After greeting Shen Ci, Han Yunyun obediently let out an "oh" and picked up her box, "Then, Senior, I'll move my things over first."

Shen Ci nodded, politely bidding her farewell. "It's getting dark, be careful when moving your things..."

As he spoke, his gaze inadvertently swept across Han Yunyun's desk and suddenly paused.

Han Yunyun followed his gaze but didn't see anything wrong. "Senior?"

Shen Ci pressed his lips together slightly.

On Han Yunyun's desk, there was a porcelain vase. The double-petaled lilies inside had long withered, and the yellowed, scorched leaves drooped powerlessly, sagging against the tabletop without any sign of life.

Shen Ci withdrew his gaze and continued to read his literature, asking with apparent calmness, "That porcelain vase on the desk, aren't you taking it with you?"

"Oh, oh, this." Han Yunyun paused for a moment. "I won't take it. This vase is quite old, and a layer of limescale has formed at the bottom that can't be washed clean. Since I'm changing offices this time, I just got a new one. I'm planning to throw this old one away."

"..."

An indescribable harshness spread into his chest, and waves of dull pain throbbed around his ribs. Shen Ci found it almost impossible to maintain his expression.

After a long silence, he wordlessly pinched his palms, his nails sinking into his flesh, and then forced a smile. "Do you not like it anymore?"

Han Yunyun also smiled. "I liked it when I first bought it, but after using it for so long, I'm a bit tired of it."

She bent down, pulled the lilies out of the vase, and casually tossed them into the trash can. "Besides, this vase isn't expensive. It's only ten or twenty yuan, so it doesn't hurt to replace it."

Shen Ci didn't say anything.

Hidden by the screen, he lowered his eyes. His fingertips, concealed within his sleeves, were trembling slightly.

It doesn't hurt... to replace it?

Shen Ci wordlessly curled the corners of his lips and thought to himself, 'Indeed.'

To Han Yunyun, ten or twenty yuan was nothing but a cup of milk tea. She could replace or throw it away as she pleased. And to Young Master Xie, Shen Ci was no more expensive than any of the luxury items he casually discarded.

People like him were a dime a dozen—summoned at will and dismissed just as easily. Once he got tired of this one in Jiang City, he could simply turn around and find a second one right after landing abroad.

Xie Yu was a playboy; he had always been like this. Shen Ci understood.

Within the scope of their agreement, Xie Yu had never made things difficult for him. On the contrary, he had protected him at every turn, for which Shen Ci was grateful.

He just couldn't understand how Xie Yu could cut ties so cleanly, so swiftly, and so heartlessly. There hadn't even been time to process it. Just the day before, they had been intimately close, wearing matching scarves, with Xie Yu reaching out to pull him into his embrace, his chin resting against his bangs, as if protecting his most intimate lover.

But just one day later, Xie Yu left for a foreign country, his whereabouts and destination unknown, having even changed his contact information. He simply severed the relationship just like that, completely wiping his traces from Shen Ci's life, erasing them clean.

It was as if... he was an insignificant pet. No consent was needed when he was bought, and no notice was required when he was abandoned. Everything depended solely on the master's whim.

Shen Ci lowered his eyes. The computer screen in front of him had gone dark. The pitch-black screen reflected his face, which was truly plain and haggard. Compared to the boys Xie Yu had previously liked, there was nothing outstanding about him.

He thought: perhaps it wasn't 'as if'. He really was just an insignificant pet.

While he was lost in thought, Han Yunyun held her box, swiped her card to leave, and waved through the glass door, "Senior, see you tomorrow."

Shen Ci: "...See you tomorrow."

Han Yunyun then walked outside. When she reached the end of the corridor, she looked back as if compelled by some mysterious force. Shen Ci was sitting all alone in the laboratory. The electronic screen cast heavy and uneven shadows on his eyelashes, and the luminescent white spots of light reflected in his pupils, looking as though a layer of frost had formed over them.

It was so cold that it was somewhat freezing.

At exactly ten o'clock in the evening, Shen Ci shut down his computer on time.

As the New Year approached, most students had gone home. The experimental area was completely empty, with only a few lights left on. The corridors were silent and deserted, as eerily quiet as a horror movie.

