Seeing Chengfu’s carefree attitude, Zeng Yu had nothing more to say. Both Zeng Yu and the others overheard Chengfu’s declaration.
Wang Zheng, hearing this, replied, “Zeng Yu, you’ve got no room to talk. You’ve worked hard for all these years, built up a fortune worth over a hundred million, and now you’re just giving it all up? I can’t help but feel you’re getting the short end of the stick.”
The others at the table were shocked by this statement, their gazes shifting to Zeng Yu.
Zeng Yu just smiled calmly, “When Jiangyu Company was first founded, I personally invested almost nothing. Without Jiang Nan, there would be no Jiangyu Company. Besides, I didn’t walk away empty-handed. If I were just an ordinary worker, I’d never have made this much money in my lifetime. So, what more could I ask for? Jiangyu Company was never really mine; I was just helping to look after it for a few years.”
Wang Zheng was about to say more, but Zeng Yu quickly turned to the waiter, “Pour the wine.” Then he looked back at Wang Zheng, “This bottle is currently priced at 110,000 yuan. I used to only dream of seeing a bottle like this, and now I can drink it. So really, there’s nothing to complain about.”
Chen, who considered himself fairly knowledgeable, couldn’t help but change his expression slightly when he heard the price. “That’s more expensive than Lafite,” he remarked, tactfully flattering the three bosses at the table.
Zeng Yu smiled, raising his glass, “No matter how expensive the wine, it’s meant for drinking.”
Everyone raised their glasses in response.
After finishing a glass, Wang Zheng began complaining, “As expensive as this wine is, it doesn’t suit my taste. I’m a simple guy, I prefer Erguotou.”
At that moment, Zeng Yu’s phone rang. He glanced at the number, stood up, and stepped aside to answer in a low voice, “Dad, what’s going on at home?”
“Jiang Nan is here at the house. I’m calling you behind her back. I’ve got to hang up now.” It was Zeng Zhanhao, calling to tip him off.
Zeng Yu was left staring blankly at his phone. Wang Zheng noticed and asked, “What happened?”
Zeng Yu shook his head, “Nothing serious. We’ll talk later.”
That call made the rest of the meal taste like nothing to Zeng Yu, but Chengfu seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. After finishing, he even took the remaining bottle of wine with him. Chen wanted to stick around, but Wang Zheng sent him on his way, saying they’d discuss cooperation tomorrow.
Once they were alone, Zeng Yu sighed, “Jiang Nan went to my house. My dad called to let me know.”
Wang Zheng’s face instantly changed, “She’s really playing her trump card!”
Zeng Yu scratched his head, looking troubled, “Yeah, I’m just worried she’ll say something she shouldn’t in front of my mom.”
Wang Zheng was visibly surprised, giving Zeng Yu a thoughtful look, “Don’t you think Jiang Nan, as a woman, has come a long way to get to this point?”
“Huh?” Zeng Yu was momentarily stunned.
“I’m saying, why not give her a way out? There’s no need for you two to hurt each other like this,” Wang Zheng cautiously advised.
Zeng Yu’s eyes darkened as he stared at Wang Zheng, “Who sent you to play mediator?”
“No one! You’re overthinking it. I was just speaking my mind.” Wang Zheng quickly denied, refusing to admit anything.
Zeng Yu was quite stubborn by nature, and especially now, in this sensitive period, upsetting him could easily end their friendship.
“You better not be,” Zeng Yu warned, returning to his usual demeanor. The knot in his heart remained, and no one could untangle it.
Wang Zheng could only sigh inwardly. He was, in fact, a mediator sent by Yuan Lei—the same person who once went to great lengths to break up Zeng Yu and Jiang Nan. Now, surprisingly, her attitude had changed. “By the way, how much do you know about Jiang Nan’s family situation?” Wang Zheng suddenly asked.
Zeng Yu stood up, ready to leave. “When I was with her, I never cared about her family situation. And when she disappeared, I didn’t look into it. Now, even less so. Alright, I’m off. I’ve got to pick up my passport tomorrow. Once that’s sorted, I’m heading to France.”
Watching Zeng Yu’s back as he left, Wang Zheng couldn’t help but think: You’re just running away.
That evening, Fu Yu was in a great mood. After setting down her chopsticks, she smiled and said, “Jiang Nan, let your uncle do the dishes. You can accompany me on a walk.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Jiang Nan stood up, “That’s not right. Uncle works all day, he must be exhausted.”
Fu Yu waved her hand, “It’s fine. Let him do it. Let’s go out for a stroll. Otherwise, I’ll be bored tonight after you head back to the hotel.”
Fu Yu actually wanted to invite Jiang Nan to stay over, but sensing the tension between Jiang Nan and Zeng Yu, she decided against it. She was worried it would make Jiang Nan uncomfortable, and even more worried that it would make things awkward for her son later on.
