How did I meet him again?

On April 18th of the Gregorian calendar, March 21st of the lunar calendar, the famous Yunjin Renjia Hotel in Jincheng was closed all day to host the engagement banquet for the daughter of the Xu family and the eldest son of the Tao family.

Zhang Haitao has been talking non-stop since he entered the door with the walkie-talkie in his hand, repeating over and over again the route that the daughter of the Xu family will take later.

"Hey, what are you doing?" A waiter, not noticing anyone, bumped into Zhang Haitao with the champagne in his hand, and the wine and the glass shattered all over the floor.

"This is what I'm doing," Zhang Haitao said, shaking off the wine on his body. "Everyone who's coming later is an old friend. Can't you get excited for the engagement party? Find someone else to take his place!"

Lin Yu was squatting in the utility room cutting flower branches when the foreman came in with his arms folded, followed by a man who kept begging for mercy.

"Don't say so much. It's good enough that Manager Zhang didn't deduct your money. You just stay at the back today!" The foreman looked around, but couldn't find anyone when he needed them.

"Hey, come here." The foreman ripped the name tag off Xiao Liu's chest and stuffed it into Lin Yu's hand. "We're short on people up front, so hurry up and go. If they ask you, just say your name is Liu Xiaoyan, okay?"

The foreman looked Lin Yu up and down. This girl was a part-time worker and had been working here for almost half a year. She was a little fatter than when she first came, but still thin.

"Go up front and do whatever Manager Zhang tells you to do. You can handle it if you're quick. But one thing: don't say you're a temporary worker!"

The two of them changed their clothes in a hurry, and Lin Yu went to the front hall wearing a uniform white gauze dress with Liu Xiaoyan's name tag on it.

The front hall is so beautifully decorated. She has been working here for half a year and has seen many engagement banquets, many of which were hosted by wealthy families in Jincheng.

But none of that can compare to today. The entire banquet hall is hung with crystal chandeliers and flower bouquets are stacked up like a French garden.

If the hotel doesn't recycle these flowers, she will have to take some away and resell them.

"Liu Xiaoyan, come over here and clean this carpet," a voice came from the earphone intercom. Lin Yu hurried over, her high heels making her calves look even slimmer.

Lin Yu couldn't clean it up no matter how hard he tried with the rag. The people around him were getting anxious. "They're almost here, hurry up!"

As he spoke, he turned to the side and started urging other people.

She had no choice but to kneel on the ground with her skirt covering her face, her whole body bent, her attention completely focused on the small brick.

As Tao Xingye entered the banquet hall after being invited by Zhou Xing, he saw a girl kneeling on the ground working. "It's so exaggerated. No wonder everyone says your employees are so serious."

Zhou Xing was also surprised. They weren't that strict here, so it wouldn't matter if it got out.

"Hey, Mr. Zhou, Mr. Tao, you're here. This is a nice decoration, right?" Zhang Haitao ran over and was about to introduce the ingenuity of the banquet hall when Zhou Xing's face froze.

"That girl did a good job." Zhou Xingang raised his chin towards Lin Yu, and only then did Zhang Haitao notice Lin Yu.

"You go take her place." Zhou Xing said nonchalantly, as if he was joking but also as if he was serious.

"Mr. Zhou is joking again, I..."

"Who's kidding you?" Zhou Xing's smile disappeared completely, and he said expressionlessly, "You, go replace her."

Zhang Haitao didn't dare say anything more. Xiao Zhou was always the grandfather, and he was just the grandson. How could a grandson dare to argue with his grandfather? He accepted the rag from Lin Yu, thinking it was his bad luck.

Tao Xingye stood aside, watching the show with great interest, without saying a word. The little girl didn't understand the situation and refused to give in.

"Manager Zhang, I'll take care of these."

As soon as the voice came out, Tao Xingye's scalp tightened and he stared at the girl with her back to him - she had short hair and a slender figure.

"I'll do it, Liu Xiaoyan, don't be so tactless!" Zhang Haitao pushed Lin Yu away, squatted on the ground and started working.

Lin Yu had water in one hand and was worrying about where to go when a low voice suddenly came from behind him.

"I didn't even know when you changed your name to Liu Xiaoyan."

Tao Xingye put one hand in his pocket and just stood there. "Tell me, when did you change your name to Liu Xiaoyan?"

The girl's back stiffened, and she was visibly nervous. Tao Xingye found it funny that he and Lin Yu would meet again in such an occasion.

Zhou Xing looked at the two of them in confusion, "You also know my waiter?" He moved closer to Lin Yu and raised his hand to lift her chin to see what she looked like, but Lin Yu turned her head away.

"Hey, you dare to hide from me?" Zhou Xing said, grabbing her neck again and forcing her to look up. Lin Yu was completely controlled by him, like a little maid, not daring to say a word.

Tao Xingye felt annoyed. She was still as spineless as before, even her bones were soft. "Come back. I have an engagement banquet today. Don't make trouble."

He calmly straightened his suit and walked inside, as if he had not brought the topic to Lin Yu just now.

Lin Yu stood aside at a loss. Manager Zhang also heard something was wrong. He was holding his breath and didn't dare to lose his temper in front of the two young masters. Now that they had left, he didn't care.

He threw the rag to the ground and said, "Look at what you've done! What's your name?"

"Liu Xiaoyan." Lin Yu lowered her head and insisted that her name was Liu Xiaoyan. Zhang Haitao asked her several times, but she still refused to tell him.

"I'll deal with you after the engagement party!" Zhang Haitao glared at Lin Yu and walked inside.

