Chapter 165: Love Will Fade Away, Won’t It?

Ruan Cha looked at the two with a complicated expression: “...?”

“Let me introduce—this is my boyfriend, Gu Zhenzhi.”

Nothing was more painful to witness than the scene before her eyes.

Xing Nian and Xirike cast deeply envious glances at Gu Zhenzhi standing next to Ruan Cha.

What made it worse was that Gu Zhenzhi’s features were exquisitely refined and regal, his narrow eyes as deep as ink, his nose perfectly sculpted, and his thin lips pressed lightly together. His entire aura was exceptionally elegant.

He was stunningly handsome.

So flawless that no fault could be found.

Xing Nian fumed inwardly: “He must be a scoundrel. Handsome men like him are never good people. He’s definitely not sincere with the boss. He must be some bastard attracted only to the boss’s beauty!”

Just as Xing Nian cursed silently in her heart, she saw the man—who had earlier greeted them with a detached, indifferent gaze—look toward the girl beside him with such tenderness it was bone-deep, making one’s heart stir just from watching.

Xing Nian thought: “An illusion, nothing but an illusion.”

“What are you standing there for? Xing Nian, introduce yourself,” Ruan Cha reminded her, noticing the way Xing Nian’s eyes lingered on Gu Zhenzhi.

Forced to confront reality, Xing Nian hesitated for a long moment before gritting her teeth and, reluctantly, said, “Hello, sister-in-law. I’m Xing Nian, the girl Cha Cha likes the very, very, very, very, very, very, very most!”

The moment the words “sister-in-law” entered her ears, Gu Zhenzhi’s meaningful gaze met the slightly flustered look in the girl’s eyes.

His brows furrowed slightly. That title seemed familiar, but the memory was vague.

And “the girl you like most?”

Gu Zhenzhi raised an eyebrow, his gaze deepening. “I didn’t expect you to be interested in both genders?”

Ruan Cha was startled, her eyes lighting up instantly. “Nonsense! Brother Zhi Zhi, you’re the only one I love in my heart!”

As these words fell, Xing Nian’s eyes nearly popped out in shock.

She was stunned for a moment.

Then, incredulously, she looked at Ruan Cha’s profile.

But in her eyes, there was only the shadow of Gu Zhenzhi—she didn’t even receive a sideways glance…

Xing Nian’s heart utterly shattered.

Her head buzzed.

She tried to sob quietly, “So, love can disappear, right?”

Xirike raised a hand and patted Xing Nian’s shoulder. “Girls have to be strong. Don’t cry.”

But he forgot that on some night of heartbreak, he had cried louder than a pig awaiting slaughter.

—

Shen Changqing had never imagined that, having always followed his master’s heels, regarded as slow-witted, and relegated to the sidelines for years, he would one day be received with such grandeur and splendor by his master.

The man, well past sixty, showed little trace of age on his face, his hair thick and black, and his small eyes shining brightly.

He carried a small cloth bag, contents unknown but evidently precious.

Trembling slightly, he followed Chen Yan, slowly entering the top-floor private room of a luxurious restaurant.

Under the bright lights, a massive rotating dining table was laden with sumptuous and costly dishes.

“Old Shen, I’ve long heard of your great reputation,” Gu Zhenzhi said, standing to politely extend his hand to Shen Changqing as the venerable man entered.

Shen Changqing, looking simple and rustic as if freshly arrived from the countryside, caught the eye of the quietly observing Ruan Cha sitting nearby, and his fingertips trembled.

Known as the oldest student most frequently punished by his master and the most worrisome, Shen Changqing always felt like a middle schooler under the stern gaze of the homeroom teacher whenever he met Ruan Cha’s eyes.

He gave Gu Zhenzhi an awkward smile before reaching out to clasp the man’s strong, well-defined hand.