Barely suppressing the impulse in her heart, Xu Su closed her eyes and spoke softly to the figure leaning against the wall. "Xi Zirong, no matter what our relationship is, I truly, from the bottom of my heart, hope you’ll be okay."

’I really wish he would shine in his own field, not look so dejected and cynical.’

’What have I done!’

’How did I let him become like this?’

Xi Zirong turned his head to look at her, the corner of his mouth lifting. "I know. Go on inside."

A heavy feeling settled over Xu Su, and she felt terrible.

’It was hard to say whether she felt more guilt or more heartache...’

Back in the private room, Xu Ran was holding a microphone, singing "Under Mount Fuji."

You only have your own two hands

An embrace can’t grant you possession

To have, you must first learn to accept loss

I once roamed a path of snow

Why shed tears over something good?

Who, through love alone, can make Mount Fuji their own?

Why not pretend this feeling of sorrow

Is just a figment of your imagination?

You won’t find it in a test tube, staining your eyes

The past hardens like stone

Let fate decide, toss it aside and flee

I am nothing special

Take one more stroll down the street

And I will vanish into thin air

The young man’s cool, clear voice was captivating, adding another layer of depression to her already gloomy mood...

Xu Su listened quietly for a moment and suddenly felt that Qian Jia’s ex-boyfriend really did have the air of a scumbag.

He could attract the gazes of several girls just by casually singing a song.

’Who, through love alone, can make Mount Fuji their own...’

Xu Su silently mulled over the lyrics for a moment, finding them rather meaningless. She opened a bottle of beer, took a few slow sips, then set it down and joined the dice game happening nearby.

Wallowing in sentimental sorrow wasn’t her style. When she was in a bad mood, she’d just have a couple more drinks. Get a good buzz going, then deal with everything else.

This was a lesson she’d learned in her past life: if you get drunk fast enough, you won’t have time to overthink things.

’Xi Zirong, Zhou Mochen—she’d push them all aside.’

...

Meanwhile, Zhou Mochen, whom Xu Su had just pushed from her thoughts, was trying to call her. He had called repeatedly from just after five o’clock to nearly seven, but with each unanswered call, the atmosphere inside the car grew more oppressive.

From the passenger seat, Huang Chao mustered his courage, turned to the man in the back, and ventured carefully, "Last night, I heard my younger sister say her class was having a reunion today. Could Miss Xu have gone with them? Maybe it’s too noisy for her to have heard your call."

Zhou Mochen looked up. "Where is it?"

Huang Chao said, "The Junyue Hotel."

Zhou Mochen’s fingers, gripping his phone, paused for a moment before he dialed another number.

’Back in his student days, Huang Chao used to think that the imposing, ruthless decisiveness described in books would, in this modern, peaceful era, manifest as nothing more than harsh words or a fierce, cold demeanor.’

’It wasn’t until he started working for Zhou Mochen that he was shocked to realize this wasn’t the case at all...’

’Some people truly exist in this world who can exert immense pressure on you with just a calm, gentle tone and a composed demeanor.’

’They don’t need to raise their voice or glare. They don’t even need to spare you a glance to make you feel like you’re suffocating in the same room.’

’And for the past few days, he had been feeling that way constantly...’

’Huang Chao secretly guessed that the problem, in all likelihood, stemmed from his younger sister’s good friend.’

’After so many years with Zhou Mochen, Huang Chao prided himself on having seen it all and understanding his boss’s way of doing things. Yet, whenever it came to that Miss Xu, he found himself more shocked each and every time.’

’Every time, he thought he had adequately estimated her importance in his boss’s heart, but the next time he would realize it still wasn’t enough. Her position could always be higher...’

When Zhou Mochen entered the private room, Xu Su and a few classmates were in the middle of a wild dice game. She didn’t notice him until the room fell completely silent, and she looked up to see the man standing right in front of her.

