Su Yumian noticed his confidence and frowned, about to say something when a voice suddenly rang out: “Yumian-jie?!”

  Cheng Zhou had a dinner gathering nearby, and as he passed by, he happened to see Shen Shiyan and Su Yumian sitting together through the floor-to-ceiling window.

  A café…

  A cssic dating spot for couples.

  At first, he thought he was seeing things, but no… it was really them!

  To be honest, while he was surprised that Shen Shiyan, that bastard, would actually go after a brother’s woman, he wasn’t exactly shocked. After all, Young Master Shen had done far more outrageous things before.

  But is Su Yumian accepting it? Now that left Cheng Zhou completely dumbfounded.

  His gaze darted back and forth between the two of them, his expression complicated. He wanted to say something but didn’t know where to start.

  Su Yumian lost interest in continuing the conversation, forced a smile, greeted Cheng Zhou, and left.

  As soon as she was gone, Cheng Zhou slid into her seat, looked at Shen Shiyan across from him, and asked, “Hey, you serious about this?”

  “What do you mean, serious?” Shen Shiyan took a leisurely sip of his coffee.

  “I just don’t think Yumian-jie would ever accept you.”

  Shen Shiyan’s hand paused as he set down his cup. “Why do you say that?”

  He suddenly looked serious, making Cheng Zhou a little uneasy. “Well… two reasons. First, you’re not her type. Second, with your history with Jiang-ge, you two are impossible.”

  Shen Shiyan had no morals, but Yumian-jie still had standards.

  “…”

  “Speaking of which,” Cheng Zhou’s eyes shifted, and he leaned in, lowering his voice. “Be honest, when did you start having feelings for Yumian-jie?”

  Shen Shiyan casually gnced out the window, took another sip of coffee, and said, “A long time ago, probably… not long after she got together with Huai-zi?”

  “Damn! You animal!” Cheng Zhou gritted his teeth. “That’s straight-up coveting your brother’s woman!”

  Shen Shiyan sneered. “Did I do anything while they were together? Now that they’ve broken up, am I not allowed to make a move?”

  “You had your eyes on her way before they broke up—that’s already wrong!”

  “Heh—” Shen Shiyan let out a cold ugh. “Didn’t you like the same girl as Gu Yizhou back in high school?”

  “I—” Cheng Zhou choked. “I… I was young and dumb! Besides, liking someone isn’t something I can control…”

  “Oh, so you couldn’t control it, but I can?”

  Jiang Yihuai didn’t cherish her, so naturally, someone else would.

  Besides, he hadn’t stolen her away—he had waited until now to make his move. That was already him being considerate of their friendship.

  Right now, he was just going after what he wanted.

  Cheng Zhou scratched his head, trying to persuade him. “Look, man… maybe you should just give up? You know how stubborn Yumian-jie is—forcing it won’t work.”

  Jiang Yihuai and Shen Shiyan had completely fallen out. That day, Jiang Yihuai had even cut ties with him, saying that from now on, if he was present, Shen Shiyan couldn’t be.

  Now, people in their circle were afraid to say too much, worried about getting caught in the crossfire.

  The reason for their fallout had become a hot topic of gossip.

  Some said it was because of failed business dealings and uneven profit distribution.

  Others specuted it was due to tensions between their families, forced into a breakup by pressure from their elders.

  And then there was the rumor that they had fought over a hostess…

  That st one was the most widely discussed.

  Cheng Zhou kept his mouth shut when asked, dodging the topic. But deep down, he still thought Shen Shiyan was in the wrong. Two brothers fighting over a woman—and Shen Shiyan was the first to make a move. What the hell was he thinking?

  Shen Shiyan shrugged indifferently. “You don’t need to convince me. Whether it works out or not, I’ll only know if I try.”

  —

  After leaving the café, Su Yumian wandered around the mall, bought a new scarf and a cashmere coat, then went grocery shopping. By the time she left the supermarket, the sky had already darkened.

  Winter nights came early, and she quickened her pace toward home. By the time she reached her apartment building, the sky was completely bck. Suddenly, a figure rushed out from the alley’s shadows.

  Thinking it was a homeless person, a chill ran down her spine, and her hair stood on end.

  But when she saw that it was Jiang Yihuai, she let out a breath of relief—until she caught the overwhelming stench of alcohol on him. Her brows furrowed.

  Jiang Yihuai had been waiting for a while, his nose red from the cold. Drunk, he grabbed Su Yumian’s hand.

  “Yumian…”

  “Let go.” She struggled, uncomfortable.

  Somewhere along the way, she had become unable to tolerate this man’s touch.

  “I won’t! Not unless you come back to me, okay?”

  Su Yumian frowned. “You’re drunk.”

  “Yumian… I mean it…”

  This was the second man today to tell her he was serious.

  Jiang Yihuai continued, “Before, you asked if I came back to be a homewrecker. Now I’ll tell you—I already broke up with Shi Muxi. As long as you come back, I’ll pretend nothing ever happened between you and Shen Shiyan.”

  “Yesterday, I was too harsh with my words. I’m sorry. You can hit me, curse me—whatever you want…”

  The night deepened, and the streets emptied. The weather forecast had warned that today would be the coldest night of the winter.

  Su Yumian hadn’t felt it before, but now, she felt a chill seep into her bones.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly, eyeshes trembling. “We can’t go back.”

  The proud, stubborn man finally bowed his head, but she no longer cared.

  “You have a weak stomach. Drink less,” she added.

  Then she pulled her hand free and turned to leave.

  Drink less…

  She still cared!

  Jiang Yihuai’s eyes lit up. She still told him to drink less, just like before—did that mean he still had a chance?

  Thinking this, he hurried after her, grabbing her hand and pulling her into his arms. “Yumian, you still care about me, right? Let’s start over, okay?”

  With that, he urgently kissed her.

  Su Yumian’s eyes widened in shock. She shoved him away and wiped her mouth in disgust. “Don’t touch me!”

  Jiang Yihuai froze. Her look of revulsion was like a dagger to his heart, cutting deep.

  The alcohol-fueled warmth in his body instantly turned cold.

  Su Yumian’s voice was calm, but every word stabbed at him.

  “I’ve known for a long time that, during the years we were together, you slept with more than one woman. You thought you hid it well, but every woman in love is a detective. Those little traces you didn’t clean up properly—did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

  The first clue had appeared when he returned from a business trip. While unpacking his suitcase, she had found a torn condom wrapper, no bigger than a fingernail. But with just one gnce, she had recognized that it wasn’t the brand they used.