He Jingchuan gripped the bank card so tightly that his fingertips turned white.
He knew Qiao Yitang was sulking and deliberately avoiding him.
So He Jingchuan called her best friend, Song Zhi.
“Where’s Qiao Yitang? Where is she?”
Song Zhi gave a cold snort on the other end. “Why are you asking me where Qiao Yitang is? I don’t know.”
“Did you hide her? You’re her only close friend. She and I had a bit of a disagreement recently, so she must have gone to you.”
He Jingchuan and Song Zhi had never got along. Whenever they met, Song Zhi always called him a scumbag.
He used to accept it, but today, for some reason, hearing the mockery in Song Zhi’s voice stirred up a nameless anger in him.
He thought Song Zhi had put Qiao Yitang up to deleting him and refusing to answer his calls.
“Song Zhi, Qiao Yitang and I are getting married soon. You’d better not fill her head with a bunch of nonsense.”
Song Zhi’s voice turned even colder. “He Jingchuan, Yitang broke up with you. You’re not getting married. Go regret it.”
He Jingchuan thought, So she really did put her up to it.
“Give the phone to Qiao Yitang. I want to talk to her!”
“She’s not here, and I don’t know where she is.”
Now He Jingchuan began to panic. Qiao Yitang had moved out of her home. If she hadn’t gone to Song Zhi, where else could she have gone?
Song Zhi’s scornful remarks continued over the phone. “He Jingchuan, you’re just pathetic. When Yitang was there, you didn’t appreciate her. Now that she’s dumped you, suddenly you remember to look for her.”
“Why don’t you go find your white moonlight instead? A scumbag and a scheming bitch belong together.”
He Jingchuan wished he could crawl into the phone and beat Song Zhi up.
“She’s just mad at me. You know how many times she’s pulled this. Once we make up, you’ll be the outsider. Go ahead and keep insulting me—you’ll see what I say about you to Qiao Yitang afterward.”
Song Zhi was so furious she laughed. “He Jingchuan, you’re a complete clown. I’m laughing so hard my face mask’s about to fall off.”
“Just wait and see,” He Jingchuan said. “In less than two days, Qiao Yitang will come crawling back to me.”
On the other end, Song Zhi clutched her phone, feeling a little uncertain.
Before, Qiao Yitang had always been the one to go to He Jingchuan and make up.
Truthfully, Song Zhi wasn’t sure either whether Qiao Yitang was serious this time.
But she couldn’t afford to lose face. Silently urging Qiao Yitang to stand her ground, she told He Jingchuan, “This time, she means it.”
He Jingchuan was still smug. “Want to bet on how many days it’ll take Qiao Yitang to come back and make up with me?”
Song Zhi was so angry she nearly threw her phone. “To hell with your bet! Get lost!”
When the call ended with a beep, He Jingchuan kicked the sofa hard.
He didn’t believe a word Song Zhi had said.
All his friends knew Qiao Yitang couldn’t live without him.
Before, all he had to do was beckon and Qiao Yitang would come running. Now, after several days without her showing up, He Jingchuan was thoroughly irritated.
He called a friend. “Come out for a drink.”
In a smoky bar awash with neon lights, Jiang Heming patted He Jingchuan on the shoulder. “Feeling down?”
He Jingchuan said nothing.
Someone beside them asked, “Young Master He is getting married next month. Shouldn’t you be busy planning the wedding? How do you still have time to come out and have fun?”
He Jingchuan’s expression darkened further.
Jiang Heming studied him for a moment. “Qiao Yitang’s throwing a tantrum again? Honestly, couldn’t you behave yourself for once before the wedding?”
Someone else teased, “Everyone knows Qiao Yitang’s crazy about you. At most, she throws a little fit. Leave her alone for a few days and she’ll come back to make up. Why let something this trivial upset you?”
“Exactly. Last time you two argued, I remember she came crawling back in less than a day.”
“Young Master He, you really have it made. You’ve got a gorgeous woman at home, and you’re openly keeping another one on the side. What a life.”
Their teasing only made He Jingchuan feel more and more stifled.
Without saying a word, he picked up the bottle on the table and took several gulps straight from it.
The liquor burned down his throat, and only then did he feel a little better.
The others at the table kept talking about Qiao Yitang.
“How long do you think it’ll take her to come looking for Jingchuan this time?”
“I say one day. I’ll bet a thousand.”
“That’s no fun. If we’re betting, let’s make it a big one. Ten thousand minimum.”
“I bet two days.”
Jiang Heming said, “Jingchuan looks pretty miserable. Qiao Yitang must’ve made a real scene this time. I’ll say three days.”
The laughter grated on He Jingchuan’s ears.
He slammed his hand down on the table. “Screw your bets. It’s already been five days!”
The alcohol was going to his head, and his thoughts were getting hazy. “She even deleted me on WeChat. She said she was breaking up with me and wouldn’t marry me…”
The private room fell silent for a few seconds, then erupted in even louder laughter.
Not a single person in the room believed Qiao Yitang would have the backbone to call off their wedding.
…
Qingyuan Club was one of the most upscale clubs in Jing City.
It operated on a prepaid membership system: to get in, you first had to sign up for a premium membership and load two million onto your card.
Everyone who came here was either rich or powerful.
Wealthy people liked the place because it was quiet and private, unlike other clubs, and had a charm all its own.
Just inside was a little bridge over flowing water. Its gentle trickle made it feel as if you’d left the city’s clamor behind and stepped into a secluded mountain valley. The world seemed to grow quieter.
The private rooms at Qingyuan Club came in different grades. The three most exclusive were located at the very center of the club.
Even wealthy people who had paid for VIP memberships and loaded money onto their cards couldn’t easily enter those three rooms.
How to get in, and what it took to do so, was a mystery.
As a result, the three rooms were almost always empty.
But today, someone was sitting in the middle room.
Gu Shizhou swept the cards in his hand onto the table. “Xie Chengyan, are you cheating? How come you’re the one drawing all the good cards?”
Chengyan lifted the teacup from the table and took a sip. “Don’t blame anyone else for your bad luck.”
The other two at the table laughed and chimed in. “Keep playing, but don’t be a sore loser.”
Gu Shizhou refused to accept it. “Again!”
As they were playing, his phone chimed. He glanced at it carelessly, then suddenly chuckled.
“Xie Chengyan, you asked me to keep an eye on the He Group last time. Now the people under me report every little thing that happens there. It’s driving me crazy.”
Gu Shizhou assumed Chengyan was interested in the He Group, but the message on his phone was about He Jingchuan’s private life. Guessing Chengyan wouldn’t want to hear it, he turned the phone facedown on the table.
“Come on, let’s keep playing.”
He had just thrown down two cards when Chengyan asked, “What happened?”
Gu Shizhou didn’t think much of it. “Nothing major. He Jingchuan went out drinking just now and told someone his fiancée was calling off the wedding.”
Chengyan’s half-lowered eyelids lifted slightly. No one noticed the faint tremor in the fingertips holding his cards.
And no one saw the slight curve at the corner of his mouth.