Xie Haoyu soon noticed them too. He hesitated for only a moment before walking over to Ye Jin and the others, greeting them with a smile.
"Mrs. Su, long time no see. I never expected to run into you at the Xu Group's banquet, or that you were so close to the eldest Miss Xu. I heard you were investing together, but I thought it was just a false rumor. Now it seems it was actually true."
Xie Haoyu's insincere "Mrs. Su" gave Ye Jin goosebumps. Judging by his snide manner, he still held a grudge over her breaking up with him and marrying into the Su Family instead.
She had only dated Xie Haoyu for a few months, back when she was young. If she had not suddenly awakened the system, her impression of him would have faded to almost nothing long ago.
But because she knew Xie Haoyu was the mastermind behind the Su Family's downfall, she had gone back over her memories of their time together.
Xie Haoyu was handsome and had good grades. Back at university, he had been something of a campus celebrity. Although he put on an affable manner when dealing with people, deep down, he still had the arrogance of a scion from an established family.
That was how he treated other people, and naturally, he was no different when choosing a girlfriend.
At the time, Ye Jin had not only been the campus belle but also excelled in both character and academics, frequently ranking first in her entire department. Xie Haoyu had begun pursuing her.
Considering his good looks and family background, Ye Jin had agreed to date him.
They had gotten along fairly well during those few months. Like most campus couples, they had watched movies, met up for meals, and gone to the library together.
Until Ye Jin had perceptively noticed that Xie Haoyu was extremely controlling. He controlled what she wore, how she studied, and even what she ate...
Ye Jin knew that men with such an extreme need for control were not to be touched, no matter how outstanding they appeared on the surface, so she had asked to break up.
As for the day they broke up, Ye Jin did not think Xie Haoyu had been particularly heartbroken. What he had shown was more the fury of a golden boy who had actually been dumped. A woman like her had actually taken the initiative to break up with him!
Ye Jin did not think Xie Haoyu had ever loved her all that much, but she believed that he truly hated her.
And in the original novel, the author had even pinned the blame for Xie Haoyu's distrust of Su Yinan and his repeated abandonment of her on Ye Jin, the ex-girlfriend, claiming that her dumping him was what had made him so insecure.
As a result, this ex-girlfriend whose appearances barely filled a few pages had received no fewer attacks from readers than those major villains.
At that thought, Ye Jin could not help ranting inwardly.
[That fucking idiot Xie Haoyu. He was the one with a defective personality who did all those things, yet he still dumped a chamber pot of shit over my head.]
[How the fuck did I get tangled up with a rabid dog like him?! Author, your crimes are truly unforgivable!]
But however much she ranted inwardly, now that they had met, she could only meet soldiers with generals and floodwaters with earth.
Her expression remained calm as she smiled. "Mr. Xie, it certainly has been a long time."
Then she looked at Su Yinan beside Xie Haoyu and feigned surprise. "Miss Su, I really never expected you and Mr. Xie to get together. After all, as I recall, you weren't his type before."
Hah, things had already come to this anyway. She couldn't just let Xie Haoyu take shots at her. Naturally, she had to find a way to muddy their pool of water.
Chapter 21
Sure enough, the moment Ye Jin finished speaking, Su Yinan's expression changed.
Ye Jin knew that Su Yinan had taken her words to heart.
Xie Haoyu abandoned Su Yinan and put her through the wringer day after day for no reason. Even if he had subjected her to PUA, she was bound to wonder despite herself whether he actually loved her.
Especially since that idiot Xie Haoyu must have played the victim in front of Su Yinan over Ye Jin dumping him, claiming that his ex-girlfriend was the reason he felt so insecure.
But to most people, how could there be hatred without love? Su Yinan, who was already sensitive, would be especially inclined to suspect that Xie Haoyu's hatred for Ye Jin had grown out of love.
However, Su Yinan had suffered all kinds of grievances since childhood and was used to meekly accepting whatever came her way. She was only upset for a moment before quickly returning to normal.
Xie Haoyu had always been conceited, so naturally, he failed to notice the change in Su Yinan. His attention was focused entirely on Ye Jin.
He said sarcastically, "Mrs. Su, people's tastes change. Yinan is wonderful, very down-to-earth. She isn't the kind of woman who only cares about money. She stayed by my side all the way from my lowest point to success."
After saying that, he even deliberately reached out and put an arm around Su Yinan, yet failed to see the loneliness that once again flashed across her face.
So had he only chosen her because she had stayed by his side without complaint or regret? If Ye Jin had been willing to stay with him back then too...
Ye Jin found it funny. Was he starting in on her supposed vanity again? That fragile male ego of his. Why couldn't he admit that she had chosen to break up because of him?
But she had no intention of clearing things up now. Xie Haoyu would not believe her anyway. Besides, he considered being dumped so humiliating that he had kept the matter hidden.
Of course, most importantly, if she explained now, wouldn't Su Yinan stop misunderstanding?
So she merely gave a cold laugh and left with Huo Yun.
Although Ye Jin's inward complaints had been sporadic, Xu Yan had always been perceptive and still managed to piece together the general situation.
She sighed inwardly. She had never expected that Xie Haoyu, who looked so respectable, would turn out to be both petty and extremely controlling. Sure enough, hardly any men were reliable!
Although she felt thoroughly contemptuous, she still had to maintain her partnership with Xie Haoyu, so she merely smiled and said, "Sorry, President Xie. Miss Ye and I still have some business to discuss, so I can't keep you company. I hope you and Miss Su enjoy the banquet."
Only after exchanging these pleasantries did Xu Yan leave and head toward Ye Jin.
As Xie Haoyu watched their retreating figures, the hand hanging at his side unconsciously clenched into a fist.