Chapter 19

Li Yin froze.

Images from the previous night, after he had been drinking, surfaced in his mind. That woman had kept teasing him-

Lin Yu looked at him quietly and asked, "If I hadn't come here today and seen you, would you have lied to me?"

Li Yin clenched his teeth.

He said nothing for a long time.

Lin Yu's heart grew cold inch by inch. He could have said no, or he could have openly acknowledged his involvement with his boss. But if he treated it as an accident and hid it from her, that meant he knew exactly what he was doing, and the same thing might happen again.

Lin Yu looked at Li Yin and made up her mind. "Li Yin, let's break up."

Li Yin took a step forward. "Wifey."

Lin Yu instinctively stepped back. Li Yin met Chen Lüli's cold, fierce gaze, then looked at Lin Yu retreating. He fell silent for a few seconds. What had he been hoping to get away with?

And last night, faced with Qin Jialan, who had deliberately been squeezing him dry lately, he had indulged in her touch as she teased and serviced him, and a malicious thought had risen in his mind: this woman beneath him...

Li Yin looked at the beautiful figure by the door, knowing there was no going back. He lowered his head. "I'm sorry, wi..."

He paused, then said in a trembling voice, "I'm sorry, Lin Yu."

"Let's go." Lin Yu didn't want to stay any longer. Out of the corner of her eye, she also saw Li Yin's boss standing with her arms folded, wearing a subtle, provocative look of triumph. Lin Yu recognized the provocation and turned toward the car. Chen Lüli swept a glance over Li Yin and Qin Jialan. His contemptuous gaze struck straight into Li Yin's heart. Qin Jialan, however, was somewhat afraid, because she knew who Chen Lüli was. Still, she also felt a little resentful that he had seen all this. The man had broad shoulders and long legs, and when he looked at people sideways, his expression was cold and fierce. He carried an air of nonchalance and indifference, and was famously difficult to deal with at Genesis Tower, yet he also topped the list of men people most wanted to sleep with.

Chen Lüli walked to the driver's seat, the soft touch of Lin Yu's slender fingers lingering on his palm. When Lin Yu had pulled his hand down, she had been occupied with speaking to Li Yin and hadn't let go immediately, so their skin had stayed in contact for a while.

The black Brute drove away.

Its speed was as audacious as its body.

"Stop looking. A pure-hearted young heiress like her can't tolerate a single grain of sand in her eye." Qin Jialan's voice held a hint of disdain. Of course she knew Lin Yu was a Li City local who, despite her young age, owned a home and a car and ran a trendy French café and bakery. Not only was she beautiful, but her whole life had been smooth sailing, without any real setbacks. She was worlds apart from someone like Qin Jialan, who was struggling to gain a foothold in Li City.

So when she stole Li Yin away, she hadn't felt the slightest bit guilty. A pure-hearted young heiress ought to taste some of love's bitterness, especially since Qin Jialan had set her sights on Li Yin first.

Li Yin turned to look at Qin Jialan. He was grinding his teeth to bloody pieces, and there was hatred in his eyes, though some of it was directed at himself.

Qin Jialan sneered. "I don't think she liked you all that much anyway. She'll turn around and be lured away by someone else in no time."

"Besides, you were quite willing last night, weren't you?"

Li Yin dug his fingers into his palm.

The scenes from last night cut him like knives. He was split into two people, loathing the self he had been last night, the one who could clearly have pushed her away but, under the influence of alcohol, had let things continue.

Qin Jialan looked at him and said, "It's pretty funny how you wake up and immediately want to turn on me. You want it both ways."

Li Yin was brought down by his desire.

Before he started dating, Qin hadn't been as aggressive as she had been lately. She had admired Li Yin before, but her attitude changed after he began dating.

Another 100 red packets for this chapter. Because the novel needs to make a natural ranking list, the next chapter will be updated at 5 p.m. on the 21st, and updates will return to that time slot. Thank you for following along (bows).

Chapter 19

The weather was bad. Dark clouds covered the entire sky, leaving it gray and gloomy. East City was a place suited to work, not living; there were quite a lot of companies, factories, and warehouses here.

Chen Lüli hadn't planned to stay in East City long either. He stepped on the accelerator and took the highway back to Li City.

Lin Yu looked at her phone.

Jiang Zao had sent her some information about Qin Jialan. There were many men she had flirtatious relationships with; she liked younger men, and quite a few people at Yousitu had such ties with her, including even the president's assistant. But everyone pretended not to know and had never exposed her. As long as the fire didn't reach them, they watched from the sidelines.

Jiang Zao: Maybe she set her sights on Li Yin from the start. Yuyu, you should tell Li Yin to be careful.

It was too late.

Lin Yu thought that if Li Yin hadn't been willing, none of this would have happened.

Jiang Zao: I heard the person she most wants to sleep with is Chen Lüli. She wanted him even more after his company expanded into the space across from hers.

Lin Yu gripped her phone tightly and glanced at the man driving beside her.

Chen Lüli held the steering wheel and asked in a deep voice, "Home, or somewhere else?"

He glanced at her.

Lin Yu met his gaze for a second. "Back to the shop."

As she looked at him, Chen Lüli also discreetly swept his gaze over her face. Seeing that she hadn't shed any tears and looked fairly calm, he narrowed his eyes slightly, looked away, and focused on driving.