Lin Yu was originally in Liu Xiaoyan's shift, and he couldn't enter the auditorium at all. The best he could do was stand outside and wipe the tables and chairs.

Xu Meihan walked into the auditorium from the red carpet in a dress, and it was Lin Yu who opened the door for her.

Lin Yu remembered Xu Meihan's face very clearly, even though they hadn't seen each other for three or four years. She never expected that Tao Xingye would end up with her. Tao Xingye and she were indeed a perfect match. They were both warm on the outside but cold on the inside!

After standing at the door and listening to music all night, the banquet finally ended. Lin Yu finished his work and slipped inside while others were not paying attention, taking away two dishes in a plastic bag.

She had been standing all day in her high heels, and her legs felt weak even when she walked. There was no bus at nine o'clock, and she couldn't bear to take a taxi. She spotted a bicycle and was about to leave when someone grabbed her wrist.

"If you had been with me back then, you wouldn't have to be like this now." Tao Xingye hugged Lin Yu from behind and sniffed her fragrance greedily, "After all these years, you still smell the same."

As he spoke, he stretched his hand forward along Lin Yu's shoulder. Lin Yu struggled to run, but his other wrist was also grabbed by him. "Why didn't you dodge when Zhou Xing pinched your neck?"

"Because he is not you!" Lin Yu couldn't escape, his whole face turned red with anger, "I don't remember you, please let go." A low laugh came from behind, Lin Yu was so scared that his hair stood on end, and he even forgot to struggle.

"You're still so naive." Tao Xingye let go of Lin Yu, grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. "It's okay if you don't remember me. After all, we meet again, Lin Yu."

The corners of his eyes were raised, and there was a smile on the corners of his mouth. The hot air from his breath sprayed all over Lin Yu's neck. There was a slight smell of alcohol on his body, and his face was still as white as when he was a child.

Lin Yu shuddered, "I, I don't know you, let me go!"

Tao Xingye really let her go just like that. Lin Yu froze there, not understanding whether he had some conspiracy waiting for her, and took a small tentative step forward.

He didn't move, but there was still a faint smile on his face.

Never mind, let’s run first, Lin Yu thought as she ran towards the sidewalk with her bag. The smile on the face of the person behind her kept getting bigger and bigger. The next second, he caught up with her in a few steps, grabbed her wrist and stuffed her into the car next to her.

"Let me go, you are kidnapping me, let me go!" Lin Yu shouted at the top of his lungs and tried to go down by pulling the door, but the surroundings had been cleared long ago, there was not even a single person in sight, and the door had been locked long ago.

Tao Xingye threw off his suit and got into the car, "Drive!"

Lin Yu was so frightened that he dared not say a word. He huddled in a corner, watching Tao Xingye. The man unbuttoned his tie, his black shirt unbuttoned, revealing his muscular body.

"Don't be so scared, we are old classmates after all." Tao Xingye still had a smile on his face. He had a more mature temperament than his peers, with delicate features and fair skin. He had been outstanding since childhood, not to mention that the Tao family's influence in Jincheng had already doubled. He had an air of wealth about him.

"I just want to invite you for a cup of tea so we can chat as old classmates. After all, I'm going back to Switzerland tomorrow." Tao Xingye twirled the engagement ring on his hand. "Is a cup of tea okay?"

Lin Yu was still on guard and hesitated to answer. She looked at Tao Xingye's imposing demeanor. They had been entangled for almost four years. It had been a bit unpleasant at the beginning, but he was finally engaged now. He must have really matured.

"It's okay to drink tea, but I just want to ask, you don't still like me, do you?"

Tao Xingye paused while spinning the ring, and looked at Lin Yu as if he had heard a joke. "Xu Meihan is only worse than you in academics, but she's outstanding in everything else."

With a beauty like Xu Meihan at home, he really should look down on me.

Lin Yu felt a little more at ease. Tao Xingye noticed her relaxation and continued, "Have you been alone all these years? Have you never been in a relationship?"

Isn't it good to be alone? Lin Yu didn't say anything, just lowered his head and looked at his hands.

Tao Xingye has always understood Lin Yu's character. Her silence means denial. She should be a junior in college now. She hasn't been in a relationship for all this time. I don't know whether it means she is obedient or persistent.

"Still can't let go of Jiang Shuang?"

When Lin Yu heard Jiang Shuang's name, his heart twitched. He didn't answer, but just nodded.

"Jiang Shuang, you're indeed a bit dumber than most people." Tao Xingye crossed his legs and said sarcastically, "But you don't look down on people who aren't dumb either. Otherwise, why did you reject me when I confessed to you back then?"

With a frivolous look in his eyes, he directly brought out the past that Lin Yu dared not mention.

Lin Yu's heart began to tense up again. He glanced at the people around him cautiously, and said in a gentle voice, "He's not stupid. Please let me off. I have classes tomorrow."

Tao Xingye sneered and looked at her, "You don't want to talk to him anymore, and you're even refusing to drink tea?"

Lin Yu stopped talking, and the atmosphere became cold. Tao Xingye felt a flicker of anger in his heart. From childhood to adulthood, everyone had been complimenting him, and when had his words ever been put down to words?

Who does she think Lin Yu is? After all these years, she still dares to look at her in the same displeasure as when she was a child.

"Stop the car!" Tao Xingye glared at Lin Yu. "Don't you want to leave? Get out now!"

Lin Yu took the bag and got out of the car with a stiff face, regardless of the threat in his tone.