97 Out of Place

Today's family gathering had more surprises than anyone expected, and Xiao Zhenshan and his old friends were all in high spirits, talking and laughing over everything under the sun.

Xiao Yao, however, was a little bored. After coming out of the restroom, he did not return straight to the private room. Instead, he went to the cafe, ordered a latte, and sat alone sipping it slowly to pass the time.

“Am I interrupting?” Cindy had also come to the cafe and sat directly across from Xiao Yao.

“You’re more than welcome. I was just getting bored sitting here alone. What would you like to drink?”

“I’ll have a mocha.” After placing her order, Cindy looked Xiao Yao over from head to toe. “You’ve changed so much. If I ran into you somewhere else, I’m not sure I’d even dare to recognize you.”

“There shouldn’t be that much change, right? We’ve known each other for over twenty years. How could you mistake me for someone else?”

“Your face hasn’t changed much, but your temperament has changed too much. You’re practically a completely different person. The last time we met should have been more than half a year ago, right? It’s really hard to imagine what exactly you went through during that time.”

She was genuinely curious about that.

In such a short span of time, Xiao Yao’s temperament had undergone a complete transformation. It was simply too strange.

The old Xiao Yao had no ambition, was lazy and aimless, and had accomplished nothing. Aside from being strikingly handsome, he was ordinary in every other respect, with not a single quality she found impressive. But now Xiao Yao had suddenly become a major shareholder of Huahui Bank, not only a fabulously wealthy man whom others had to look up to, but even someone like Fan Jingyu treated him with great respect.

In just over half a year without seeing him, Xiao Yao’s status and position had changed beyond recognition. To Cindy, the person before her felt both familiar and strange. He was still the same man, and yet his calm attitude in front of Fan Jingyu, along with the powerful confidence that surfaced so casually around him, made it difficult to connect this version of him with the Xiao Yao she had known before.

Aside from having the same face, the man before her and the Xiao Yao she once knew were practically two entirely different people.

Xiao Yao knew his changes were too dramatic. Such earthshaking transformations could not be hidden from his family, and they certainly could not be hidden from Cindy, who had known him intimately since childhood.

He had already given this explanation more than once, and there was no need to keep anything from Cindy. “I was just lucky. Some time ago, I was fortunate enough to take a master. He wasn’t an ordinary man; he should count as one of those legendary reclusive experts. Before he died, he left me all his inheritance and also passed on everything he had learned in his life through a direct transmission.”

“Suddenly having wealth beyond anything I could spend in my entire lifetime, and at the same time having my head filled with traditional knowledge, naturally made me somewhat different from before,” Xiao Yao said simply.

His relationship with Cindy was complicated. Deep down, he did not want too much contact with her.

Cindy listened quietly. No one knew what she was thinking. After a long while, she finally said, “They say lazy people have lazy blessings, and you’re the perfect example. You don’t have to do anything, and heaven has already prepared everything for you. You were always lazy and without ambition. Before, I used to worry about how you’d ever establish yourself in society after graduation. Now you have money, status, everything. Someone like me, who prides herself on being an elite, might not even reach your level no matter how hard I worked for an entire lifetime. Whenever I used to see you, I couldn’t help lecturing you. Thinking back on it now, it really is pretty ridiculous.”

Xiao Yao did not really want to bring up the past, so he changed the subject. “You’re in Capital City all by yourself, with no one to rely on. Are you happy at work?”

“Working my way up alone in Capital City can be tiring at times, but I’ve always been too ambitious for my own good. I don’t mind being tired. As long as I can do my job well, I’ll be happy no matter how exhausting it is.”

Maybe it was because Xiao Yao had suddenly become more mature, or maybe because she had drunk a little too much today, Cindy suddenly felt the urge to confide in someone.

“What I hate most is being bossed around by some idiotic superior. Clearly, my plan is the best one, but I still have to carry out the stupid plan my boss comes up with. And this kind of thing happens all the time. Every time it does, I feel awful. I don’t even know how long I still have to struggle before no one can hold me back anymore, before I can make my own decisions about everything.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have many friends in Shanghai, so I can’t help you much at work. If this job ever stops making you happy, you could consider changing your environment. If you’re willing to come to this city or work in the Capital, I should be able to help.”

“It’s already enough that you care,” Cindy said, “but forget it. Thanks for your concern. I was just promoted last month, and I really do like this job. No matter where you work, there are always going to be frustrating moments. I’m just venting, that’s all. It’s not to the point where I’d resign.”

The way Cindy looked at Xiao Yao was bright and intense. If Xiao Yao had always been this steady and considerate, she definitely would never have let him go. Too bad there was no if. That was all in the past.

The thought even came to her out of nowhere, and she found it a little laughable.

In truth, the two of them had never been more than slightly ambiguous with one another. She really had liked Xiao Yao before, but she had never said so. And perhaps Xiao Yao had never even entertained such thoughts at all. She did not even know whether he had ever liked her. She was forceful enough in her career, but in matters of the heart, she was actually rather foolish.

Feeling a little unnerved by Cindy’s strange gaze, Xiao Yao happened to finish the coffee in his cup and hurriedly said, “I figure they should be about done by now. I’ll go take a look so my dad doesn’t end up drinking too much again. Do you want another coffee?”

“No, you go ahead. I want to stay here alone a little longer.”

Xiao Yao really was still the same Xiao Yao. Even though he had become more mature and composed, he still did not fit with her at all.

There was no fate for them to be lovers in this lifetime. Could it be that they could not even be friends? Cindy felt even more restless.

“All right. When it’s time to leave, I’ll send you a message.” With that, Xiao Yao left in a hurry.

Every time he was alone with Cindy, he felt awkward, and it was still the same now. It seemed that in the future, it would be best if the two of them did not meet alone anymore.

After Xiao Yao returned to the private room, everyone at the table was already somewhat drunk. He exchanged a few words with his mother, and under Bai Yuzhen’s suggestion, the gathering for the day finally came to an end.