Full Cup of Water - Chap 20

Ding Dong. The elevator door opened.

Xin Qianyu quickly stepped out of the four-sided elevator and walked angrily to the hotel room. Su Zhong followed him, neither quickly nor slowly. It may be that his legs were relatively long, and following behind the brisk-walking Xin Qianyu was not difficult.

When the two walked into the room, Xin Qianyu first undid the restrictive suit, revealing the white shirt he was wearing inside. He was in a state of anxiety, his body was sweating slightly, and his shirt was stuck to his sweaty lower back, like a painting.

Su Zhong looked at this waist like a child seeing a white rice bowl and was determined to reach out and touch it before giving up.

It was just that as soon as Su Zhong’s hand caught Xin Qianyu’s waist, he was patted away with anger. With the “smack” sound of hitting away his hand, Su Zhong’s face was full of consternation, like a child who had committed a crime without knowing it.

Xin Qianyu was furious. “What are you doing!”

For the first time in his life, Su Zhong saw Xin Qianyu angry with him. Not knowing what to do, he stood dumbfounded and at a loss.

Xin Qianyu did not remember the poor bastard or little white flower he was supposed to pretend to be. He pointed at Su Zhong’s nose and came up with a set of essential quotes necessary for couples to quarrel. “Why didn’t you return my message?”

“No matter how busy you are, you can’t not look at your phone for hours, right?”

“I think you’re just deliberately ignoring me!”

“Previously, you ignored me, saying that you would go to the United States just like that, and you even said that we would not interfere with each other’s work. Why are you interfering with my work now?”

“Do you think you are awesome?”

“You don’t care about me at all!”

“You bastard!”

These words had actually been held in Xin Qianyu’s heart for a long time, and now, it was refreshing to spit them out. But the refreshing feeling was also just for a moment, and then there was an endless emptiness. After a bout of scolding, Xin Qianyu glared at Su Zhong, waiting for his response.

Su Zhong had never seen such a scene in his life. His sophisticated machine-like brain was actually overloaded. Its internal storage burned up, his head was hot, and the whole machine went down. He could not say a word, so he was dumbfounded and looked like a blockhead.

Seeing Su Zhong still having that calm and silent appearance, Xin Qianyu realized that he had just landed all the combination punches on cotton.

What’s the use of you getting angry again and attacking again? People aren’t taking any action at all. It’s only you tossing and turning alone. Only you are sad, only you are alone, only you are passionate, and now you’re even quarrelling by yourself!

His anger was like fire, his calm like smoke. Xin Qianyu’s eyes were red. He clenched his fists and said, “Don’t you love me at all?”

“I…” Su Zhong finally reacted and began to speak.

“Forget it.” Xin Qianyu turned his head away. “I don’t want to listen to you speak.”

Su Zhong quietened down.

But Su Zhong also saw that Xin Qianyu was very sad now, so he tried to get close to Xin Qianyu, wanting to hug him, but Xin Qianyu pushed him away. Xin Qianyu stared with his round eyes. “Don’t touch me! Stay away from me!”

Su Zhong obediently walked away. Xin Qianyu felt even angrier. The atmosphere between the two became extremely oppressive, and the silence exacerbated this gloom. Holding his breath, Xin Qianyu self-admitted that he could not hold out longer than Su Zhong. Su Zhong sat on the sofa opposite him, motionless like the Leshan Giant Buddha. It seemed like he could sit there for a thousand years without moving.

Xin Qianyu could not hold it in. “You have nothing to say?”

Su Zhong had an expression of innocence. “You don’t want to listen to me.”

Xin Qianyu smacked the table angrily. “Then you could come over to comfort me, right?”

Su Zhong was more innocent. “You told me to stay away from you.”

Xin Qianyu clenched his teeth with anger. “So obedient? Then if I asked you to break up with me, would you listen?”

Su Zhong was startled, and the appearance of this moment was really like a stone carving.

Xin Qianyu finally found waves in Su Zhong’s calm, sea-like eyes.

This seemed to be the first time in their long relationship that Su Zhong showed any emotional ups and downs.

Su Zhong was confused and at a loss. That expression, unexpectedly, made Xin Qianyu feel happy.

“What’s the matter?” Su Zhong’s voice sounded a little weak.

Xin Qianyu had never heard Su Zhong speak like this.

