Qin Sheng thought that Yan Chaozong might be patient for about three days, so he had to make the decision within three days, or Yan Chaozong would give him much bigger trouble considering his bad temper. Besides, considering that Yan Chaozong had the ability to create such a big incident, he had to have something else waiting for Qin Sheng.

Nobody knew what Qin Sheng was facing aside from Chang Baji.

Lin Changhe called Qin Sheng twice, but Qin Sheng didn’t answer the phone. Qin Sheng was too embarrassed to tell Lin Changhe the truth himself. So he sent him a message covering all Yan Chaozong’s words.

No matter how hard life is, things finally move on to the next chapter. Lin Yue would stay in Hangzhou for a few days, and she took Lin Su’s time instead of Qin Sheng doing so. So Qin Sheng just went on bustling with his own business, and Lin Su did not realize anything was wrong.

On the morning the next day, Qin Sheng went to the company and then left for the high-speed railway station to pick up Su Qin. He had promised Hao Lei to do so, and he never forgot what he promised. When he arrived at the station, he called Su Qin to inform her that he was there.

Su Qin was surprised when she received the call. She did not make contact with Qin Sheng recently. She had sent him a WeChat message before, but rarely got a reply. Maybe Qin Sheng was too busy, or maybe he just did not bother to give her any reply. Anyway, Hao Lei told her that Qin Sheng was bustling around. So she never expected to see Qin Sheng even though she came to Hangzhou. Su Qin only told Hao Lei about her trip. She knew that Qin Sheng already had a girlfriend, and she did not intend to disturb his new life.

“OK, I’ll call you when I come out,” Su Qin said. She was confused and her mind was still wandering somewhere.

About half an hour later, at the exit of the station, Qin Sheng saw Su Qin. She pulled a small trunk and shouldered a black bag. She was always catching other’s eyes, with her silky black hair, light makeup, silver-colored coat, and high-heeled shoes. This reminded Qin Sheng that when they were in senior high, Su Qin, beautiful and young, walked in front of the school building in her white frock, triggering the exclamations and whistles of passers-by.

Beauty was always a rare resource of the world.

Su Qin was blushing when she met Qin Sheng. She tried to hide her shyness with a smile but was still unable to start the talk. Her mind had wandered to the past when they were still a couple and they lay in bed and Qin Sheng hugged her, chatting until they fell sleep.

“Let me take this.” Qin Sheng took over Su Qin’s trunk. Women always took large trunks for trips to hold their clothes for various occasions, makeup, and other things. But Su Qin only took a small one for this trip.

Su Qin was almost nervous and she said, “It’s OK. I can handle it myself.”

“Don’t bother.” Qin Sheng just took the trunk over, and didn’t give Su Qin the chance to refuse.

Su Qin lowered her head and said, “Thank you…”

“Let’s go. Why stand here?” Qin Sheng said in a low voice. Standing by Su Qin, Qin Sheng had received a lot of jealous eyes from other men around. Fortunately, he got used to this long before.

Qin Sheng led Su Qin to the parking lot. Gu Qingyang was waiting there. Though the incident had been settled and it would be a safe time, they were still very careful.

Su Qin kept close to Qin Sheng. It was a little bit cold in Hangzhou due to the incessant rain in autumn. But Su Qin felt a warmth deep into her heart the moment she met Qin Sheng. That was women.

“Did Hao Lei tell you this?” Su Qin whispered to ask. She found that she couldn’t help thinking too much and being particularly careful now when facing Qin Sheng. She could never behave unscrupulously in front of him like in those days anymore, because she used to know back then that no matter what she did, Qin Sheng would support her.

Qin Sheng pretended to complain and said, “I want to ask you. Why didn’t you tell me you’re coming to Hangzhou? Who are you closer to, me or Hao Lei?”

Qin Sheng’s words were kind of obscure. Anyway, his words implied that he had considered Su Qin to be one of his closest friends, and if Su Qin needed help, he would always be there and try his best, regardless of the difficulties.

“I heard from him that you’re quite busy, and I didn’t want to disturb you,” Su Qin said and lowered her head, like a little girl who had made some mistake unconsciously. She just came to Hangzhou to relax, not because of any important business. Of course, Qin Sheng was also a reason for her to choose Hangzhou as her destination. She was not sure whether or not she could meet him, but just knowing that they were staying in the same place was enough for her.

Qin Sheng laughed and said, “You’re more important than my business. I’m always ready to meet you at my place. Always remember to tell me if you’ll come, OK?”

“OK. Got it,” Su Qin nodded and said with a relaxing smile. Her mood even warmed the air around.

Qin Sheng was now driving an Audi A8L, consistent with his low-profile style. Su Qin was amazed when she saw the car. Hao Lei only told her that Qin Sheng was now a vice manager of some company in Hangzhou, but didn’t mention anything else. Su Qin suspected a little before, but now she believed that Qin Sheng really led a good life here.

“I’ve booked you a hotel. We’re going to the hotel now, and Hao Lei will wait for us in the restaurant.” Qin Sheng informed Su Qin of his arrangement.

“OK. That’s nice,” Su Qin said and nodded. In fact, she had booked herself a hotel, but now she thought it would be better to cancel it.

Qin Sheng booked the Four Seasons Hotel for Su Qin due to his personal preference. Besides, it was convenient to stay there, for there were a lot of restaurants with a good environment and good taste around.

