Likes money? Of course. Zhuang Yihan was most afraid of people who weren't after his money, because if they weren't after his money, it meant they were after his life. He was most satisfied with the fact that Chen Shu didn't constantly talk about lovey-dovey things. It was originally a simple transaction of being kept with money, so wasn't talking about love ridiculous? It was so much better to straightforwardly admit to liking money, yet those little lovers in his circle always insisted on using love as a fig leaf.

Zhuang Yihan's lips curled slightly. "Money is the most worthless thing. As long as you don't gamble, you can spend it however you want. You can even throw it in the water just to hear the splash."

Students of this age had simple minds and were most easily lured into gambling, racking up a mountain of debt from compounding interest. Zhuang Yihan had originally wondered if Chen Shu had also been tricked, but seeing that the other party didn't seem like that kind of fool, he relaxed slightly.

Chen Shu was drinking water. Hearing this, he seemed to recall something, and his movement paused almost imperceptibly. He slowly placed the cup back in its original spot, gazing at the faint ripples spreading in circles within it. For some reason, it reminded him of the surface of the water as he drowned. With a smile, he said, "I'm done listening to it. I've heard enough."

Chen Shu would never touch anything forbidden, but gambling didn't just exist at a card table. When you thought about it, who among them wasn't a gambler of fate?

Zhuang Yihan asked again, "Are you going back to school later? I'll drive you back."

Chen Shu hummed in agreement. "And you? Are you going back to the company or going home?"

Perhaps it was because Chen Shu was being alluring in such a serious manner, but Zhuang Yihan looked up at him, a rare urge to tease him arising. He asked with a smile, "What, do you want to come home with me?"

Other people kept little lovers to sleep with them, so it wouldn't be strange if he had that thought.

However, Zhuang Yihan had no such needs at the moment. He lowered his gaze and casually blew on the steam rising from his teacup, his voice deep and elegant, untainted by desire. "You just need to accompany me out for meals. You don't have to do anything else."

Chen Shu asked bluntly, "Does President Zhuang mean we don't have to sleep together?"

It wasn't too surprising. After all, in his previous life, aside from that one night, Zhuang Yihan had never let him touch him again. Chen Shu no longer had any hang-ups about this. If they weren't going to touch, then so be it. A dog-like thing such as Zhuang Yihan, who would scratch and claw wildly in bed, could take half your life with just one night. Whoever wanted to serve him could go right ahead.

Zhuang Yihan remained silent, which counted as a tacit agreement.

Chen Shu asked with interest, "May I know the reason?"

He actually knew the reason—it was all for Jiang Xi. It was just that not asking would inevitably seem strange.

Zhuang Yihan leaned back into his chair, not intending to hide it. "Because..."

I have someone I like.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Zhuang Yihan suddenly hesitated for a moment. For some inexplicable reason, he didn't quite want to say them. He was just a little curious about how Chen Shu would react to hearing it. However, before he could speak, a sudden commotion arose from downstairs, interrupting his unfinished sentence.

Zhuang Yihan frowned slightly and looked toward the sound, only to see another group of guests arriving at the turn of the stairs. The man in the lead was dressed in light-colored casual wear, tall and slender, with a rather artistic temperament. He also looked somewhat familiar.

Chen Shu had just said that it was easy to run into acquaintances eating here, especially those young masters who often hung out with Zhuang Yifan's crowd. The man leading this group of guests had a rather refined appearance; his name was Fang Yiting, and his family was in the art gallery business. Chen Shu vaguely remembered that he was on good terms with both Zhuang Yihan and Jiang Xi, the type of person who was socially adept and handled things well. He was also one of the few people from his previous life who had treated him decently.

Fang Yiting obviously saw Zhuang Yihan as he passed the turn in the stairs. His eyes lit up, and he immediately took two steps forward to greet him:

"Yihan, what are you doing here? If I had known you were eating here, I would have mooched off you. It would have saved me from calling Boss Liu just now and talking his ear off just to get a last-minute private room."

After Fang Yiting finished his teasing remarks, he finally noticed there was another person sitting across from Zhuang Yihan. He was momentarily stunned by Chen Shu's devilishly handsome face, then frantically racked his brain trying to place him as some prominent figure, but came up with nothing. With a face like that, he felt he shouldn't have forgotten him.

Zhuang Yihan remained seated, his gaze sweeping coolly over the group behind Fang Yiting. He always had this knack; despite being seated, he could somehow make the standing crowd feel half a head shorter. A faint, barely-there smile touched his lips. "Boss Liu was just joking with you. It's only a private room, would he really refuse you? If all else failed, you could have just benefited from President Jiang's reputation. There would always be a spot."

The last sentence, if one listened closely, carried a piercing chill that discouraged any deep reflection.

Fang Yiting was genuinely on good terms with Zhuang Yihan, and he was also genuinely on good terms with Jiang Xi. However, when it came to the matter of Jiang Xi getting a fiancée, their whole group had kept it a tight secret, not revealing a single word to Zhuang Yihan.

Fang Yiting was obviously a little embarrassed. Everyone in their circle knew that Zhuang Yihan liked Jiang Xi. If any of them had blithely gone and told him that Jiang Xi had a fiancée, wouldn't that just be asking for trouble? That was why none of them had dared to break the news to him.