Su Zhong’s voice had always been flat and cold, like Siri, but with a more natural and smoother tone. When did he ever speak in such a trembling voice?

Being able to break the mechanical calm of Su Zhong made Xin Qianyu feel an unprecedented sense of success in his heart. However, it was really saddening.

Xin Qianyu felt very sad, for himself and for Su Zhong. He actually did not want Su Zhong to be sad.

Xin Qianyu calmed down and said in a gentle and emotionless tone. “It’s nothing, I just think we need to calm down.”

“I don’t understand.” Su Zhong looked helpless. “Do you really want to break up?”

Xin Qianyu was silent for a long time. With Su Zhong looking on helplessly, he could not bear it in the end, so he said, “No.”

Su Zhong breathed a sigh of relief immediately as if he had been pardoned. “No is good.”

With that, Su Zhong asked again, “Then why did you suddenly say such a thing?” Su Zhong spoke very seriously, sitting upright on the sofa and leaning forward slightly, with his knees together, as formally as a student asking a teacher a question.

Xin Qianyu did not have the patience to give him extracurricular tutoring. He pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “I don’t know.” With that, Xin Qianyu spoke again. “I’m tired and want to rest. Go back first. We’ll talk about it when I’m done with this project.”

“Okay.” Su Zhong stood up. “Then I’ll go back first. You have a good rest.”

After speaking, Su Zhong walked out the door but turned his head several times with each step. That reluctant appearance went completely unnoticed by Xin Qianyu. Xin Qianyu hung his head in self-doubt and sadness, completely oblivious to Su Zhong’s gaze at him.

The next day, Xin Qianyu looked at the phone which had only his partner’s phone number, but there was no call from Su Zhong. He smiled to himself. Sigh, sure enough.

Despite this, Xin Qianyu still tidied up his mood and went to the AA Association with Zhu Zhu to sign the contract.

This time, with Mr Wilder taking care of him and Rebecca giving in, the contract was quickly signed, and the two sides talked very happily. It seemed that stopping Xin Qianyu from entering the office before was really just a misunderstanding.

The news of Xin Qianyu’s smooth work quickly reached Su Zhong’s ears. After all, Mr Wilder thought he had offered a favour to Su Zhong. After Xin Qianyu signed the contract, he would tell Su Zhong the news.

After Su Zhong knew it, he thanked him lightly. Mr Wilder also found that Su Zhong was very cold. But Su Zhong was introduced by Mr Chen, whose bank was one of the main sponsors of the AA Association. Therefore, Mr Wilder would naturally feel that Su Zhong’s coldness was acceptable.

After hanging up the phone, Su Zhong sat in the office in a daze.

Su Zhong’s assistant, Thomas, had a good relationship with Lilith, so he told Lilith that Su Zhong seemed to be in a bad mood.

“Lao Su is in low spirits?!” Lilith was shocked.

“Yeah!” Thomas was also surprised.

Su Zhong in low spirits was indeed big news.

Because in the eyes of Thomas, Lilith and others, it was impossible for Su Zhong to have such a thing as a “mood”.

It was no exaggeration that their company had billions of dollars fluctuating every minute. Even senior partners often experience mood swings with market fluctuations, and the degree of mood swings was proportional to the degree of market volatility. However, as the youngest partner of the company, Su Zhong was the calmest. He was always like that. He was like that when he earned and like that when he lost. He was like that when others praised him and the same when others jeopardized him.

Su Zhong was like that.

Therefore, everyone began to joke privately, saying that Su Zhong’s AI algorithm was so powerful, perhaps because he himself was the closest existence to AI. Cold, accurate, and emotionless.

How could there be such a thing as a “mood” in Su Zhong?

Being “in low spirits” was even more nonsensical.

However, Lilith vaguely felt that Su Zhong was indeed in low spirits, and it was probably related to meeting Xin Qianyu last night.

In addition, Lilith could not think of any other reasons.

Therefore, during lunch break, Lilith rushed to Su Zhong’s office with a sandwich and asked him with a smile, “Did you quarrel with your boyfriend?”

“Hmm?” Su Zhong did not look at Lilith at first, but when he heard Lilith’s words, he turned his attention to her. “I… I don’t know.”

After all, Su Zhong did not feel like he had quarrelled with Xin Qianyu. But Xin Qianyu’s performance was quite strange, and it did not seem too much to describe it as a “quarrel”. However, shouldn’t the quarrel be on both sides? He did not quarrel with him, so it should not be considered a “quarrel”, right?

