background, he constantly harassed her, convinced that persistence alone could win over the campus belle. He must have read too many domineering CEO novels. In the end, Chen Zan had beaten him into submission.
And yet, after all these years, his heart was still just as filthy.
He was still thinking about Jiang Youwei.
“CEO Jiang, as long as you reveal a bit of information about the capital land bidding, anything you want to know about Chen Zan, I can help you find out,” Zhang Zou said, lightly tapping his glass against hers. The crisp sound pulled Jiang Youwei back from her thoughts.
Although his intentions toward her were far from clean, his career mattered more than women now. Jiang Youwei’s current status proved she had her own methods. Zhang Zou had no intention of clashing with her head-on. After all, he already had wealth and status, and women were never in short supply. He didn’t want to end up like Chen Zan.
“His family… went bankrupt?” Jiang Youwei asked, her voice carrying a hint of hesitation.
All these years, she had deliberately avoided any business dealings that might intersect with the Chen family, afraid she might run into him.
She had always been decisive. Back then, when Chen Zan broke up with her so coldly, she never lowered herself to go back.
“Yes. Even when his father brought him back to acknowledge his ancestry, the Chen family was already just an empty shell. His father’s intentions were obvious.”
Jiang Youwei’s slender fingers tightened around the stem of her glass. “Then… what about Chen Zan now?”
“He might not even be alive. Back then, his family owed debts all over Nanhai. His father went to prison, but he didn’t. As a direct blood relative, those debt collectors who couldn’t get their money probably beat him to death.”
A chill spread through Jiang Youwei’s heart. “I didn’t know…”
She truly hadn’t known his life had become so difficult.
If she had known, that morning she wouldn’t have left, and she certainly wouldn’t have left behind a bank card to humiliate him.
From a distance, Chen Zan saw two tears fall from the edge of her jaw.
Damn that Zhang Zou.
He actually made his woman cry.
His…
Former woman.