Zhang Shuang did not know Feng Feng well, only having a general impression of her in her mind. A successful career woman much older than them would certainly not rashly change jobs because of a relationship; that would be gambling with her future.
Zhang Shuang even felt that Feng Feng likely had no intention of marrying Li Yue, otherwise, Li Yue would not have had that expression just now.
Li Yue and Zhang Shuang finished dinner together. As they left the restaurant, Zhang Shuang prepared to hail a taxi, but Li Yue stopped her, "Let me drive you back."
Zhang Shuang was taken aback, her expression showing surprise. "Is that convenient?"
Li Yue: "It's the weekend tomorrow, and I don't have anything planned."
Zhang Shuang: "Then I'll trouble you."
With that, she opened the passenger door and got in.
Zhang Shuang gave her address, and Li Yue, using navigation, drove her to the hotel entrance. They then parted ways.
Upon returning to the hotel, Zhang Shuang sent a WeChat message to Gu Song, recounting the evening's events.
After receiving the intelligence, Gu Song immediately forwarded it to Shen Su.
At that moment, Shen Su was in his study, processing emails. Upon seeing the message from Gu Song, he paused his work, opened the chat window, and saw the screenshots of the conversation between Gu Song and Zhang Shuang.
Shen Su read the content carefully, a slight smile forming on his lips.
Previously, when they were in Nanjiang, Li Yue had been very careful to avoid Zhang Shuang and would never have helped her like this. Now, the situation had changed somewhat.
Zhang Shuang was alone abroad, with no relatives. Li Yue, being the only person she knew, would naturally offer assistance. Moreover, he was now in conflict with Feng Feng, and subconsciously, he would not be as concerned about Feng Feng's feelings as before.
Shen Su thought that it wouldn't be long before their conflict completely erupted.
Either Li Yue would be the first to break up, or Feng Feng would.
His role was to wait and see.
As Feng Feng and Li Yue had not completely broken up yet, it was not wise for him to approach Feng Feng. Maintaining the current distance would allow Feng Feng to lower her guard. As for what happened next, he would arrange it after they broke up.
Once they broke up, he would be among the first to receive the news.
—
Time passed day by day, and soon it was the day of Feng Feng's business trip. She had informed Li Yue of her flight number in advance, but because it was a workday, Li Yue had just taken on a new project and couldn't pick her up at the airport.
Li Yue apologized to her several times for this, but Feng Feng didn't mind.
Perhaps because she no longer had expectations, she didn't care about such details.
The hotel for her business trip was booked by the company, and they had also arranged a car to pick her up. On the way to the hotel, Feng Feng sent Li Yue a WeChat message, but she didn't receive a reply for a long time.
It wasn't until seven o'clock in the evening that Li Yue's call came through.
At that moment, Feng Feng was sitting in her room, and she answered immediately. Before she could speak, she heard Li Yue apologize, "Sorry, I was looking at data earlier and didn't have time to reply to your message."
The implication was that he had seen the message but hadn't replied.
Feng Feng smiled faintly. "It's okay, are you done?"
Li Yue: "Yes, are you at the hotel? I'll come find you now."
Feng Feng: "Okay, I actually have something to tell you."
When Li Yue heard this, his eyelids suddenly twitched, and his expression became somewhat solemn. Smart people have expectations for the future.
They both knew how bad things had been between him and Feng Feng during this time.
Although they hadn't argued, they had become as distant as strangers, sometimes not messaging each other for five or six days. How could this be considered a relationship?
Li Yue pondered for a moment, having prepared himself mentally. "Okay, we'll talk when we meet."
After finishing the call with Li Yue, Feng Feng stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the night view outside, lost in thought.
She had already thought of what to say to break up, and judging by Li Yue's attitude, he likely had some psychological preparation as well.
It was best for neither of them to be held back.
Li Yue arrived twenty minutes later.
Feng Feng opened the door for him. After not seeing each other for over a month, there was no spark of a couple upon their reunion. They were both very calm, just exchanging a smile, with no intimate gestures.
This was the instability of a romantic relationship; sometimes, neither party knew exactly when the passion disappeared.
The current atmosphere further convinced Feng Feng that breaking up was the best choice.
Feng Feng looked at Li Yue. "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Let's go to the restaurant downstairs."
Li Yue nodded, and they left the room together, taking the elevator to the restaurant downstairs.
After ordering, they fell into silence again.
This time, Li Yue spoke first. "How many days will you be away on this trip?"
Feng Feng: "About a week."
Li Yue: "If you have time on the weekend, you can come over to my place, and I'll cook for you?"
Feng Feng smiled faintly and shook her head. "No need. You're so tired from work, just rest well on the weekend."
Her words cast another silence over them.
It was only at this moment that Li Yue suddenly realized that what he had considered "talking about everything" was mostly him pouring out his thoughts to Feng Feng, and Feng Feng merely responded to keep him from feeling awkward.
It seemed she had never actively talked about her own matters with him.
While they sat in awkward silence, Li Yue received a WeChat message from Zhang Shuang. He had helped Zhang Shuang find an apartment earlier, and she had successfully started her new job. After that, she had consistently said she wanted to treat Li Yue to a meal. This message was asking if he was free on the weekend.
Li Yue looked at Zhang Shuang's message for a long time without replying, then put his phone aside.
A moment later, the waiter came to serve the food. Prompted by Feng Feng, Li Yue began to eat.
As the meal was nearing its end, Feng Feng suddenly said, "I've thought about it seriously, we should break up."
Even though he had guessed she would say this, Li Yue's body still stiffened involuntarily.
Feng Feng noticed it but didn't change her direct speaking style. "You're right, a long-distance relationship isn't a long-term solution, and I never considered marrying you, so I won't waste your time."
After saying everything she wanted to say at once, Feng Feng felt a lot lighter.
Li Yue remained silent for a few minutes. He wasn't angry and maintained his composure even at this moment. "Do you still can't let go of Mr. Shen?"
Feng Feng responded with silence.
The answer to this question was too cruel for Li Yue.
But even with her silence, given Li Yue's intelligence, he understood the answer.
He smiled again. "I understand."
Feng Feng: "I've been happy during our time together, I'm really sorry, I just..."
"No need to apologize, you haven't wronged me." Li Yue was not one to blame others. He was very clear about his situation. "When we got together, we agreed to give it a try, and you have your own right to choose."