[The world is gentle; we all have companions.]

That evening, Zhou Leqi met Milan for dinner.

Both of them were usually busy with work, and their schedules rarely aligned. Fortunately, Milan happened to be near Zhou Leqi’s company that day for a program, so they finally managed to meet up. Zhou Leqi called her mother, Yu Qing, to let her know she wouldn’t be home for dinner, then joined Milan at a street food stall for some skewers.

“So,” Milan exclaimed, wide-eyed as she set down her pint of draft beer, “you ran into Hou Shen again in Rome? And now he’s your client?”

The term “Hou Shen” carried a nostalgic weight, effortlessly transporting them back to the simpler days of their student lives. Back then, life was straightforward—there were clear goals, and everyone believed that hard work would lead to success. Everything was so black and white.

The mention of this nickname momentarily disoriented Zhou Leqi, stirring a subtle warmth within her. She smiled and replied, “Yes.”

Milan was utterly astounded, marveling, “What fate... truly indescribable...”

Zhou Leqi shrugged and picked up a skewer of tenderloin.

Milan’s mind was still fixated on Hou Shen, and she continued probing, asking, “So did he explain why he disappeared without a word before? Did he apologize? Did he ask to get back together? Are you two together again? Does this mean there’s no hope for President Pei? Oh man, I had already invested in President Pei’s stock. Do I need to sell now? Ugh, Hou Shen really blindsided us. What’s an investor supposed to do…?”

A torrent of words spilled out.

Zhou Leqi listened in exasperation, unable to interject. She waited for Milan to finish her rant before replying succinctly: One, no explanation; two, they broke up; three, she and Pei Qiming were just friends and colleagues.

Milan’s ears automatically filtered out the last point, focusing only on the first two. Instantly enraged, she began berating Hou Zihao as a heartless jerk.

“What the hell? He didn’t explain, and you broke up?” Milan fumed. “Doesn’t he know you still like him? Has he lost his mind? Damn it, this pisses me off so much. I’m going to expose this scumbag!”

Her tirade was forceful.

She angrily gulped down two large swigs of beer, then suddenly thought of something else. Her expression turned worried, and her tone softened. “Sigh… what if Yan Lin finds out about Hou Shen being back? Wouldn’t that cause a huge mess… maybe even a fight to the death…?”

Zhou Leqi raised an eyebrow, surprised that Milan had so quickly connected the dots to Yan Lin. Just as she was about to say something, Milan’s phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, it was none other than Yan Lin.

Startled, Milan quickly signaled to Zhou Leqi and answered the call.

“Hello?”

“No, I’m having dinner outside… No, no, with Leqi…”

“Yeah, yeah… near her company… Yes, we’re having skewers…”

“Oh? No, no, no, it’s fine. I’ll go home by myself…”

Zhou Leqi watched Milan chatter away to Yan Lin on the phone, an involuntary smile tugging at her lips. When Milan finally hung up, she covered the phone and asked Zhou Leqi shyly, “Yan Lin… Yan Lin said he wants to come over. Is that okay?”

“Sure,” Zhou Leqi replied with a smile and a nod. “If he hasn’t eaten yet, we can eat together.”

Milan made a small sound of acknowledgment, her eyes unconsciously brightening. She quickly gave Yan Lin their address over the phone.

After hanging up, she caught Zhou Leqi’s teasing gaze. Milan’s face flushed red like a little apple. Still, she tried to downplay it, saying, “What’s the big deal? High school classmates can’t have dinner together? We’re just friends now…”

Zhou Leqi nodded in agreement. “Right, right, just friends… definitely just friends…”

Yan Lin arrived twenty minutes later.

He had probably just gotten off work, still dressed in his suit but without the jacket, wearing only his dress pants and shirt. Walking into the bustling, smoky street food stall, he stood out like a sore thumb, yet drew everyone’s attention.

At first, he couldn’t find where they were sitting. Though Milan spotted him immediately, she restrained herself from calling out to him. Understanding each other’s unspoken thoughts, Zhou Leqi stepped in to play along, waving at Yan Lin.

Yan Lin quickly made his way over.

“Sorry, traffic was bad,” he explained briefly, then naturally sat down next to Milan.

“It’s fine,” Zhou Leqi said, then asked, “Have you eaten? Should we order more food?”

Yan Lin nodded and gestured for the waiter to bring a bowl of noodles and a few skewers. Milan chimed in, ordering another pint of beer.

Yan Lin hadn’t noticed the empty beer glass on the table until now. Upon seeing it, his brows furrowed, and he glanced at Milan. “Drinking so much beer?”

Milan pouted. “Beer has low alcohol content. It’s basically like water.”

“Then why not just drink water?” Yan Lin disapproved, turning to the waiter. “Sorry, no beer. Add a bottle of water instead.”

Milan: “…”

The waiter, clearly perceptive, could tell that Yan Lin’s words carried more weight than Milan’s. Without hesitation, he wrote “water” on the order slip and walked away, leaving Milan no chance to argue.

