At that moment, Liu Yangdong approached and apologized, "Young Master Chen! It was our oversight that startled you!"

Chen Zheng waved his hand dismissively, indicating there was no need to say more. "It has nothing to do with you. Get back to your duties."

Liu Yangdong had no choice but to comply and leave.

The others also dispersed, but their gazes remained fixed on Chen Zheng. They couldn't help but speculate about his identity and why he possessed such immense power that even people from the Liu Corporation treated him so respectfully.

Recovering from her shock, Yan Lili couldn't help but ask, "Brother! What on earth is going on?"

"This is just how it is." Chen Zheng shrugged casually, offering Yan Lili an answer as vague as a passing cloud. He knew this topic was too complex to explain in just a few words.

Yan Lili understood him well; she knew that any further questions about things he didn't want to discuss would be futile. So, she gave up and spoke with anticipation, "Brother, it seems you've really become incredibly rich. I'm going to quit my job tomorrow and return to Yun City with you. You have to take me with you, okay?"

Chen Zheng responded with a smile. "That's a small matter."

After that, their conversation flowed like a beautiful symphony. Although it was mainly led by Yan Lili, Chen Zheng's occasional interjections served as the highlights of the piece.

As the banquet's atmosphere calmed down, Liu Daoyi and the others found Chen Zheng, their eyes filled with apology. Chen Zheng casually sent them on their way.

Li Yitong walked over gracefully and struck up a spirited conversation with Yan Lili. The two of them hit it off immediately.

Finally, the curtain fell on the banquet, and Li Yitong mentioned she needed to stop by her home first. So, Chen Zheng got in the car and drove Yan Lili toward her apartment.

"Brother, I've dreamed countless times of living in that luxurious mansion, enjoying the kind of luxury only aristocrats can experience," Yan Lili said excitedly in the car.

"Then just come over tonight. There are more empty rooms there than you can count," Chen Zheng said directly.

"I can't do that. It would be too much trouble for you because of me," Yan Lili said, shaking her head. "I need to get my things in order first before I come find you. I have to mail some things back home, and I can't just abandon them."

"That's true. If you get overwhelmed, just contact me," Chen Zheng said.

"Alright, brother, I won't be shy!" Yan Lili agreed.

A short while later, the car stopped. Yan Lili got out and waved goodbye to Chen Zheng.

As Chen Zheng's gaze followed her departing figure, a thought arose in his mind, and a vibrant green warning card materialized in his hand. He muttered the lock command, and the card instantly disintegrated into nothingness. Then, a peculiar phenomenon occurred; he seemed to feel a mystical connection to Yan Lili. Just by closing his eyes, he could perceive her current state of mind.

"What a useful little thing!"

With a word of praise, Chen Zheng pressed the accelerator and headed toward the garden villa. Soon after, Li Yitong also rushed over from the Li Family estate.

「The next day」

Chen Zheng called Yan Lili to ask if she needed help, but she firmly replied that she could handle it and would come over in the afternoon as promised. He then spent the day leisurely browsing his phone and watching TV in the villa.

Daylight faded like flowing water, and the evening glow painted the sky a pale purple.

Yan Lili let out a gentle sigh of relief, having finally completed the cumbersome task of shipping all her belongings back to Jiangzhou. She was no longer just an employee in that corporate building but a whole new person. Having resigned, she felt like she was mailing all her old memories and feelings back to that once-familiar place along with her belongings.

She picked up her phone, ready to call a taxi, but the WeChat notification sound shattered her tranquility like a sudden storm. Seeing the name flashing on the screen, Yan Lili's brow furrowed. The call was from Huang Yingying.

The previous night's experience replayed in her mind like a nightmare. What would have become of me if Chen Zheng hadn't been there?

Though her heart was filled with confusion and hesitation, Yan Lili still pressed the answer button.

"Lily, you finally answered the phone," came Huang Yingying's sobbing voice from the other end, piercing Yan Lili's heart like a sharp knife.

"Yingying, what's wrong?" Yan Lili asked, bewildered.

"I... I'm so sorry," Huang Yingying said amid uncontrollable sobs. "It was all because I was foolish enough to believe Zhong Jiang's lies, and I put you in danger. But now that jerk has turned around and abandoned me... Waaah..."

Hearing this, the anger in Yan Lili's heart instantly vanished, replaced by a deep sense of pity and sympathy. "Yingying, don't cry. I forgive you."

"Thank you, Lily. Can you have a meal with me?" Huang Yingying's voice was filled with an expectation as bright as a starry sky.

Yan Lili was silent for a moment, then softly replied, "Yingying, I have to go meet my brother, so maybe..."

"No! Lily, you're my only friend in this vast city! You must come!" Huang Yingying cut her off abruptly, her voice filled with an undeniable determination. "I'm near our old school, at the restaurant called Xianjiu Residence, in Private Room 3. I'll wait for you there!" Then she hung up.

Yan Lili stood rooted to the spot. Her heart was reluctant to go, but Huang Yingying was her only friend in this bustling city.

Sigh... oh well. I might as well treat it as a visit to the old campus.

Ultimately, Yan Lili let out a soft sigh and began to book a taxi on her phone.

When she arrived at the entrance of her former university, she got out of the car. She walked along the familiar path, her eyes filled with nostalgia. After about a five-minute walk, she reached a bustling street.

Weaving through the crowd, she entered Xianjiu Residence. She opened the door to Private Room 3 and walked inside.

"Yingying, you..."

But the scene that greeted her left her stunned. Huang Yingying and Zhong Jiang were there, sharing a meal in perfect harmony. Huang Yingying wore a blissful smile, the unmistakable expression of a woman deeply in love.

In that instant, Yan Lili's heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp arrow. She realized with a painful pang that she had been utterly deceived. A scorching anger burned within her; she had never imagined Huang Yingying could betray her so coldly and heartlessly.

"Oh, Lily, you've finally arrived," Huang Yingying said with a smile as she stood up. She approached Yan Lili, reaching for her hand. "It wasn't easy to trick you."

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