Su Zhong described the content of last night’s quarrel with Xin Qianyu from a calm, objective perspective. After Lilith heard it, her eyes brightened, and she smiled. “Tsk, it’s okay. Don’t worry. It’s just some disagreement.”

“Really?” Su Zhong was confused. “But I’ve never seen him like this.”

“It’s okay. Relationships are like this.” Lilith said with familiarity.

Su Zhong asked, “Then do you know why he suddenly mentioned breaking up and then changed his words?”

Su Zhong was very concerned about this.

When he heard the words “break up”, Su Zhong felt a dull pain in his heart, which was a strange and uncomfortable feeling. He did not want to go through it again.

Lilith said, “It’s very simple. Many young people get excited and threaten to break up. Just to see you sad and force you to admit that you care about him. Although it’s naive, many people will do so.”

“Threaten?” Su Zhong was stunned. “Was it actually a threat?”

“Wasn’t it?” Lilith said. “Do you have a sense of crisis?”

“Yes.” Su Zhong bluntly admitted that Xin Qianyu’s mention of breaking up made him feel panic and pressure like never before. At that moment, he was indeed being threatened, as if a knife was held at his neck. As long as Xin Qianyu was willing to take back the words “break up”, Su Zhong would promise him anything.

Lilith sighed and said in a mature tone, “This is not okay. Such behaviour cannot be condoned. Think about it, if he tastes the sweetness and threatens to break up at every turn in the future, would the two of you be able to get by?”

“Is there such a thing?” Su Zhong was surprised, but at the same time, a little at a loss.

Just hearing Xin Qianyu mention once about breaking up, Su Zhong was so sad. He could not bear for Xin Qianyu to say this at every turn.

But Su Zhong did not just fully listen to Lilith’s words.

As a born data analyst, Su Zhong would listen to opinions from multiple perspectives.

Many companies on Wall Street had specialised psychological counselling rooms where professional counsellors serviced their employees. After all, the work pressure here was very high, and psychological counselling had become a very necessary thing.

Su Zhong went to seek psychological counselling.

This also surprised the counsellor.

After all, Su Zhong seemed like the most stress-resistant person, and no one expected him to ask a counsellor for help.

However, Su Zhong quickly explained his intention, saying that he was not stressed at work and wanted to ask what mental state his boyfriend was in to use a break-up as a threat.

The counsellor was even more surprised. Could Su Zhong have a boyfriend?

Of course, he would be without one soon. But that’s another story.

Su Zhong was rigid in doing things. Since Xin Qianyu said, “I don’t want to talk to you now. Let’s talk when my project is over.” Su Zhong did not talk to Xin Qianyu and had been waiting for Xin Qianyu’s project to end.

Xin Qianyu felt he had fallen into a single-sided “cold war” again.

After the contract had been successfully signed at the AA Association, Mr Wilder, chairman of the association, also cordially took a photo with Xin Qianyu. Rebecca watched from the side in a cold sweat, afraid that Xin Qianyu would complain to Mr Wilder. At the same time, Rebecca felt it was very strange. Mr Wilder seemed very familiar with Xin Qianyu. In that case, it should have been easy for him to get the contract signed. Why did he specifically have to find my weak point and force me to give in?

Of course, Rebecca did not dare to ask, nor did she dare to say anything.

She increasingly felt that Xin Qianyu could not be offended. Following Mr Wilder’s words, she suggested it was better to hand over everything to Xin Qianyu in the future. By saying this, it was tantamount to kicking Xin Simu down.

Xin Qianyu felt that Rebecca was very insincere. After receiving so much money from Xin Simu, she now changed sides without much thought. But after thinking about it carefully, Rebecca was not a sincere person at all. It was a pity that Xin Simu had invested the money.

Just as Xin Qianyu had said, don’t give away money if you can help it. If you give it away, you might not recoup the investment. Moreover, it was illegal and not worth it.

Mr Wilder was happy to offer favours and did not know Xin Simu. In his eyes, Xin Simu was a nobody. But Xin Qianyu was not. He was the boyfriend of their sponsor’s father’s friend. Although it sounded a bit weird, no matter how you looked at it, the scales should be tilted towards Xin Qianyu.

