The separation was final, and her parents were never the primary reason. Ji Tong's breakup with him was fundamentally because she realized he was not the good man she had imagined him to be.
Shen Su's pig-headed refusal to budge infuriated Gu Yuan. "You finally had a serious relationship, and I thought you were settling down, but you pull this stunt again."
Shen Su: "It's my fault."
Gu Yuan: "What's the use of admitting your mistake now? You're not a child anymore. Do you really want to play around forever?"
Shen Su: "..."
Gu Yuan: "If you don't like simple girls, find someone who suits your taste. Don't go bothering innocent people anymore. Think about it, if you have a daughter in the future..."
"Mom, I understand what you mean," Shen Su interrupted Gu Yuan, promising her, "Next time, I'll consider all the issues before starting. I don't want to talk about this for now. You and Dad should stop rushing me. I'll let you know when I have news."
Gu Yuan on the other end of the phone was silent for a long time, carefully pondering Shen Su's words.
A mother knows her son best. After a minute, Gu Yuan asked Shen Su, "Is there someone in your heart?"
Shen Su: "No."
Gu Yuan: "It's one thing to lie to others, but you can't lie to me."
Shen Su still refused to admit it, "There really isn't."
Gu Yuan: "You know the answer in your heart whether there is or not."
Gu Yuan didn't press Shen Su for details, only saying, "I just want to tell you, if there's someone in your heart, show your attitude. Don't play those practiced routines like before."
Shen Su: "Got it."
Gu Yuan scoffed, "You still say there's no one in your heart!"
As soon as she said that, Shen Su suddenly realized he had been tricked into revealing information.
He rubbed his temples again. He hadn't slept all night, and his brain was running slow.
After finishing his call with Gu Yuan, Shen Su took melatonin and slept. When he woke up, it was already afternoon.
Upon waking, Shen Su picked up his phone and saw several missed calls, some from the company and one from Gu Song.
Shen Su returned the calls, and after dealing with some work on his computer, Gu Song's call came again.
Gu Song: "Why couldn't I reach you all day? I went to your company and you weren't there. I thought something had happened to you."
It wasn't unfair for Gu Song to think that way. Ever since Shen Su learned the specifics of what happened between Feng Feng and Wen Zhouyuan, his state had been unstable.
Now that Feng Feng and Li Yue were deeply in love and doted on each other, even if he wanted to steal her away, he had no opening. Yet, he couldn't let go, a perfect example of self-torment.
Gu Song had tried to persuade him for too long and was too lazy to do so these past two days.
"Nothing," Shen Su said. "I caught up on sleep during the day."
Gu Song immediately detected something was wrong. "You didn't sleep last night? Where did you go?"
Shen Su looked down at the floor and smiled faintly, "I went to her place."
Gu Song: "...You really went?"
Given Feng Feng's personality, wouldn't she have kicked him out?
"Downstairs," as if guessing Gu Song's thoughts, Shen Su preempted his question.
Gu Song was silent for a moment, guessing something. "What did you see?"
If it weren't for some stimulating scene, he wouldn't have stayed downstairs all night.
And this stimulation... even a slow-witted person could guess.
Shen Su: "Li Yue stayed overnight at her place."
Gu Song: "..." It was as he thought, but this was actually normal. They were dating, so staying overnight together was hardly surprising.
He wanted to persuade Shen Su to think more positively, but this was clearly a futile effort. Gu Song thought for a moment and asked, "Want to go out tonight to clear your head?"
Shen Su: "No."
Gu Song: "...Are you at home? I'll come over then."
Shen Su: "No need."
Gu Song wanted to say more, but Shen Su had already hung up. When he tried to call again, the phone was turned off.
Gu Song felt helpless yet incredulous. It was one thing to see Xing Zheng and Liang Yufeng tormenting themselves over women, but now Shen Su had become one of them.
Seeing Shen Su's string of women change one after another, he had never seen him like this for anyone.
Previously, Gu Song had always thought Shen Su liked sleeping with Feng Feng.
Now, he had to re-evaluate.
After the call, Gu Song immediately drove to Shen Su's house. When he arrived, Shen Su had just finished dealing with his work emails and was drinking water.
He was wearing loungewear, and his expression looked very tired. Gu Song walked in and sat down with him, observing his state carefully.
He was listless and dejected, seeming even worse off than when Wen Zhouyuan had appeared.
Some questions had answers even without being asked. The person who had troubled Shen Su for so many years could only be Feng Feng. Now, he was no different from Xing Zheng and Liang Yufeng, all controlled by women.
Gu Song pondered for a long time and said to Shen Su, "I also have a responsibility in your situation."
Shen Su didn't expect him to say that and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "What responsibility do you have?"
Gu Song: "I was the one who advised you to find another woman before. If you hadn't dated Ji Tong, perhaps..."
"If it wasn't Ji Tong, it would have been someone else," Shen Su was quite clear on this point and had never blamed Gu Song. "Even if you hadn't said those things to me, I would have done the same. It has nothing to do with you."
People like them had ingrained notions. If Ji Tong hadn't said those words to him, he might not have recognized his own behavior all along.
Gu Song: "Then what do you plan to do? Watch her and Li Yue show affection from now on?"
Shen Su lit a cigarette, took a puff, and exhaled smoke rings, shaking his head. He had no idea what to do about this matter.
Gu Song also lit a cigarette and, seeing Shen Su's cluelessness, felt he should do something.
Although Shen Su hadn't blamed him for this matter, his previous analyses had indeed caused Shen Su many misunderstandings and obstacles.
After much consideration, Gu Song decided to meet Feng Feng alone.
Feng Feng was completely unaware of this matter and remained engrossed in her work. The following two workdays were extremely busy.
On Friday afternoon, Ji Tong came again. After Feng Feng finished coordinating work with Ji Tong, it was almost time to get off work.
As Feng Feng planned to part ways with Ji Tong, Ji Tong suddenly called out to her, "Manager Feng."
Feng Feng stopped. "Is there anything else?"
Ji Tong stood up, smiling, and said to her, "I'm resigning from Jin He. This should be the last time I come to the firm to discuss work with you."
Even though Feng Feng knew Ji Tong was updating her resume, hearing her say the word "resign" still surprised her.
After a moment of silence, Feng Feng asked, "Are you not developing well at Jin He?"
Her question was measured, focusing only on work matters and refraining from any unnecessary inquiries into Ji Tong's personal life.
Ji Tong, however, didn't mind mentioning the reason. "I'm developing quite well at Jin He, but I broke up with Shen Su and don't want to continue working under him."
Even someone as composed as Feng Feng was surprised to hear this news from Ji Tong.