Chapter 93 Hope

Two days ago, at 7 PM.

The bar was dimly lit, with interplay of light and shadow. Lu Ming sat in a booth in the corner, with several empty bottles on the table in front of him.

He was bent over, one hand on his knee, the other holding a wine glass. He was silent, dejected, and exuded a strong sense of loneliness.

He wouldn't normally frequent a non-private bar like this; the crowd was noisy, filled with incoherent laughter and boisterous chatter from men and women—a cacophony that gave him a headache. But now, he felt that only such sounds could barely mask his inner turmoil and prevent his emotions from showing so obviously.

His expression was hidden in the darkness beneath his eyelashes. Lu Ming drank one cup of wine after another, sitting there from afternoon until evening. He had lost count of how many cups he had drunk.

Unfortunately, he had a high alcohol tolerance, and no matter what, the alcohol couldn't completely cloud his mind. A figure that shouldn't have been on his mind kept recurring in his head; for days, the other person's indifferent, rejecting gaze and dismissive attitude had been tearing at his heart.

He didn't know what was wrong with him.

It felt like two people were tearing him apart inside his heart, making him so confused that he almost couldn't recognize himself anymore.

With his vision blurred, he picked up his phone and swiped aimlessly across the home screen before finally tapping into the call interface. Before he even realized what he had done, he had already dialed Wen Chu's number.

But after a moment of tension and hope, the call was predictably disconnected.

He gave a self-deprecating twitch at the corner of his mouth, and reluctantly hit it again.

This time the call was disconnected even faster.

The other party is currently on another call.

During this time period, Wen Chun could only make a handful of phone calls, and he didn't want to think too much about who they were.

His hand holding the phone felt numb and trembled uncontrollably. His gaze deepened, and his jaw clenched.

He tossed his phone onto the table, downed the drink in his glass, and sat there lost in thought, his hands resting on his knees.

Ever since he and Wen Chu made things clear, everyone around him seemed to be condemning him. Their hesitant looks and reproachful glances made it seem as if he had made a terrible mistake.

Aunt Sun and Xiao Yuan would secretly give Wen Chu a hard time and sulk because he no longer appeared at home for meals. Zhou Jiayang, who had only met Wen Chu once, advised him to think twice before acting. The employees in the company also said behind his back that he was fickle and abandoned Wen Chu after starting something.

Lu Ming initially tried his best to ignore these voices. He didn't think he had done anything wrong. The person he liked was clearly Wen Xue. Outsiders didn't know the specifics of their situation, but he knew it himself.

Wen Chu is selfish, hypocritical, impulsive, and vengeful. He likes to hurt himself to gain attention from others, which is not his type at all. However, on the tennis court, even though he knew that his opponent fell down on purpose, he did not feel as disgusted as he had expected.

Even though he knew the other person was faking the pain, he was still moved.

He immediately suppressed the turmoil in his heart, afraid that others would discover it, and at the same time, he rationalized his feelings by attributing them to the fact that the other party had helped him in the past.

Wen Chu had helped him wholeheartedly, so he didn't dislike her as much anymore. It was normal for him to feel a little reluctant and guilty, but it was definitely not love.

But when news of their breakup was widely circulated and discussed, and his friends came to ask him about it, he didn't seem relieved. He didn't want to explain, and every time he told his friends that he was cutting ties with Wen Chu, it made him feel irritated, but he couldn't do anything about it anymore; that would be irresponsible to Wen Xue.

Later, when he learned that Wen Chu had been grounded because of him, Wen Xue comforted him, saying that it would be good for everyone to calm down for a few days. He agreed, thinking that it was the right thing to do, since they couldn't continue to be entangled like this, and they couldn't give people any more hope.

During the time he was completely cut off from contact with people, he tried his best not to inquire about anything related to that name, tried to focus on his work, and tried to wean himself off this thrill or novelty, and concentrate on maintaining his relationship with Wen Xue. However, traces of her still emerged little by little, constantly reminding him of that name.

A plaster doll on the bedside table in the bedroom, a group photo neatly arranged in a drawer, a few extra strands of long hair in the bathroom, the other person's preferences written on the last page of the notebook, an incongruous doll keychain hanging on a backpack, a necklace tucked away in the deepest part of a drawer in the office...

Wen Chu's traces were everywhere in his home, office, and car, and the sheer number of these traces left him astonished and incredulous.

He felt a deep sense of self-reproach and doubt, realizing that he had actually shared so many memories with another person during the past period, while Wen Xue was not around.

The things he and Wen Chu had done together were still vivid in his mind, and his memories of being at the amusement park were so clear, but when he recalled these scenes, his heart seemed to be shrouded in a hazy barrier, unable to stir any emotion.

So much so that he felt he was completing a task given to him by Lu Mingxiao.

Therefore, he became certain that he did not like Wen Chu.

He was indeed forced by reality to spend more time with people, but this time did not leave any impression on him.