Therefore, Mr Wilder spoke and gave Yuzhuo Group the authorization of the examination centre. He also introduced Xin Qianyu to the person in charge of the accreditation educational certification body. In other words, Xin Qianyu could use such resources to help more schools within the group obtain accredited international certifications.

Such good news quickly returned to the group headquarters. The old man was very satisfied with the result. After all, the old man had always hoped that his school would have a higher degree of international recognition, and it was essential for his school to obtain more accredited certifications.

Xin Simu also made a lot of effort to pull strings for this, but unexpectedly, Xin Qianyu pulled the string within a week.

Xin Simu smiled bitterly and only said, “I guess Xiaoyu has a good fate.”

This phrase of “good fate” was particularly interesting.

If an observant person hears it, they would be able to understand its meaning: Xin Simu thinks that Xin Qianyu is not very capable, but his life is good, and he has the help of nobles.

The old man smiled and said, “First is fate, second is luck and third is feng shui. Good fate is the foundation of everything. Who doesn’t want the project to be in the hands of a lucky person?”

Xin Simu also realized that what she had just said was a bit sour, so she smiled and said, “Yes, Xiaoyu will definitely be able to lead our project.”

“Well, Xiao Mu, you are also very busy,” the old man said. “Leave overseas projects to Xiaoyu. He’s young, energetic, and can fly everywhere. Moreover, he has studied abroad and knows how to communicate with foreigners. What do you think?”

Since the old man could say this, he had already thought about it. Asking “What do you think” was just being polite. What else could Xin Simu think? Xin Simu could only say yes and hand the overseas projects over to him.

Several educational certification bodies with global influence were in the United States, and it was also of great significance to the Yuzhuo Group to establish a good relationship with them. In addition, there were some cultural and educational non-governmental organizations that could help the Yuzhuo Group increase its influence. Mr Wilder was very generous to take Xin Qianyu to an internal gathering in the industry, allowing him to make friends with more bigwigs in the international education field.

Although Mr Wilder said that he had an affinity with Xin Qianyu, and believed that Xin Qianyu was clever and intelligent, which was why he admired him and helped him. But Xin Qianyu knew that these opportunities were probably only obtained by the light of Su Zhong.

Wasn’t Xin Simu clever? Or intelligent? Or worth admiring?

Xin Simu had been dealing with the AA Association for several years, and she could only win Rebecca’s support by throwing money at her. In the past few years, Xin Simu and Mr Wilder had only eaten together three or five times, and their friendly relationship was very shallow. Millions of candidates around the world took exams organized by the AA Association every year. Therefore, there were teaching institutions all over the world that were looking for cooperation with the AA Association. In Mr Wilder’s view, Yuzhuo Group was just one of the hundreds of thousands of institutions around the world rushing to present money to the AA Association. Mr Wilder naturally looked down on Xin Simu.

However, Xin Qianyu was different. Xin Qianyu was much more significant than Xin Simu. When it came down to it, in Mr Wilder’s eyes, Xin Qianyu was not a person of Yuzhuo but a person of M-global.

In the past, everyone would give a thumbs up when they mentioned M-global. They were very envious when they heard that Su Zhong had jumped to Wall Street. Xin Qianyu did not have any real feelings about it. Didn’t he just change his place of work? Now, Xin Qianyu had finally experienced the influence of M-global firsthand, or as Ah Xiao called it, “the power of capital.”

Xin Qianyu also understood better why the old man was still tossing and turning over the company’s listing at such an old age. These days, capital was still king.

In fact, Xin Qianyu knew that he should be grateful to Su Zhong. Therefore, when M-global was going to hold a new banquet, and Su Zhong asked Xin Qianyu to go with him, Xin Qianyu let go of his “cold war thoughts” and agreed. Xin Qianyu asked Su Zhong, “When did you meet Mr Wilder?”

Su Zhong replied, “One of my clients is a sponsor of AA.”

Xin Qianyu was puzzled. “What? You ask clients to help you with things?”

“It’s not to help me with things. It’s to do me a favour.” Su Zhong said, “Moreover, I think there is equality between me and my clients.”

Xin Qianyu swallowed. He always felt like he was the little prince. Now it seemed like Su Zhong was the little prince. What was an employee who treated clients indifferently, if not a little prince?

However, even if Su Zhong was cold to his clients, the clients still liked him very much and were willing to hand over large sums of money to him.

Just because Su Zhong could manage funds very well.

When Su Zhong’s name broke through, some clients fought for Su Zhong, but Su Zhong never fought for clients.

