Love for You

She noticed his gaze lingering on her: "Do I look good?"

He grinned cheekily: "You'd look even better without clothes."

Miao Jing tossed her long hair, retrieved lipstick from her bag, and painted her lips a vibrant shade.

"Seeing me out? I'm going to meet Cen Ye."

"What's the rush? Does a grown man need company for breakfast?" He lounged bonelessly, taking a final drag of his cigarette. "How old is he anyway?"

"Just over forty, but he maintains himself well - no smoking or drinking, exercises regularly. Looks about your age." Miao Jing tossed the lipstick back into her bag. "He enjoys having company for breakfast, especially hotel buffets."

Chen Yi pursed his lips, his morning good mood evaporating. His face hardened as he straightened up: "I'm different. I'd much prefer someone making breakfast for me at home."

Miao Jing smiled faintly: "Hire a housekeeper then."

Finding the conversation going nowhere, the man's expression darkened instantly. They went out together - Cen Ye had work commitments and was leaving Tengcheng that afternoon. Without his secretary involved in this trip, Miao Jing went to his hotel to help arrange his schedule with practiced ease.

Chen Yi dropped Miao Jing at the hotel, watching her elegant figure enter the building, her wide-leg trousers billowing in the wind with unrestrained flair.

Cen Ye was waiting in the buffet restaurant. His eyebrows rose appreciatively when he saw Miao Jing's outfit, his eyes glinting with amusement.

Given their previous intimate relationship, it was hard not to make comparisons, but adults all knew that frustrating truth about love: one may love many times in life, yet there's always that one person who makes us smile brightest, cry hardest, and think deepest.

"I only briefly checked some information yesterday. There's very little online, mostly cleaned up." Cen Ye asked her, "That nightclub has closed down?"

"Sealed off long ago. It's been abandoned ever since.Cen Ye chuckled: "Investigating someone's information through illegal means is against the law, but it's strange that there's no record of border crossings or any domestic activity for a full two whole years." Unless he's deliberately avoiding detection, or has another identity."

As long as someone lives in a city, there are always traces - network communications, banking information, public transportation, hotel stays, hospital visits, various residential surveys. Miao Jing had obtained some records of Chen Yi's past six years, but there was a complete two-year gap. She asked Cen Ye for help, providing him with an online report about the nightclub's court verdict: Zhang Shi received a life sentence, with over a dozen accomplices convicted for crimes including intentional homicide, gang fighting, forced transactions, illegal control, and loan sharking. Sentences ranged from life imprisonment to several years, but notably absent were the names of Zhai Fengmao and Chen Yi.

Tengcheng being a small city meant limited online information. Among the few news reports she found, one significant piece stood out: a few months after she left Tengcheng, there had been a serious brawl at the nightclub involving SWAT teams, along with some corporate registration changes - though she didn't know the specifics. Knowing Cen Ye had legal background, connections, and dealt with people from all walks of life made him the perfect person to ask for help.

Calling in favors and navigating relationships would take some time. As Cen Ye needed to leave, they agreed to stay in touch by phone. Miao Jing saw him to the high-speed rail station, again asking Chen Yi to drive.

When the car reached the station entrance, Cen Ye patted Miao Jing's shoulder."You've been staying for several months now, when do you plan to go back?"

"Soon."

"Give me some time for what you want."

"Thank you."

Cen Ye glanced at Chen Yi smoking nearby, his dark eyes flickering, then gently brushed his lips against Miao Jing's cheek and tenderly ruffled her hair.

"I'll wait for you to come back, and then we'll hold a welcome party for you."

Chen Yi's figure swayed slightly, his heart jolting as a segment of ash dropped straight to the ground, scattering at his toes and blending invisibly with the dust.

The atmosphere in the car on the way back was terrible.

"He asked you to go back?"

"Mm."

"What position did he arrange for you?"

Miao Jing lowered her head to reply to a phone message, her tone flat: "A salary over eight thousand, the kind you can't afford."

Chen Yi sneered coldly, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"Great, since you're back on vacation, then come back happily and leave happily."

He gritted his teeth deeply: "But it's just a pity for Lu Zhengsi, that fool has been kept in the dark, doesn't he know how many people you've entangled with?"

Holding onto a man! How fucking impressive!!

What's that saying—the pupil surpasses the master?

Speak of the devil, it was Lu Zhengsi calling again, asking if Miao Jing was returning to the company today. A batch of parts had arrived yesterday, and the quality inspection paperwork had reached him—he wanted to know if she needed to sign the acceptance form upon her return. Miao Jing asked a couple of questions, told him to handle it directly, and finally hung up, her expression slightly tense as she fell into thought. Spotting a shopping mall by the roadside, she tapped her phone screen with slender fingers, turned to Chen Yi and said, "I'll go back to the company to work overtime later. How about we grab lunch first? I need to buy something."

Buy what?

Of course, clothes! To return the outfit she was wearing to Chen Yi.

Spending Chen Yi's money, she headed to the most expensive brand store. Miao Jing took over an hour seriously picking out two dresses—she had ruined two dresses because of him and was holding a grudge, determined to get them back. Chen Yi sat on the sofa in front of the fitting mirror, leaning forward deeply with his arms propped on his knees, holding a cup of black tea. Wispy steam misted his face as his dark eyes fixed on Miao Jing and the sales assistant examining her figure in the mirror.

He remembered scenes from many years ago when she bought clothes, from the wet market to roadside stalls and then budget malls, her beautiful eyes always fixed on the discount section.

Miao Jing suddenly turned to ask him, "They have men's wear here too, do you want to try something on?"

His expression was stern, his tall frame like an iceberg, and he shook his head straightly.

The bill came close to ten thousand, actually exceeding ordinary spending levels. While swiping the card, Miao Jing stole a glance at the person signing beside her—two sloppy large characters. Miao Jing liked men with nice handwriting, like Cen Ye, but Chen Yi's writing wasn't ugly either. His sword-like eyebrows relaxed, expression unchanged as he tossed the pen onto the counter and turned away carrying the luxurious shopping bags.