Shen Ci bypassed the laboratory building and left the school through the south gate. He walked into a coffee shop backing onto the road and took a seat in a booth by the window. Under the dim yellow light, someone was already waiting.

Lin Yin had recently gotten her hair permed into large waves. Twirling a strand around her fingertips, she pushed the menu toward Shen Ci. "What would you like to drink?"

Shen Ci: "No need, I'll have plain water."

Lin Yin sighed, "Teaching Assistant Shen, looking at your impoverished and destitute appearance, who would believe that you were once with Young Master Xie?"

She pointed meaningfully toward his earlobe. "If you sold that earring, you could buy this entire coffee shop."

Shen Ci's expression was calm. "I have no such intention."

Lin Yin shrugged. "When I met you back then, I thought we were both smart people. Who knew that I'd be able to retreat completely unscathed, while you would fall so deep."

Shen Ci: "Let's talk business."

Lin Yin: "Wait for me to order a drink."

After saying that, she called the waiter over and casually pointed at two drinks. Then, she lowered her voice. "As you said, I've gotten in touch with Luo Shao. He is indeed interested in dirt on He Zhiyuan."

Luo Shao was also a second-generation rich kid. In Jiang City, the rich second generation was divided into factions. Xie Yu belonged to one faction, and Luo Shao belonged to another. There were quite a few business conflicts between the two.

Shen Ci: "It's up to you. If you're satisfied with the price, then give it to him."

There was a lot of dirt on He Zhiyuan. He played dirty and was involved in incidents with multiple minors, all of which were later settled with money.

Lin Yin took a sip of her coffee. "Luo Shao also said that he's interested in dirt on Xie Yu. If you're willing to provide it, he'll pay double."

Shen Ci said flatly, "I don't have any dirt on Xie Yu."

During the few months he was with Xie Yu, Xie Yu was as clean as could be. His words and actions didn't seem like those of a rich second generation with an agreement partner, but rather like a genuine couple.

Lin Yin muttered, "Sometimes I really don't know what you're thinking..."

She picked up her bag, preparing to pay the bill. "By the way, Shen Ci, I got news from Luo Shao that He Zhiyuan returned to Jiang City a while ago. He was drinking at a bar with his new girlfriend, got drunk, and let out word that he's going to mess with you."

Shen Ci paused his action of drinking water.

"But, but!" Lin Yin continued, "Zhou Yang returned to the Capital City and met with the Old Master of the He Family. I don't know what was said, nor do I know if it has anything to do with you, but the Old Master dragged He Zhiyuan away, so you're safe for now."

Shen Ci nodded.

They exchanged information. Just as she was about to leave, Shen Ci called out to Lin Yin and pushed a piece of paper toward her. "Help me check on this."

It was a string of irregular numbers.

Lin Yin: "A bank account?"

Shen Ci: "A few days ago, my grandmother was critically ill and needed money for surgery. The very next day, I received a donation. A certain charitable foundation said I met their qualifications and transferred the money directly into my account."

Lin Yin let out a laugh. "I thought money had been deducted from your account. Isn't someone giving you money a good thing? It's probably just good luck, does this really need to be investigated?"

Shen Ci gave a short laugh. "But in the first twenty years of my life, I've never encountered such a good thing."

Shen Ci never believed in free lunches. In his first twenty years, he had encountered so many misfortunes: his parents passing away one after the other, his relatives being diagnosed with severe illnesses. Each time it was nothing but despair upon despair. Back then, fate had never treated him so kindly.

And now, with graduation approaching, although he was short on money, he had things he could sell, and his life was much better. Yet this financial aid had dropped right into his lap so perfectly?

Shen Ci added, "This foundation has never made any transfers before, and there are no other beneficiaries. I'm the first. I can't find any information on it, so I want you to help me give it a try."

Lin Yin unfolded the slip of paper. "No previous transfers and no other beneficiaries... I'll ask Luo Shao and have him look into it."

As she spoke, she opened her messaging interface and sent the number to Luo Shao, gesturing for Shen Ci to stay seated. "Wait a moment. Registered foundations all have records on file; I'll have him check it for you."

Shen Ci nodded, quietly drinking the plain water in front of him. He had an absurd premonition in his heart—faint and unverifiable, yet impossible to ignore.

In truth, fate had once treated him kindly. Someone had given him everything he needed without ever asking for anything in return.

