The Lonely One

"I'll get the door."

Li Zhiyi stood up from the sofa in a flurry, shuffling in her slippers as she trotted toward the entryway.

The motion-sensor light outside the door flicked on.

A tall girl stood in the hallway.

She wore a baseball cap and a black mask, bundled up tightly to hide her features. In her right hand, she carried a long, black rectangular box.

Li Zhiyi froze in place.

The girl outside the door also froze.

The two of them just stared at each other through the half-open door.

Two seconds passed.

The girl outside raised her left hand and pulled down her black mask, revealing a bright, striking face that carried a hint of exhaustion.

"Zhiyi?"

Lin Wanwan spoke.

Li Zhiyi's mind instantly went blank.

Of course she knew Lin Wanwan.

The neighbor she grew up with in the old residential compound in Jiangcheng, Chen Zhi's childhood sweetheart.

Lin Wanwan didn't step forward.

She stood just outside the threshold, her gaze slowly moving down from Li Zhiyi's face.

The gray hoodie was far too big, clearly a men's style. The collar hung loosely open, revealing Li Zhiyi's pale neck and a glimpse of her collarbone.

The hem barely covered the tops of her thighs.

Her long, slender legs were bare, her feet slipped into a pair of men's sandals that were several sizes too large.

Lin Wanwan's eyes lingered on Li Zhiyi's bare legs for a few seconds.

Then, she slowly turned her head to look into the living room.

Chen Zhi was half-lying on the sofa, his left leg encased in a heavy cast.

A white porcelain bowl sat on the coffee table, filled with a rich bone broth. A few used tissues were scattered nearby.

Lin Wanwan withdrew her gaze and looked down at the long box in her right hand.

It was an imported pair of carbon fiber crutches she had bought at a medical supply store after getting off the plane, forcing Su Man to drive halfway across Beijing just to find them.

They were much lighter and more comfortable than the metal crutches Chen Zhi had been using during the press conference live stream.

Lin Wanwan bent down and placed the box next to the shoe cabinet.

"Your leg is bad, so I bought you a new pair."

She looked at Chen Zhi on the sofa, her voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

After saying this, she pulled her mask back up, covering most of her face.

"Sister Su Man is waiting for me outside. I'll get going."

Lin Wanwan turned around and walked toward the elevator bank.

Chen Zhi completely panicked.

He knew Lin Wanwan too well; since childhood, all her emotions were written on her face.

This kind of silent calmness today was the worst-case scenario.

"Wanwan!"

Chen Zhi tried to force himself up to chase after her.

But he completely forgot his current physical condition.

The moment he left the sofa, he completely lost his balance.

"Bang!"

Chen Zhi crashed into the edge of the coffee table. The soup Li Zhiyi had painstakingly prepared fell to the floor, shattering the white porcelain bowl and splashing broth everywhere.

"Chen Zhi!"

Li Zhiyi quickly rushed over, frantically trying to help him up from the floor.

In the hallway.

Hearing the commotion inside, Lin Wanwan stopped in her tracks.

She stood where she was, her back to the open door.

"Wanwan, listen to me, let me explain—"

Lin Wanwan slowly turned around.

She looked at Chen Zhi sprawled amidst the broken porcelain and spilled soup, and then at Li Zhiyi kneeling beside him, her face covered in tears, wearing that oversized hoodie.

"Explain what?"

Lin Wanwan's voice finally trembled with emotion.

She pointed at Li Zhiyi.

"Explain why she is in your house?"

"Explain why she is standing here bare-legged, wearing your clothes?"

"Explain why she is making you soup in the middle of the night and leaning close to your leg to wipe your body?"

Lin Wanwan's tears finally fell.

She tore off her mask and stared at Chen Zhi on the floor with red eyes.

"Or explain why you fell from upstairs?"

"Or explain how many times you've lied to me recently?"

Lin Wanwan tried to control her emotions, but the tears just wouldn't stop falling.

"Chen Zhi, do you really think I'm an idiot?"

She pointed at Chen Zhi's casted leg, her voice completely breaking down.

"You lied to me about your injury, lied that you'd be up and running in no time, lied that you were just obediently working from home every day."

"While you were looking all majestic on stage with your crutches, I was like an idiot sitting in front of a screen, feeling sorry for you!"

"I pushed back tomorrow's work and flew back to Beijing in the middle of the night just to see exactly how badly you were hurt."

Lin Wanwan cried and laughed at the same time, pointing at Li Zhiyi beside him.

"And the result?"

"The result is that you're living more comfortably than anyone else!"

Chen Zhi pushed against the floor with both hands, trying to climb up, but a piercing pain shot through his ribs.

"Wanwan, listen to me, things aren't what you think..."

"Then what are they?"

Lin Wanwan interrupted him and took a step back.

She looked at the boy she had grown up with, the boy who filled her heart and her eyes, and suddenly felt he was terribly a stranger.

