Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 401 A Collapsing World, A Broken Puppy

Time goes back ten minutes.

Zhou Ye stood at the corner of the corridor outside the conference center, kicking the carpet out of boredom and glancing towards the restroom every now and then.

The phone screen showed that more than 20 minutes had passed, so Meng Ziyi's use of "soon" was clearly an exaggeration.

"You must be lost, right?"

she whispered.

When I dialed Meng Ziyi's number for the third time, I still heard a busy signal.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Ye followed the signs and headed towards the restroom.

Meng Ziyi is sometimes absent-minded and has a poor sense of direction, which really worries her.

After the press conference ended, the crowd had mostly dispersed, leaving only the sound of cleaning staff pushing their cleaning carts in the empty corridor.

"Auntie, have you seen a girl wearing a taro purple down jacket? She's about this tall."

Zhou Ye greeted him politely, gesturing with his hand to show his height.

"She is very beautiful."

she emphasized.

The cleaning lady shook her head blankly.

There were too many people just now, I didn't notice.

"Okay, thank you auntie."

After thanking him politely, Zhou Ye stood there for a moment and hesitated.

I remember when I was chatting with Jiang Qing this morning, he mentioned that the lounge was on this floor.

Since we're already here, why not stop by and see if he's finished with his work?

This thought made her feel excited, and she walked faster and faster.

Thinking of how Jiang Qing had spoken eloquently and brilliantly in the audience just now, she couldn't help but smile.

My boyfriend is so handsome!

hey-hey……

After turning two corners, the signs for the lounge came into view.

Zhou Ye's expression brightened, and he quickened his pace to walk over.

However, as she got closer, she paused.

Inside the half-open lounge, a corner of a familiar taro-purple dress peeked out from the crack in the door.

Zhou Ye blinked, thinking he had misread it.

What's Sister Meng doing here?
Didn't you say you were going to the restroom?

Could it be that they just happened to run into Jiang Qing and were chatting?

She tiptoed closer, intending to knock on the door to surprise the person inside, but what she saw through the crack in the door made her blood almost freeze instantly.

Meng Ziyi was hanging on Jiang Qing on tiptoe, her hands, which had been meticulously manicured, tightly wrapped around his neck.

And Jiang Qing, the person she liked so much.

He had always pampered her, spoiled her, and taken her to experience the world's only Ferris wheel. Today, he had shocked the world and made her proud. The man was looking down as Meng Ziyi kissed the corner of his lips, with one hand naturally around her waist.

"You were amazing! You were so cool on stage today! You completely captivated me!"

Meng Ziyi's soft voice pierced Zhou Ye's eardrums like a needle.

She watched her best friend flutter around Jiang Qing like a happy little bird, and the indulgent smile on Jiang Qing's face was so familiar.

It turns out he doesn't only smile like that at her.

Zhou Ye suddenly found it difficult to breathe, and his throat tightened.

My heart felt like it had been struck by a heavy object; a sharp pain spread from my chest and quickly throughout my body.

She instinctively took a step back, blinked, and still couldn't believe what she was seeing.

One of them is the man she loves most!

One of them is her best friend!

How could they do this?

How could this be!

Zhou Ye's fingers tightened suddenly, his nails digging deep into his palm.

But this pain is nothing compared to the suffocating feeling in my chest.

My vision began to blur, and tears streamed uncontrollably down my cheeks.

This must be a dream.

Yes, it must be a hallucination caused by her being too tired.

Sister Meng is her best friend; she wouldn't do that.

Jiang Qing is the person she loves most, how could they possibly be together?
However, the next second, Jiang Qing's doting laughter could be heard clearly.

"So happy?"

"Of course I'm happy!"

Meng Ziyi's voice was sickeningly sweet and extremely grating.

You have no idea how proud I am of you!

Zhou Ye felt a churning in his stomach, and his body seemed to have suddenly lost all its strength.

She leaned against the cold wall, the chill from her fingertips bringing her back to her senses.

This is not a dream, it's real!

Her best friend and the person she loved most, without her knowledge, actually...

A stinging feeling of utter betrayal swept through my entire body.

She remembered countless times Meng Ziyi listened to her confess her feelings for Jiang Qing, and the advice Meng Ziyi gave her. Was it all just a joke?

In a daze, Zhou Ye remembered what Meng Ziyi had told her when they were in Peach Blossom Village: Jiang Qing was not a good match for her; they were two different people.

But after Jiang Qing's identity was revealed, she never said anything like that again.

If it's not suitable for her, does that mean it's suitable for you?
So, when did you start?

Extreme anger began to replace the initial shock.

She bit her lower lip hard, not caring at all about tasting a trace of blood.

why?
Why did they treat her like that?

At that moment, Jiang Qing's voice came from the lounge.

"It's almost time, I need to go to the banquet."

Zhou Ye suddenly looked up and saw through the crack in the door that Jiang Qing took the initiative to lower his head and kiss Meng Ziyi on the lips.

"Go back and keep Ono company. We'll talk after I'm done with my work."

These words were like a bucket of ice water, waking her up.

Zhou Ye leaned against the wall to stand up, his eyes gradually turning cold.

She turned and hid behind the decorative greenery around the corner, where the dense leaves of the Monstera deliciosa perfectly concealed her figure.

The door to the lounge was pushed open, and Jiang Qing came out wearing a dark gray coat.

He walked towards the elevator while looking at his phone, completely unaware of the gaze lurking in the shadows.

Chen Duo was urging him urgently, saying that the guests at the banquet were all asking him when he would arrive.

He is the absolute protagonist today.

Thinking of this, I quickened my pace.

Zhou Ye stared intently at Jiang Qing's retreating figure, his nails digging deep into his palms.

She desperately wanted to rush up and confront him, to tear away that composed facade.

But her remaining rationality told her she couldn't!
Today is too important for him; we can't let it interfere with his important business.

Zhou Ye didn't emerge from behind the greenery until the elevator doors were completely closed.

She straightened the hem of her sweater, which was caught on a leaf, with a blank expression, and turned to look at the lounge.

Meng Ziyi just happened to push the door open and come out.

Her face still had a lingering blush as she walked, adjusting the fur collar of her down jacket with a sweet smile on her lips, her mood bright and cheerful.

"Sister Meng, is the restroom here?"

The cold voice froze Meng Ziyi in place.

She looked up abruptly and saw Zhou Ye walking out of the shadows of the corridor.

Those almond-shaped eyes, which were usually full of smiles, now seemed to be covered with a layer of ice, her lips were tightly pursed, and her face was as cold as frost.

"Xiao...Ono?"

Meng Ziyi subconsciously took a half step back and almost tripped over her own foot.

What are you doing here? I... I was just about to look for you.

"The restroom is in the opposite direction."

Zhou Ye's voice was eerily calm, and his eyes were devoid of any warmth.

"And you've been inside for thirty-seven minutes already. Do you need me to help you recall? From the moment you told me your stomach hurt."

Meng Ziyi's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"Let me explain, I just..."

"Just what?"

Zhou Ye interrupted her, his voice suddenly rising.

"Just casually came to my boyfriend's lounge to give him a kiss? Just accidentally put your arm around his neck? Just habitually spoke to him in that coquettish tone?"

"It's not what you think!"

Meng Ziyi frantically tried to grab her hand.

We were just chatting.

Zhou Ye suddenly and forcefully shook her off.

"Does chatting really require mouth-to-mouth? Meng Ziyi, do you think I'm blind? Is it fun to lie to me? Have you always thought I was stupid? Is it fun to manipulate me like this? Hmm?"

These words were like a slap in the face between the two.

Meng Ziyi opened her mouth, but ultimately lowered her hand in dejection.

"I'm sorry, Ono. I know it's no use saying anything now, but I'm really sorry. I... eh..."

"When did it start?"

Zhou Ye stared into her eyes, his voice cold and hard.

"I want to hear the truth."

Meng Ziyi avoided her gaze.

"Is it important?"

"important!"

Zhou Ye's voice suddenly cracked, his brows furrowing. "This is very important to me! Tell me, when exactly? Was it when I wasn't by his side? Or when did you all betray me?"

"last year!"

Meng Ziyi suddenly shouted, her voice echoing in the empty corridor.

"It was when I visited the set of 'The Four Seas' last year! You know, that visit!"

Zhou Ye was stunned for a moment, his memory suddenly pulled back to that summer last year.

Yes, she knew about that set visit.

She still remembers that Liu Haocun forcibly kissed Jiang Qing at that time.

Meng Ziyi told her that she happened to have some free time and suggested she stop by the "Four Seas" film crew to see what Dr. Jiang, who was acting for the first time, looked like.

"I'll go and check him out for you."

Meng Ziyi even joked with her like that at the time.

"Let's see if he's worthy of our Xiaoye's affection."

Little did she know that the so-called investigation would be the beginning of their relationship!
"So from that time on..."

Zhou Ye felt a tightness in his throat and a severe tightness in his chest.

“From such a young age, you…”

Seeing that things had come to this point, Meng Ziyi no longer wanted to cover it up.

He's fallen into the habit of talking faster than he thinks again, and his words are pouring out like a flood.

"Yes! It started from then! But Ono, you knew perfectly well! I liked him back in Peach Blossom Village, and you noticed, didn't you? I admit I was wrong. I shouldn't have kept it from you and been with him. I know I'm sorry, and I often feel guilty..."

Her voice was trembling with tears, yet it was exceptionally sincere.

