Chapter Thirty-Two: Rats

Exclusive Report! Lai Yiu-tung shields his mainland girlfriend from a knife attack; Cheng Yin provides close care, and the two return to their love nest in the same car.

"Dong Ge's bandages were still on, but he was already back in work. The girl from the north was supporting him the whole time, their sweetness was off the charts."

Last month, Lai Yiu-tung (Brother Tung), the leader of Golden City, was stabbed while saving his mainland girlfriend, Cheng Yin (Ah Yin), causing a sensation throughout the city. Our reporter followed up for several days and found that Brother Tung rushed back to work before his injury had fully healed, and Cheng Yin even became his "personal caregiver," accompanying Brother Tung to and from the company and banquets, and even helping him adjust his suit from time to time, showing her extreme attentiveness!

At the charity gala the night before last, Dong Ge's right hand was in a sling, but his left hand protected Cheng Yin's slender waist the entire time. The woman also leaned on him reciprocally, and their eye contact was sweeter than honey. An insider revealed, "Cheng Yin used to be an accountant in mainland China, and now Dong Ge is showering her with cars and apartments; her net worth could easily exceed 100 million!" As for whether he "rewarded her for her beauty," Dong Ge simply smiled and said, "It's worth it." Those two words alone were enough to deliver a devastating blow!

"Brother Dong, the car is ready." The valet jogged over and handed over the keys.

Li Yaodong took it and casually handed it to Cheng Yin: "You drive."

Cheng Yin nodded, took the keys, and walked towards the matte black Bentley. Li Yaodong's left hand rested naturally on her waist, as if guiding her or asserting his ownership.

This action was precisely captured by a telephoto lens outside the revolving door, and it will make the cover of a gossip magazine tomorrow.

Xu Chen stood in the parking area twenty meters away, the rag in his hand falling to the ground. He was wearing the same red uniform as Galaxy Parking, the words "Parking Attendant 097" on his name tag reflecting the sunlight.

Three months later, Cheng Yin's hair had grown longer, and her skin was fairer than when she was at her aunt's house. She looked like a carefully polished piece of jade, radiating a restrained luster.

"Ah Chen! What are you daydreaming about?" the supervisor called from afar. "There are guests waiting in Section B!"

Xu Chen bent down to pick up the rag, but his gaze remained fixed on the two figures. Cheng Yin opened the car door for Li Yaodong, her hand still protecting his head from hitting the car frame.

The Bentley slowly drove away, and Xu Chen finally looked away.

"Hey, did you see today's *Star Weekly*?" two colleagues gossiped in the break room. "They said Li Yaodong took a bullet for that accountant, a true hero!"

Xu Chen's steps suddenly stopped.

"I saw her a long time ago, who doesn't know about Macau?" another scoffed. "But who's that woman? How could she have Dong Ge so infatuated..."

"I heard she used to be an accountant at Ernst & Young, then she got together with Dong Ge." The voice lowered. "Some say she's incredibly skilled in bed, and Dong Ge even dumped Cici for her..."

Xu Chen's fist slammed against the wall, making a dull thud.

His two colleagues were startled, then rolled their eyes after recognizing him: "Are you crazy?!"

But Xu Chen knew that the shadow was now priceless.

After get off work, Xu Chen went to his usual roadside stall.

The restaurant owner familiarly served him a bottle of beer and some stir-fried beef noodles. The TV was replaying today's financial news. The scene cut to Li Yaodong being interviewed, with Cheng Yin standing to the side.

"Tsk, rich people are really something else." The boss came over to watch the spectacle. "I heard that woman used to be a junior accountant? She must be worth at least a hundred million now, right?"

"Hey, you look terrible." The shopkeeper nudged him. "Lost money?"

Xu Chen shook his head and took out a few crumpled banknotes, throwing them on the table.

Stepping out of the stall, the night wind from Haojiang carried a salty, fishy smell, but it couldn't dispel the dull pain in his chest.

He knew he wasn't qualified.

From the day he pushed Cheng Yin to loan sharks, from the day he kicked her out of the hospital, from the day he watched her get into Li Yaodong's car in the parking lot... their relationship had long been severed, like a crooked tree branch that could never be repaired.

Galaxy's staff dormitory is cramped and damp.

Xu Chen turned off his phone and lit a cigarette in the darkness.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he recalled Cheng Yin, who always followed him around when they went to school. He always found her annoying and called her cheap, but he never imagined that one day she would go so far away that he couldn't even see her back clearly.

She wore a light gray suit, her hair was pulled back, revealing her fair nape, and she looked like a sophisticated urban woman.

Xu Chen instinctively hid behind the car, his heart pounding.

Cheng Yin stopped a few steps away, seemingly waiting for someone. Sunlight streamed through the glass dome, illuminating her and outlining her slender figure.

Xu Chen then noticed that she had gained a little weight and was no longer as bony, making her look...more like a living person.

"Have you been waiting long?" Li Yaodong's voice came from afar.

Xu Chen shrank back into the shadows, watching Li Yaodong stride toward Cheng Yin. He wasn't wearing a suit today; his black shirt accentuated his broad shoulders, and although his right hand was still in a sling, it didn't diminish his imposing presence in the slightest.

Cheng Yin shook her head and took out a medicine box from her bag: "Time to take your medicine."

Li Yaodong raised an eyebrow: "So punctual?"

"The doctor said to take it every eight hours." Cheng Yin poured out the pills and handed them to him. "Water."

Lai Yiu-tung took the medicine and lightly scraped her palm with his fingertips: "Such a meddlesome woman."

Xu Chen stood behind the car, his hand gripping the rag tightly.

Cheng Yin simply watched quietly as Li Yaodong swallowed the pills. The atmosphere between the two was so intimate that it seemed to exclude a third person, as if they were enveloped by an invisible barrier.

Xu Chen recalled that when he used to have a cold, Cheng Yin would prepare medicine and water for him, but he would always scold her for meddling.

"Brother Dong, the car is ready." The foreman's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Li Yaodong nodded, his left hand naturally around Cheng Yin's waist: "Let's go, we have a meeting this afternoon."

Cheng Yin followed him toward the Bentley, her back straight and obedient.

"Ah Chen! What are you daydreaming about?" the supervisor scolded. "There are customers waiting in Section C!"

Now she has a better life and a better man; he should be happy for her.

After work, Xu Chen went to the pier. The salty sea breeze felt like countless tiny blades on his face.

In the distance, the lights of the Haojiang Tower illuminated. Now, Cheng Yin stood in a higher place, looking at the brighter lights, surrounded by people who could give her the whole world.

He took out his phone, found Cheng Yin's number, and hovered his thumb over the delete button for a long time before finally not pressing it.

He should stay in the shadows forever, like a mouse that dares not see the light.

Xu Chen lit his last cigarette, the smoke blurring his vision and the moisture in his eyes.

He took a deep drag, flicked the cigarette butt into the sea, and watched the red light be swallowed by the darkness, just like the fantasy he had never dared to admit about Cheng Yin.