Chapter 5: If You Do Not Abandon Me...

Shen Qingyue glanced at the empty seat beside Li Yan and sat down without ceremony.

The water in Wang Zhen’s mouth suddenly turned bitter. The boy standing next to Shen Qingyue now wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

"Haha... Well, Qingyue... um, I’ll head over there then," the nameless bystander muttered, forcing a smile at Shen Qingyue, who nodded without a second thought. He walked away with a desolate gait toward the empty seats in the back.

As for Wang Zhen?

"I’m going for a smoke!"

Pulling out a pack of 35-yuan Yellow Crane Tower cigarettes, Wang Zhen glanced at Li Yan, who was listening to Shen Qingyue. He had brought this upon himself, so he had to endure it.

"Why did you and Li Mengyao break up? You have no idea how heartbroken she was." Shen Qingyue took off her mask, her gaze unreadable as if she were probing for something.

Li Yan tilted his head slightly, observing her fair, delicate face, the alluring eyeliner, and those soft, rosy lips. *Hmm, a solid seven out of ten after makeup.* Li Yan’s standards were high; to Wang Zhen, a girl like Shen Qingyue would easily be a ten. It was just the way of the world—some starved while others had more than they could handle.

Truth be told, Li Yan had mostly forgotten the reason he gave when he broke up with Li Mengyao.

"Hmm... we just weren't a good match?"

Li Yan understood the probing nature of her question. It wasn't him being full of himself; they clearly weren't close, and it was obvious Shen Qingyue wasn't exactly Li Mengyao’s best friend. If she had been, Li Yan surely would have known about it back when he was dating Li Mengyao. If that was the case, why else would she ask? Regardless, it didn't matter if he was wrong; there was no harm in casting a wide net.

"Let’s grab dinner tonight and head to Shangmei for a bit. My treat. You bring a friend, and I’ll bring my buddy, Wang Zhen." Li Yan gestured toward Wang Zhen, who was smoking nearby.

Three question marks appeared over Shen Qingyue’s head. *What is going on? How did we jump straight to dinner? And the Shangmei nightclub?* This was all happening way too fast.

"Um... we’ll see..." Shen Qingyue said softly, sneaking a glance at the guy beside her. This was her first time meeting Li Yan in person; she had only seen photos sent by her friend. He was decent-looking, with a scholarly air. He wasn't short, around 175cm. His skin was fair, and his hair was styled neatly. His attire, needless to say, was stylish and expensive. Most people wouldn't recognize his brand, perhaps only noticing the Nike low-top "Reverse Mocha" sneakers on his feet, and would likely assume they were fakes.

Li Yan raised an eyebrow, his eyes drifting to Shen Qingyue’s long legs clad in yoga pants. He spoke naturally, "Sounds good. I’ll book the restaurant and a table." He pulled out his phone and sent a message on WeChat.

"Save a private room for four, at 6 o'clock."
"You got it, Brother Yan! Room 008!"
"OK."

"All set. Yun Jingxuan. The food is pretty good." Li Yan tilted his phone slightly, and the scent of Shen Qingyue’s perfume wafted over as she leaned in. *Hmm... smells nice.*

*Yun Jingxuan? That Cantonese restaurant that costs 2,000 per person?* Shen Qingyue pursed her lips, the words she intended to say stuck in her throat.

It wasn't over yet. Li Yan continued typing.

"Reserve an S-tier booth for me, four people. Also, arrange for Yueyue and Xiaomei to come by and liven up the atmosphere around 9 o'clock."
"Got it, Brother! Your Richard Hennessy from last time is still here. Should I bring it out?"
"Yeah, do that."
"Understood! I’ll be at the entrance to greet you at 9 sharp!"

Shen Qingyue didn't turn away. Watching Li Yan’s fingers fly across the screen, the contact name was clear: **AAA - Shangmei CLUB Manager**. She felt a bit numb. *An S-tier booth at Shangmei with an 8,000 minimum spend... Who should I bring?*

Li Yan looked at the stunned Shen Qingyue and flashed a triumphant smile. *Got her.*

"Here, add me on WeChat. Let’s head out together after driving practice later. Don't forget to call your friend!" Li Yan offered his QR code. Watching her obediently scan it, he smiled. "I’m off to practice. See you later!"

"Okay~" Shen Qingyue pursed her lips, watching the message go through and tracking his retreating figure. She instinctively opened WeChat and pinned the chat with the "Green Fat Tiger" avatar.

"Give me a smoke!"
"No!"
"Don't be stingy, or you're not going tonight~"
"Going where?"
"Look, it's set. Shen Qingyue is bringing her friend."
"Brother, here, smoke this! This is the good stuff!"

Wang Zhen glanced at Shen Qingyue, and upon hearing about the friend, he instantly bowed and scraped, pulling out a pack of Soft China cigarettes. "Brother! These are the '3-series' Soft Chinas, I swiped them from my dad! I couldn't even bring myself to smoke them!" Like the quintessential sidekick, he pulled out a cigarette and held it to Li Yan’s lips.

Li Yan took a look at Wang Zhen, opened his mouth, and allowed Wang Zhen to place the cigarette inside before lighting it with a flick of a lighter.

"Hah..."

During his rebellious year of senior high, Li Yan had learned to smoke, to hit the clubs, and to play around. He didn't smoke much, though, and wasn't addicted.

"Brother! What does her friend look like? Is she pretty? Can I see a photo? I’m paying tonight!" Wang Zhen wasn't ugly, actually—he was somewhat handsome. At 177cm, he had a "puppy-dog" look that, in terms of pure facial aesthetics, was perhaps slightly better than Li Yan’s. But it was useless; in his three years of high school, he’d only managed to get a girlfriend during his freshman year. The rest of the time, he was just a "lick-dog" chasing after girls he couldn't get.

Especially after watching Li Yan change girlfriends as often as his clothes, and seeing that those girlfriends were either the prettiest in the class or the most beautiful freshmen, Wang Zhen had completely pledged his loyalty to Li Yan.

"Brother Yan! Zhen, wandering for half a lifetime..."
"My son, no need for such formalities."

"I don't know if she’s pretty or not. Just wait for her to call her. Don't worry, she won't be ugly, that's for sure!" Li Yan had no idea what the friend looked like, but given Shen Qingyue’s appearance, it was certain that an average-looking girl wouldn't be comfortable being her best friend.

"We’ll go Dutch for dinner, and I’ll cover the drinks."

Li Yan wasn't trying to show off—he was genuinely wealthy. Plus, Wang Zhen had helped him out quite a bit, and they were truly good friends. This was a trivial matter to him.