Chapter 81 Leaving

(The network is not working well again, I will update what I’ve written gradually) 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Since Yue Yao came over, she’s been observing the relationship progress between Li Yan and Zhang Yurong, and has also been helping their relationship develop. After they returned from the hospital, she felt that their relationship was already on track and didn’t require her to be overly involved, so she rarely commented further. Plus, during this time, Zhang Yurong was busy with work, so there wasn’t much time to talk about relationship issues.

Like last night, when Li Yan didn’t come back, and today came back late, from her perspective, Yurong might be angry, but a little communication between the two would sort it out, just like last week. So, she wasn’t overly worried. Furthermore, Li Yan brought her surprising news from Roca’s ’Rose’ operation, making her a bit hesitant, prompting her to quickly gather information through various channels while contemplating countermeasures. With all of this, she didn’t have much energy to focus on their unusual behavior.

At dinner time, she noticed only Li Yan was there. Zhang Yurong claimed to be too busy with work and only had Liu Sǎo bring some food up to her. Normally, Yue Yao would go up to check on her and understand her better. But today, she had her own matters and assumed it was just a small argument between the two, so she paid it no mind.

As she didn’t come down, Li Yan was somewhat disappointed. He originally wanted to have a heartfelt meal perhaps for the last time, as he wasn’t sure how often they’d have the chance to eat together again in the future. However, Yurong might have felt embarrassed or didn’t want to face him. During this meal, he appeared to eat quite enthusiastically, yet only he knew that everything tasted bland.

After dinner, Yue Yao went back to her room to continue her work while Li Yan felt bored and went outside to enjoy the night breeze for a while before going back to his room to rest.

He couldn’t fall asleep, but he lay in bed early, considering he decided to leave the next morning. So, where should he stay temporarily?

Of course, he had places to stay. If finding a place to rent took time, he could stay in a hotel first. Even if he didn’t want to stay in a hotel, Hai Fu and Huang Ying would have gladly let him stay over, but then moving away later would be awkward, and he didn’t want that right now.

After pondering, he decided to stay in a hotel temporarily and then rent a place on his own, living casually and freely as he used to.

As for renting an apartment, he wasn’t interested in running around or finding an agent, planning instead to ask friends for leads anyway, as he had few requirements. Taking out his phone, he hesitated a bit, filtering out Sun Hui, Xu Ping, and other company friends because, since they worked in the same company, casual chatting might worry Hai Fu and Wen Qianyi, and he didn’t want that.

Glancing through his phone book, he saw Duan Haibo’s number and smiled. Old Duan was someone who knew the inside story of each other, and without overlapping any social circles, asking him to keep an eye out for rental information wouldn’t be a problem.

He immediately called Duan Haibo, saying there was a small issue with his current residence, so he wanted to temporarily rent another place. It probably wouldn’t be for long, but asked him to help look out for a suitable place for one person. Duan Haibo agreed without hesitation.

After hanging up, Li Yan made another call to Yu Xiaodi, curious about how her birthday at home went. Surprisingly, her phone was off again. Had she forgotten to turn it on this afternoon?

He sent a message wishing her a happy birthday.

After everything was done, Li Yan lay in bed, turned off the lights, and tried to sleep.

...

The next morning, Li Yan, who was usually the last to come down, came down earlier than everyone else. To prevent Yue Yao from getting worried, he first moved his luggage outside and put it in his car before coming back for breakfast.

Zhang Yurong didn’t avoid him and came down as usual on time for breakfast. Since she didn’t have to work, she didn’t change clothes and came down in her pajamas.

Yue Yao also got up. She could see there was a bit of unnaturalness between Li Yan and Yurong, but she just assumed they had a fight or tiff yesterday and didn’t think much of it. She simply talked more to lighten the mood, alternating between talking to her and to him.

Breakfast was completed in a relatively good atmosphere.

The calm of the previous night gave Zhang Yurong a chance to reflect on whether her words were a bit impulsive. But after thinking it over, she didn’t feel she had done anything wrong. Perhaps truly they weren’t suited for each other, and forcing it would be meaningless. Separating to see how they felt could be beneficial; if neither needed the other, separation wouldn’t be an issue.

But even if she understood this, in the morning seeing Li Yan, her feelings were mixed, unsure if his words yesterday about leaving were genuine, or if he was just talking.

Her slight disappointment yet relief came when, after breakfast, Li Yan leisurely drank tea and chatted with Yue Yao without packing his things to leave.

But when she was preparing to go upstairs, she noticed he said he was going out and stepped right out the door.

Perhaps... he planned to find a place first and would return later to move out.