Qin Sheng chatted a lot with Su Qin in a friendly manner along the way, which made Su Qin relax gradually. She asked Qin Sheng about his situation in Hangzhou, and told him about her work in Shanghai. She had been missing him so much since Qin Sheng disappeared for a long time. Although they had met in Xi’an before, they didn’t talk a lot.

But finally, Su Qin didn’t ask anything about Lin Su.

Gu Qingyang just drove and didn’t intend to join in the talk. He had gotten used to this kind of occasion. There always were beauties chasing Qin Sheng around. After all, he was such a charming man. Even Senior Uncle Chang admired Qin Sheng so much that he was willing to follow this man. But Gu Qingyang thought if one day a woman like Su Qin belonged with him, he would definitely be good to her for his whole life.

After Su Qin checked in and took her luggage to the room, Qin Sheng led her to the restaurant. Hao Lei had been waiting there for long.

Hao Lei and Su Qin met and greeted. They had met each other sometimes in Shanghai, for Hao Lei was at leisure there. Hao Lei seemed to get along well with Qin Sheng’s dates, like doing some cleanup for Qin Sheng. After all, they were like real brothers.

The lunch went quite well. This was the first time that Qin Sheng, Su Qin, and Hao Lei ate together and chatted about their old stories. Qin Sheng and Su Qin did not feel embarrassed to talk about anything from their past and even mentioned a lot of their experiences when they were still a couple. Hao Lei felt very relaxed then. He was worried that this thing would be awkward, but actually, it went well. Qin Sheng enjoyed the meal as well. He had been shouldering great pressure and had not relaxed like this.

Qin Sheng had something to deal with in the afternoon, so he asked Hao Lei to show Su Qin around. But Su Qin said she preferred to travel alone. Qin Sheng just asked her to do as she liked.

Qin Sheng chose a fancy Western restaurant to have dinner with Su Qin alone. Hao Lei knew what Qin Sheng intended and didn’t join them. It was obvious that Su Qin came to Hangzhou to meet Qin Sheng and she still cared for him. They needed some time to have a private talk about this.

“How long will you stay in Hangzhou?” Qin Sheng asked. He did not like Western food, but he chose this place, for Su Qin liked it. This was an upscale restaurant in Hangzhou.

Su Qin sipped some red wine and answered, “I haven’t decided yet. I don’t have much work to do in the company recently. I asked for a leave for several days.”

“Hangzhou is a nice city. You can travel around. But I’m busy these days, I have no time to show you around. Sorry.” Qin Sheng was quite forward in telling the truth.

Su Qin laughed and said, “It’s OK. I’m just traveling around by myself. Just go and deal with your business.”

“Do you plan to stay in Shanghai? What about going back to Xi’an? Your father and mother are getting old and they only have you. Maybe you should spend more time with them,” Qin Sheng said, half-seriously, half-joking.

Su Qin asked, “What about you? Will you go back to Xi’an?”

“When I was still young, my grandfather said that I was born to be a man with no roots and drifting a lot. It is not different for me to live anywhere. And I have my own way, a different way. I have no choice but to walk on by myself.” Qin Sheng made up his mind to stop Su Qin’s feelings for him.

Qin Sheng’s words were like a dagger stabbing into Su Qin’s heart. She felt helpless and said, “So… this was why you broke up with me?”

“Su Qin, I’ve told you that we could be very good friends if you want. I know you still have feelings for me, and I used to like you. But I am not who I was. One day, you’ll realize that it’s good for you to stay away from me.” Qin Sheng had to be hard-heartened enough to put these words out there. He seemed to have said these words to someone else before.

Su Qin was not a delicate young girl anymore. She was tough enough now to say, “I know what you’re going to say. You don’t have to say that. I don’t expect so much. I just want to meet you. That’s enough. Maybe, in a few years, I’ll forget you. Then, I’ll leave Shanghai for Xi’an and find someone who is suitable and fond of me. I’ll marry him, give birth to my children, raise them, and take care of my parents. All in all, I’ll have my own common and happy life. I might recall you sometimes, but I’ll only remember those happy things. I’ll smile and thank you for the good memory you’ve given me and for our relationship. Then, I’ll think about where you are and what you’re doing. At this time, my children will wake me up to get back to reality. I’ll hug them, and live on my own life.”

Qin Sheng did not know why he felt almost heartbroken when Su Qin said all that. It felt like someone had stolen his most cherished treasure.

“I give you my best wishes,” Qin Sheng said, almost out of breath.

Su Qin showed him a forced smile and said, “So do I.”

After the dinner, Su Qin and Qin Sheng walked out of the restaurant. It rained heavily outside. Qin Sheng wanted to take Su Qin to the hotel, but she refused firmly and asked Qin Sheng to leave first. Qin Sheng read from her eyes that she really meant that, so he got in the car and left.

Su Qin wandered forward, holding an umbrella. She had no idea where to go or what to do. She just walked on and on.

She realized that Qin Sheng had been far away from her.

It rained even more heavily. Su Qin was in a low mood. She thought about what she used to have and then burst out crying, squatting down on the ground. The freezing rain just fell on this delicate beautiful lady. But nobody would come to take care of her anymore.

A few meters away, where Su Qin couldn’t see, an Audi A8L followed at an appropriate distance. Qin Sheng was sitting in the car with his fists clenching and eyes red. He was suffering from a piercing pain deep in his heart, while he did nothing but stay in the car.

It was hard. But he had to end this now.