Yufan let out a quiet sigh, watching his friend carefully.
"Yufan..." Yifan's voice came out suddenly, almost desperate.
"Hm?" Yufan replied, giving him his full attention.
"I loved her… but she left." Yifan paused, his hands slowly curling into fists. "And today, I hurt her. I hurt her badly. Tell me, am I even human?"
Yufan said nothing, waiting.
Yifan looked up, eyes heavy with emotion. "She's all grown up now… and cute, you know? Still short." He gave a broken chuckle. "I wanted to rub her hair like before… but now she won't even let me be within a few kilometers of her."
Yufan stared at him, speechless for a moment. Then he muttered, "Idiot."
He leaned back, eyes sharp despite the softness in his voice. "What about now?"
"Huh?" Yifan blinked.
"Do you still love her?"
Yifan scoffed, his expression tightening. "Yufan… are you really asking me that?"
Yufan didn't blink. "Yes. Because if you do, you've got a hell of a mess to fix."
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You can't claim to want her and treat her like this. If I were in her place, I wouldn't even want to see your face."
The words landed like a slap—sharp, cold, deserved. Yifan's fingers curled slightly, the sting of truth settling deep.
Without another word, Yufan stood and moved to him, his tone gentler this time. "Get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow—when you're sane."
He reached out, pulling Yifan up by the arm and guiding him slowly toward the stairs, like a brother leading another through the wreckage of his own mistakes.
As soon as Yifan hit the bed, he was out like a light—shoulders slack, brows still furrowed even in sleep.
Yufan sighed quietly, shaking his head as he watched his friend for a moment. Without making much noise, he walked into the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face, and brushed his teeth. He changed into a pair of loose pajamas he found tucked in the wardrobe, a faded gray T-shirt and black lounge pants, then padded barefoot back to the bed.
Slipping under the covers on the other side, Yufan stared at the ceiling for a moment, listening to the faint, uneven breathing beside him.
"You really messed up this time, Yifan," he muttered under his breath.
Then he closed his eyes and let the silence of the night settle over them both.
Next morning. Li household.
"Lian Lian, Wenbo is here!" her mother called out.
Li Lian rushed out of her room and into her brother's arms. "Brother!"
"How have you all been?" Li Wenbo asked with a warm smile as he dropped the souvenirs on the table and embraced his family. "Let me freshen up first," he added before heading to the bathroom.
A few minutes later, he returned—clean, refreshed, and changed. They all gathered around the dining table.
"I came as soon as I heard what happened," Wenbo said, his expression turning serious. "But you don't need to worry. Just a few more months and my plan will finally start helping us."
He reached over and gently patted his sister's head. Li Lian leaned against him, comforted.
"Plan?" she asked curiously.
"Yes," he nodded. "You all know I've always dreamed of being self-employed. It didn't go as planned before, but I've been saving steadily from my salary. Slowly, I've been building a small café—under my name."
He paused. "It might not make us rich overnight, but it'll bring in money steadily and give us some security."
Li Chenghai smiled proudly. "That's a wonderful plan, Wenbo. In a city like Beijing, a café will definitely do well—there's always people on the move."
They continued chatting, laughter gradually returning to the atmosphere. Then, suddenly, Li Lian spoke up.
"Brother… I want to go back to Beijing with you."
"…Why?" Wenbo asked, his gaze flicking briefly to their parents, who simply sighed.
"I want to work too," Li Lian said firmly. "Mom and Dad already agreed."
He paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."
Everyone looked at him, visibly surprised.
"Really? You're not going to argue at all?" Lian asked, blinking in disbelief.
Wenbo chuckled softly. "You're a finance graduate, Lian. You're an adult now. If you've made up your mind to work, I won't stop you."
"So where do you want to work?" Li Wenbo asked.
"I don't know… anywhere that accepts me. I've already submitted my résumé to a few companies looking for someone with my qualifications," she replied.
"...I know you can do it. Don't worry," he said reassuringly.
---
Zhaoyue Pavilion — Beijing.
Yifan stirred, groaning as a pounding headache jolted him awake. He blinked against the light. "Yufan, what time is it?" he muttered groggily, frowning when he realized the other side of the bed was already empty.
Dragging himself to the bathroom, he freshened up before heading downstairs in search of something to ease his hangover. He was reaching for a glass of lemon water when he spotted Yufan sitting comfortably on the couch, legs crossed, tablet in hand.
Noticing Yifan's presence, Yufan looked up and smiled. "Good morning. I had an early conference call, so I came down to take it," he said casually, before adding with a smirk, "You were sleeping like an angel—I didn't want to disturb your beauty rest."
As distant as ever, Yifan took a sip of the lemon water, completely ignoring Yufan's teasing tone.
Yufan raised an eyebrow, then leaned forward with a mischievous grin.
"Here you are, acting all cold and mighty when just last night you were on the verge of tears… 'Oh Yufan, please help me, I love her,'". He mimicked dramatically, clutching his chest in mock sorrow.
That finally earned him a glance.
"...That's a lie," Yifan muttered flatly.
"Really?" Yufan challenged, eyes glinting with amusement.
Just as he was about to say more, his phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen and then looked at Yifan.
"I think your cousin is mad at me."
Yifan raised a brow. "Maybe she caught you cheating?"
"Why would I ever do that? I love her. Unlike someone who ruthlessly torments the girl he loves," Yufan replied with a smirk.
"Tsk. Stop bringing it up," Yifan muttered, clearly annoyed.
Yufan didn't look up, still focused on replying to his girlfriend. "Reinvestigate the downfall of the Li family, Yifan," he said quietly. "Who knows… you might just find the answers you've been searching for."
Yifan paused, eyes narrowing in thought, before finally giving a small nod.
"...Just so you know, the person I assigned to keep an eye on her family after your little incident just reported that she'll be returning to Beijing with her brother," Yufan said, pausing briefly. "And apparently, she submitted her resume to Yang Capital a few hours ago."
Yifan frowned, voice low and slightly irritated. "Why are you telling me this?"
His stubbornness made Yufan smirk. "I doubt she applied to my company on purpose—probably just sent out her resume to multiple firms, hoping someone bites." He leaned back. "So, should I approve her… or let her go?"
Yifan didn't respond, and Yufan didn't wait.
"Anyway, I'm off to shower. Your cousin will kill me if I don't take her out today." With that, he stood and headed upstairs, leaving Yifan alone—thoughts already spiraling.