What he had done was shady, so he had no ground to argue.

"How could we? President Jiang is a busy man. How would idle people like us dare to benefit from his reputation? He'd only give face to you."

Fang Yiting gave an awkward laugh, trying to flatter Zhuang Yihan a little. However, the other man simply picked up his teacup and took a sip without replying. Fang Yiting could only give up on trying to curry favor. "Well then, you and your friend enjoy your meal. We'll head in first. Let's get together again when we have time."

Seeing Zhuang Yihan nod, Fang Yiting finally headed forward under the waiter's guidance. They were a large group and had booked a private room. Four or five young men and women followed behind him. Among them, a tall man in white casual wear kept turning back to look at Chen Shu. His actions were so obvious that even his male companion noticed, his tone laced with dissatisfaction:

"Hey, Duan Chengcai, what are you looking at?"

Duan Chengcai snapped out of it. "Nothing."

The male companion who had asked pursed his lips, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. "You obviously looked at that man several times. Do you take me for a blind man?"

Duan Chengcai gave a half-smile. "I did look. What are you going to do about it?"

The companion was clearly a spoiled rich young master. Hearing that, his fair face instantly turned red with anger. "You dare to sneak glances at another man? Believe it or not, I'll break up with you!"

Duan Chengcai was clearly unconcerned. He glanced again in Chen Shu's direction, only to see that he had already stood up and left with Zhuang Yihan. Only then did he retract his gaze. He casually hooked his companion's chin, his lips curling slightly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Whatever. As long as you, Eldest Young Master Chen, are happy."

After saying this, he turned and entered the private room, where the people inside were also discussing Chen Shu.

"Who was that person sitting across from President Zhuang? I've never seen him in our circle before. Is he some young master who's returned from studying abroad?"

"Do you even need to ask? He's definitely a little lover. But with a face and body that top-notch, it's not impossible he could be promoted to boyfriend."

"Tsk, President Zhuang has a sharp eye. I don't think this one is any worse than Jiang Xi. I used to think he was hopelessly fixated and would only ever want that one person, but I guess his standards are just high, and ordinary types can't catch his eye."

It wasn't just a matter of 'not being worse'. When the man sat there calmly with his eyes slightly lowered, he had an indescribable, cool, jade-like elegance. Yet, he was born with a pair of fox-like eyes, and a casual glance could snatch away one's very soul. Even Jiang Xi would seem somewhat inferior in his presence.

Fang Yiting was skeptical at first. He walked to the doorway and glanced out, just in time to see Zhuang Yihan and Chen Shu going downstairs. They were walking shoulder to shoulder, and while there were no overtly intimate gestures, it was clear at a glance that their relationship was not ordinary. If they were merely business partners, they could have eaten at any restaurant; bringing someone to such a private place was very telling.

Fang Yiting closed the door, somewhat puzzled. "Hiss... that can't be right. Doesn't he like Jiang Xi? All those years of feelings, and he just has a change of heart like that?"

Someone beside him laughed and scolded, "Are you stupid? The guy is already engaged. What else could he do but have a change of heart? If you ask me, President Jiang handled this without class. Getting engaged is one thing, but why hide it? It made things so awkward for everyone at the birthday party. And the year before last, when his company had cash flow problems, it was President Zhuang who stepped in to secure the bank loan for him, lending him funds and sharing projects despite pressure from his own board. He shouldn't have been so cruel, especially considering all that."

"Cruel" was an understatement; it was more about the humiliation. Even bystanders found it hard to watch, so one could only imagine how heartbroken Zhuang Yihan must have been.

"That fiancée of Jiang Xi's..."

Fang Yiting seemed to want to say something more but held back, ultimately just shaking his head without speaking. He sat down at the table. "In any case, it's good that Yihan can move on. It saves me from the difficult position of being caught between him and Jiang Xi."

Could Zhuang Yihan move on?

The answer was yes, but only on the condition that the other person paid a bloody price to appease his hatred.

Late at night, the courtyard outside was deathly quiet, and even the streetlights added a touch of cold desolation. Zhuang Yihan paid the bill and left with Chen Shu, descending the steps with an expressionless face, his thoughts unreadable.

If even that crowd of wastrel heirs could understand it, how could Zhuang Yihan not? Jiang Xi getting away with it once or twice was one thing, but doing it repeatedly would inevitably leave a person heartbroken. The appearance of Fang Yiting's group had brutally torn open the wound in Zhuang Yihan's heart that had just barely begun to heal, making even breathing a dull ache.

It wasn't until today that Zhuang Yihan realized Jiang Xi didn't understand him at all.

If he did understand, he wouldn't have hidden his engagement from him along with everyone else out of fear that he would do something extreme.

With his pride, Zhuang Yihan would never stoop to doing something like that. He was stubborn, not a masochist who would knowingly offer up his sincere heart to be trampled like mud after learning that Jiang Xi already had a fiancée.

Yet Jiang Xi had thought him so despicable. This was the root of Zhuang Yihan's cold fury, far surpassing the impact of the engagement itself.

People tend to think of love and hate as being worlds apart, but in reality, the two emotions are separated by only a thin paper screen. Once pierced, hate can become love, and love can, just as naturally, become hate.