Chapter 54: Chen Chen Huanyue

"Mr. Mayor, you flatter me too much. It is naturally my honor to serve you and all the leaders." Chen Chen Huanyue said with grace, his gaze sweeping over the awakened present before settling on Yang Yi:

"It is our fortune that your honorable awakened ones are staying at the Lihao Hotel; other peers would beg for such an opportunity! The guests know you are staying here and feel at ease. Of course, I must come personally to thank you all."

He placed himself in a low position; though his words were respectful, his tone was neither humble nor arrogant, instantly making everyone present feel very comfortable.

Two years had passed; he possessed a bit more maturity and slickness than before, yet he did not seem worldly, but rather graceful.

Yang Yi felt a bit of regret; she still missed that youthful, green quality he once had.

"Come, come, since you are here, let us get acquainted. This is Chen Chen Huanyue, the young master of Lihao Grand Hotel, the son of famous entrepreneur Chen Jiahao, and a top master's graduate who just returned from Ivy League." Mayor Wang seemed quite familiar with the Chen family and warmly introduced him.

"By the way, I heard your father intends to invest in an industrial park in Quanshi? Our Wuming City also has a good humanistic and business environment, doesn't it?" Mayor Wang smiled, speaking just enough to make his point.

"Of course, the development of Wuming City is very vigorous under the leadership of all the leaders. Once this crisis passes, we do intend to invest here." Chen Chen Huanyue did not speak too fully, leaving plenty of room, but also giving people hope.

Yang Yi lowered her head to drink tea, the corners of her mouth curling slightly. She remembered that big boy who was at a loss before her back then; only a few years had passed, yet the difference was so great.

It seemed he had matured quite a bit over these years.

Of course, it might also be that she had never deeply understood him.

Everything was already in the past; there was no need to clarify their relationship. She maintained a polite smile, listening as Chen Chen Huanyue introduced the dishes to them.

After Chen Chen Huanyue finished introducing, he took his leave with grace. During the meal, everyone laughed and talked, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

The dishes were carefully selected, possessing color, aroma, and taste, but unfortunately she could no longer enjoy them. After eating a few bites, she walked out of the private room to use the restroom.

Just as she exited the restroom, she saw Chen Chen Huanyue nearby, seemingly having waited for a while.

"Yang Yi... have you been well recently?" He hesitated, as if holding a thousand words in his heart, not knowing how to express them.

Yang Yi took a disposable towel to wipe her hands. As if knowing he would come, she did not even turn her head, simply saying casually, "Very well."

"The harm caused by the mutated creatures in Wuming City this time is very troublesome; nothing happened to you, did it?"

"Nothing, it is going quite smoothly for now." Yang Yi said lightly.

This polite yet distant tone made Chen Chen Huanyue's usually calm and rational brain feel somewhat annoyed; why was she so cold? On what basis was she so cold?

This annoyance completely disrupted his original plan; he bit his lower lip, gazed at her with burning eyes, and asked, "Why did you leave without saying goodbye back then? Why did you suddenly deliberately become cold to me?"

Yang Yi's hand-wiping motion paused for a moment; she casually threw the disposable towel into the trash, turned around, and looked back at him.

Her gaze was too calm; this calmness caused the long-suppressed emotions in Chen Chen Huanyue's heart to surge with a sour bitterness. He had originally thought he had already let go and forgotten, but just that one look from her caused his self-proclaimed calmness to collapse entirely.

Chen Chen Huanyue's blood surged throughout his body; he felt his lips were incredibly dry and unconsciously licked them.

"After you left, I kept thinking, kept reflecting, asking myself what exactly I did wrong? But I racked my brains and still didn't understand? Today, can you give me an answer so I can die knowing the truth?"

Yang Yi pressed her lips together, just about to speak, when two people walked out of the men's restroom opposite, laughing and talking. Upon seeing Yang Yi at first glance, they showed expressions of disbelief, and one young boy even screamed right there on the spot.

"The God of Humanity!"

"I'm not seeing things, am I!"

The two were extremely excited and rushed up to ask for autographs.