At the banquet, some people took the initiative to talk to Su Zhong. “Actually, I have always admired you a lot. It’s like this. I have a billion here…”

Su Zhong said indifferently, “I’m sorry, my fund and asset management volume this year is full, and I don’t intend to arrange a new plan for the time being.”

The man did not give up and spoke for a long time, saying he could give him a lot of commissions, but Su Zhong was unmoved. Once he finalised his plan, the amount would be fixed, regardless of whether it was one billion. Even if it were ten billion, Su Zhong’s principle would not be violated.

The man was rejected harshly by Su Zhong, and he was silent for a long time, then asked, “When will appointments be open next year?”

Xin Qianyu stood next to him and almost choked. From Su Zhong, Xin Qianyu deeply realized the meaning of the words “arrogance because of one’s talent”.

Xin Qianyu went to the bathroom, and when he came out, he happened to meet the person with a billion yuan who had just asked Su Zhong to open a special account. Xin Qianyu gave him a slight smile. But the man walked up to Xin Qianyu, seeming like he was there specifically to block Xin Qianyu.

Xin Qianyu frowned. “Yes?”

The other party said very politely, “Our company also has a certain influence in the field of education. If you want, we can help your group’s schools quickly pass the certification for the University Alliance.”

One who offers unsolicited hospitality must be harbouring evil intentions.

Xin Qianyu did not feel he was charming enough for this big boss to inquire about his affairs, suddenly throwing an olive branch. Most likely, it was still stained with the light of Su Zhong. Xin Qianyu did not like to beat around the bush, so he said directly, “Thank you, but I’m already advancing this aspect. Also, Su Zhong and I never ask about each other’s work. If you want me to ask him to change his work plan, I’m afraid it won’t work.”

The other party smiled. “Since you speak so directly, then I will be direct. When something happened to you before, didn’t Su Zhong break his principle to wipe your ass and accepted one more client? I think since you have such a good relationship, as long as you speak, he won’t mind adding me as another client.”

Xin Qianyu was startled. He really did not expect such a thing to happen here.

It turned out that Ah Xiao’s boss was Mr Chen. Mr Chen wanted Su Zhong to manage bank assets, but Su Zhong refused on the grounds that his service quota was full. After Ah Xiao met Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong in the cafe that day, he had the idea of helping his boss solve the problem and persuaded Su Zhong to take action. Su Zhong listened to Ah Xiao and made an exception to help Mr Chen. In exchange, Mr Chen got the AA Association to treat Xin Qianyu as a guest of honour.

After learning the inside story, Xin Qianyu’s face changed, and his feelings became even more complex. He felt that he should be moved and thankful. However, he became even more depressed.

Xin Qianyu showed an even worse expression to the boss who blocked him outside the toilet. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about. However, I really will not interfere with his work. Please don’t bother me!”

The boss’s temper also flared up. He sneered and said, “Okay, leave it alone if you don’t care about it. Anyway, is there a shortage of fund managers on Wall Street? I just heard he’s good, so I had more patience and sincerity. If he’s not interested in my proposal, so be it. Why are you showing me attitude? What are you? Isn’t it your greatest achievement that you can have two fucks with Su Zhong, and he gives you two payments after he has a good time?”

Xin Qianyu had never been ridiculed like this before. His face flushed instantly, his fists clenched, and he really wanted to flatten this person’s nose.

But he did not do so.

Because the boss was right. Xin Qianyu really did not have the capital to show the big boss any attitude.

If Xin Qianyu could not control himself and gave the opponent a punch, he would be happy. But Su Zhong would have to assist. He did not want it to be like this.

In the past, when Xin Qianyu was by Su Zhong’s side as an “English teacher”, he was often secretly despised by people like Kevin, thinking that Xin Qianyu was with Su Zhong to climb socially. Xin Qianyu never cared much, mainly because it was not true. Just like if someone ran up to Jordan and said, “You’re so short”, Jordan would not care too much. At that time, Xin Qianyu had the aura of being the eldest son of the Yuzhuo Group, and he did not think there was anything wrong with him working at the grassroots level with a salary of several thousand yuan. After all, in his plan, he would soon become the CEO and embark on the pinnacle of his life. Therefore, no matter how the flies buzzed, Xin Qianyu could be like a proud lion and treat them as idiots.

But now, it was different.

