Jiang Yan noticed a faint red mark on her face. Even though she had applied an ice pack and the swelling had gone down, the redness still hadn’t faded. Yu Youwei instinctively covered her right cheek. In front of her gentle and considerate boyfriend, she felt a mix of shame and grievance in her heart.
“I was hit by someone, and no one helped me,” Yu Youwei choked out tearfully. If Jiang Yan had been there, even if it were the Mu family, he would’ve fought back for her without hesitation. But now, Jiang Yan just looked at her calmly, his gaze devoid of pain, urgency, or anger.
“You should tell someone else that,” he said.
Yu Youwei pouted in grievance, “You know no one in my family likes me. You’re all I have, Jiang Yan. Who else could I tell…”
“Your white moonlight.”
She froze. “I can explain!”
“I missed your birthday because I went to pick up Bai Luo, yes, but Bai Luo is just a friend. Nothing happened between us.”
Hearing that, Jiang Yan let out a short laugh, took a long drag from his cigarette, and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Heh, Miss Yu, why are you explaining to me? What does it have to do with me?”
“Jiang Yan, please don’t be angry, okay? Don’t stay mad at me. My face hurts… my chest hurts too,” Yu Youwei whined pitifully, her eyes welling up with tears.
Jiang Yan asked, “Who hit you?”
Finally hearing a question that showed some concern, Yu Youwei’s heart lifted.
“That woman, Mu Wanzhou!”
“Good.”
In an instant, her mood plummeted like a rollercoaster.
“That crazy woman hit me and you’re siding with her?!” Yu Youwei nearly lost it. “You like her, don’t you? Is that why you’re breaking up with me—for Mu Wanzhou?”
Jiang Yan frowned. He couldn’t follow her bizarre train of thought. “If your brain’s sick, go get it treated!”
“I came with CEO Mu for business. Unlike you, hanging around your white moonlight and still clinging to your ex.”
“Yu Youwei, you’re the young lady of the Yu family. You probably think dating someone like me is a great honor for me. But being your stand-in for five years has been the biggest stain on my life.”
“You can never understand the pain you’ve caused me.”
“I’m calmly breaking up with you now—that’s me giving you dignity. Otherwise, I’d go confront your white moonlight right now and see how you’d clean that up.”
“From now on, you walk your road, I cross my bridge. We have nothing to do with each other anymore.”
“Step aside.”
That was the last thing Jiang Yan said to Yu Youwei.
He had made himself clear. From now on, there would be no more explanations.
After finishing his last cigarette, he saw that Yu Youwei was still frozen in place. He stepped around her and walked past.
She turned and watched Jiang Yan’s tall and upright back.
He still looked strong—but he no longer gave her any sense of security. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
She didn’t believe that a man who had loved her for five years could let go just like that. At this point, she chose to foolishly believe Jiang Yan was still testing her.
“If you break up with me, I’ll make your company go bankrupt!” she shouted in desperation, threatening him with her final card.
Jiang Yan didn’t even pause his step, only left two cold words behind: “Go ahead.”
Outside the large back hall, Yu Youwei stood alone.
Isolated and helpless.
Her pretense of strength crumbled. She covered her face with both hands and slowly crouched down.
The dusty ground stained her pristine, elegant dress.
Soft sobs came from where she knelt.
…
When Jiang Yan returned, Mu Wanzhou smiled and asked, “That was a long smoke break.”
“Mhm.”
Mu Wanzhou had been watching him from the moment he walked back. Seeing that his emotions weren’t in disarray, she finally let out a breath of relief.
Not bad.
He wasn’t like other men who’d collapse emotionally after being cheated on. Looks like Jiang Yan had truly let go.
That gave her the confidence to win him over.
She pulled out a preliminary investment agreement from her bag and handed it to Jiang Yan. “Take a look, junior. If everything looks good, go ahead and sign.”
Jiang Yan took the document and blinked in surprise. “Sign it now? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until tomorrow after the legal team drafts the final version?”
Mu Wanzhou covered her mouth and laughed, “I’m just afraid you’ll change your mind overnight. It’s only a pre-signing document—nothing detailed inside. No need to worry.”
Afraid he’d back out?
How absurd!
Jiang Yan flipped through it. Sure enough, as she said, it was just a draft.
Still, when did the investor start worrying that the investee would back out? Usually, the investor holds the power.
But whatever. Jiang Yan still signed it. His company needed the money.
He handed one copy back to Mu Wanzhou.
As she took it, she casually brushed her fingers across the back of his hand.
Jiang Yan calmly withdrew his hand, pretending nothing happened.
Mu Wanzhou then held up her phone and waved him over. “Come here, junior. This is our first collaboration—we should take a photo to commemorate it.”
Jiang Yan hesitated for a moment. He couldn’t think of a good reason to refuse, so he stood up and went over.
He sat at the edge of the bench, trying to keep some distance between them. But Mu Wanzhou suddenly threw her arm around his waist and leaned into his chest.
She held up her phone, turned on the front camera, rested her head against his shoulder, and smiled as she snapped a selfie.
As soon as the photo was taken, Jiang Yan returned to his seat.
On the table, both wine bottles were empty. Mu Wanzhou raised her hand and called over the waiter.
“Two more bottles of Lafite.”
Jiang Yan couldn’t help but say, “CEO Mu, I think we’ve had enough.”
“But I’m in such a good mood today! We signed a deal, so we have to celebrate properly.” Mu Wanzhou propped her chin with one hand and gave Jiang Yan a sultry look.
She didn’t seem the least bit drunk.
Jiang Yan considered himself a strong drinker, but she could clearly hold her liquor better.
Her intentions were also clear. She kept urging him to drink and occasionally gave him flirtatious glances. Her delicate arms were deliberately pressed against her chest, her fingers subtly sliding deeper.
He was well aware of what she was trying to do.
Thankfully, while smoking outside earlier, he had called Shen Qing.
Everything should be under control.
“Heh, since CEO Mu is in such high spirits, I, Jiang, will risk my life to accompany a beauty.”
The word “beauty” delighted Mu Wanzhou. Her beauty was bold and striking—her features stunning even without a smile, and absolutely captivating when she did.
Jiang Yan shifted his gaze calmly.
He liked to think of himself as a man of integrity, but he wasn’t a monk.
Mu Wanzhou was extremely attractive—curvy and alluring.
If he stared too long, even he couldn’t guarantee he’d keep his composure.
…
“Weiwei, where did you go? You took so long! You just left me here! Do you know how hurt I felt?” Bai Luo scolded her, hands on his hips.
“Sorry,” came her hoarse reply.
She said nothing more.
From the moment she came back, she had kept her head down, her long hair covering her face, hiding her expression.
After sitting down, she continued staring blankly at the wine glass in front of her.
Lost in thought.
…