"But I really like him so much, so much that I'd be willing to be together even if it meant sneaking around. I even... I even told him that as long as it doesn't hurt you, I don't need a title, I can stay hidden forever... I really like him, Ono, I can't live without him! I just want to be by his side, I'm willing to stay hidden forever, please don't be angry, please forgive me?"

As she spoke, her eyes were already brimming with tears, like pear blossoms in the rain.

Zhou Ye looked at her in disbelief.

These words sounded so sincere, yet so absurd.

"Do you care about my feelings?"

Zhou Ye's voice trembled violently, almost becoming hoarse.

"Meng Ziyi, listen to what you're saying! You slept with my boyfriend, and then you say you care about my feelings?"

"I know this sounds ridiculous..."

Meng Ziyi's tears flowed uncontrollably.

"But I really can't control myself..."

She suddenly grabbed Zhou Ye's hand and held it tightly.

"Ono, you can scold me, you can hit me, but don't deny my feelings. I truly love him, I love him so much I'd give up everything..."

Zhou Ye abruptly pulled his hand back, as if he had been burned.

Looking at her best friend, who was crying her eyes out, she suddenly felt like a complete stranger.

That familiar face looked so hypocritical and disgusting at that moment.

"like?"

Zhou Ye's voice was as cold as ice.

"Do you know what love is? Love is not about hurting others under the guise of true love!"

"But I..."

"Hey, what's going on here?"

Suddenly, a clear female voice came from the other end of the corridor.

This question, laced with obvious sarcasm, was like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, instantly shattering the tense and oppressive standoff between Zhou Ye and Meng Ziyi.

Zhou Ye and Meng Ziyi turned their heads at the same time, and both frowned when they saw who it was.

There stood Tian Xiwei and Liu Haocun, side by side.

Tian Xiwei crossed her arms, her big eyes filled with the excitement of watching a good show.

Liu Haocun tilted his head slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Meng Ziyi, whose tears were still wet, and Zhou Ye, whose face was cold.

The two women bumped into each other as they were leaving the press conference. They already disliked each other, so they tacitly avoided the crowd and found a quiet corner to exchange a few sarcastic remarks.

Tian Xiwei mocked Liu Haocun, saying, "Even a 'Zhang Yimou girl' is trying to get close to him," while Liu Haocun retorted that Tian Xiwei "rose to fame by faking accidents." They were exchanging barbs when, by a twist of fate, they ended up witnessing Zhou Ye questioning Meng Ziyi.

Liu Haocun hadn't forgotten that on the beach, when she first took the initiative to attack Jiang Qing, she was interrupted and given a good scolding by Meng Ziyi.

She also didn't forget Meng Ziyi's cheek-to-cheek mockery the next morning.

Seeing Meng Ziyi exposed and in such a sorry state, she felt incredibly pleased and couldn't resist kicking him while he was down and stirring up trouble.

"Oh dear, Sister Ziyi, what's wrong? Why are you crying so sadly?"

Liu Haocun's voice was soft and sweet, originally a cloyingly sweet boyish voice, but his tone was like a needle coated with honey.

"Did you do something wrong and Ono found out? I knew it, secrets can't stay hidden forever."

Meng Ziyi was already flustered and ashamed because Zhou Ye had caught her in the act. Now, Liu Haocun's obviously sarcastic remarks made her furious. Her guilt was instantly overwhelmed by her anger.

She abruptly wiped away her tears, her brows furrowed, and she glared at Liu Haocun.

"Liu Haocun, this is none of your business! Stop being sarcastic!"

"Why am I being so weird?"

Liu Haocun blinked innocently, took two steps forward, and his slender figure looked pitiful under the light.

"I'm just concerned about Ziyi and Xiaoye. We're all friends, and it makes me feel bad to see you two arguing."

She even glanced at Zhou Ye, her eyes conveying a sense of "I'm standing up for you."

Stop pretending to be kind!

Meng Ziyi was so angry that his voice rose considerably and his cheeks turned bright red.

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to! You..."

"enough!"

Tian Xiwei suddenly interrupted, frowning impatiently. Her fiery temper made her too lazy to watch this roundabout drama.

"What's all the noise about? Speak up if you have something to say, or go home! Are you going to stand here and starve?"

She spoke in a thick Chongqing dialect, with a touch of feistiness, her gaze sweeping over Zhou Ye, then glancing at Meng Ziyi, before finally settling on Liu Haocun.

"And you, can't you just keep quiet? Don't you just want to stir up trouble?"

Zhou Ye seemed not to hear Tian Xiwei's words. Her gaze was fixed on her and Liu Haocun, and her face gradually turned pale.

How did they end up here together?

Moreover, they didn't seem surprised by what they were seeing, and even... seemed to have a tacit understanding.

A terrifying thought, like a cold, venomous snake, suddenly burrowed into Zhou Ye's mind, making her blood almost freeze.