Xin Qianyu found that not only was he getting farther and farther away from his proud self, he also seemed to be getting farther and farther away from his old self.

Others said that he, Xin Qianyu, was not worthy of Su Zhong, and it seemed that it was no longer snobbish, low-level talk.

Xin Qianyu gave the boss a cold look and returned to the banquet area. There were perfumed clothes and gorgeous hair, but Xin Qianyu felt a strong sense of rejection. Xin Qianyu stood next to Su Zhong and saw many people talking to Su Zhong, all discussing things that Xin Qianyu did not understand. Xin Qianyu stood there like a vase, and it did not work just to look good. What made Xin Qianyu even more uneasy was even Lilith, an HR personnel rather than a professional, could express a few opinions on the topics they discussed. She nodded and smiled, keeping up with the reasoning of the movers and shakers. As for Xin Qianyu, he had not even heard of many of the things they mentioned, let alone say anything, so he could only stand there with a dignified posture, straight back, and maintain a smile.

If he observed carefully, he would find that no one cared who Xin Qianyu was. They considered him Su Zhong’s male companion.

Because Xin Qianyu’s proud status as a young master was nothing in front of these financial bosses. They had never heard of the Yuzhuo Group, and Xin Qianyu felt he could not do it if he wanted to introduce it. A company like the Yuzhuo Group was a small fish and shrimp in the eyes of these predators.

Lilith noticed Xin Qianyu’s discomfort. She curved her red lips and smiled, asking Xin Qianyu, “Xiaoyu, what do you think?”

This sentence was matched with Lilith’s kind smile as if she was afraid that Xin Qianyu would be left out and let him participate in the discussion.

However, Xin Qianyu did not even understand what they were saying, let alone able to participate in the discussion. Lilith would only embarrass him by doing so.

The eyes of several people also fell on Xin Qianyu as if waiting for him to speak. Xin Qianyu took a deep breath and was about to say, “I think everyone’s opinions are very reasonable, but I agree with Su Zhong’s perspective more because this perspective was very interesting.” It had no sustenance, but it could be used all over the world. At least it would allow the conversation to continue, and the scene would not be awkward.

Unexpectedly, Xin Qianyu’s phone rang at this time.

Xin Qianyu thought to himself, Thank goodness. What a life-saving call. But there was an apologetic look on his face. “I’m sorry. It’s regarding work matters. Let me answer it.”

Everyone nodded politely.

Xin Qianyu held his phone and walked to a quiet place to answer it. The caller was his grandfather. It turned out that the old man wanted to inform him about the arrangements. He told him that he planned to hand over the group’s overseas projects to him, and asked if he was willing to accept this challenging task.

Although the old man is old, he was still very ambitious. He was not satisfied with only opening schools in China but also intended to expand the group overseas so the group would have an international influence and become a well-known education brand. For overseas expansion, there had been many difficulties, and Xin Simu’s performance in this regard was not very good. Therefore, after the old man saw Xin Qianyu’s potential, he decided to entrust Xin Qianyu with heavy responsibility.

Xin Qianyu felt a lot of pressure when he heard the news because it was very difficult for the group to run schools overseas. After all, the United Kingdom and the United States have formed a monopoly in the international education market, and it was difficult for Asian brands to blaze a trail. However, Xin Qianyu was still very happy to get such an opportunity.

The old man was already so old and still so ambitious. He was a fledgling young man. There was no reason he could not be passionate, right?

After agreeing with the old man, the old man sent the project-related documents to Xin Qianyu. Xin Qianyu felt that the banquet was quite boring, and now he had work to do again. After putting down the phone, he found Su Zhong and said that he had something to do and had to go back to the hotel first.

Su Zhong did not enjoy such banquets either, so he said, “Let me join you.”

Seeing that the two of them were leaving, Lilith smiled and said, “Are you leaving so soon?”

Xin Qianyu also said meaningfully, “Yes, I can go back by myself. If Zhong Ge has something to do, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Su Zhong said, “I’m fine, I’ll send you.”

Lilith said, “You two have a really good relationship as if you can’t be separated for even a moment. Does Xiaoyu plan to stay in the United States like this?”

Xin Qianyu couldn’t be bothered to feign civility with Lilith and rolled his eyes. “I’ll give you a suggestion. Don’t always focus on other people’s boyfriends if you have nothing to do. You can achieve more.”