Perhaps driven by loneliness at the time, his self-control weakened. He longed for someone to be by his side and briefly experienced the joy of being accompanied by a woman. So he did many things that blurred the lines, but it was just an instinctive desire for water for someone who had been traveling in the desert for a long time.

Realizing that he may have used Wen Chu as a tool to alleviate his pain, distract himself, and numb himself, he felt even more remorseful. He didn't know how to face Wen Chu or Wen Xue. The only thing he could do was try his best to make amends and stop the damage in time.

But as time went on, those traces continued to deepen his feelings for Wen Chu. The more he couldn't recall the emotions carried by those memories, the more he couldn't help but think back on them.

Then he realized that his feelings for Wen Chu might not be as innocent as he claimed.

He couldn't explain his loss of composure and the surge of jealousy when he saw her with Qi Siyan. He couldn't focus his attention on Wen Xue anymore, and he even felt a little uncomfortable when Wen Xue got close, as if he was afraid that someone would get angry because of it, even though that person wouldn't see it.

At the birthday party, he once again saw a woman dressed up, like a bright flower, and his heart trembled uncontrollably.

Realizing that his heart was fluttering because of the other person made him tense. This completely violated his bottom line that if he fell in love with someone, he would only love that one person. He panicked, dared not admit it, and could only forcefully suppress this inexplicable feeling in his heart.

But that feeling continued to grow, both taking root and striving to break through his tightly guarded bottom line.

Even though he tried to control himself, his gaze would still occasionally fall on the woman, observing her changes. After just over a week apart, when she reappeared before him, he felt a sense of urgency.

I desperately want to get closer, even though I have absolutely no idea what to say.

But when he saw her wearing clothes and jewelry chosen by other men, her skirt brushing against the hem of other men's clothes, being looked at by others, her gaze no longer moving towards him, but smiling happily at others, he felt an uncontrollable anger rise within him.

He was clearly staying by Wen Xue's side, forcing himself to only pay attention to Wen Xue, and telling himself over and over that the person he loved was Wen Xue. But when he saw her getting closer and closer to Qi Siyan, he almost couldn't control himself and rushed up to separate them.

He endured it, comforting himself that it was just a man's possessiveness, a human flaw. But the anger only intensified as the woman repeatedly appeared before him with other men.

Every time we brushed past each other, it intensified that sense of urgency.

The more he tried not to think about her, the more her image appeared in his mind, like an addictive drug. He knew he shouldn't touch her, yet he couldn't help but torment himself.

The thought that the woman who once domineeringly bit his lips would be touched by that bitch Qi Siyan on some unintentional occasion made his heart clench, making it impossible for him to breathe naturally.

If they continue to interact like this, they definitely will.

Qi Siyan will definitely take advantage of Wen Chu's most vulnerable moment and become the person the woman trusts and can rely on most in a short period of time.

What could he do? He could only pretend to be indifferent and maintain his relationship with Wen Xue to avoid confirming the outside world's perception that he was fickle.

It wasn't until Qi Siyan was injured while saving Wen Chu that he stood by and saw clearly the genuine worry and care that the woman showed for Qi Siyan. At that moment, he was consumed by jealousy.

He knew that Qi Siyan had won this round, and their relationship would definitely take another step forward because of it. As for him and Wen Chu, they would drift further and further apart, eventually turning the page completely.

The unease of being replaced lingered intensely in his mind.

A voice inside him told him that he must not let Wen Chu fall in love with Qi Siyan, while another voice stopped him, urging him not to make the same mistake again and to stop wavering between the two.

Even so, in the quiet of the night, he couldn't help but repeatedly recall the scene, wondering if he had stood there at the time, would he have protected Wen Xue or Wen Chu?

Upon realizing that he was actually agonizing over this issue, he began to deeply condemn himself.

He didn't know how he had become such a contradictory and detestable person—indecisive, hesitant, and hypocritical.

He was caught in a moral dilemma, struggling desperately and unable to extricate himself from the conflict between morality and principles.

Gradually, his reason could no longer control his behavior.

The bottom line he had repeatedly built up for himself in his mind collapsed under the weight of every woman he saw. Whenever she stood in front of him, his heart would swing wildly like a malfunctioning pointer, becoming impulsive, irritable, and incoherent. He had almost forgotten how he had managed to remain calm and composed before.

The urgency to hold the other person's head and make them look only at him, the desperate desire to hear from the woman that she still cared about him, and the frustration of realizing that he could never get what he wanted made him dizzy and unable to think calmly.

He couldn't help but want to do or say something, and in a moment of impulse, he didn't hesitate to use Wen Xue as an excuse to test her attitude.

But the woman wished him happiness.

It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, forcing him to wake up.

It seems she has truly let go.

But he became the one who couldn't let go.

It seemed that the other party had seen through his true colors and really didn't like him anymore. For the first time, Lu Ming felt deeply at a loss and panicked.

Unfortunately, Chairman Wen then suffered that unexpected accident.

The woman's utterly indifferent gaze stirred within him an intense, unprecedented, and irreversible sense of panic—a fear of losing her forever.

