Chapter 17: Let

From the photos on her social circle, Su Huan noticed Qin Yun had become more muscular and toned. When she saw him in person, the definition in his arms and his overall physique shocked her even more.

"You actually started working out?"

Qin Yun smiled, scanning Su Huan from head to toe: "Work out? Where would I find time for that? You, though, haven't changed a bit since college."

"I'll take that as a compliment. Come on, let's go eat—this place's smoked meat is amazing, you'll love it."

Su Huan pushed the strands of hair falling over her forehead back, then walked ahead into the restaurant.

At this hour, the restaurant wasn't crowded yet; the two found an empty table and sat down.

"Still no dietary restrictions?" Su Huan picked up the menu and asked casually.

"Yeah, nothing off-limits—spicy and sour both fine."

"Good." Su Huan nodded and quickly called over the waiter, ordering five dishes.

After the waiter left, she turned to Qin Yun with a curious look: "You came back to Zhoushan? Not going back to Beijing?"

"Yeah." Since she already knew about his divorce, he had no reason to hide it—he smiled. "Lost my job, got divorced. After thinking it over, I figured I might as well go home."

Su Huan's gaze grew slightly complex: "Why… did you choose to divorce? Did Song Ya initiate it?"

In her view, Song Ya was someone with high demands for her partner, yet only ever took. She assumed Qin Yun hadn't done well, making Song Ya dissatisfied and prompting the divorce—but Qin Yun's answer surprised her.

"No." Qin Yun shook his head. "I did."

Su Huan: "..."

Seeing Su Huan's strange look, Qin Yun chuckled wryly: "I just let go. Didn't want to spend my whole life like that. You've got to think of yourself more."

He shook his head. "Enough about me. What about you? How's it going at Alibaba? I remember you were already P8, made it to middle management."

Seeing Qin Yun didn't want to elaborate, Su Huan dropped the subject.

"I'm fine, but the 996 is brutal—I often can't sleep, and the project pressure is insane."

"But the pay's high. These big companies may exploit you, but they pay well." Qin Yun had seen news online about Alibaba, Tencent, Huawei—salaries no small company could match.

His twenty-five thousand a month in Beijing looked decent, but it was just what Su Huan earned years ago at Alibaba.

"If your income doesn't keep up, who'd stick around?" Su Huan sighed.

As they talked, she suddenly noticed something different about Qin Yun—whether discussing work or marriage, he radiated a sense of release.

This ease was very different from the Qin Yun she knew. Perhaps, after the divorce, he'd finally made peace with it.

"True." Qin Yun sipped his tea and asked Su Huan, "Class president, got a boyfriend yet? Plenty of people chasing you at Alibaba, right?"

Su Huan rolled her eyes beautifully: "You get money, right? When else are you gonna chase money if not when you're young? Unlike you... hmph, romance, dog-head won't even discuss it."

Qin Yun laughed helplessly. Su Huan was still Su Huan—seemed gentle on the outside, but completely different inside. Add that voice, and the contrast was too stark.

"Yes, yes… you've got ambition. Unlike me."

Old classmates chatting inevitably meant reminiscing about the past and asking about each other's lives.

"Besides you, only four classmates stayed in Beijing? That's so few. And Shen Hu and Zhang Chao are both locals—so only Jiang Bingbing and Fan Chen are still there?"

Su Huan was surprised.

"Can't help it—hukou's hard to get, and you know Beijing's housing prices aren't affordable for ordinary people. Leaving's normal. Fan Chen's also looking for a chance to transfer to Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai."

"Sigh… none of us have it easy."

As they chatted, the dishes arrived one by one. First up was the smoked meat platter—pork head, ears, and intestines arranged together, the aroma intensely rich.

Qin Yun picked up a piece and nodded approvingly: "Lean meat isn't dry, fatty meat isn't greasy—tastes great."

"Right? I knew you'd like it." Su Huan smiled and pointed to another dish of cold tofu salad. "Try this—it's perfect for summer."

"You eat too, don't just watch me."

Of the five dishes, one was the staple—Jizhou braised pancake—paired with the meat and vegetable dishes, Qin Yun ate with great satisfaction. Especially the crispy pork stewed in a clay pot—the meat fell off the bone, soaked in old broth, incredibly fragrant.

Compared to Qin Yun's hearty eating and big gulps of soup, Su Huan was far more refined. Though her personality was outgoing and bold, her eating habits were different.

"By the way, how long will you stay in Hebei? You've been to Hengshui—have you visited Chengde too?"

Su Huan suddenly remembered something and asked.

Qin Yun swallowed his food and said: "I'm leaving tomorrow. I didn't come here to sightsee—I'm driving back to Zhoushan, and if I find anything interesting along the way, I'll stop and relax."

