Another wave of trouble
Lin Tingyue stood still, staring at the direction where the black Bentley had disappeared, with only the endless stream of taillights remaining.
Chi Zhuo's last words were like icicles, repeatedly carving into her eardrums and heart.
To him, all of this was just her relentless harassment.
These words swirled and crashed wildly in her mind, almost tearing her nerves apart.
The gazes from those around her became clear and stinging, and she could even hear faint whispers.
"What happened to that girl?"
"It seems like I was cursed at by someone in the car..."
"She looks so pitiful..."
"Is it a relationship problem...?"
Pitiful.
Yes, it's truly pitiful and tragic.
She made herself look like this.
A huge, irresistible sense of shame and despair overwhelmed her like a tsunami.
She abruptly lowered her head, unable to bear any more gazes, and turned away, almost staggering, fleeing this place that had robbed her of all her dignity.
She didn't know how she got home. Her consciousness was hazy, her steps were unsteady, like a puppet whose strings had been pulled out.
Opening the door, the familiar surroundings offered no sense of security whatsoever.
She leaned against the cold door, her body slowly sliding down until she finally collapsed onto the floor of the entryway.
Tears finally broke free.
It wasn't the kind of sobbing that comes from feeling wronged, but rather a silent, surging torrent of tears.
His shoulders trembled violently, but he couldn't make a sound, as if all his cries were blocked in his chest.
It hurts so much.
It hurts a thousand times more than any other fear or embarrassment.
So this is what it feels like to be driven away by someone you like in the tone of your most hated voice.
It turns out that all her efforts and sincerity were nothing more than a tiresome and childish farce in his eyes.
She lost not only a chance to apologize, but also her feelings, which had just been confirmed and were crushed, and her little pride left.
My phone was vibrating incessantly in my bag; I knew it was Xia Xiaoran without even looking.
She didn't answer.
She didn't want to see anyone or say anything.
The whole world turned gray and white, losing all meaning and sound.
I don't know how much time passed, but it seemed that all my tears had dried up, leaving only a dry pain and a deep-seated exhaustion.
The sky outside the window was completely dark, and the city's neon lights cast cold, shimmering spots on the floor through the window.
She remained curled up, motionless, like a wounded little animal retreating to its den.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Rapid and continuous.
Lin Tingyue trembled as if startled, and raised her head blankly.
Xia Xiaoran's anxious voice came from outside the door: "Yueyue! Yueyue, are you in there? Open the door! I know you're home! Are you alright?!"
She still didn't want to move.
"Lin Tingyue! If you don't open the door, I'm calling the property management to break it down!" Xia Xiaoran's voice was filled with an undeniable threat and deep worry.
Finally, Lin Tingyue struggled and used all her strength to stand up and open the door.
When Xia Xiaoran saw her looking so distraught, with her eyes swollen like walnuts and her face still bearing traces of tears, she gasped. All the words of reproach she was about to say were swallowed back, leaving only a deep sense of heartache.
"Oh my god..." Xia Xiaoran pulled her into her arms. "What's wrong? What happened? Did he bully you again?!"
A warm embrace and a close friend's eagerness acted like a key, instantly unlocking Lin Tingyue's closed emotional gates.
She leaned on Xia Xiaoran's shoulder and finally burst into tears, recounting everything that had just happened in broken, incoherent sentences.
As Xia Xiaoran listened, her face grew increasingly grim, and her fists clenched tighter and tighter.
"Bastard! Beast! Chi Zhuo is utterly despicable!"
She was trembling with rage, and screamed, "How could he treat you like this?! Scumbag! Cold-blooded animal! Yueyue, we don't want him anymore! Let this kind of man go to hell!"
She gently patted Lin Tingyue's back: "Cry, cry, you'll feel better after crying. It's not worth being sad over a man like that! We'll find someone who cherishes him in the future! Let him regret it!"
Lin Tingyue just cried and kept shaking her head.
She knew Ranran was right; she should give up and hate him.
But the pain in her heart was so real, reminding her of the feelings she couldn't easily take back.
"Ranran...it hurts so much here..." she pointed to her chest, her voice broken and shattered.
Seeing her pained expression, Xia Xiaoran's eyes also reddened: "Silly Yueyue...why are you doing this to yourself..."
That night, Xia Xiaoran didn't leave. She stayed with Lin Tingyue, listening to her cry, venting her frustrations, warming her milk, and clumsily trying to comfort her.
Lin Tingyue cried herself to sleep and finally drifted off to sleep. But even in her sleep, her brows were tightly furrowed and tears would occasionally seep from the corners of her eyes.