Shortly before they reached Li City, Chen Lüli's phone rang. It was Jiang Yingshan. He put on his Bluetooth earpiece, and Jiang Yingshan shouted from the other end, "Are you back at Star Rise yet? People from Tengnuo Company are coming to discuss a partnership. They'll be at the company in ten minutes."

Chen Lüli said, "I'll be there in fifteen. Have Zhou Cang receive them first."

Jiang Yingshan clicked his tongue softly. "Fine. Choosing a beauty over the empire."

Chen Lüli frowned, pressing a finger to his earpiece and glancing at Lin Yu out of the corner of his eye.

Lin Yu had a hand on her scarf and was looking at the road ahead, thinking about how to tell her parents. She had a dazed expression, as though lost in thought, so naturally she paid no attention to him.

Chen Lüli looked away. After listening to Jiang Yingshan finish rambling, he reached up to end the call, took off his earpiece, and casually placed it on the center console.

Because he was in a hurry, he didn't ease up on the accelerator and drove straight to the entrance of Lin Yu's shop.

Lin Yu came back to herself and asked Chen Lüli, "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

Chen Lüli rested one hand on the steering wheel and looked at her. "Next time."

Lin Yu nodded. "All right. Drive carefully."

Chen Lüli murmured in acknowledgment.

Lin Yu took her scarf and got out. After closing the door, she thought for a moment, then bent down and asked, "Are you sure you won't eat something before you go?"

Chen Lüli was about to start the car. He turned to look at her.

She was bent over, fine strands of hair falling beside her cheeks and stirring slightly in the breeze. Her lip gloss had worn off, but her lips were still rosy. She looked at him gently and calmly.

Chen Lüli's gaze rested on her face for a few seconds. "I'll have my assistant order some light meals from your shop later."

Lin Yu said, "All right."

The black Brute drove away, and Lin Yu returned to the shop. When the manager and employees saw her come back, they all wanted to ask but didn't dare. Lin Yu was a little tired and didn't want to say anything, choosing to process it herself. As more and more customers came in, she put on a mask and sorted the accounts in the back. At noon, Star Rise ordered more than a dozen light meals.

Lin Yu went in to help the head chef prepare them. She also made a few extra coffees and put several boxes of sea salt pastries in the delivery bags as complimentary gifts. That was Chen Lüli's favorite flavor.

Twenty minutes later.

Chen Lüli: Sea salt pastries?

Lin Yu received the WeChat message and paused: They're for you.

Chen Lüli: All right, I've got them.

In the afternoon, Lin Yu's emotions came surging back, and she felt a little down. She had seriously considered a future with Li Yin. Over the years, she had kept her feelings hidden, afraid to speak of them, and had kept looking for a new way forward. Back in college, she had considered starting a relationship, but whenever her gaze swept over those suitors of hers...

The moment Chen Lüli appeared, her attention would be drawn away again. In the end, the faces of those people would blur, and she might even call them by the wrong names.

That was especially unfair to the others. She had been young then, with too little ability to control her emotions. In recent years, she had become able to rein them in or let them go at will. She had even begun to feel no ripple at all, and gradually started to notice other people's good qualities. Take Li Yin, for example: she had once imagined that she would probably be quite happy with him in the future.

He was a man without sharp edges, easy to get along with, and he would surely put her first in everything. She just hadn't expected it to end like this. Being easy to get along with had made the relationship, and being easy to get along with had broken it.

She had looked through so many people and finally found someone suitable with such difficulty. Why had it turned out this way? In an instant, she had been pushed back to where she started, back to the feelings she had before.

She leaned against the counter, picked up her phone, and messaged Jiang Zao: Want to hang out at Threshold tonight?

Jiang Zao replied quickly: What's up? Have you made some new decision?

Lin Yu: Yes, I have.

Jiang Zao: Ah! Wait for me, or you can go first. I'll come after my livestream. Tonight's stream is a little important, but don't worry, I'll definitely be there on time.

Lin Yu: Okay.

That evening, Lin Yu closed the account book, grabbed her scarf and put it on, then opened the break room door, said goodbye to the manager and the others, and went out.

Xiao Li and Xiao Cao were leaning beside a table, watching her leave. Lin Yu noticed their concerned looks. She felt a little better than she had that afternoon, though not much.

She waved to them, then walked home to get her car. Threshold, where she was headed, was a quiet bar the five of them had opened together. Chen Lüli was currently managing it.

It had been Jiang Yan'an's idea. When they graduated from high school, he suggested leaving themselves a base in Li City, so they pooled their money and opened the bar.

They had come by less often these past few years.

Everyone was busy, but their share of the profits was deposited on time every month.

When Lin Yu arrived, there weren't many people in the bar yet. The manager was a little surprised to see her and asked with a smile, "Sister Yu, how come you have time to visit today?"

Lin Yu slipped her hands into her coat pockets and said with a smile, "I'm here to sit for a while. Find me a private room; I'll play some whack-a-mole."

"Sure, how about the usual room, then?" The manager led Lin Yu inside. She agreed and went upstairs to the private room by the railing on the second floor.

The manager had someone bring in tea.

Lin Yu sat down on the sofa and turned on the projector with the remote. She looked back and said, "Bring some alcohol too."