Was this fair?

Milan was utterly defeated.

Zhou Leqi was familiar with their dynamic but still found the situation amusing. Catching Milan’s embarrassed glance, Zhou Leqi’s teasing gaze made Milan feel self-conscious. She abruptly stood up, trying to mask her discomfort. “I—I’m going to the restroom.”

With that, she bolted. Yan Lin watched her retreating figure, his expression soft and tinged with a hint of amusement.

Zhou Leqi turned her attention back to Yan Lin. While Milan was in the restroom, she asked him, “What have you decided about what I told you last time?”

By “last time,” Zhou Leqi referred to their dinner meeting after her quarantine ended.

During that conversation, she had told Yan Lin two things: one, she had found Hou Zihao, and he was back in the country; two, there might be hidden truths behind the Haoting case seven years ago, possibly linked to Runyuan.

This was a risky move because Zhou Leqi wasn’t sure how Yan Lin felt about Hou Zihao.

Yan Lin’s family had suffered immensely from that tragedy—bloodshed and loss of life weighed heavily. Though Hou Zihao himself wasn’t directly responsible, it was understandable if Yan Lin harbored resentment toward him. However, if there were indeed secrets buried in the old case, Yan Lin, as someone directly affected, would have the best chance of uncovering the truth. Moreover, he likely wanted to clarify the events most of all.

Her request was simple—if Hou Zihao refused to address the past, she would investigate it herself. Now that Runyuan was working with SWD on its IPO, this provided her the perfect opportunity to examine their transactions and account details. Additionally, IPOs required third-party legal and accounting reviews. If Yan Lin’s firm, Yuantai, could secure this collaboration, he would also have the chance to scrutinize Runyuan’s business operations from a legal perspective.

At the time, Yan Lin neither agreed nor disagreed with her proposal. However, when Zhou Leqi mentioned “Hou Zihao,” his expression darkened instantly, revealing the deep-seated pain that had persisted for years.

“On what basis do you believe there are hidden truths in that case?” he asked, his tone calm yet sharp. “Su Ruini confessed. Where is the room for overturning it?”

Zhou Leqi had no answer.

She had no evidence, and even Hou Zihao himself refused to contest it. Her only reliance was her intuition—she sensed something was off about his demeanor and couldn’t believe a family that raised someone like him could be cruel or ruthless.

“Because I trust him,” she replied weakly yet firmly.

Yan Lin said nothing, offering no reaction to her response. Instead, he seemed lost in thought.

“Let me think about it,” Yan Lin said after taking a deep breath. “I’ll give you an answer in a few days.”

Now, a few days had passed. Sitting amidst the noisy street food stall, Zhou Leqi awaited a serious reply.

—If Yan Lin refused, she would have to fight alone.

And Yan Lin didn’t keep her waiting. He was direct: “I’ve looked into it. Runyuan is already in talks with Huacan Law Firm. It’s unlikely we’ll secure this deal.”

It was a disappointing response.

Zhou Leqi’s heart sank, though she tried not to show it too obviously. She forced a smile and said, “Oh, well… if that’s the case, there’s nothing we can do.”

Yan Lin noticed her disappointment and pondered for a moment before saying, “The final decision hasn’t been made yet. The partners at Yuantai are still negotiating. There might be good news.”

Pausing briefly, he added calmly, “Even if our firm doesn’t secure this project, I’ll still pay attention to any legal issues related to Runyuan… You can trust me.”

These words…

Zhou Leqi’s eyes lit up, her excitement nearly causing her to knock over the teacup on the table. She urgently asked, “You believe him too, right? You’re willing to help overturn the case, aren’t you?”

Yan Lin raised an eyebrow, his expression still cool. “I just want to know the truth.”

He needed to find out who drove his mother to suicide and left his father crippled. He couldn’t tolerate any guilty party escaping justice. That was all.

Moreover… he actually also…

“There’s something I want to tell you,” Yan Lin’s expression grew more nuanced, as if weighing his words carefully. “Actually, seven years ago…”

Just as he was about to speak, Milan returned from the restroom. At 25, her eyes were still clean and bright, unmarred by the ugliness and darkness of the world.

Smiling brightly, she asked, “What were you guys talking about? Tell me too!”

Neither Yan Lin nor Zhou Leqi wanted to burden her with unpleasant truths. Instinctively, they shielded her from those harsh realities, quickly concealing the topic they had just discussed. Zhou Leqi smiled and said, “We were just wondering why you took so long. We were worried you got lost.”

Milan pouted dismissively. “Please, who doesn’t know I’m the little boss of the Third Ring Road? Even if the restroom were in Huairou, I wouldn’t get lost. Don’t look down on Renmin University graduates just because you’re from Tsinghua.”

Everyone laughed, even Yan Lin, whose usually aloof eyes now held a noticeable glimmer of amusement.

The world is gentle; we all have companions.