He wore a dark gray shirt buttoned to the top, no tie. The sleeves were rolled to his elbows, revealing his forearms. His slightly prominent Adam’s apple gave off an ascetic air, and his tall, lean figure, just by standing there, projected an unapproachable intensity.

’On any other day, seeing him look like this, she would have been dying to get her hands on him and start undoing those buttons.’

’But now...’

Remembering their cold war over the past few days, Xu Su looked away. She had just lost a round of dice. As she lifted her glass to drink her penalty, Zhou Mochen’s hand shot out and stopped her. His face was dark as he scanned the smoky, rowdy room. "Is your phone just for decoration?" he asked coldly. "How many times did I call? You didn’t pick up a single one."

"Leave me alone." Xu Su shook his hand off, downed the drink in one gulp, and called out to her classmates, who were now as quiet as mice. "Let’s keep going."

Intimidated by Zhou Mochen’s presence, the students just smiled sheepishly, not daring to make a move.

Xu Su finally looked up and glared at Zhou Mochen. "Either sit down or get out. Stop standing here and scaring my classmates."

Zhou Mochen stared at her, his face expressionless. After a long moment, just as Xu Su was about to lose her patience, he sat down.

And so, Xu Su found herself seated with Huang Feng to her right and Zhou Mochen to her left.

Huang Chao, who had followed Zhou Mochen inside, stood rooted to the spot, his entire worldview shattering all over again.

Xu Su paid them no mind, calling for Fu Jun and the others to keep rolling the dice.

As if to spite someone, she proceeded to lose several rounds in a row. When she lost yet again and reached for her penalty drink, a hand shot out from her left and snatched the glass away. "That’s enough!" Zhou Mochen’s voice was dangerously low.

Without even looking at him, Xu Su let him take the glass. "Fine," she said flippantly. "You drink it for me then."

"Fine. I’ll drink for you." Zhou Mochen downed the contents of the glass, set it down, and grabbed Xu Su’s hand. "We’re going home."

"No!" Xu Su snatched her hand back. "You go home if you want to. I’m not done having fun."

’Go back for what?’

’To be left at home all by myself, getting the cold shoulder?’

’She’d eaten lunch alone. Her boyfriend hadn’t even called.’

’Why should she be waiting there for him whenever he decides to come home?’

’They weren’t even married yet, and she was already supposed to live the life of a resentful housewife?’

Thinking of his coldness over the past few days, Xu Su gritted her teeth and continued to roll the dice, making Zhou Mochen drink for her whenever she lost.

’He loves controlling her, doesn’t he?’

’Doesn’t want her to drink?’

’Fine, then he can drink it all himself...’

And so, Huang Chao could only watch as his young, successful boss—a man who remained cool and unruffled no matter how massive the project—was treated like a personal bar escort by a young woman.

Glass after glass of beer went down. Xu Su lost intentionally, and Zhou Mochen drank, his face a mask.

Eventually, a few of her classmates couldn’t take the oppressive atmosphere any longer. Even the most unobservant among them could tell something was wrong.

Recalling the rumors about the far-reaching power of Xu Su’s boyfriend and seeing the nervous-looking man who appeared to be his assistant, they sensed a major incident was about to erupt and, one by one, made their escape using the "I need the bathroom" excuse.

Soon, their section of the sofa was empty. Even Huang Feng had been shooed away to another spot by a meaningful look from her brother.

Xu Su just felt annoyed. She had finally gotten a chance to come out and have some fun, and this man just had to show up and ruin everything.

Her hand was gripped tightly. Zhou Mochen wrapped an arm around her shoulders, still trying to coax her in a gentle voice, "Have you cooled off yet? Come home with me."

"I told you, I don’t want to go back. Don’t you understand?" Her stubborn streak flared, and she shrugged his hand off her shoulder. She sneered, "Go back for what? To watch you give me the cold shoulder?"

Zhou Mochen pulled his hand back and looked at her in silence for a long time, a storm brewing in his dark eyes. "I’m giving *you* the cold shoulder? Xu Su, be reasonable. I fucking treat you like royalty. What more do you want?"