That feeling intensified every time he saw someone, tormenting him, scratching at his heart, and making him tremble with pain all over his body. But he dared not say it, nor did he have the right to say it. After all, the person he should comfort and protect was Wen Xue, and she already had Qi Siyan by her side. His concern was obviously insignificant and trivial.

Everything he did hurt the other person, and this time, it was irreparable.

His inner panic deepened, but he had no choice but to endure it.

He originally thought that Chairman Wen's passing would make Wen Chu depressed for a while, and even wanted to give her a break. However, his selfishness made him hesitate, because if Wen Chu didn't come to the company, he would have no chance or reason to see her.

Unexpectedly, Wen Chu returned to normal the day after the funeral, coming to work as usual. She was even more meticulous in her work, making no mistakes, and communicating with others as always. The only change was that she was even less willing to talk to him, and she began to ignore his existence.

The calmer the other person was, the more anxious he became.

He realized that Wen Chu was silently hating him and wanted to completely sever ties with him.

A sudden doubt arose in Lu Ming's mind: Did he really like Wen Xue?

He didn't know.

A voice in his mind kept telling him that he liked her, that he really liked her, that he should be happy to have waited for Wen Xue for so long.

But is that really the case?

But if he really likes Wen Chu, how can he say that he loves Wen Chu when both Wen Chu and Wen Xue are very vulnerable, and when everyone is finally accepting him and Wen Xue?

He's going crazy.

The bar owner knew that a big shot had come to his bar, casually ordering 200,000 yuan worth of drinks. He was flattered but dared not disturb him. He could only instruct the bar girls and waiters to keep a close eye on him and to be quick to refill his drinks and add fruit.

This important figure had been sitting in the bar for six hours by now, and anyone could tell he was heartbroken. The waiters exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

Employee A whispered, "He's looking at his phone. He looks like he wants to find someone but doesn't dare. So rich and handsome, yet he's troubled by love?" Everyone present was just a lowly worker who didn't usually follow the news and didn't know Lu Ming's identity. They only knew he was very rich and couldn't be neglected.

Employee B: "Well, there's nothing we can do about it. We don't have a chance to show off. The boss said that if we can make people happy, we'll get an extra 10% commission."

Employee C: "Forget it, we don't need the money. If we accidentally end up with it, we'll lose more than we gain."

At this moment, Waiter D, who had been observing Lu Ming from the corner, flashed his eyes and spoke up: "You guys are too cowardly. Opportunity is for those who are prepared, you know? Watch me."

As he spoke, as if he had made up his mind, he took a deep breath and stepped forward amidst the surprised and admiring gazes of his companions. He politely poured a glass of wine into Lu Ming's glass and then said, "Sir, drinking too much strong liquor is bad for your stomach. Would you like some snacks or a fruit platter? They're complimentary."

Lu Ming pressed his temples to relieve some of the dizziness and said in a low voice, "No need, thank you."

The employee's eyes then fell on Lu Ming's phone on his desk. The phone screen remained on, showing the call interface. The first line was red, indicating that two calls had gone unanswered.

He understood even better: "It's like this, our bar always gives special consideration to customers who come alone. We ask them to leave us the phone number of an acquaintance so that if the customer gets drunk, we can call that person to pick him up in time and ensure the customer's safety. I wonder if you would like to leave one too, sir? Your girlfriend's or a friend's number is fine."

Lu Ming's eyelids twitched, and his lowered eyes deepened. He had thought of that person almost before the waiter had finished speaking.

He was silent for a moment, as if he had finally figured something out: "Could you... make this call for me?" He paused, then asked, "Now, is it okay? Have her... come pick me up."

The employee's eyes lit up. "Okay, no problem at all!"

"Please let me know if she can't come."

"OK!"

The other employees sitting in the shadows looked at each other in astonishment as they saw the other person chatting back and forth with the major client. "Wow, this kid's got guts!"

Watching the waiter dial Wen Chu's number again on his phone, Lu Ming silently gripped his wine glass, his throat dry. He wanted to stop the waiter and let it go, but the impulse in his heart ultimately overcame his reason.

He really wants to see her right now.

He was even more curious to see if the other person would be moved by him again.

The call connected immediately, and the waiter politely spoke into the phone.

Lu Ming felt a surge of tension.

The loud music in the bar drowned out the waiter's voice. He didn't know what he was talking about with the person on the other end of the phone, nor did he know what the outcome would be. When the waiter came back to his side, he felt a sense of suffocation again.

"Sir, the lady across the table said she'll be picking you up shortly," the waiter said with a slight smile.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ming felt a shiver run through his chest, and his cold blood began to flow again.

He pursed his lips, suppressing the joy in his eyes, and calmly said, "Okay, thank you." He then took out his wallet, randomly pulled out a few red bills, and handed them to the other person: "Thank you for your help."

The employee was overjoyed, but politely replied, "It's what we should do, you're too kind!" He accepted the money anyway, as it was proof that he received his commission!

The other waiters, who were hiding in the shadows, stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape.