Chapter 49 N - Difficult to Solve

Since that day when Xing Yu kept typing but didn't send a message for a long time, they haven't been in contact again.

Chu Beiling didn't know what to say to him.

I have no intention of going up and disturbing them rashly.

Even though he had so many questions to ask—

If you didn't want to contact them again, why did you add their contact information again?

You already have Xu Zeyi, so why are you contacting me again?

But Chu Beiling didn't say anything in the end.

Just as Xing Yu said, many years have passed, and the world has changed. They can't pretend that nothing happened, especially since there are too many people and things in between that he cannot shake.

Besides quietly being a good ex and acting like he's dead, I let Xing Yu lie down, not pestering him, and pretending nothing happened.

Chu Beiling couldn't think of a better solution.

Li Zhiyi knocked on the door, and after Chu Beiling invited her in, she asked, "Mr. Chu, the car is ready. Can we leave now?"

Chu Beiling nodded and strode out, with Li Zhiyi following behind.

In the afternoon, he was going to the science park to meet with the heads of several cloud service providers. The MMORPG game "Shan Hai Qi Wen Lu" was going online, and Chu Beiling needed to ensure that the server architecture of the other party could meet all his requirements for running the game.

The person in charge was surnamed Wang. Chu Beiling gave a brief greeting and then got to the point: "Mr. Wang, thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. Our team is developing an MMORPG called 'Shan Hai Qi Wen Lu' and we need a more powerful cloud server to solve the latency and disconnection issues."

"Don't worry, Mr. Chu," Mr. Wang nodded, and added, "Our cloud servers support dynamic expansion and can automatically adjust resources in real time to meet the load. In addition, our global data center network allows players in different time zones to enjoy a low-latency experience."

Chu Beiling nodded slightly, then raised a question: "Can you ensure the security of the data, especially the players' account information and transaction records?"

Mr. Wang said confidently, "President Chu's security is one of our strengths. Our cloud servers provide multi-layered security protection, including DDoS attack protection, data encryption, and real-time monitoring. In addition, our technical team can provide all services to President Chu 24/7."

Chu Beiling continued, "We have another requirement: we hope to implement real-time data analysis within the game to better understand player behavior and optimize game performance."

Mr. Wang smiled and said, "Sure, our cloud platform integrates powerful data analysis tools that can process and analyze massive amounts of data in real time. Your technical team can view key indicators through the dashboard and even customize alarm systems."

After the basic requirements were determined, Chu Beiling asked President Wang for a detailed plan and quotation. After exchanging pleasantries with him, he left.

He also needs to check out the other service providers and select the best partner from among them.

After leaving the science park, it was rush hour and raining, so Chu Beiling didn't let Li Zhiyi go home on her own. He took her home first before driving back home himself.

As the car turned a corner and headed towards the apartment, Chu Beiling spotted Xing Yu's suit-clad thug parked a short distance ahead, its hazard lights flashing faintly in the rainy night.

Chu Beiling hesitated for a moment, then turned around and drove over.

Xing Yu stood beside the car, holding a transparent umbrella in his hand. His shoulders and sleeves were half-soaked by the rain. He was looking down at the engine and looked up when he heard the noise.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

A faint smile appeared in Xing Yu's eyes, and his voice was low and gentle, "What a coincidence."

It was quite a coincidence that Xing Yu's car broke down right at the entrance of the apartment building where he lived.

Their ill-fated relationship was already deep when they disliked each other; Chu Beiling would run into him everywhere she went, and she never expected it to continue now.

But Chu Beiling can no longer do that; even if Xing Yu is right in front of him, he can still ignore him.

Chu Beiling glanced at the lifted hood and casually started a conversation: "What's wrong with the car?"

“The sudden stall could be due to an electrical problem or something else.” Xing Yu raised his eyes slightly to meet Chu Beiling’s gaze and observe his expression. “The tow truck will take a while. I’m in a hurry to get back. Would you mind if I took it to my house first?”

As if afraid he might misunderstand, Xing Yu added, "I still have some cooperation matters to discuss with you."

Xing Yu's words eliminated any possibility of refusal from him, and also rejected any doubts he wanted to ask.

Chu Beiling thought for a moment, then said, "Come on up, I'll take you back. It's fair that we each get one ride."

Xing Yu's lips curled up slightly, his smile carrying a hint of mockery: "You've calculated things quite well."

Chu Beiling didn't respond. Xing Yu closed the hood, opened the passenger door, put away the transparent umbrella, and got in.

The dampness from the rain, mixed with his lemon scent, instantly filled the entire carriage. Chu Beiling slowly exhaled.

Xing Yu glanced at him and said casually, "Are you used to driving on the left now?"

Faced with Xing Yu's sarcastic mockery, Chu Beiling glanced at him and said, "Don't worry, I'm used to it. I won't lead you astray. If you're really worried, you can get off here. I'll call a ride-hailing service for you or you can call one yourself."

Strict and formal, polite yet with a hint of aloofness, Xing Yu wondered what the former Chu Beiling would have said—

He could probably just blurt it out:

No, I almost rear-ended someone's car the other day. In China, it's still a very early stage of driving for novice drivers. A slight mistake and you could end up with missing limbs. We're all artists, so be careful not to become crippled.

Seeing that he didn't respond for a while, Chu Beiling continued to ask, "If you're not getting off the bus, enter the address."

Xing Yu snapped out of his daze and typed the apartment address into the screen: "Done."

The navigation system started planning the route, and the voice prompts inside the carriage announced Xing Yu's home address, which would take them forty-five minutes to get there.

Chu Beiling skillfully steered the car out of the temporary parking area and onto the main road.

He stared at the road ahead without saying a word, waiting for the other person to speak.

