Chapter 229

Lu Zhaoye shook his head, so Wen Ling didn't bother to ask further.

After dinner, the three got into the driver's car and headed to the bar owned by Lu Zhaoye.

Wen Ling gazed sideways out the window, silent the whole way; Wen Zhuo opened his mouth, wanting to speak to him, but Lu Zhaoye stopped him.

Lu Zhaoye shook his head at him, so Wen Zhuo had no choice but to swallow his words.

The car stopped at the bar's entrance; after getting out, Wen Ling stepped forward to go inside.

She looked straight ahead, but Lu Zhaoye and Wen Zhuo saw someone standing not far away; both gasped and froze in place.

"Ah Ling."

Wen Ling's eyes widened in disbelief as she slowly turned her head toward the sound.

The man looked disheveled, increasingly thin, with a strange bandage wrapped around his wrist, glaring white.

He took a few steps forward and said cautiously, "Ah Ling, I've come to find you."

Wen Ling even took a step back, standing there stunned for a long while before she managed a hoarse voice: "You, you how did you come?"

"Ah Ling, I..." Zhou Yinhe sensed her oddness, stepped forward firmly and grabbed her wrist, asking hoarsely: "You don't remember? We were in Sijiucheng—"

Wen Ling shook off his hand, coldly saying: "We've already broken up; why are you still looking for me?"

Zhou Yinhe stared at her dazedly, heedlessly cupping her face with his hand, while gazing at the emotion in her eyes he questioned: "No, this isn't right; you don't remember, do you? Are you lying to me? Are you angry that I didn't listen to you, so now you're deliberately teasing me?"

His eye sockets had reddened the moment he saw Wen Ling; now tears streamed down his gaunt, pale cheeks.

Seeing Wen Ling hurt by his actions, Lu Zhaoye and Wen Zhuo frowned and stepped forward to pry Zhou Yinhe's hand away.

Lu Zhaoye said coldly: "Are you crazy? Can't you see she's in pain?"

Zhou Yinhe trembled as he was pushed back, slowly shaking his head; tears slid down to the corners of his mouth, seeping along his lip line into his mouth, and he tasted his own tears.

Wen Ling quietly watched him, a flicker of heartache passing through her eyes, yet she still said lightly: "Zhou Yinhe, I don't know what you're talking about; we've been broken up for a long time, and what needed to be said back then has already been said—just go back now."

As she left, her figure looked flustered; Wen Zhuo worriedly followed her, while Lu Zhaoye stayed where he was, watching the man before him silently shed tears.

He had seen this man's photo in Wen Ling's phone before, and during the time Wen Ling and this man were passionately in love, he had also seen via video how the man clung to her side, impossible to shake off.

Even now, Wen Ling's social media background picture is still a photo of the two of them together.

"Zhou Yinhe, why did you come?"

He asked without any other emotion, purely sincere.

Zhou Yinhe lifted his head to look at him, tugged at the corner of his mouth, and said: "I thought she still remembered, remembered what happened after… never mind."

He raised a hand to wipe away his tears, turned his face toward the brightly lit street not far away, and murmured: "As long as she's fine, nothing else matters for now."

He needs to think things through properly, make all preparations before coming to see Wen Ling again; rushing here like this has left him flustered to the point he can't even speak clearly.

Not far away a supercar was parked; Lu Zhaoye felt it somewhat familiar, he watched Zhou Yinhe walk over to that supercar, the driver's door opened and out stepped a person—none other than Lu Zhaoye's elder brother. Unlike them, who are illegitimate children, this one's mother is the wife Keluz married in a proper match.

He thoughtfully opened the car door for Zhou Yinhe, and only after he got in did he say: "I'm going to see my dear brother."

Inside the car, what Zhou Yinhe said Lu Zhaoye couldn't hear clearly; he only saw his elder brother smile and walk over.

"Brother, do you know the young master of the Zhou family from Hua Guo?"

He asked feigning ignorance; being able to bring Zhou Yinhe here to look for Wen Ling, how could he not know what's going on between them?

Lu Zhaoye said coldly: "Elder brother, you really like to feign ignorance while knowing the truth."

He spoke in Now we need to output lines: English, uttering a Hua Guo colloquialism; Edward chuckled lightly, their father admires Hua Guo culture, so he naturally understands Now we need to output lines: English as well.

Edward shrugged, the smile at the corner of his mouth lacking goodwill: "So that's how it is; then I'll take my leave with him first. Father finally managed to take over the Zhou family's commission from other families with great difficulty, hoping we can look after their precious young master; Father entrusted this important matter to me, and in the coming days I may still appear before you and the Wen Family young lady."

Lu Zhaoye narrowed his eyes at him, but Edward suddenly leaned close and whispered in his ear: "You don't know, do you? As long as I can look after him well and secure the cooperation with Hua Guo's side, Father will hand it over to me—what does the Wen Family's backing matter to you? Everything you strive for will eventually end up mine."

Lu Zhaoye gritted his teeth, watching Edward give him a provocative smile before turning and leaving; he stood there for a long time.

He cannot casually return to Hua Guo; his father has always wanted to expand the Hua Guo market, so he planned to send a son there, and Lu Zhaoye has been striving for this opportunity, never expecting that Zhou Yinhe's arrival would actually disrupt his plans.

That supercar almost brushed past him; Lu Zhaoye finally came to his senses, adjusted his state, and walked into the bar.

Seeing him just enter, Wen Ling tentatively asked: "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing much, just asked how he came; he didn't give any details either." Lu Zhaoye sat beside her, his head feeling somewhat stuffy.

His complexion was so awful it couldn't be hidden; Wen Ling couldn't have failed to notice, she frowned and asked seriously: "What's wrong? Did something happen? Or is it—"

"No, it's Edward," Lu Zhaoye still didn't hide it from her, sighing: "Zhou Yinhe's arrival in Hua Guo has been arranged by the Zhou family; the reception opportunity was ultimately seized by the Keluz family, and Father has handed this opportunity over to Edward as well—meaning I may not be able to go to Hua Guo at all."

Wen Ling was stunned for a moment, opened her mouth, but didn't know how to comfort Lu Zhaoye.

Lu Zhaoye's mother is from Hua Guo; she was originally forcibly taken by the Keluz family and never returned to her beloved hometown until her death, so Lu Zhaoye has always regarded going to Hua Guo as his goal, wholeheartedly trying to win over the father he despises.

Lu Zhaoye had mentioned this at dinner; the Keluz family was about to relent, but then—disrupted by Zhou Yinhe's arrival…

Wen Ling didn't know what to say, after all Zhou Yinhe's arrival was for her, and this matter, the Wen Family also couldn't intervene.

"Sorry, this matter is my fault, I'll go find Zhou Yinhe and have him help you."

"Don't go, it's unnecessary." Lu Zhaoye stopped her, lowering his eyes, thinking seriously.

Wen Ling pressed her lips, feeling somewhat guilty.

Lu Zhaoye noticed, lifted his head to look at her, then suddenly laughed: "You've already broken up, yet you still took this matter upon yourself."

Wen Ling stared blankly at Lu Zhaoye.