Hearing this, Su Huan's eyes lit up: "Driving? That's on the way! Why don't you let me ride with you to Hangzhou? You'll have a beautiful woman to chat with—you won't get bored."

"You have that many vacation days?" Qin Yun said flatly. "I'm just hanging around here today, might stay two days in Shandong tomorrow—I don't even know when I'll reach Hangzhou."

"True." Su Huan's eyes dimmed. "I only took five days off—only three left. Sigh… Alibaba's just too busy. Never a moment's rest."

"So everyone has their own struggles. You've got money but no time. I've got time but no money. Which do you prefer?"

Su Huan chuckled: "I'd still pick the money."

Qin Yun shook his head and pointed at the table: "Aren't you eating? I'm going to finish it all."

"Go ahead, go ahead—I'm full."

Seeing this, Qin Yun didn't hold back—he cleared the table, devouring every last pancake, dish, and piece of meat.

Watching Qin Yun's appetite, Su Huan suddenly felt like eating again. People are like that—seeing someone eat deliciously stirs your own hunger. But she patted her stomach and decided against it.

After eating their fill, Su Huan paid—just over a hundred yuan.

The two stepped out of the restaurant, Qin Yun still marveling: "Too cheap. In Beijing, this meal would last a week here."

"Same in Hangzhou—ridiculously expensive."

The sky still held the glow of sunset; Su Huan pointed in one direction: "Let's walk to that park—help digestion."

Crossing the street, they walked and chatted when suddenly, a motorcycle engine approached from behind.

"Brother!"

Qin Yun turned and smiled: "It's you two. Done with your business?"

It was none other than the young couple who had ridden up on the motorcycle earlier.

"Yeah, finished. If it weren't for you, Brother, we'd still be stuck till tomorrow. Thanks a lot."

Qin Yun smiled and waved his hand: "You've thanked me several times already; no need to be so formal."

The boy's gaze swept over Su Huan's face, his eyes brightening: "Big brother, your girlfriend is gorgeous."

He added quickly, feeling a sudden tightness around his waist: "Almost as pretty as my girlfriend—big brother, you're really lucky."

Qin Yun burst out laughing.

"Then big brother, goodbye—thanks again."

With that, he twisted the throttle; the motorcycle shot off and vanished around the corner.

Su Huan looked at Qin Yun, puzzled: "What just happened?"

Qin Yun briefly explained how he'd helped earlier: "People here are quite warm-hearted."

"You can fix motorcycles? I had no idea you had that skill—I only knew Shen Hu runs a car shop, and he can fix vehicles."

Qin Yun smiled confidently: "I know plenty of things—fixing a motorcycle is nothing."

"You're puffing up now that we've called you fat."

With that, Su Huan walked toward the park, facing the sunset; watching her back, Qin Yun felt as if he'd returned to his college days.

But the past could not be reclaimed—in the blink of an eye, he was already approaching thirty.

They strolled slowly, chatting and laughing, soon arriving at the park. Clearly a bustling spot nearby, it now held many elderly people and children who had finished dinner.

In the center of the square, coaches were teaching roller skating, others played badminton, but most were doing square dancing. Looking around, there were at least seven or eight organized groups, and much of the music playing was by Oyege—a beautiful scene of human life.

"So what are your plans for the future? Want me to refer you to Alibaba?"

With Su Huan's rank, referring someone was effortless.

But Qin Yun now had a system—he could never return to a 9-to-5 job. He politely declined: "No plans to work for now; the compensation's enough to live comfortably for a while. If I ever get desperate, I'll come find you."

"Go to hell—you've got a filthy mouth—pfft…"

She cursed, then couldn't help laughing. Since Qin Yun said that, she didn't press further. Everyone had their own choices; she long knew people didn't need jobs to live.

In this world, anyone could always find a way to survive—it was just a matter of how much they earned.

Walking further, Qin Yun's eyes lit up—he saw several young men running up and down the steps across the way. One moment they leapt over a one-meter-high step from the side, the next they kicked off a wall and sprang upward, flipping onto the platform.

"You still do this?" Qin Yun asked, pointing at the young men.

Su Huan glanced over, sneered: "This is child's play—I could handle it easily even if I'd quit training."

Su Huan had once been on her school's parkour team at North Information Science and Technology University—who'd have thought such a delicate beauty would play such a dangerous game?

"Watch the Young Lady's skills."

With that, Su Huan suddenly darted past Qin Yun and sprinted toward the steps.

The wall beside the steps formed a right angle; as she ran, her hair flew out. The next instant, she exploded upward, her left foot striking the left wall, then leaping to the right wall, pushing off with her right foot, and grabbing the very top edge of the step with both hands.

Then, to Qin Yun's stunned stare, Su Huan's hands slipped, and she fell straight down—with a cry of "Ouch!"—landing squarely on her rear.