Once the two women had left, Zeng Zhanhao quickly grabbed his phone. As soon as the call connected, he spoke in a low voice, “Son, what’s going on between you and Jiang Nan? You seemed off when you got back, and Jiang Nan looks like she’s just putting on a brave face.”
Zeng Yu didn’t know how to respond, instinctively saying, “You and mom don’t need to worry about this. I’ll handle it.”
Zhanhao sighed, “I suppose so. Jiang Nan’s a great girl, but the difference in our families is too big.”
Clearly, Zhanhao had misunderstood, thinking that the issue between Zeng Yu and Jiang Nan was due to their family backgrounds.
Too lazy to explain, Zeng Yu replied, “If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. Jiang Nan will probably be leaving soon.”
Feeling somewhat helpless, Zhanhao added, “Alright, take care of yourself.”
He hung up reluctantly, letting out a heavy sigh.
There was no doubt Jiang Nan was an exceptional woman. As she walked through the neighborhood arm in arm with Fu Yu, she attracted many admiring glances. Several familiar neighborhood ladies greeted Fu Yu, asking who Jiang Nan was. Fu Yu simply introduced her as a relative’s child, without mentioning she was Zeng Yu’s girlfriend. This left Jiang Nan feeling a bit down, but she was more grateful—Fu Yu was sparing her from any future awkwardness.
For someone used to being busy, suddenly having nothing to do could leave them feeling lost.
Zeng Yu was in that situation now. Normally, he was always on the go, with home being just a place to sleep. A cleaner handled the housework, and suddenly having nothing to do felt strange. What was even stranger was that his phone, which used to ring dozens of times a day with work-related calls, hadn’t rung in days.
Finally, his phone vibrated. Glancing down, he saw it was a call from Li Geng. Speak of the devil, he thought.
Zeng Yu answered, “Yeah, it’s me.”
“Mr. Zeng, are you home?” Li Geng’s tone was as respectful as ever.
“Yeah, just packing for France. Why, what’s up?” Zeng Yu reflexively asked, still not fully adjusting to his new identity.
“It’s Friday today, the day we usually have a team dinner. Everyone misses you, so they asked me to invite you. Mr. Zeng, you left in such a hurry that it’s been hard for everyone to adjust. There’ve even been a few mistakes at work. They all say that without you, they’ve lost their backbone.”
Hearing this made Zeng Yu feel a bit emotional, “Alright, send me the address. I’ll come over.”
This company was his blood and sweat, after all. Walking away wasn’t as easy as he thought.
After hanging up, Zeng Yu went to the bathroom to wash his face, changed into a fresh set of clothes, and grabbed his car keys. In the parking lot sat his BMW X3. As he prepared to get in, Jiang Nan’s face suddenly flashed through his mind—this was her car. After she left, he would drive it to private events.
With his current wealth, it would’ve been easy to buy a better car, but he had never considered it. During the years without Jiang Nan, every time he drove this car, he felt as if she was still with him. Now, looking at the car, Zeng Yu hesitated, then pulled out his phone to call for a ride. He justified it to himself: There’s probably going to be drinking at the dinner.
The monthly team dinners were something Zeng Yu had instituted, with expenses within a certain limit covered by the company, and anything over that paid for by the team. Back when Zeng Yu was in charge, no one ever worried about overspending, because even if they did, Zeng Yu would quietly cover the extra costs. Today was dinner night, and naturally, everyone at Jiangyu Company thought of him.
The old employees knew about the history between Mr. Zeng and Ms. Jiang. The details weren’t for them to meddle in, but in the past few years, Zeng Yu had treated everyone very well. His departure was a big loss. Li Geng, who knew a bit more, was certain that Zeng Yu would come back someday, so he enthusiastically invited him to dinner.
When Zeng Yu arrived at the private room door, everyone stood up and applauded. This moved Zeng Yu a little.
Li Geng stepped forward with a smile, “Mr. Zeng, without you, everyone feels like they can’t relax. If we go over budget, there’s no one to cover for us.”
That playful comment didn’t bother Zeng Yu at all. Instead, it made him feel closer to everyone.
“Even though I’ve left Jiangyu Company, I’ll still come to these team dinners. And if we go over budget, I’ll cover it,” Zeng Yu replied with a smile, prompting cheers from the group.
Zeng Yu sat down, and Li Geng called for the food to be served. Thirty-something people filled three tables. The group had a shared understanding and selected three representatives to toast Zeng Yu.
The wine being served was one of the company’s products, priced around 300 yuan a bottle. Given the circumstances, there was no risk of overspending today. A few veteran employees had quietly pooled some money, ready to cover any extra expenses.
In the past, Zeng Yu would respond to toasts with just one general toast to the whole group. But today, he picked up his glass and made his way around the tables, toasting each person individually. By the time he finished, he’d almost downed an entire bottle.
