Chapter Eighty-Three: An Unexpected Encounter

(Thanks to book friend [Long Zhi Mo Wen] for becoming Hall Master and Guardian, here’s a combined bonus Chapter for the acknowledgement!)

The social circles of Duan Haibo, Lv Jiajing, and others are quite different from the circles Li Yan interacts with, like those of Yurong and Yue Yao. Whether it’s the surrounding environment or the topics everyone is concerned about, they’re not the same. It’s neither the CEO-level vision of Zhang Yurong nor the student sentiments of Yue Yao; it’s more about the everyday issues of regular people’s lives.

At noon, the three of them had lunch together at home. In the afternoon, Li Yan went with Duan Haibo to get his new bank card sorted out and wrapped up a story to deceive his wife.

In the evening, Li Yan invited them for dinner under the guise of being new in town. Besides the two of them, there was Lv Jiajing’s sister, Lv Lijun, who works as a car salesperson and needs to work even on Sundays. Lv Lijun’s boyfriend, Han Jinlong, is a young man. Duan Haibo is slightly younger than Li Yan, and Lv Jiajing a bit younger than Haibo; the latter two are just in their early twenties, quite a few years younger. So during dinner, Li Yan couldn’t escape being called ’Brother Li.’

Originally, Duan Haibo wanted to take advantage of everyone’s presence to share the news of Li Yan helping him earn money by following the company’s investment experts, so everyone could be happy. But Li Yan reminded him first that this occasion wasn’t suitable because the money wasn’t genuinely earned from investments; it was his own. If Duan were to say this publicly, and Han Jinlong and Lv Lijun chipped in several thousand for Li Yan to help invest, what then? To make sure his money continues to grow, he’d have to ensure theirs grows too, which means fronting money, a few thousand isn’t a big deal, but over the long term, it becomes troublesome.

Thus, Duan Haibo planned to mention it at a more appropriate time, perhaps when the two were alone in a room.

During dinner, they didn’t opt for a fancy restaurant, just a street food stall, drinking ordinary white wine and beer. This was a completely different experience from Li Yan’s frequent bar and nightclub outings in the past. At this moment, it’s the lively atmosphere and the uninhibited, hearty eating and drinking that he desires.

Once awakened, the dinner served as a welcome for Li Yan, and since he insisted on footing the bill, everyone walked back to their residence.

They watched TV for a while, chatted in the living room for a bit. Everyone’s work environment was different; normally Li Yan might not find much interest, but now he was quite intrigued. The Lv siblings each washed up and went to bed, while the three men drank some more beer at home, and when it got late, they too washed up and went to sleep. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

This three-bedroom, one-living room apartment has an en-suite bathroom in Duan Haibo and Lv Jiajing’s master bedroom. There’s also a communal bathroom outside; originally, with just the two couples, it would only be used by them. Now with Li Yan moving in, showering and using the toilet isn’t as convenient as at home; he has to share with Han Jinlong and Lv Lijun.

Although this is a new environment, and he has to live with two familiar faces and two new acquaintances, Li Yan feels a bit uncomfortable and inadvertently thinks of home. Here, there’s no place for him to exercise; after a cold shower, he returns to his bedroom.

Lv Jiajing has helped purchase and lay out new bedding, yet in this unfamiliar environment, on this unfamiliar bed, Li Yan finds it hard to fall asleep and lies in bed bored after turning off the lights.

At this moment, his phone rings—it’s Yue Yao calling.

After a brief hesitation, he picks up.

"You moved out?" Yue Yao asks softly.

"Haha, you found out? It’s just temporary." Li Yan replies softly to comfort her. He knows very well that Yue Yao is living there mainly because of him; if he leaves, how could Yue Yao continue to stay there?

"You guys... sigh! I don’t even know what to say. It’s good to be apart temporarily, but don’t be too stubborn. Take some time to cool off, then come back! This is your home; I can feel that you’ve come to like and are accustomed to it." Yue Yao gently advises.

"Maybe! People can adapt to their environments easily; maybe it’s just because I’ve been there a long time, so I’m used to it. At a new place, I might adapt too." Li Yan isn’t very sure.

Yue Yao remains silent for a while, then says softly again, "You left, and all day today, Yurong hasn’t smiled. She’s not happy. You must know she cares about you."

Li Yan feels a tug at his heart... "..."

"She didn’t go into details, but I guess it must be about you and Yue Yao being together. Maybe you really need to make a decision and wrap things up. If you can make a choice and wrap things up, your relationship can be restored. Compared to Yue Yao, Zhang Yurong is still more suitable for you!" Yue Yao says earnestly.

Li Yan chuckles wryly: "Queen, you really don’t have any experience; you can put on a show in front of Yurong, but why play the role of a love expert? Some choices aren’t easily made. As for suitability..."

The rest he doesn’t need to say—she knows. When it comes to suitability, the most suitable for him should be Yue Yao herself!

Yue Yao simply laughs, "Life still needs passion. Some people are too suitable; maybe for you, if everyone knows everything, there’s no novelty; it feels too flat, too boring. So I’m just saying, compared to Yue Yao, Zhang Yurong is more suitable for you."