Chapter 34: What’s yours will always be yours; it can’t be taken away.

After getting into the car, Cheng Wanyue’s expression was worse than when she came downstairs. She couldn’t hide her emotions.

Yan Ci saw Qing Hang from afar and honked the horn.

Upon hearing the sound, Qing Hang instinctively looked over. He couldn’t see clearly who was inside the car, but Li Yu was still standing at the intersection.

The temporary parking lot allowed a maximum stay of only half an hour. Yan Ci remembered that he was driving a colleague’s car, and Qing Hang might not recognize it, so he lowered the window and turned the steering wheel, preparing to drive towards Qing Hang.

The car happened to stop under the street lamp, and the light was somewhat glaring.

Cheng Wanyue hung her head low. “Yan Ci, lock the door and drive towards the exit.”

Yan Ci said, “It’s better to clear up misunderstandings sooner.”

“I don’t want to see him now. If you won’t take me, I’ll take a taxi.” She was about to open the car door before finishing her sentence.

Yan Ci couldn’t let her go alone, so he quickly locked both the front and back doors.

Cheng Wanyue thought about the jade pendant still in Qing Hang’s senior sister’s bag and felt uneasy. She had restrained herself in the office, but she wasn’t sure if she could hold back now.

“If I stay here one more minute, I’ll go and snatch the thing back. I won’t do something so tasteless. Yan Ci, hurry and take me away.”

Yan Ci had no choice but to drive towards the exit.

There was a barrier at the exit. He waited for the car in front to leave, stopping for about ten seconds, and Qing Hang caught up.

Qing Hang knocked on the passenger side door. Cheng Wanyue covered her ears, refusing to hear anything, and just told Yan Ci to hurry and drive out.

Her phone kept vibrating, and Cheng Wanyue directly turned it off. In the rearview mirror, Qing Hang’s figure grew smaller and smaller.

He chased for a while until he was stopped by a traffic police officer.

Li Yu was still standing there. When Qing Hang returned, the exhaustion on him was as if he had just finished rescuing a patient.

Clearly, he didn’t understand what had happened.

The Qing Hang Li Yu knew was clear-headed and goal-oriented, unlikely to chase a car on the road. So she was surprised and felt a sense of unfamiliarity, probably underestimating the influence that girl had on him.

“Because of this,” Li Yu held the jade pendant in front of Qing Hang, “if it caused you any trouble, I apologize.”

“How did it end up with you?” Qing Hang had searched for two days and even checked the hospital cafeteria surveillance.

Li Yu explained, “I found it in the changing room. I brought it to the hospital today intending to return it to you, but I forgot when we started discussing business, and you were very busy.”

Qing Hang had visited the school laboratory two days ago.

His breathing was still heavy as he took the jade pendant and tightly clenched it in his palm. “What did you say to her?”

Li Yu suddenly felt like laughing. He didn’t ask what Cheng Wanyue said but rather what she said. “What could I say?”

“Sister, this jade pendant was a gift from her. Thank you for picking it up for me. I don’t have much private time at the hospital, so if we can discuss things over the phone, let’s do that.”

“... What do you mean?” Li Yu was astonished.

Qing Hang spoke frankly, “Let’s meet less often, or not at all. Sister, if I offended you with my words, please forgive me. She is already angry, and if I don’t comply with her, she will get angrier.”

“Qing Hang, is this really you? She doesn’t even acknowledge your relationship, so why lower yourself? Alright, let’s assume you are boyfriend and girlfriend. Does dating mean giving up normal social interactions and work? There’s no absolute fairness in this world unless you’re so outstanding that everyone assumes there must be something wrong if they don’t choose you. Until then, everything is uncertain. Qing Hang, a man needs a career first, and love is the cherry on top. Our collaboration on the project is mutually beneficial. I believe you aren’t so confused.”

“If we miss this opportunity this year, we can try again next year. But if she gets upset, she will ignore me, and I’ll be helpless.”

The last prolonged cold war resulted in eight years without contact.

He didn’t have many eights in his life.

Cheng Wanyue’s phone remained off. Qing Hang walked past Li Yu, went upstairs to change clothes, and half an hour later, Yan Ci sent him location sharing.

It was a bar.

Cheng Wanyue hadn’t drunk alcohol for many years—first, her family didn’t allow her to drink, and second, she had poor drinking etiquette and would easily cause trouble when drunk. As soon as she got out of the car, she headed straight into the bar. Yan Ci couldn’t stop her and could only follow her, secretly pouring water into her glass when she wasn’t looking.

She used to drink little, so she couldn’t taste that the diluted alcohol had changed flavor. After getting drunk, she didn’t even notice that the glass in front of her would never be emptied.

Even mineral water could be consumed with the flair of strong liquor.

Qing Hang hadn’t arrived yet, but Cheng Wanyue was already drunk. Yan Ci couldn’t get much out of her, but he could tell she was in a bad mood. “That’s enough; let’s take you home to sleep.”

Cheng Wanyue wasn’t happy about it. “I’m not going home, and I’m not sleeping.”

Her eyes glistened with tears under the light, though she wasn’t crying—she just felt uncomfortable in her stomach from drinking.

Yan Ci glanced at his watch; soon, Cheng Yanqing might call to urge her back. “What’s yours will always be yours. It’s just a night’s sleep; no one can take it away.”

“That jade pendant was originally mine.”

“The person is also yours.”

“But he has never confessed to me or said he loves me.”