Lilith really did not expect Xin Qianyu to be so direct. Her face turned pale. She hurriedly showed her grievances and said, “Did you misunderstand? Su Zhong and I are just good friends. And I know he’s gay, so how can I have inopportune thoughts?”

Thomas, who was looking on beside them, also felt aggrieved for Lilith and secretly thought that Xin Qianyu was really rude.

Xin Qianyu guessed that Lilith would react like this and knew that without any obvious deviant behaviour from Li Liz, saying such things would attract controversy.

But so what?

Xin Qianyu did not care. He shrugged and said, “If it’s a misunderstanding, I’m sorry.” With that, Xin Qianyu pulled Su Zhong away and left.

Lilith stood stiffly in place, her expression even more embarrassed. Thomas tried to persuade her, but Lilith could not listen at all. In fact, she did not care about Thomas’ comfort or even Xin Qianyu’s ridicule. After all, if you planned to steal someone’s boyfriend, you must be prepared to be spat on by the main chick. What she cared about was Su Zhong’s reaction.

And Su Zhong’s reaction was — no response.

In Lilith’s vision, Su Zhong should have clearly said, “Xiaoyu, don’t think too much. Lilith and I are really just friends.” This would have made Xin Qianyu more angry and accelerated the formation of a rift between Su Zhong and Xin Qianyu. However, Su Zhong did not react at all, which made things difficult.

Lilith decided to add fuel to the fire. Seeing that it was about time Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong were expected to reach the hotel, she called.

Lilith guessed well. When she called, Xin Qianyu and Su Zhong had already returned to the hotel.

Su Zhong answered the phone in the hotel room and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Lilith faked a choked voice and said, “It’s just that I’m very worried. Would you and Xiaoyu quarrel because of my situation?”

“No,” Su Zhong said. “We’re fine.”

Lilith was taken aback, and said, “Well, that’s good, then can you help me explain to him that you and I are just ordinary friends?”

Su Zhong said, “Okay.”

Lilith was relieved. As long as Su Zhong explained to Xin Qianyu, it would be easy to make Xin Qianyu angry.

After hanging up the phone, Su Zhong said to Xin Qianyu, “Lilith asked me to explain to you that she and I are just ordinary friends.”

Xin Qianyu was not stupid. Even using his toes, he knew Lilith had bad intentions. On his computer, he browsed through the overseas project documents sent by his grandfather and said indifferently, “I see.”

Su Zhong was plainly aware of the coldness.

In the past, Xin Qianyu always looked at him when he talked to him, very earnestly and with yearning. But now, Xin Qianyu was paying more attention to the computer. Su Zhong was a little at a loss. He turned and asked, “What are you doing?”

Xin Qianyu raised his head and said to Su Zhong, “Oh, by the way, I should tell you this. The old man asked me to be the president of the group’s overseas division.”

Su Zhong nodded and said, “I also planned to tell you that I’ll be carrying out new research. For this reason, I’ll probably stay in the United States for one more year.”

Hearing Su Zhong’s words, Xin Qianyu was startled. “One year? Why another year?”

“Because the research has a new direction, and we need more time and data.” Su Zhong replied, then added a bunch of confusing terms to explain their research.

Xin Qianyu did not understand the research. He only understood “one year”. He was taken aback and said, “Then if there’s any new direction in the research after that, will you stay for another year?”

Su Zhong said, “This probability is very low.”

Su Zhong would never say anything with complete certainty. He said that the probability was very low, which basically meant that he would not.

But Xin Qianyu could not listen to such ambiguous remarks now. He laughed grimly. “You didn’t tell me this when you came to the United States. You only said one year. One more year is needed now, and you don’t plan to discuss it with me. With you staying year after year, you might even get your green card by then and forget that you still have a boyfriend in Asia, right?”

“My memory isn’t so bad,” Su Zhong said. “I won’t forget.”

“Then do you remember that you promised to only go to the United States for one year?” Xin Qianyu’s voice suddenly rose, like the sound of a tightly drawn string. “I don’t think you care about me at all! What’s the point of us doing this? Why don’t we just break up?!”

Su Zhong did not expect that after just a few days, Xin Qianyu would mention breaking up again.

He was admittedly heartbroken but was also aware of something else. He learned from the counsellor and Lilith that the frequent mention of breaking up by his partner was not a good sign.

Su Zhong calmed down and looked at Xin Qianyu seriously.