Xia Xiaoran looked at her, sighed, took out her phone, hesitated for a long time, and finally opened a chat window.
That was a friend of a friend of hers, who was said to have some connection with the Zhuoyue Group.
She had secretly asked someone to inquire about Chi Zhuo's schedule, intending to give Lin Tingyue some "information," but unexpectedly...
She typed quickly: "Could you please find out for me if Chi Zhuo has any activities planned for tonight?"
The other party quickly replied: "What a coincidence, I just heard that Mr. Zhang from Dingsheng Group is hosting a private cocktail party at 'Yunding' tonight, and it seems that Mr. Chi is attending."
Genting Highlands?
Xia Xiaoran remembered the name.
...
Meanwhile, Genting Club.
Crystal chandeliers gleam, elegant attire fills the air, and wine cups float on the winding stream.
This was a typical high society gathering, filled with insincere small talk, shrewd probing, and ubiquitous exchanges of favors.
Chi Zhuo's appearance undoubtedly became one of the focal points of the event.
People kept coming up to offer toasts and strike up conversations.
He handled things with ease, his face was stern, his demeanor elegant, and a faint, perfectly timed smile occasionally played on his lips, yet he remained unapproachable.
Lu Tingyuan stayed by his side, quietly deflecting some unnecessary social engagements for him.
"Mr. Chi, Mr. Zhang is over there, seemingly having a pleasant conversation with some bankers," Lu Tingyuan whispered a reminder.
Chi Zhuo casually glanced in that direction and nodded.
The recent moves of Dingsheng Group are indeed worth noting, which is the main reason why he made an exception to come tonight.
He walked over slowly, holding a glass of champagne.
Upon seeing him, General Manager Zhang immediately greeted him warmly: "General Manager Chi! It's an honor to have you here!"
"Mr. Zhang, you're too kind." Chi Zhuo clinked glasses with him.
After a few pleasantries, the conversation naturally turned to industry trends and potential collaborations. Chi Zhuo listened casually, occasionally asking a key question or two, his gaze sharp and insightful.
However, only he himself knew that his attention was not 100%.
The image from that afternoon keeps flashing uncontrollably in my mind: the woman's pale face, running after the car, pounding on the car window in a pathetic state, and her eyes filled with tears, pleading and despair.
Those eyes seemed to overlap for a moment with certain blurry, deliberately suppressed images from his memory, bringing a subtle yet undeniable sense of unease.
He loathed this out-of-control association, loathed this state of being disturbed by irrelevant emotions.
"Mr. Chi? What does Mr. Chi think of this plan?"
Mr. Zhang's voice brought him back to reality.
Chi Zhuo instantly regained his composure, the fluctuation in his eyes vanishing without a trace, as if his momentary lapse in concentration had never occurred.
He took a sip of champagne, his tone calm yet incisive: "The plan sounds good, but in terms of its implementation, Dingsheng seems to have higher policy risks to consider than expected."
The conversation continued in depth.
Halfway through the party, Chi Zhuo felt a bit stuffy and, under the pretext of getting some fresh air, went to the terrace.
The terrace was much more spacious and quiet, and the cool evening breeze dispersed some of the smell of alcohol.
He unbuttoned the bottom button of his suit jacket, stood by the railing, and looked down at the city's dazzling night view.
Lu Tingyuan quietly followed and stood not far away.
“Tingyuan,” Chi Zhuo suddenly spoke, his voice devoid of emotion.
"President Chi."
"Is she still down there?" he asked abruptly.
But Lu Tingyuan immediately understood who this "she" referred to.
He hesitated for a moment before replying, "Miss Lin's friend, Miss Xia, just... asked someone to inquire about your schedule tonight. Miss Lin herself should have already gone home."
Chi Zhuo didn't speak, but just looked at the bustling traffic below, his gaze deep.
He took out his phone; the screen was dark.
There were no messages or missed calls.
That woman seems to have finally learned her lesson this time.
Or rather, he finally shattered it completely.
This was exactly the outcome he wanted. Peace and quiet, undisturbed, everything back on track.
But for some reason, the inexplicable restlessness in my heart did not disappear; instead, it became even clearer in this silence.
Like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, it knows it will sink to the bottom silently, yet it still disturbs the originally still surface of the water.
He frowned slightly and downed the rest of the wine in his glass in one gulp.
The cold liquid slid down my throat, but it couldn't suppress that inexplicable, unfamiliar feeling of tightness.
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