Half an hour later, Lin Yin's phone dinged. She swiped to open the screen. "Hmm, it looks like it really is just your good luck. Neither of us recognize the name of this foundation's sponsor; they aren't from our circle."

Shen Ci let out a slight sigh of relief, unable to tell if he was disappointed or glad. He asked, "Who is it?"

Lin Yin: "It's a psychiatric expert who opened a psychiatric hospital, named Xu Qingshan... Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Shen Ci accidentally knocked over the water glass in front of him. The glass rolled onto the floor, completely shattered.

Xu Qingshan.

Shen Ci silently repeated this name in his mind.

He didn't know the relationship between Xu Qingshan and Xie Yu, but he knew that Xie Yu had once appeared in Xu Qingshan's office, and that Xu Qingshan had held Xie Yu's medical records with an intimate expression.

There was no such coincidence in this world. Xu Qingshan just happened to be Xie Yu's doctor, and he also just happened to sponsor someone, who happened to be Xie Yu's former lover.

But why...

Why, after leaving without a word, would he send this sponsorship?

Why, after abandoning his old toy, was he still concerned about his critically ill grandmother?

Why cut off all contact? Why act as if he didn't care at all? Why...

Why was he so good to him, yet made him suffer so much?

Shen Ci's breathing quickened, his mind in chaos. To hide his expression, he bent down to pick up the glass shards on the floor. His finger touched a sharp edge, slicing open a bloody gash.

Lin Yin gasped, "What are you picking up?" She pushed her chair back and stood up. "Is the waiter here? Do you have a broom?"

"It's nothing." Shen Ci suppressed his slightly trembling hands. The sharp pain on his fingertip calmed him down. He forced himself to remain composed and smiled. "I zoned out. Sorry."

Lin Yin was speechless. "You really are... forget it. Alright, we're done here, let's go."

Having finished exchanging information, they both stood up and left through the front and back doors of the coffee shop, respectively. As the New Year's bell chimed, Shen Ci stepped onto the wet, long street, disappearing into the snowstorm that filled the sky.

Time passed like flowing water. Xie Yu spent three years earning enough credits. With nothing to do in the remaining two years, apart from traveling around, he also minored in a dual degree.

For his second degree, he chose literature, without any utilitarian motives; he simply studied it for fun.

The silver-haired old professor lectured passionately on the podium, his spit flying as he spoke of everything from Homer to Camus. Below, Xie Yu idly flipped through his books, occasionally sleeping, and taking a note from time to time.

Life studying abroad was a bit boring. Xie Yu traveled from south to north, journeying from Ethiopia to Reykjavik. The rest of the time, he holed up in his small apartment. His cooking skills advanced by leaps and bounds, making him the most popular person for his classmates to mooch meals from.

The System often hacked into forums to brief Xie Yu on what was happening in Jiang City. For instance, He Zhiyuan had caused trouble again and was beaten by his dad; Zhou Yang had formally inherited the family business, becoming the helmsman of the Zhou Family; Xie Yu's father, Xie Yuanshan, lost his balance one day and took a fall at a shareholders' meeting, and also... Shen Ci.

Shen Ci had graduated and joined a rival company of the Xie Group, working under Luo Shao. It was said that his professional skills were exceptional, and his methods were decisive and brilliant, earning him great appreciation from Luo Shao. In just a few short years, he had risen to a very high position.

Now, his annual salary could cover many years' worth of medical expenses, so he no longer needed Xie Yu's secret help. Xu Qingshan also stopped his funding. That charitable account only made one transfer before falling completely silent, disappearing without a trace.

At this time, there was less than half a month left until Xie Yuanshan suddenly died from a cerebral hemorrhage, Xie Yu's uncle took over the Xie Group, and Xie Yu returned to the country to attend the funeral.

Xie Yu spent this half month bidding farewell to his friends at school one by one, collecting a whole backpack full of goodbye cards. At his farewell party, Xie Yu cooked personally. His friends hugged his pot, drank themselves into a stupor, and wept bitterly.

"Wuwuwu, once you leave, we'll never get to eat authentic potato and beef stew again!"

"For the sake of tomato and egg stir-fry, please don't go back to your country!"