Upon being looked at by Su Zhong, Xin Qianyu felt somewhat disoriented.

When Xin Qianyu mentioned breaking up earlier, he was also taken aback. After his astonishment, it gave rise to a kind of expectation. He looked forward to Su Zhong showing the fragile expression from the last time he mentioned the breakup.

He looked forward to seeing Su Zhong not being calm or composed and looking heartbroken.

And when Su Zhong looked at him calmly, Xin Qianyu’s whole body was as cold as being soaked in ice water.

Su Zhong said in a serious and calm tone like a researcher, “You don’t really want to break up, but you’re using this breaking up method to cause my anxiety, thereby alleviating your anxiety, or prompting me to make concessions, right?”

Xin Qianyu’s throat seemed to be pinched tight, and he could not breathe.

Su Zhong shook his head and said, “This is not going to work.”

Xin Qianyu’s mind was a mess and he did not know how to answer. If he could calm down, he would naturally understand that Su Zhong’s words were rational and reasonable. But now Xin Qianyu did not want any rationality or reason at all. What he wanted was for Su Zhong to tell him how much he cared about him.

Su Zhong said, again in a preaching tone, “Your behaviour will only hurt our relationship. If you have anything to discuss, don’t use a breakup as a threat.”

Su Zhong’s calm and gentle attitude was sharper and more hurtful to Xin Qianyu than any verbal abuse or disputes. Xin Qianyu, who was being foolish because of anxiety, was simply a joke compared to the methodical and honest Su Zhong.

“Are you dissatisfied with my situation in the United States?” Su Zhong frowned, like an IT engineer looking for bugs in the code. “If this is the case, we can discuss it instead of breaking up. Breaking up won’t solve anything…”

Xin Qianyu’s mind was in a state of chaos, and Su Zhong’s incessant chatter made his mind explode with pain. Xin Qianyu interrupted him. “Even when I mention breaking up, you still won’t change your mind, isn’t it?”

“These two things are not related at all…”

“I’m asking you. Even when I mention breaking up, you still won’t change your mind, isn’t it!” Xin Qianyu emphasized the words “isn’t it”. He gritted his teeth and said, “Isn’t it? Answer me, isn’t it!”

“Yes.” Su Zhong replied, “I hope you understand that breaking up won’t solve any problems…”

A string in Xin Qianyu’s mind suddenly snapped.

In an instant, he had no headache, no battle between heaven and man, no anxiety, only a kind of deathly silence.

His eyes lost their lustre, but they became more indifferent. He looked as calm as Su Zhong.

“Forget it,” he said in a mechanical tone. “Let’s break up.”

Su Zhong was taken aback.

Xin Qianyu said, “This time I’m serious.”

Xin Qianyu did not know how he suddenly hardened his heart and made such a decision.

Su Zhong clearly did not know how things had turned around so quickly and reached this point. His brain was overloaded again, and he could not function at all, becoming a beautiful piece of wood again.

Xin Qianyu waved his hand. “I believe you’ll respect my decision, right?”

Right then, Su Zhong recovered slightly, turning his head like a robot. “What?”

“Respect my decision,” Xin Qianyu said. “You’re such a person, aren’t you? Reasonable and principled. Since I seriously proposed a breakup, I believe you’ll respect it too.”

When Xin Qianyu mentioned the word “respect”, Su Zhong had to nod. “Well, I respect your decision.”

Xin Qianyu’s heart cooled down completely.

Su Zhong was indeed a reasonable and principled person. This was indeed the case with breaking up. If one party resolutely wants to break up, the other party should respect it.

Su Zhong still felt something was wrong, and his heart felt like a piece had been dug out. “Are you determined to do this?”

“I am.” Xin Qianyu mustered up great courage to answer, but his head hung down and he did not dare to face Su Zhong directly, lest he soften his heart when he saw Su Zhong’s face.

Perhaps to prevent his own mind from becoming obsessed with Su Zhong again, he immediately issued an order of expulsion. “Please leave.”

Su Zhong abided by social norms. After the other party issued an expulsion order, he nodded and left.

However, every step of Su Zhong’s journey was extremely difficult, as if carrying a mountain on his back. He could not help but look back at Xin Qianyu, but he could only see Xin Qianyu’s determined back.

Step by step, he grew further and further away from Xin Qianyu until the door closed, and his view was completely cut off.

That was the last time Su Zhong saw Xin Qianyu.

Until two years later.