“Isn’t it clear to you whether he loves you or not?”

“But I’m still angry,” Cheng Wanyue slid off the chair, wobbled only two steps, and almost fell. “I need to go to the restroom.”

Yan Ci steadied her. “After using the restroom, we’ll go home. If you don’t behave, I won’t let you go.”

“… I’m not going home.”

“Thinking of sleeping under the bridge?”

“How could someone as beautiful as me sleep under a bridge? I want to stay at a hotel with massage chairs.”

As long as she didn’t insist on drinking, it was fine. She could barely stand, so Yan Ci found a female server to help watch over her in the restroom while he called Qing Hang outside.

The first call went unanswered, but the second one connected.

However, it wasn’t Qing Hang who answered.

The caller had an accent and said he was a taxi driver who found the phone in the car.

Yan Ci asked the driver to bring the phone to the bar, promising to pay upon delivery. Before hanging up, Qing Hang emerged from the elevator.

“Over here,” Yan Ci noticed the bloodstains on Qing Hang’s clothes. “What happened?”

Qing Hang explained, “The taxi got rear-ended, and I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, so I hit the door and got some minor abrasions.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Your phone is still in the taxi. The driver said a friend would bring it over.”

Qing Hang looked inside, “Where’s Cheng Wanyue?”

“She’s in the restroom, and someone is watching her. It should be fine. First, clean the blood off your hand.”

Yan Ci asked the front desk for a first-aid kit. The abrasion on Qing Hang’s hand wasn’t severe, but the dried blood on his white shirt darkened and was quite noticeable.

Cheng Wanyue refused help from others. Unable to stand steadily, she kicked off her high heels, avoiding tripping herself but hitting someone else.

Chi Yue had just exited the restroom when a high heel flew toward him from behind.

The server immediately apologized upon seeing it hit the boss, explaining that the guest was drunk and didn’t mean it.

Leaning against the wall, Cheng Wanyue muttered softly, “It was intentional.”

Chi Yue didn’t hear clearly, merely glancing back casually. His previously cold eyes shimmered with amusement under the lights.

This world is truly fucking small.

He walked up to Cheng Wanyue and slightly lowered his head to look at her from the side. “Warrior girl?”

Cheng Wanyue slapped his face away, the sound echoing down the corridor.

The server was stunned.

“Your way of greeting is somewhat rough,” Chi Yue straightened himself, touching his face with a smile. He assumed she mistook his intention to kiss her. “Do you remember me?”

Cheng Wanyue stared at him for a while before responding, “Oh, it’s you… Your helmet is still at my place.”

He thought for a moment. “I think so. So, shouldn’t you return it to me?”

“I’m not going home. You can go get it yourself.” She waved gracefully, took two steps, then suddenly turned around. “Don’t tell my brother… I’m drinking.”

Chi Yue picked up the high heel and followed her. “Beauty, don’t you want your shoe?”

She found it annoying. “No, I don’t.”

“The floor is cold. Walking barefoot isn’t good for your health. What if there are glass shards on the ground? Getting cut wouldn’t be worth it.” Chi Yue crouched halfway, looking up at her. “I’ll help you put them on. You won’t kick me, right?”

Cheng Wanyue lifted one foot. “Don’t touch me.”

Chi Yue chuckled, amused by her. “You almost made me kneel and call you princess.”

The high heel fit perfectly, but since she wasn’t cooperating, it was difficult to put on without physical contact. However, her reactions were slow.

“Cheng Wanyue,” a cold voice came from not far away.

She raised her head in confusion. “Hmm?”

Chi Yue heard it too. So her name was Cheng Wanyue, though he didn’t know which characters it was.

Before finishing putting on one shoe, she was suddenly pushed hard, losing balance and falling onto the ground. Chi Yue cursed under his breath as he stood up. By the time he did, Cheng Wanyue had been pulled behind the other person.

Chi Yue dusted off his hands. “I remember she doesn’t have a boyfriend. Are you her brother?”

“It’s none of your business,” Qing Hang snatched the high heel from Chi Yue’s hand, picked up the other one from the ground, and pulled Cheng Wanyue away.

Chi Yue stopped him. “Someone caused trouble here yesterday. There might still be glass shards that haven’t been cleaned up. Let her put on her shoes.”

The floor was dark, and the corridor outside the restroom was brightly lit. Cheng Wanyue was barefoot, and even the red marks from mosquito bites were clearly visible on her skin.

Qing Hang squatted down, letting her hand rest on his shoulder. With one hand holding her ankle and the other holding the high heel, he quickly put it on for her.

When Cheng Wanyue was pulled away, she didn’t struggle, slap him, or kick him.

So this time, Chi Yue didn’t stop them. “Beauty, see you next time.”

“Bye,” Cheng Wanyue turned back and waved at Chi Yue.

Yan Ci went to fetch Cheng Wanyue’s bag. He missed the elevator and came down two minutes late. Noticing Qing Hang’s unusual expression, he decided not to approach.

In matters of the heart, even the closest friends remain outsiders.

Amidst the bustling crowd and traffic, Cheng Wanyue still carried the scent of alcohol from the bar.

Only when her hand was released did Qing Hang stop walking. After taking a deep breath, he held her hand tightly again. “I thought you were working today and didn’t know you went to the hospital.”

Cheng Wanyue turned her head away, refusing to look at him. “I quit my job. I’m not working anymore.”

Qing Hang was stunned. “... You quit?”

Was she leaving Beijing?