Jiang Yihuai froze. "You..."

  Su Yumian recalled what had happened that day in the vil, her eyes filled with fear and wariness as she looked at him. "Don't move! Stay away from me!"

  "Mianmian..." Jiang Yihuai's heart ached. "That day, I..."

  "Stop talking! Just leave. There's nothing to discuss between us."

  "Mianmian..." The man's eyes turned bloodshot as he stood stiffly in pce. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Let's not fight anymore, okay? I shouldn't have... shouldn't have said those things or done what I did..."

  "I... I just missed you too much… I acted on impulse..."

  "I'm here this time to ask you to come back with me..."

  "Go back?" Su Yumian looked up coldly. "Go back for what? To be your mistress?"

  Jiang Yihuai: "As long as you come back, I'll break up with Shi Muxi immediately."

  Su Yumian shook her head. "...I refuse."

  "Mianmian..." Just as the man tried to step forward again, Su Yumian quickly turned and ran back to her bedroom, smming the door shut.

  She waited for a long time until the sounds outside gradually disappeared before stepping out to check.

  She found Jiang Yihuai sitting against the wall... fast asleep.

  Su Yumian: "..."

  —

  Morning arrived, with the sun rising gently.

  Golden rays streamed through the gss window, casting a soft glow inside.

  The curled-up figure on the couch stirred. As Jiang Yihuai opened his eyes, a wave of dizziness washed over him, making him squint involuntarily.

  Once the dizziness subsided, he sat up, pinched the bridge of his nose, and instinctively looked around. The unfamiliar environment had a cramped yout, though it was clean and tidy. But to him, it still felt small and suffocating.

  Su Yumian walked out of her bedroom. Jiang Yihuai looked up, meeting her cold, clear bck eyes.

  "...Mianmian?"

  Su Yumian sat down on a chair, expressionless. "Do you remember what you did st night?"

  Jiang Yihuai frowned, then shook his head.

  As expected…

  The sober him would never have said something like "Mianmian, come back."

  Su Yumian let out a cold chuckle.

  "Last night at eleven, you kept knocking on my door. You not only disturbed my life but also affected others. So, please don't do something so childish again. We're adults—let's be rational."

  Jiang Yihuai’s head still throbbed, but her words felt like a punch to his chest.

  His sharp eyes swept around the room before he let out a mocking ugh. "This tiny, old, crappy pce—you think I want to be here? Even if you beg me, I won’t come back!"

  With that, he grabbed his coat and smmed the door on his way out.

  —

  At the alley entrance, he pulled out his phone and dialed Cheng Zhou.

  "What are you doing? Come out and drink with me!"

  "Bro, did you just finish your st drinking session? You still reek of alcohol."

  Cheng Zhou had just arrived at the bar and saw Jiang Yihuai drinking alone, downing one gss after another, still wearing yesterday’s clothes. He sat beside him, teasing with a grin.

  Jiang Yihuai: "I called you to drink, not to talk nonsense."

  Cheng Zhou raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. No more talking. I'll drink."

  The bar staff had already left since it was daytime, leaving just the two of them drinking there. Cheng Zhou scratched his head—it felt a little awkward. "Where's everyone else?"

  "Gu Yizhou got called back by his dad. Shi Yan has been busy tely—no idea what he's up to. Haven't seen him in days." Jiang Yihuai didn't really care. He picked up his gss and downed the drink in one gulp.

  Cheng Zhou noticed his bad mood and stayed to accompany him.

  They drank from daytime to midnight. By the time Jiang Yihuai was completely wasted, Cheng Zhou hailed a cab and sent him back to his vil.

  After struggling to settle him in, Cheng Zhou gnced at the unconscious Jiang Yihuai, who was still murmuring, "Mianmian… Mianmian…" in his sleep.

  He shook his head.

  If you can’t let go, why torture yourself?

  Now look at you—backed into a corner.

  —

  The night before, after Jiang Yihuai left, the apartment was a mess.

  Su Yumian spent a long time cleaning up. By the time she was done, it was too te to go to the library, so she stayed home and completed two practice tests to finish her study session.

  For dinner, she made herself two rolls of kimbap but couldn’t finish them, leaving quite a bit. After cleaning up the kitchen, she sat down. It was already 8 PM. She pnned to do another practice test before bed, but just as she set her arm, her phone vibrated.

  A friend request notification popped up. The note had only three words: Shen Shiyan.

  Su Yumian blinked in confusion. Why was Shen Shiyan adding her?

  Though he was Jiang Yihuai’s close friend, they weren’t familiar with each other. They had shared meals together countless times, but barely exchanged a few words.

  After hesitating for a moment, she figured he might have something important to say, so she accepted the request.

  But half an hour passed, and there was no response. It seemed like he had added her by mistake.

  Although she found it strange, she didn’t dwell on it, putting her phone aside to continue studying.

  —

  At the bar.

  Shen Shiyan put away his phone and looked up at Cheng Zhou, who had just returned after dropping off Jiang Yihuai. His gaze darkened.

  "You got him home?"

  Cheng Zhou nodded, taking a swig of his drink. "Good thing I ran off quickly, or I would’ve bumped into Aunt Shu—then I’d be in trouble."

  Recently, Shu Yuqin had been frequently visiting the vil. If he got caught, he’d be interrogated endlessly.

  "By the way, I called you a few times before, and you always said you were busy. Why are you free today?"

  Shen Shiyan swirled the brandy in his gss, smiling faintly. "I finished what I needed to do."

  "Hah! That reminds me of something!" Cheng Zhou suddenly put down his gss.

  "What is it?"

  "Didn’t Yumian finish her grad school entrance exams?"

  Shen Shiyan: "Two days ago."

  "Huh?"

  "They ended two days ago."

  Cheng Zhou ughed. "Damn, you remember that pretty well."

  Shen Shiyan smirked. "What don't I remember?"

  "Figures. You finance guys are all about the details."

  Shen Shiyan: "Thanks for the compliment."

  "You really don’t know how to be humble. But seriously, it's been nearly six months, and Jiang Yihuai and Yumian still haven’t made up. Unbelievable!"

  Shen Shiyan: "Oh."

  "Aren’t you surprised?"

  "Surprised about what?" His tone suddenly turned indifferent. "It's only a matter of time."

  "Yeah, they’ll get back together eventually," Cheng Zhou said, interpreting it his own way.

  Shen Shiyan: "..."

  "By the way, are you and Su Yumian close?"

  Cheng Zhou puffed up his chest. "Of course! I've even had her signature stomach-soothing porridge! We’re super close!"

  Shen Shiyan’s eyes darkened. "Then since she finished her exams, shouldn't you do something to celebrate?"

  "Celebrate? How?"

  "Invite her out for dinner. Maybe even set up a chance for those two."

  Cheng Zhou’s eyes lit up. "Damn! Why didn’t I think of that? Yumian might ignore Jiang, but she won’t ignore me! I’ll pn it, use the exam as an excuse to celebrate, then set them up…"

  Shen Shiyan nodded, sipping his drink, hiding the smirk tugging at his lips.