"Chen Zhi, I'm not stupid."

She sniffled and sobbed.

"I just liked you too much."

After saying this, Lin Wanwan turned around and walked to the elevator without looking back.

The elevator doors happened to open.

She stepped inside and pressed the button for the first floor.

The elevator doors slowly closed, cutting off the line of sight.

The hallway became completely quiet.

"Chen Zhi!" Li Zhiyi knelt on the floor in a panic, wrapping her arms under his armpits and using all her strength to drag him up.

She was too weak and failed after two attempts, crying tears of anxiety.

"Don't panic, I'll do it myself." Chen Zhi gritted his teeth, supporting himself on the floor with one hand, and with Li Zhiyi's help, he struggled back onto the sofa.

Li Zhiyi ignored her own mess, quickly fetching the first-aid kit. She crouched by the sofa to check his casted left leg. Only after confirming the cast hadn't cracked did she let out a long sigh of relief.

Turning her head and looking at the broken porcelain and greasy bone broth all over the floor, Li Zhiyi silently went to the bathroom to get a broom and a mop.

She kept her head down, silently cleaning up the mess on the floor.

The oversized gray hoodie swayed with her movements, making her look even more frail.

"Stop doing that, we'll get a cleaner to tidy it up tomorrow." Chen Zhi leaned back against the sofa, feeling a tightness in his chest as he watched her busy figure.

Li Zhiyi didn't stop. She used a rag to wipe away the last bit of grease on the floor, then dumped the broken porcelain into the trash can.

After finishing all this, she went to the bathroom to wash her hands.

When she came out, she had changed back into her simple white shirt and jeans. Chen Zhi's oversized hoodie was neatly folded and placed on the cabinet in the entryway.

She walked over to the shoe cabinet, bent down to pick up the long black box Lin Wanwan had left, walked to the sofa, and gently placed it on the coffee table.

"That was Wanwan just now, right?" Li Zhiyi kept her head down, her voice very soft.

Chen Zhi didn't speak, just nodded.

"You fell so hard just now, she must have been terrified too," Li Zhiyi said, biting her lip. "You should go coax her, she looked really sad."

Chen Zhi sighed. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her down to sit beside him with a slight tug.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm two-timing?" Chen Zhi looked into her eyes.

Li Zhiyi's eyes grew red, but she fought hard to keep her tears from falling.

"Actually, I guessed it a long time ago." She sniffled. "You're so outstanding. You've started a company and you're trending online. How could I possibly be the only one by your side?"

"I have nothing, not even a complete family. Just being able to stay by your side is enough for me." Li Zhiyi squeezed Chen Zhi's hand in return. "Did I make her angry by wearing your clothes just now? How about I go explain it to her? I'll just say I'm the nanny hired to cook for you..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Chen Zhi interrupted her, reaching out to pull her into his arms. "You are my girlfriend, not a nanny."

Li Zhiyi buried her face in Chen Zhi's chest. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and she finally cried out loud.

Growing up, anything she ever owned would eventually leave her. Chen Zhi was the only ray of light in her life. As long as she could keep this light, she was willing to pay any price.

A black Toyota Alphard nanny van was parked in the corner.

The car door slid open. Lin Wanwan climbed into the back seat with her head down and slammed the door shut behind her with a loud bang.

Su Man sat next to her. Seeing her return empty-handed, without her mask on, and with red eyes, Su Man immediately understood most of what had happened.

"You didn't give him the crutches?" Su Man handed over a few tissues.

Lin Wanwan didn't take the tissues. She covered her face with both hands, her shoulders shaking. The emotions she had been suppressing all the way finally erupted.

She cried her heart out.

The driver in the front was startled and quickly raised the partition.

Su Man sighed and reached out to pat Lin Wanwan's back. "Did you see something you shouldn't have?"

Lin Wanwan shook her head desperately. Tears streamed through her fingers, soaking the front of her clothes.

"She was wearing his clothes... in his house..." Lin Wanwan sobbed, unable to even form a complete sentence.

Su Man leaned back against her seat, her expression showing little surprise.

Having been in this industry for so many years, she had seen it all. For a young, wealthy, capable, and resourceful man like Chen Zhi to have a completely clean personal life would be a miracle.

She had already sensed something was off when they signed the contract with the CFO of Deep Space Technology earlier.

"Wanwan, stop crying for a moment and listen to me." Su Man pulled out two tissues and stuffed them into Lin Wanwan's hands. "You are a public figure now, and you have a show to record tomorrow. If your eyes get swollen, what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"I'm not recording it!" Lin Wanwan shouted petulantly. "I want to go back to Jiangcheng!"

"Nonsense!" Su Man's voice instantly turned cold and somewhat stern. "Do you think this is playing house? Can you afford tens of millions in breach of contract penalties? You worked so hard to get where you are today, and you're going to throw it all away just for a man?"

Lin Wanwan stared blankly at Su Man.