The rumors about Tian Xiwei and Jiang Qing have been circulating for a long time. The rumors about her role in "Qingqing's Daily Life" were quite a big deal back then, and Jiang Qing even had to explain it to her.

And Liu Haocun, she knew about the time she forcibly kissed Jiang Qing.

When she visited the set of "The Beginning", she thought that Liu Haocun had given up on his feelings for her after being rejected by Jiang Qing, and she foolishly continued to treat her as a friend!
Could it be...could it be...

Zhou Ye's body began to tremble slightly uncontrollably as he stared intently at the three girls in front of him, a certain possibility forming in his mind.

She dared not think any further; the immense fear made her almost unable to stand.

Could it be...could it be...

Zhou Ye gripped the wall tightly, his voice trembling uncontrollably, as he interrupted the escalating argument between Meng Ziyi and Liu Haocun.

"You... you..."

Her voice was hoarse and barely audible. She looked at Liu Haocun, then at Tian Xiwei, her eyes filled with the last glimmer of hope that she was just overthinking things.

"You...and Jiang Qing...are you also...?"

She couldn't ask any further. The words "having a connection" stuck in her throat like a fishbone, each syllable uttered bringing excruciating pain.

The corridor fell into a deathly silence.

Tian Xiwei unconsciously tightened her arms around her, blinked rapidly with her big eyes, and looked away without answering.

Although she has a fiery temper and is passionate and decisive, and is willing to follow Jiang Qing even though she knows that there is more than one woman around him, she still feels a little uneasy when facing Zhou Ye, who is almost universally regarded as Jiang Qing's official girlfriend.

After all, Zhou Ye is special, a fact they almost tacitly acknowledge.

Liu Haocun's feigned innocent smile froze.

She didn't expect Zhou Ye to ask so directly, and to immediately target the two of them.

She subconsciously pursed her lips, her eyes darting away, unable to look directly into Zhou Ye's eyes, which were filled with pain and disbelief.

She was also friends with Zhou Ye. When her act of poaching someone's girlfriend was exposed to his face, even if she was good at pretending, she couldn't help but panic.

The silence between them, the evasive glances, the fleeting awkwardness on their faces...

Like a final, heavy blow, it shattered the last glimmer of hope in Zhou Ye's heart.

It's not doubt, it's not speculation... it's true!

Tian Xiwei is, and so is Liu Haocun!

Along with her best friend Meng Ziyi!
They...the three of them...all like Zhou Ye, had unclear and ambiguous relationships with the man she once thought belonged only to her!
"Hehe...hehe..."

Zhou Ye suddenly chuckled softly, his laughter filled with endless sorrow, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably like beads from a broken string.

Looking at the three girls in front of her, she felt utterly ridiculous, pathetic, and ironic.

"So...so there wasn't just one...not just Sister Meng, you..."

She staggered back a step, her vision blurring as she swept over Meng Ziyi's pale face, over Tian Xiwei's furrowed brows, and over Liu Haocun's stiff smile that could no longer be maintained.

“I always thought… maybe it was because he was too smart that he liked my clumsy side, so I just followed what I thought he liked, never overthinking it, and unconditionally believed him… I thought you, Sister Meng, only liked him one-sidedly… I thought those rumors were just hype… I had my doubts, but I also felt that I shouldn’t not believe him… Shouldn’t two people trust each other when they’re together?”

Her voice was choked with sobs, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth.

"But I never expected... I never expected that my best sister... the person I treated like a sister... and my friends... you... you all... why... why..."

A wave of intense dizziness washed over Zhou Ye, making her feel like the world was spinning and her heart was being torn apart by countless hands, causing her so much pain that she could barely breathe.

She could no longer hold on and slid slowly down the cold wall to the ground, burying her face in her knees. Her thin shoulders trembled violently as she let out a suppressed sob.

In the empty corridor, only her broken sobs echoed.

Meng Ziyi looked at Zhou Ye curled up on the ground, opened her mouth as if to say something, but found that she could not make a sound. All that remained was boundless regret and heartache.

Tian Xiwei turned her face away, feeling inexplicably irritated and particularly uncomfortable.

Although she was willing to endure all of this for Jiang Qing, she was still shocked to see Zhou Ye in such a state of collapse.

Liu Haocun subconsciously clenched her fingers, her face turning pale and then red. Zhou Ye's words, "my friend," felt like a thorn in her heart.

She suddenly realized that once some things are out in the open, there's no going back.

This chaotic situation far exceeded her expectations.

In the distance, the faint sounds of commotion from the direction of the venue could still be heard; that was Jiang Qinghua's world of splendor and beauty.

In this corner, only the deathly silence of a broken heart remains.

And a mess that seems impossible to resolve.

(End of this chapter)