Volume One, Chapter 46: No House Left

Kuang Li thought she saw a glimmer of hope when she heard me say that. A bright flash crossed her eyes, and she looked at me expectantly. "What words?"

I took a deep breath and said to her, "Tell him to get lost as far away as possible."

Without waiting to see Kuang Li's reaction, I turned around and strode away. The moment I turned, fragments of our past flashed rapidly through my mind like a slide show.

We had been together for nine years, turning our backs countless times, but this was the only time I was the first to leave. She had dazzled my youth, yet she could not soften the passage of time.

Before I had gone far, Kuang Li's hysterical roar rang out from behind me.

"Yu Bin, you are too heartless! All these years, consider my time with you wasted!"

My footsteps paused for a second. I remained silent, kept walking without looking back, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Between the two of us, who actually wanted to leave and who is being more heartless? You know that best."

With that, I strode upstairs, never looking back at her once from start to finish.

Pushing open the hotel room door, Lin Feifei was sitting at the desk, blow-drying her hair.

She had just finished taking a shower and was wearing a loose bathrobe. The scenery around her neckline was faintly discernible, and through the high slit of the hem, her charming legs were slender and fair, making my blood race.

Lin Feifei glanced at me, her eyes twinkling like stars, and smiled playfully. "Why do you look so solemn? Surely you didn't run into trouble, did you?"

I smiled and walked toward her, saying, "Not really. I just didn't expect the person looking for me outside to be Kuang Li."

While she continued drying her hair, I sat down beside her and briefly recounted what had happened over the past two days.

"That's pretty much it. There's nothing left for her and me to say," I said, spreading my hands.

As she tied her black hair loosely behind her head with a hair tie, Lin Feifei said to me, "She probably didn't expect you to turn her down. But forget about her. I didn't expect it either—I thought you'd soften up! After all, she's in trouble now."

"This isn't about her being in trouble; it's about Chen Zheng being in trouble. Even if someone has to ask me for help, it should be him. Having a woman step forward to fight his battles is ridiculous."

Lin Feifei smiled and said, "Fine. If you had actually helped her, I would have looked down on you. Wise people never fall in love; simps just repeat the same mistakes."

I laughed as well. "I'm just letting go of the complex of trying to save others and respecting the destiny of others. I'm not that powerful, and I can't change the world."

Lin Feifei patted my shoulder. "Don't put it that way. You can still shine and radiate warmth—for instance, by solving my lunch problem next."

I checked my watch and saw it was already past one in the afternoon. I smiled apologetically and said, "Go change your clothes, and I'll take you out to eat."

Lin Feifei pouted. "Lend me an outfit of yours to wear first! I was in such a rush to come here that I didn't even bring a change of clothes."

Feeling a bit guilty, I got her an outfit. Once she changed, we walked out the door chatting and laughing, just as the room next door—belonging to Mei Xueyan—opened up.

When Mei Xueyan saw Lin Feifei coming out of my room, a flash of astonishment crossed her palm-sized face.

Fearing she might misunderstand, I quickly introduced them to each other. After the introductions, Mei Xueyan wore a rather meaningful smile, though she didn't probe any further.

Mei Xueyan smiled at me and said, "You should hurry up and call Shutong back! She said your phone was turned off and she was worried sick. I told her you were fine, but she's still quite anxious. I think you'd better reply to her personally, otherwise that girl won't believe it."

I slapped my forehead. Earlier, I had only checked Lin Feifei's missed calls and hadn't looked at WeChat messages. I quickly sent Zhou Shutong a WeChat message to let her know I was safe.

No sooner had the message been sent than Zhou Shutong's call came in, chewing me out from head to toe.

"It was so dangerous! Who told you to charge in there? What if something had happened? Did you ever consider your own safety..."

Listening to her torrent of scolding, I felt a burning sensation in my eyes. The lake-like calm of my heart was rippled as if someone had tossed a stone into it.

Only after she had vented her frustration did I softly reply, "Alright, alright, I know. If there's a situation like this again, I'll definitely consult with you beforehand."

"You still want a next time?"

I gave a dry laugh. "No, no, consider that my misstatement."

Zhou Shutong sighed. "Fine, get some rest for now. Send a WeChat message if anything comes up."

After hanging up the phone, I looked up only to find Mei Xueyan and Lin Feifei both gazing at me with playful expressions, though the luster in their respective eyes was entirely different.

Lin Feifei knitted her delicate brows slightly and said with a hint of sourness, "Hmph, so many people care about you! If I'd known, I wouldn't have come."

Mei Xueyan looked at Lin Feifei, then glanced at me, a sly smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she crossed her arms, perfectly content to watch the drama unfold.

I was momentarily stunned. Could I interpret her sour tone as jealousy?

Fortunately, Mei Xueyan stepped in to smooth things over for me. "Haven't eaten yet? If not, let's go together! My treat."

Lin Feifei gave me a massive eye-roll. "As the only gentleman present, it's only right that he pays."

Dining with two gorgeous beauties was naturally something I couldn't ask for more of—what did spending a little money matter?

After heading out, we hailed a cab and went to the downtown area ten kilometers away. The two women spent the entire ride discussing local snacks and finally decided on hot pot.

At first, I worried they wouldn't be familiar with each other and would run out of topics, but it turned out I was overthinking it. They hit it off almost immediately, chatting about everything from skincare to cosmetics. I couldn't get a single word in and just sat there foolishly listening.

Their conversation seemed endless. Especially when discussing which brand of water-retaining injections was the best, the prices they quoted made my heart skip a beat, yet they acted completely unconcerned. I couldn't help but smile bitterly; they were talking about a lifestyle, while I was just thinking about survival.

Mei Xueyan was very considerate of my feelings. Noticing my lack of presence, she shifted the topic and smiled at me, "Yu Bin, when we get back to the hotel later, open another room for Feifei. Since the girl drove all the way here, she should stay as long as she likes. Put the expense on me; just process it through your company and apply for reimbursement later."

I grinned and said, "No need to go to all that trouble. I can make a sacrifice and share a room with her to save the company some money."

Lin Feifei laughed through her annoyance and shot me a look. "Tsk, as if you're the aggrieved one! If I really shared a room with you, would your body even be able to handle it?"

I thought about it and said, "It probably wouldn't, but I'd like to challenge myself."

Actually, I was just making a casual remark, but I never expected the hotel to actually give me a chance to challenge myself.

After lunch, we headed back. Mei Xueyan went straight to her room, while I accompanied Lin Feifei to the hotel front desk to check in, only to be told there were no rooms left.