"Wanwan, you need to face reality." Su Man softened her tone, speaking earnestly. "Think about it carefully. What is Chen Zhi's net worth now? After Deep Space Technology's press conference tonight, netizens are already praising him as the second Steve Jobs. He's only nineteen, and he holds tens of billions of funds in his hands."

Su Man pointed at the incredibly expensive luxury mansion outside the car window.

"With a man of this caliber, do you really expect him to act like an ordinary college boy, revolving around you every day and spending his life with only you? Is that even possible?"

Lin Wanwan bit her lower lip so hard it started to bleed. "But he said... he said he only liked me."

"Men's words are full of lies. If he could fake a broken leg so convincingly on stage, how many of his sweet words to you do you think are true?" Su Man mercilessly shattered her illusions. "What you need to do now is not to cry your eyes out here, but to focus on your career. Either you stop caring about these things and become a billionaire's wealthy wife in the future, or you let him go and move on from this relationship."

Lin Wanwan lowered her head, looking at the crumpled tissue in her hand as tears continued to fall silently.

Her mind was filled with memories of being with Chen Zhi since they were young.

The boy who snatched her spicy strips, the boy who kissed her on the overpass, the man who shone brilliantly at the press conference.

"Drive, back to the hotel," Su Man knocked on the front partition.

The car slowly drove out of the underground garage and merged into the late-night traffic of the capital.

The phone in Su Man's bag suddenly vibrated.

She took it out and saw the words President Chen flashing on the screen.

Lin Wanwan saw it too. She turned her head abruptly, staring intently at the name.

Su Man glanced at Lin Wanwan, pressed the answer button, and put it directly on speakerphone.

"Sister Su, is Wanwan with you?" Chen Zhi's voice came through the speaker, carrying a hint of anxiety.

Lin Wanwan held her breath, her hands tightly gripping the edge of the seat.

"President Chen, you didn't handle this very well," Su Man said in a neutral tone. "Wanwan pushed back her rehearsal time for tomorrow and flew back in the middle of the night just to deliver your crutches. This surprise of yours was a bit too much."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line.

"It's my fault for not handling it well. Give her the phone, I'll talk to her," Chen Zhi lowered his stance.

Lin Wanwan shook her head desperately at Su Man, tears welling up again.

"Sorry, President Chen, but Wanwan is very emotionally unstable right now." Su Man glanced at Lin Wanwan. "She has work tomorrow, and I can't let her get triggered any further. Whatever it is, let's talk after she finishes recording her show."

"Sister Su..."

"President Chen, you should go back to your business. Your career is developing so well, I assume you must be quite busy tonight too." Su Man didn't give Chen Zhi a chance to continue speaking and hung up the phone directly.

She tossed the phone back into her bag and looked at Lin Wanwan's tear-streaked face.

"See that? The initiative is in your hands now. Give him the cold shoulder for a few days and let him deal with the headache."

Wanliu Residence.

Chen Zhi looked at the disconnected phone and frustratedly ran his fingers through his hair.

What the hell kind of situation was this?

Li Zhiyi sat beside him, watching him quietly without making a sound to disturb him.

Buzz—

The phone vibrated again.

Chen Zhi thought it was a message from Lin Wanwan and quickly looked down.

It turned out to be a WeChat message from Dai Damai.

[Brother Zhi! Pre-sales have broken three hundred thousand units! Huang Zhang said the component suppliers' phones are blowing up, all calling to beg for collaborations!]

[Qiandu just released a PR statement saying our phones have serious safety risks and advising users to purchase with caution. These bastards are getting desperate!]

Chen Zhi looked at the blood-pumping data on the screen, then at the long black packaging box next to him.

He had won a massive victory in his career. His valuation of fifteen billion was about to double, and achieving the goal of a hundred billion was no longer impossible.

But in his love life, Pei Ningxue had run off, Lin Wanwan had broken down, and only the emotionally unstable Li Zhiyi was left by his side.

"What is this? Unlucky in love, lucky in business?" Chen Zhi let out a self-deprecating laugh.

He tossed the phone aside and turned to look at Li Zhiyi.

"It's too late. Don't go back tonight," Chen Zhi said, taking her hand.

Li Zhiyi hesitated for a moment, glanced toward the entryway, and shook her head.

"I think I'd better head back to the dorm." She stood up. "Since your leg is injured, be careful when you sleep tonight. Try not to put any pressure on it. I'll come over tomorrow at noon to make lunch for you."

She knew Chen Zhi's mind was in turmoil right now, and she wanted to give him some space.

Chen Zhi didn't insist. He knew the girl had her own stubborn streak.

"I'll call a ride for you." Chen Zhi picked up his phone.

"No need, I can make my own way back." Li Zhiyi grabbed her backpack. "Get a good rest."

She walked over to the entryway, changed her shoes, and stepped out the door.

In the massive house, Chen Zhi was left all alone.