Yang Yi took a small step back; the enthusiasm of these two made her feel a bit awkward, but the joy rushing toward her made her feel shy about leaving immediately. So she had to stop her steps and helplessly spread her hands: "Sorry, I didn't bring a pen..."

"It doesn't matter, we'll go find a waiter to get a pen!" The boy, fearing Yang Yi would disappear in the blink of an eye, pushed the other person to go find a waiter for a pen, while the other person pushed him to go, and the two were stuck in a stalemate.

Just as the two were shoving each other and Yang Yi was about to speak to take her leave, a hand extended before them, holding a Parker pen and offering it to the three of them.

That hand had Bai Xi skin, even texture, and slender joints.

"Use my pen!" Chen Chen Huanyue said, having already regained his previous refined and polite appearance.

Under the strong insistence of the two, Yang Yi signed her name on their clothes.

Accompanied by an indescribable expectation and nervousness, Chen Chen Huanyue led Yang Yi to a quiet balcony.

It was afternoon; the sun was extremely glaring. Below was the hotel's leisure garden, lush with grass and trees, with occasional figures seen.

The sun shone directly on Chen Chen Huanyue's Bai Xi face, making that melancholy appear even more intense; his eyes hid behind his glasses, silently watching her, waiting silently for an explanation or an answer.

Being looked at by such a deep, quiet gaze, Yang Yi had to speak.

"Back then, I saw you with another girl, acting intimately." Yang Yi's gaze drifted around Chen Chen Huanyue, over the ground, and the scenery, finally slowly settling on Chen Chen Huanyue.

She leaned against the railing, her arms resting on the white marble carved railing, one leg bent slightly, in a completely natural posture.

Being watched by this gaze, Chen Chen Huanyue's blood, which had just calmed down, surged again, and his body stiffened. But Yang Yi's words made him greatly surprised: "Me? When? When I was with you, I never got close to any girl!"

He was a bit anxious and quickly denied it, but deep inside he suddenly felt a sigh of relief, and a bit of joy and expectation arose.

"On the snack street behind the school, it seemed to be a Sunday." Yang Yi looked at him, "Oh, you were holding a huge bear at that time."

Hearing "huge bear," his originally puzzled gaze suddenly showed realization. "So it was that time! I was wondering why you suddenly became cold to me during that period, always making excuses about working part-time and being busy with studies, and even blocked me right before the internship..."

He finally sighed with relief, his gaze deep, his tone still carrying some helplessness and resentment. "That was my cousin, my aunt's daughter Wang Jiayi; she was passing through Xicheng at the time and just came to visit me." Fearing Yang Yi still wouldn't believe him, he quickly took out his phone, "I still have our family photo from the New Year on my phone; if you don't believe me, look..."

Yang Yi seemed to have no interest, smiling as she pushed his phone away.

Chen Chen Huanyue then realized her expression did not look like the relief of a misunderstanding being cleared up.

Panic arose in his heart, and a chill spread over his body.

This feeling came again; even when they were in the most intimate phase of their love, he often had this feeling: she seemed to like him very much, but seemed not to care about him that much.

This made him feel insecure in this relationship, always fearing gain and loss, becoming unlike himself.

He thought he hadn't done enough; she was a slow-to-warm-up person, so he could only comfort himself: in this relationship, she walked a bit slowly, while he walked too fast; he had to appropriately stop his steps and wait for her, waiting for her to catch up slowly, waiting for her to truly open her heart and accept him.

But before that day arrived, she suddenly became cold, and later simply disappeared under the pretext of graduation internship.

"No need, it's all in the past." Yang Yi said.

Chen Chen Huanyue seemed to hear the sound of something breaking; a bone-chilling coldness accompanied by sour bitterness and swelling pain filled his chest.

He bit his lower lip tightly, quietly lengthening his chaotic breathing to avoid leaking his unsettled emotions.

If one presents their most precious thing only to have it discarded like a worn-out shoe, then the remaining self-esteem is the only thing maintaining dignity.

Shifting his gaze from her face to the sun, though it was already the hot June, he felt so cold and oppressive.