Chapter 2: Ex-Boyfriend (Revised)

Du Henian watched as Tang Man left. After a long while, he finally picked up his phone and made a call.

However, his eyes hidden behind the glasses were deep and dark, carrying an indescribable meaning.

The refined aura about him was greatly suppressed, startling others with a sense of gloom.

Thursday afternoons were generally off days. After finishing her meal at a random restaurant, Tang Man didn’t feel like returning to the university. She planned to go back to her rented place outside to rest well for the night in preparation for work the next day.

She had majored in finance for her undergraduate degree and was studying investment at her alma mater for graduate school. The job she found was at an accounting firm. She had originally wanted to go to a bank or securities company but ultimately decided against it after some internal debate. In her view, finance and investment was an industry that appeared glamorous on the outside but was actually a dog on the inside.

Come to think of it, meeting Du Henian could be considered a coincidence, and it was through her ex-boyfriend.

At the time, Du Henian had a project that needed two assistants, undergraduate or graduate students were both fine. Someone who had a decent relationship with Du Henian stuffed Tang Man, who had just finished her graduate entrance exams and was bored out of her mind, into the project through Si Jiahe, her ex-boyfriend, making her one of Du Henian’s assistants.

It could be considered pulling strings.

After all, throughout her four years of university, Tang Man hadn’t learned much of anything. She was quite the slacker and knew nothing. Logically, she shouldn’t have been able to join Du Henian’s project team at all.

So to this day, she still suspected that back then, the reason she was able to join the project team and that project was because Du Henian had taken a liking to her at first sight and wanted to abuse his authority for personal gain.

Lying on the soft sofa after returning home, Tang Man thought back to the events of that year and closed her eyes.

Two years had passed. The Du Henian of that time seemed no different from the present. His temperament was as always, treating people with slight coldness. His face had stopped at its most handsome stage. Occasionally when he returned to the university to teach, she couldn’t help but overhear a few things about him.

Most of it was admiration for his talent and ability, followed by praise for his appearance.

In this day and age, it was too rare for someone to have both brains and good looks. When one such person appeared, they would be worshipped a hundredfold.

So back then, Tang Man, who had no resistance to begin with, had fallen into the man’s alluring smile and temptation just like that.

She was someone who couldn’t withstand temptation. In just a month, the two of them had tumbled into bed together.

Perhaps it also had to do with her breakup with Si Jiahe at the time. Although she was fickle and somewhat heartless, she had truly liked Si Jiahe then. After the breakup, she had some difficulty adjusting.

That saying was correct. The best way to forget a past relationship was to start a new one.

Thinking of this, Tang Man pursed her lips and stood up to pour a glass of ice water to moisten her throat.

Du Henian was an extremely controlling man. Ever since getting together with him, not only did she rarely touch alcohol and cigarettes, even the tiniest matters in her life were things Du Henian liked to manage.

Things like ice water, he would absolutely forbid her from drinking.

He remembered her graduate course schedule more clearly than she did. People like ex-boyfriends had vanished from her life after disappearing, rarely even being mentioned.

In places she couldn’t see, the existence of certain figures was slowly being scraped away layer by layer.

Looking at the transparent glass of water, feeling the coolness emanating from her fingertips, Tang Man suddenly thought:

She hadn’t seen that boy in a long time.

Calling him a boy, but he was actually over twenty years old, just a few months younger than her. It was just that he had a delicate face that looked like it had been nurtured by the most splendid flowers in high society. He was always soft and gentle with her, liked to call her “jiejie”, and his skin was so tender that casually using some force would leave a red mark.

He looked more fragile than her and liked to sob and cry in bed, especially evoking pity and affection.

Because she had to go to work the next day and wanted to leave a good impression on the company, she went to bed very early.

By the time she saw Du Henian’s message, it was already the next morning.

She was brushing her teeth while opening her phone. Late last night, Du Henian had sent her a message saying he had time this morning and could drive her to work.

After rinsing the foam from her hands, Tang Man dried them with a towel and was about to refuse.

This place wasn’t far from where she worked. There was a subway station right outside the residential area. It only took one stop to get there. If it wasn’t convenient, a taxi would also be quick. There was no need for him to make a special trip.

But as soon as she sent the message, the doorbell rang.

This early in the morning, no one should be visiting.

She opened the door and sure enough, a man was standing outside. It was precisely Du Henian. Because the weather was overcast today and the wind was strong, he was wearing a trench coat. Standing at her doorway, he appeared even more tall and straight.

“I bought you breakfast.” The man lifted the convenience bag in his hand and smiled, saying gently.

Tang Man sighed inwardly. Since he was already at the door, she couldn’t exactly send him back. She had no choice but to invite him in.

In fact, Du Henian rarely came to this place. Most of the time, it was Tang Man who went to his apartment.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to come, but rather Tang Man had an inexplicable sense of territoriality toward her own residence despite being indifferent elsewhere. She had a hard time tolerating the presence of others. At first, Du Henian didn’t know, but after coming a few times, he guessed some of it from Tang Man’s expression and demeanor, so he rarely came after that.

Watching the man take out the breakfast and arrange it properly on the table, Tang Man casually tied up her hair and sat down, but still couldn’t help saying, “There was no need for you to come. It’s too much trouble. Taking the subway to work is just a matter of one stop for me.”

Du Henian’s hand paused. “Manman, you don’t want me to come?”

The man’s tone was still very gentle, just much lighter, easily letting others hear an indescribable grievance.

Tang Man’s temperament contained the cowardice she despised the most, probably stemming from her incompetent father, but also the heartless naivety from her mother.

Although she was somewhat tired of it, Du Henian’s face was truly good-looking. Such a handsome face showing even a hint of unpleasantness would make people feel their heart soften.

In the end, she took a sip of the seafood congee Du Henian brought over, picked up a spoon to drink some, and only then said, “As long as you don’t find it troublesome.”

Saying it out loud, it sounded too stiff, so she had no choice but to add another sentence, much more gently, “I’m mainly afraid you’ll be too tired.”

The breakfast Du Henian bought was enough for two people. Hearing Tang Man’s words, only then did a hint of a smile appear on Du Henian’s face. He casually said, “This place is very close to my apartment. It’s convenient to come. Also, I wanted to see you.”

Then he also sat down beside her and started on the breakfast.

Tang Man nodded indifferently.

In the quiet atmosphere, she finished her breakfast first. Putting down her bowl and chopsticks, seeing the movements of the man across from her, his slender, fair fingers holding the spoon was also pleasing to the eye, not to mention Du Henian’s actions exuded an unhurried elegance, clearly possessing excellent upbringing.

After admiring the beauty for a while, much of her morning drowsiness dissipated. She glanced at her wristwatch. It was already nearing 8 o’clock. Only then did she stand up and return to the bedroom to change clothes.

Walking too quickly, she forgot her phone on the tabletop.

Hearing the sound of a door closing, the man eating only then leisurely put down the spoon in his hand. Using the wet wipe beside him, he wiped his fingertips, then stared at the phone that had been lying face down on the dining table across from him for a long time. In the end, he couldn’t resist reaching out his own hand.