Zuo Yu’an was very silent.
The atmosphere can only be described as indescribable.
Wang Yan dared to bet that Zhu Yunan would never eat in the employee cafeteria again, at least not while Shu Tinglan was there. He was confident that he still knew his longtime friend fairly well; he was an extremely proud person.
To his surprise, the next day and the day after that, he continued to come. He sat opposite Shu Tinglan just as before, not speaking a word to her, seemingly intent on making things difficult for her.
Even Zhou Ming noticed something was wrong, because Mr. Zhu sat there like an ice cellar, the temperature of the entire table inexplicably dropped by a few degrees, making people feel indigestion.
Zhou Ming politely probed: “President Zhuo, in our work, what aspects are lacking, please give us more guidance.”
Zuo Yu’an glanced at Zhou Ming, disdaining to speak to him.
Anyway, the person just stays silent but sits opposite you, making your meal uncomfortable.
Wang Yan couldn’t stand it anymore. On his way back to the office, he addressed … as an old friend.
“Do you like Lawyer Shu? Then why don’t you go after him?”
Zhuo Yuan looked at Wang Yan with an expression that said “you don’t have a clue,” and slammed the door to his office, leaving Wang Yan looking helpless. Wen Jian, who happened to be passing by, saw this and pointed at his own head, then at Zhuo Yuan in the office.
“Crazy?”
“But this Lawyer Shu is quite cunning, he made that person go round and round. I’ve never seen anyone handle things like this before.”
<<>>
She would also ask why, why can Shu Tinglan get things so easily, while she has to put in all her effort?
From birth, Shu Tinglan could call out “Father” with pride and dignity, while she could only whisper it in solitude. She had to put in immense effort to fight side by side with Zhuo Yu’an, while Shu Tinglan effortlessly received all his attention.
If this is her fate, she refuses to accept it. She’s going to challenge this utterly unfair destiny of hers, and she’s going to win.
“Wang Yan, do you know when I like the most?”
“When?”
“It was when Zhuoyuan Technology was just founded, back then there were only three of us in the company, crammed into a tiny studio where we ate and slept together. We often had heated arguments because of disagreements, wishing we could rip each other’s heads open, but also frequently hugged each other with excitement after overcoming a technical hurdle. You pulled all-nighters for days, solving problems and collapsing onto the floor as soon as you shut down your computer, sleeping for three whole days and nights; Zhuoyu An, on the other hand, was unbelievably energetic. After pulling an all-nighter with you, he would carry his laptop to a client company to introduce the product, looking like he’d been injected with chicken blood. As for me, I ended up in the hospital with stomach bleeding. When I woke up, instead of asking about my condition, you guys told me our product had successfully launched. Those words were more effective than any medicine.”
Wen Jian fell into memories of the past.
Wang Yan was taken in by her.
“Yes, those days were truly memorable. We were full of passion, enthusiasm, and determination.”
“It’s a pity that as the company grew larger and larger, with more and more people, we each got our own offices, our own teams to help us pull all-nighters, and more and more money. But the three of us drifted apart.” Wen Jian said, his eyes gradually filling with mist.
Wen Jian, who has always been portrayed as an independent and strong woman, showed her vulnerable side for the first time in front of Wang Yan.
Wang Yan drew a piece of paper and handed it to her, sighing: “No matter how the outside world changes, the three of us will always be together.”
Wen Jian shook her head: “There’s no going back, none of us can go back. He’s cold to me now, I don’t know what’s wrong between us.”
“Jian, in his heart, you’ve always been incredibly important. That much is undeniable.” This was Wang Yan’s honest truth. He believed that as long as Wen Jian had something going on, Zhuo Yu’an would be the first to stand up and help her. Their friendship could withstand any test.
“Really? Does he still have me in his heart?”
“Of course.”
Wang Yan swore and vowed, to prove this point, he dragged Zhuo Yunan to a dinner with three people after work.
“You said, how long has Jian been back in the country? We three haven’t even had a proper meal together. Isn’t that inappropriate?” Wang Yan couldn’t help but complain.
“It was my fault, I’ll punish myself with three cups.” Zhuo Yu’an drank three cups of wine in a row. He wasn’t truly apologizing; he was just using it as an excuse to drink. His mood remained low.
Wen Jian snatched the cup from his hand.
“I certainly don’t want to be tending to a drunk later.”
Wang Yan laughed: “No, he has the best alcohol tolerance among the three of us. Don’t you remember that time at an investor meeting a long time ago? The other party tried to get you drunk, and in the end, Yu An drank for you and even got them drunk.”
Talking about the past, Zhuo Y uan also smiled. Because of the drunk incident, that investment deal fell through. Wen Jian felt guilty for a long time because of it. Zhuo Yu an said it didn’t matter, Zhuo Yuan Technology also needed to screen investors, not everyone was qualified.
“Those were good times,” Wen Jian sighed.
“Still the same, right?” Wang Yan said.
“Hmm.” Zhuo Yunan looked at Wen Jian. As Wang Yan said, if Wen Jian needed help, he would do his best to help.
“Yu An, have I done something wrong? Since I returned home, you’ve been so cold to me.” After a few glasses of wine, Wen Jian also opened up and asked him directly, giving him no chance to evade the question.
Zuo Yu’an was very calm. He turned a wine glass in his hand and looked coolly at Wen Jian.
“Jane, I think we both need to be more honest with each other, don’t you?” he countered.
Wang Yan on the side was completely bewildered, not knowing what he meant.
But Wen Jian understood. Zhu Yu’an’s honesty was about the relationship he had asked about between her and Shu Tinglan.
She didn’t tell him the truth about her relationship with Shu Tinglan because at the time she didn’t take him seriously and didn’t want Zhuo Yu’an to know her true origins.
But now it’s even harder to say out loud. With Zhu Yu’an, she has no bargaining chips. If Zhu Yu’an knew the truth about her relationship with Shu Tinglan, she thought he would choose Shu Tinglan without hesitation.
“What are you two talking about? Is there something I don’t know?” Wang Yan looked at the two people in front of him, their expressions changing rapidly. He was anxious on the sidelines. In his heart, they had so many years of feelings, nothing that couldn’t be solved.
“It’s fine.” Zhu Yu’an calmly drank his wine and poured a glass for Wen Jian as well.
At that moment, a man walked into the bar and headed straight for them. Zhuo Yunan raised his hand to greet him.
“Here.”