The rain was getting heavier, and cars sped past them. The only sound inside the cars was the rhythmic swishing of the windshield wipers. In the cramped and narrow car, every second felt infinitely long, yet no one broke the unsettling silence.

Five minutes later, Xing Yu, sitting in the passenger seat, slowly asked, "Why did you give up painting?"

Chu Beiling's fingers unconsciously rubbed the steering wheel. He stopped at the traffic light ahead, following the flow of traffic.

Chu Beiling glanced sideways and saw Xing Yu's profile bathed in a sea of ​​red, his eyes filled with a clear questioning intent.

He didn't want Xing Yu to know the reason, and he also knew that Xing Yu wouldn't let him off so easily if he didn't give a proper answer.

Chu Beiling gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, steadied himself, and said nonchalantly, "What's it to you?"

Xing Yu chuckled: "Indeed, it has nothing to do with each other."

As he merged into the next lane, Chu Beiling casually fiddled with the turn signal but turned off the windshield wipers. Rain instantly filled the windshield, obscuring his vision, but fortunately, he was quick and adjusted it back to normal.

The traffic light changed, and Chu Beiling drove forward with the flow of traffic: "When are you planning to return my sketchbook?"

Xing Yu raised an eyebrow: "Want it?"

Chu Beiling glanced at him sideways, then looked at the road ahead: "Otherwise what?"

The rain outside the car was getting heavier and heavier, and the wind was blowing the rain. Everything in sight looked so broken and desolate. The car fell silent again. The air seemed to be frozen and unable to circulate, and even breathing became difficult.

After an unknown amount of time, Xing Yu spoke: "You can have it if you want it."

After a pause, he continued, "Come to me on a certain date to pick up one; otherwise, you won't be able to get one."

Chu Beiling took several deep breaths and held her breath for a long time before finally managing to say, "Xing Yu, you can't be so shameless."

“I was just playing a trick,” Xing Yu said, raising his chin confidently. “If you want it, you can decide for yourself.”

If it were him ten years ago, Chu Beiling would have really done what Xing Yu said; he would never have kept his dissatisfaction to himself.

He had to drag Xing Yu, the culprit who caused his emotions, into the mess and make him feel disgusted.

Then, in a narcissistic and arrogant tone, he added: "What, you want me to come to you every day to get one, so you can see me every day? I knew you loved me."

The current Chu Beiling wouldn't say that; if he really did, he would be the one who would be embarrassed.

Chu Beiling couldn't help but remind him, "That was a picture book. You tore it apart without my permission, which is why it became individual pages. There's no reason to do it the way you asked."

Xing Yu lifted his eyelids: "Do you think my request is excessive?"

Chu Beiling didn't speak, and Xing Yu took it as a tacit agreement. After a while, Xing Yu continued, "When you came to my office last time, did you take a close look at those sketches you had drawn before?"

Chu Beiling only looked at a few pages before stopping.

Those were his sketches. He was the creator of the album and knew better than anyone else what the contents of the album were.

Chu Beiling didn't understand what Xing Yu meant.

They were willing to return it to him, but then they had to come and collect it every day.

Xing Yu looked at Chu Beiling's reaction and a complex emotion flashed through his mind, but he quickly suppressed it. "You didn't."

Chu Beiling couldn't help but retort, "Xing Yu, what exactly do you want?"

Instead of answering, Xing Yu asked, "You want the album back just because... it's your work."

Upon hearing this, Chu Beiling was slightly taken aback, then turned her head and smiled: "Otherwise, you know I've always cherished my paintings."

Xing Yu reiterated, "If you want one, come to me on a specific date to pick it up; otherwise, forget it."

Chu Beiling glanced at Xing Yu briefly, then looked at the road ahead, her voice hoarse: "Forget it, I don't want it anymore. You can keep it if you want!"

Xing Yu's expression changed. He turned his gaze to the rain outside the window, and after a few seconds of silence, he casually asked, "It doesn't matter if it's burned?"

Chu Beiling said, "You're all in the album, you have the right to do what you want with it."

“Cherish,” Xing Yu mocked, “your cherishing is nothing more than this.”

Chu Beiling's fingers trembled slightly. He tried hard to control his terrible, rotting emotions and asked in return, "And what about you? How much is your promise worth?"

Xing Yu chuckled: "You know perfectly well that you were the one who gave up first between us."

Xing Yu's voice was neither loud nor soft, each word striking Chu Beiling's heart. A mocking smile appeared on Chu Beiling's face: "So, that's what you think."

After a moment of silence, he growled, "Then why did you agree in the first place?"

"None of that matters anymore. The past is the past, Chu Beiling. I'm asking you now, do you want to get back together with me..."

Xing Yu didn't finish his sentence when Chu Beiling's phone suddenly rang. An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen. He wasn't sure if it was a business partner. He glanced at Xing Yu, then hesitated, worried that the other party might be keeping him waiting.

After thinking for a moment, I finally decided to answer the phone.

A male voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, is this Mr. Chu?"

"It's me." Ever since he came to Hangzhou, that bastard Zhu Qing'an has been clinging to him like glue, getting drunk at bars at least twice a month and needing him to bail him out. The moment the unfamiliar number started talking, Chu Beiling knew what the other person was going to say: "Is Zhu Qing'an drunk again? Give me the address, I'll come pick him up now."

The other party was taken aback: "Yes, Mr. Chu, your name is the first contact on his phone, so we can only contact you." After agreeing, the other party gave him a bar address.

The bar is located in the same direction as Xingyu's apartment, but the bar is closer.

After hanging up the phone, Chu Beiling glanced at Xing Yu and asked, "Shall I go to the bar to pick him up first, and then take you home?"