Finding a buyer is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Although his company has a market valuation of over a billion, market value and actual liquid assets are two different things. What’s more, there are very few people right now who can pull out a billion in one go. But that’s fine; Jiang Chen is in no hurry.
After ending his call with Liang Hao, Jiang Chen let out a soft sigh. Then, he noticed a notification light up on his phone.
"Where are you?"
It was Su Zhi.
Jiang Chen’s expression faltered slightly; he felt a sharp, dense ache in his heart. After all, he had invested three years of his life into this relationship; how could it not hurt? However, Jiang Chen was not some impulsive young man in his early twenties. He believed he had already afforded Su Zhi all the dignity he could.
Seeing her message, he took a deep breath.
"I'm at the office."
He didn't need to avoid Su Zhi. After all, he didn't owe her anything, did he?
***
"A-Zhi, what are you doing?"
Lu Yao watched as Su Zhi hurriedly groomed herself and prepared to head out. She looked puzzled. "Weren't you and Jiang Chen just playing around?"
She didn't quite understand. As Su Zhi’s best friend, Lu Yao naturally knew of Su Zhi’s feelings for Jiang Chen—even if their relationship did seem decent enough on the surface. But Su Zhi never really invested much energy into him. Lu Yao had met Jiang Chen twice; while she admired his professional success, she wasn't optimistic about their relationship. After all, the issue always lay with Su Zhi.
"I'll tell you about it later," Su Zhi replied.
However, just as she was rushing out the door, her phone chimed with a message.
Qin Yu: "Are you awake? I felt a bit unwell last night."
Su Zhi paused, a momentary daze washing over her. It was as if some mysterious force had completely clouded her better judgment.
***
Jiang Chen waited at the office from morning until night. It wasn't until the last employee headed home that he realized an entire day had passed.
Su Zhi’s last message remained from the morning. She hadn't shown up, nor had she sent another word. However, when he opened her social media feed, Jiang Chen saw a photo. In it, Su Zhi was wearing loungewear and preparing a soup.
His expression stilled. Su Zhi never stepped into the kitchen. In all the time they had spent together, she had never set foot in the kitchen even once. Back then, she had told him: "Every hour of my time can generate thousands in revenue; wasting time in the kitchen is an insult to me."
So, when they lived together, Jiang Chen was the one who handled the laundry and the cooking.
*So, she does know how to cook breakfast,* Jiang Chen thought, feeling a strange sense of irony. She was willing to spend so much time making soup, yet she was too stingy to send him a single message.
Jiang Chen was not a man given to hysterics. He "liked" the post. He rubbed his temples, his eyes feeling dry—perhaps from staring at the computer screen for too long, or perhaps from something else. Jiang Chen left the office and began driving aimlessly.
***
"Thank you, Su Zhi. My head feels much better."
Qin Yu looked at Su Zhi with gratitude, his eyes holding a hint of something deeper. Su Zhi had been busy today. She had made him hangover soup, then instinctively prepared his lunch and dinner. When she heard Qin Yu reminiscing about the black-bone chicken soup from back home, she had specifically learned how to make it.
It was true—it wasn't that Su Zhi couldn't cook. A long time ago, she had heard Qin Yu mention that he liked women who could manage both the drawing room and the kitchen. So, as a wealthy heiress, she had already mastered the culinary arts. But she had never shown her skills to anyone else. Su Zhi had long ago vowed that only Qin Yu would ever taste her cooking.
Now, seeing Qin Yu enjoy it, her heart felt warm.
"I never imagined that someone as beautiful as you, with so much to manage at your company, would be willing to spend time cooking for me," Qin Yu said. "I’m truly so happy."
Su Zhi felt a little bashful. "It’s nothing," she replied.
She opened her mouth to say more, but her gaze drifted to the time on her phone. It was already seven o’clock. She froze, instinctively checking her device. There were many unread messages, mostly from her secretary regarding company decisions. She had told her secretary to handle things in her absence. She did a quick scan; there were no major errors.
The messages that followed, however, were mostly from Lu Yao. Lu Yao didn't know yet that Su Zhi had gone to see Qin Yu, as she didn't like him.
Lu Yao had seen Su Zhi's social media post and asked, "Did you and Jiang Chen officially break up? You're even posting things like this."
Su Zhi clicked on her post. Only then did she realize that in the photo she had casually snapped, Qin Yu’s hand had made it into the frame. Most importantly, Jiang Chen had liked it. That "like" felt like a declaration that their relationship had reached its end.
Su Zhi suddenly felt a sharp, needle-like pain in her chest. She opened her chat history with Jiang Chen. No nagging, no questioning, no attempts to hold on. It was as if no real affection had ever existed between them from the very start.
Su Zhi turned to Qin Yu. "I'm sorry, I have somewhere I need to be."
Without waiting for his questions, she hurried out the door. As she walked, she frantically dialed Jiang Chen’s number.
"Jiang Chen, listen, let me explain. I didn't mean to stand you up today. I was just seeing a friend. Where are you? I'll come find you."
There was a moment of silence on the other end. Then, she heard his voice: "I don't think that's necessary, is it? We’ve essentially broken up, haven't we?"
Jiang Chen hung up the phone.
Su Zhi clutched her chest. It was strange. Why did it hurt so much?
***
Jiang Chen was drinking. He was at a bar—not the kind for rowdy outbursts, but a quiet, lounge-style venue. The bar wasn't crowded, but it had a lively enough atmosphere. The patrons chatted in small groups, listening to a singer strum her guitar. She was a young girl with a fresh face and sharp, elegant features, which had already earned her a fan base. She was singing a folk song, her crisp voice and unique interpretation adding a special touch to the melody.
Jiang Chen had been exhausted, but under the healing influence of the music, he finally felt a sense of relief. He should have been in pain, but as things stood, he felt alright. Drowning one's emotions in alcohol was a coward's way out.
Jiang Chen finished his last drink, called for a designated driver, and left.
However, when he reached his front door, he found Su Zhi waiting for him. "By what right did you change the door passcode? And by what right did you pack up my things?"