He Played Emotional Games With His Arch-Enemy - Chapter 7

Shen Zhinian was Shi Yu’s senior at Zinnia University, two years ahead of him. When Shi Yu first started his freshman year, he joined a very niche club to earn credits, and Shen Zhinian happened to be the club president.

The club did not have much to study, but members had to clock in on time every week for credits, so Shen Zhinian often organized dinner gatherings.

Shi Yu had a cold personality and little need for socializing, but Shen Zhinian was enthusiastic, generous, and famously good-tempered. He always looked out for Shi Yu. Furthermore, being the only two Chinese people in the club, they naturally grew closer, often meeting up to eat or play ball in their spare time.

During university, Shen Zhinian had a girlfriend of three years, but they unfortunately broke up after graduation due to some conflicts. After the breakup, he joined the company Zhonghua opened in the United States. Shi Yu had even interned there during his holidays and learned a lot.

The Bentley drove all the way to a famous restaurant outside the commercial district.

Shen Zhinian thoughtfully handed the menu to Shi Yu, who did not have anything particular in mind and politely pushed it back. Shen Zhinian chuckled and took the lead in ordering several dishes. As Shi Yu listened, he realized they were all things he liked to eat.

When the food arrived, the aroma filled the entire private room. The two chatted as they ate, and soon the dishes were nearly half finished.

“How is it? Does the restaurant I recommended suit your taste?”

“Yes, it is indeed quite good.”

Shi Yu was a picky eater by nature. Since returning to the country, he had been busy with official business and rarely had the chance to eat a meal that satisfied him in color, aroma, and taste.

“After eating Western food for several years, I find Chinese food increasingly delicious,” Shen Zhinian said as he picked up the teapot to refill Shi Yu’s cup and smiled. “I remember when I first arrived in the US, I searched almost all of Manhattan to find a Chinese restaurant that suited my taste.”

“Do you remember that shop, Dingfeng Garden?” he recalled. “Someone intentionally looked for trouble with you, and after you taught them a lesson, they got angry and started a fight with us. We flipped several tables in the shop and got scolded by the owner. We had to stay and wash dishes for a week.”

Shi Yu had just taken a bite of sweet and sour pork. Hearing this, his chopsticks paused slightly, and then he let out a light laugh.

The indoor lights were soft. As he lowered his eyes, his porcelain-white skin gave off a smooth, cold, and gentle glow. He was so good-looking that it was hard to take one’s eyes off him.

Shen Zhinian paused for a moment.

“By the way, I heard about you taking on two major projects as soon as you returned,” he hurriedly touched the tip of his nose and joked warmly. “With your execution power, you have made the business circles in Beijing and Hong Kong tremble.”

Shi Yu met his gaze. “Stop teasing me.”

“Have you encountered any trouble?” Shen Zhinian sat upright. “I heard Duan Jinghuai is also eyeing those projects. He has been gaining a lot of momentum in recent years and has plenty of skills and means. Since you snatched the meat he was eyeing, he probably cannot swallow his pride.”

Noticing that Shi Yu seemed particularly fond of the sweet and sour pork, he thoughtfully pushed the plate forward and asked, “Has he made things difficult for you?”

Hearing the familiar name, Shi Yu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a faint crimson flush appeared on his almost transparent white earlobes.

It was more than just making things difficult.

“No.” He reached his chopsticks into the plate and took another piece.

Seeing this, Shen Zhinian lowered his head and smiled. “Tell me if anything happens. I still have some influence with Duan Jinghuai and the Duan family.”

After dinner, Shen Zhinian was called away by a phone call. Before leaving, he insisted that his driver send Shi Yu back. Shi Yu tried to decline but eventually complied.

The lunch break was not yet over, and the company was quiet. Shi Yu grabbed a cup of coffee, returned to his office, and opened his computer to look at the partnership proposals left over from the morning.

At that moment, an entertainment news pop-up jumped out from the bottom right corner of the browser. His hand slipped and he accidentally clicked on the webpage. A colorful interface met his eyes. He glanced at it and was about to close it, but his mouse stopped on the close button.

“Top Female Star Climbing High? Spent the Night Together Enjoying the Spring Evening!”

The timeline given by the paparazzi was the night before last. Below was a photo of a man and a woman standing in front of a Maybach outside a five-star hotel. Although their faces were somewhat blurred, one could still tell the protagonists were Duan Jinghuai and the actress who had attended the event with him last night.

The office was quiet, with only the slight sound of the computer host running. Shi Yu stared calmly at that picture for a long time, until the steam from his coffee cup had completely dissipated.

He picked up the cup and took a sip, but he did not taste the bitterness he had felt when drinking it before. After putting down the cup, he unhurriedly took out his phone, found the chat box with Duan Jinghuai, and typed a message.