She stood dazed looking outside, and Yue Yao came over to her side, whispering with a smile: "Are you worried that he’ll come back late again? You should directly impose a time limit! Just tell him it’s getting cold, have him accompany you to shop for clothes—he hasn’t done that for you yet. Then, you can buy him a couple of outfits; that will smooth things over. A couple never holds grudges overnight, fight at the head of the bed and reconcile at the end. Yurong, be proactive, he won’t escape your grasp! Go for it!"

"What are you talking about..." Yurong forced a smile, tugged Yue Yao’s hand, and sighed in her heart, Yue Yao, you don’t know the situation this time, it’s beyond what you can help reconcile...

Yue Yao, afraid that Yurong might feel embarrassed, offered her some advice first and then went upstairs, thinking she might get a chance to talk to Li Yan.

Yurong hesitated for a moment, walked to the bedside, and saw a hint of green leaving, which slightly sank her heart. Then she opened the door and went to the garage.

Li Yan, who had been driving the new car for a while, left the Lexus she bought for him in the garage and drove his original little QQ car instead. Confirming this situation made her feel a mix of emotions.

This was supposed to be a gift for him; he hadn’t resisted before and had used it well. Now, at this particular time, he’s no longer driving it. She believed he wouldn’t take the car away either. It was effectively a way of returning the gift to him...

Yurong thought of the sachet Li Yan had given her, which was the first formal gift he had given her. Though it was not valuable or special, he specifically brought it back from abroad when he went to Beihai Country. A gift of light weight traveled a thousand miles and that sachet from a thousand miles away was equally heavy with emotion. She had always carried that sachet with her, but now...

...

After driving the car out, Li Yan felt a bit lost, not knowing where to go. If he had known it would be like this, he wouldn’t have checked out yesterday and could have stayed there for a few more days.

Driving aimlessly for a while, Li Yan’s phone rang, and he saw it was Duan Haibo calling.

"Hey, Xiao Duan, you couldn’t have found a place so soon, could you?" Li Yan laughed.

"Well, there is a place, but it’s really average; not sure if you’ll get used to it."

"No worries, I won’t be there long. Just need a place for a while."

Duan Haibo, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, "Actually, here’s the thing, I rent a three-bedroom apartment. My girlfriend and I stay in one room, her sister stays in another, and there’s one more room we usually use for storage. If you don’t mind, we can clear it out for you. After all, finding a place temporarily is quite a hassle. Just that you’d be living with us, I don’t know if you..."

Li Yan couldn’t help but laugh; it seemed that when he heard the phone call last night, he had considered this idea. But still, he’d have to discuss it with his wife before deciding. "Haha, I don’t mind. I’m not someone who needs to be in a secluded environment. If you can live there, so can I. I won’t disturb you, right? You seem pretty cozy living with your wife and sister-in-law."

Duan Haibo perspired a bit and quickly said, "You know my girlfriend, and her sister lives with her boyfriend."

"So wouldn’t I be the only single guy there?"

"Uh..."

"Haha, just kidding. I’ve come to prefer lively places. I’ll stay with you guys for a while, give me the address," Li Yan said with a laugh.

Duan Haibo immediately gave him the address, "Brother Li, come over and have a look first. If you don’t like it, we can rent another place nearby. There are still many options around here."

"OK, I’ll head over in a bit."

Li Yan wasn’t joking; for the past few months, he had been living with Yurong and Yue Yao, and he had gotten used to not living alone. Suddenly going back to living by himself felt a bit disorienting. Moreover, given the current situation with Yurong... being alone easily led to overthinking. Staying in a more lively place, though he’d be alone most of the time, he could at least see people when he stepped out, preventing a sense of desolation.

Driving over took some time, finding the exact location took even more time, and he had to make several phone calls. Finally, it was Duan Haibo who waited downstairs for him. Helping him with his luggage to the fifth floor, as there was no elevator.

Looking at the surrounding environment, Li Yan softly chuckled, "Xiao Duan, your secluded choice of residence is perfect. You’re just like any ordinary working class, who would have thought you were once a formidable figure."

Duan Haibo chuckled back, "You’re not bad yourself, working in a large company pretending to be a gentleman, who would have thought you’re the Life-taking Yama?"

Both laughed heartily. Duan Haibo considered Li Yan a friend, having moved from initial gratitude and respect to friendship. Yet, he was very measured, knowing not to ask about matters that shouldn’t be asked. If it was something to say, Li Yan would say it himself, and if it wasn’t, asking would make things awkward for everyone.

(Thanks to yesterday’s tipping brothers: zjun971210, Angry Dragon, Bookfriend100505081224547, dongmin8061, fellow student Chen Manni, Li Fanshow, しょぅけん, Cp Pampas) (To be continued, to find out what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com for more Chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!)