Dark lines formed on Xie Yu's face. His friends were reluctant to part with him. "Wuwuwu, Xiao Xie, wait for me to return to the country to find you."

Xie Yu snatched his pot back, choking back his speechlessness at the bunch of drunks. "Go look for me in a psychiatric hospital, you guys."

December 21st, sunny.

On this day, Xie Group's chairman, Xie Yuanshan, suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and passed away after rescue efforts failed.

Xie Yuanhai convened a shareholders' meeting with sweeping momentum and took over the group.

That afternoon, he drafted a message to Xie Yu, telling him to offer his condolences and return to the country for the funeral.

The two of them hypocritically observed a moment of silence in their texts; neither of them was actually sad for Xie Yuanshan. After Xie Yu brushed it off, he immediately bought a plane ticket back to his country, landing at Jiang City Airport that very night.

He dragged his suitcase out of the airport. It was the end of the year, and a heavy snowstorm had fallen over Jiang City. As far as the eye could see, it was a vast expanse of white. The northern wind, mixed with snow pellets, blew against his face, stinging like a knife cut.

In his first day taking office, Xie Yuanhai completely replaced all the senior employees in the company, not even sparing the driver. When Xie Yu got in the car, it was an unfamiliar face in the front seat.

The driver turned the steering wheel and merged into the traffic. Not long after, they exited the ring expressway. Xie Yu stared at the navigation for a moment. "Where are you taking me?"

This wasn't the road back to the Xie Family estate.

The driver was quite accustomed to trimming his sails to the wind. Seeing that Young Master Xie was only one in name and that it wasn't his turn to take charge of the Xie Family, he let out a laugh and replied unceremoniously, "The Chairman's coffin is resting at home, and people are coming over to pay their condolences. Your uncle is receiving guests, and it's noisy at home. Out of fear that it would disturb your rest, he asked me to take you to a hotel."

Xie Yu showed no particular expression. "Alright."

He knew very well in his heart that with Xie Yuanshan dead, no one was truly coming to mourn; everyone showing up were old clients. Xie Yuanshan's funeral was the best social venue, capable of expanding a lot of networking connections, and Xie Yuanhai didn't want to leave his nephew even a sliver of a chance.

Xie Yu didn't really mind, though. Since he was going to enter a psychiatric hospital anyway, he couldn't care less about this.

Who knew that the car would wobble its way into an un-demolished urban village within the main city district. Spiderwebs of electrical wires hung everywhere. The driver slammed on the brakes in front of a small guesthouse. "Young Master Xie, this is the place."

Xie Yu's eyebrow twitched.

This area was notoriously dirty, chaotic, and poor. In earlier years, there was talk of demolition, but later the land prices soared so high that they couldn't afford to tear it down. It subsequently became one of the base camps for local thugs, a place where the good and the bad mingled.

The hotel was dilapidated, probably a guesthouse from the last century. A neon sign was hung out front, and the reception desk could barely be considered clean. Staying a night likely cost around a hundred yuan.

He frowned slightly. The original novel mentioned that Xie Yuanhai was extremely stingy and petty. Xie Yu had never met him and wasn't too sure, but seeing it now, it was indeed true. His brother's body wasn't even cold yet, and no matter what, Xie Yu was Xie Yuanshan's only son. Eagerly tossing him here—not even to a chain hotel—was truly pathetic.

System: "Should we change to another place?"

Xie Yu had money on him; he could afford to stay somewhere nice.

"No need." Xie Yu grabbed his bag and went inside. "I'll make do for two days."

He took the key and entered the room. A musty smell assaulted his face. Frowning, Xie Yu opened the window. His gaze inadvertently swept over the street, and he paused slightly.

There was a man carrying a long-handled black umbrella.

He wore a smoky gray trench coat, his figure lean and slender. He stood quietly on the street, as handsome and tall as a nobleman holding an ironwood black umbrella in the Middle Ages. People bustled back and forth on the street, splashing the melted snow. Amidst the noisy shadows of neon lights, this person just stood there peacefully. He was like a splash-ink landscape painting blended into a postmodern artwork, or a segment of classical piano mixed into rock music—completely out of place.

Xie Yu noticed that the hem of his coat had already been damp; it was unknown how long he had been standing there.

He closed the window and thought to himself, 'What a weirdo.'