Shi Yu: Treat last night as if it never happened.

After ten minutes, a message came back from the other side.

Duan Jinghuai: Oh. Duan Jinghuai: It was nothing anyway. Duan Jinghuai: We are all adults and understand this. No need to restate it. Duan Jinghuai: President Shi, are you a sore loser?

Shi Yu stared at the words on the screen, his chest heaving a few times as he replied.

Shi Yu: Get lost.

The new project required coordination with companies in the US. Shi Yu stayed up several nights in a row at the company and was exhausted. He supported himself to finish the last of the trivial matters and had his assistant drive him home.

After showering, his brain was too tired to think. He dried his hair and lay on the bed, glancing at the time. It was after eight o’clock. He ran his fingers through his hair and considered if it would be okay to be lazy and sleep for a day and a night.

Just as the thought arose, his phone rang. He let out a long sigh as he clutched the corner of the quilt and took a resigned glance, discovering it was his cousin, Su Rong.

The two had lived in different cities when they were young and only saw each other at their grandfather’s during holidays. Now, Su Rong had come to Beijing and Hong Kong from a small town for university and stayed to work after finishing his studies. Before Shi Yu returned to the country, his mother had specifically told him to look after Su Rong.

Shi Yu picked up the phone. A man with a deep, pleasant voice spoke on the other end, but his tone was quite displeased. “Hello, is this Su Rong’s cousin?”

Shi Yu hummed in response, carefully identifying the background noise, which was a bit noisy.

“He is drunk. I will send you the address. Come pick him up.” As soon as he finished speaking, the call was disconnected.

Shi Yu rubbed his slightly heavy temples and stared at the address sent via WeChat, slightly dazed. A bar.

He rolled out of bed, found a simple thin sweatshirt and gym shorts from the closet, and put them on. There was no time to call his assistant, so he simply used an app to call a car.

Sitting in the back seat and staring at the bright lights of the city, the mist in Shi Yu’s eyes gradually cleared. That man who called, his voice sounded a bit familiar.

The bar was located in the most prosperous area, with the sprawling commercial district lit up and neon lights outlining the bustling atmosphere. The lights and shadows were scattered and lingering. The interior decoration was trendy and grand, with men and women with good figures swaying on the dance floor, and the deafening electronic music from the speakers overhead was soul-stirring.

Shi Yu went around the main hall, passed through the dimly lit corridor, and arrived at the door of the private room indicated by the address. The door of the private room had a heavy and magnificent heavy metal design, inlaid with complex and exquisite hollow patterns.

The door was not closed, leaving a gap. The sounds of men and women playing and laughing came from inside. Ambiguous and flickering lights squeezed out from the crack in the door, making Shi Yu dizzy.

His brow furrowed slightly as he squinted to confirm the room number. After a moment, a man’s voice came out. “Hey, Brother Huai, I heard Shi Yu is back and even parachuted in as CEO. Is that true?”

Hearing his own name, Shi Yu, who was standing at the door, suddenly froze. After a brief pause, Duan Jinghuai’s somewhat impatient voice came from inside. “Can you stop mentioning this person in front of me?”

The person from before immediately followed up. “I know, I know. Our Brother Huai has disliked that Shi Yu since university. He meddled in everything; he really meddled too much.”

A woman’s voice cut in. “Really? Someone could actually control our Brother Huai?”

Another voice sounded. “It is true. After he left, Brother Huai spent the whole night sending out big red envelopes in the school group.”

“Hahaha, damn, how annoying must that person be.”

“Hey, it sounds a bit familiar. Is he the one who snatched Brother Huai’s project?”

“Ah, I heard about that too.”

“What kind of person is he to dare snatch Brother Huai’s project? Does he want to die?”

“Excuse me, who are you?”

A sweet and crisp sound rang in Shi Yu’s ear. He looked up. Beside him stood a beautiful girl in a pleated skirt, who was slowly shaking the water droplets off her hands and looking at him with a face full of doubt.

The noisy sounds inside also stopped. Crisp footsteps slowly approached. The next second, the door was completely pulled open.

Inside the large private room sat a dozen people. Countless hallucinatory lights crowded and interlaced, swaying into colorful patches. Various expensive drinks and messy game cards were placed on the table. Smoke and the smell of alcohol lingered, giving off a sense of luxury and dissipation.

Countless scrutinizing gazes fell on him. Duan Jinghuai leaned lazily on the sofa, his long straight legs slightly crossed. His peach blossom eyes were narrow and dark, with the corners slightly raised, looking somewhat cynical.

Their eyes met, and Shi Yu felt as if his eyelids had been burned. It was the first time he had been face to face with Duan Jinghuai since that day. His heart felt as if it had been knocked by something, causing ripples.