Three years after our breakup, you came back to China, and I'm just giving up. Why are you cryi

The moment Lu Hao recognized that familiar face, his heart skipped a beat, a flash of astonishment crossed his eyes, and he blurted out:

"Old Meng, what are you doing here?"

Standing before me was Old Meng, whom I hadn't seen in a long time.

The evening breeze by South Lake was slightly cool, stirring up layers of fine waves on the lake surface, which lapped against the stone steps on the shore with a soft, rustling sound.

Old Meng raised his hand, took off his bowler hat, casually stuffed it into his trench coat pocket, a relaxed smile on his face, and spoke with an unusually light tone.

"Nothing to do? Come over for a walk."

"If you're dressed like this for a walk, strangers might think you're cosplaying a professional assassin from a TV drama," Lu Hao teased with a laugh, but his vigilance remained undiminished.

"Hahaha..." Old Meng laughed loudly, "Tell me, did I look like that just now?"

Lu Hao nodded in agreement, exaggerating, "It's so similar, I almost wanted to call the police."

Old Meng chuckled lightly, his tone brimming with confidence, and said calmly, "If I were truly an assassin targeting you, you wouldn't even have a chance to call the police."

Lu Hao shrugged indifferently, his expression relaxed on the surface, but in his heart he completely disagreed with Lao Meng's words.

Although Lao Meng often boasted about how awesome he was, Lu Hao had never seen him display any real strength.

Whether he could win or not was another matter, but he was confident he could definitely escape.

After a brief moment of joking, Old Meng's smile faded, and he asked gently, "And you? Where are you planning to go?"

"I'm going to Nanhu Lake for a bit of fresh air. I'm off now. I'll bring Wang Jile to come find you another day for a good drink." Lu Hao didn't want to linger any longer; Zhen Youqu was still waiting for him.

Hearing this, Old Meng's smile faded slightly, and his tone became inexplicably wistful: "Well... my shop has already closed down. If you want to have a drink with me in the future, I'm afraid it will depend on fate."

Lu Hao raised an eyebrow slightly, noticing the melancholy in his tone, and casually asked, "What's wrong? Planning to go back to your hometown?"

Old Meng nodded slightly, his expression calm and revealing little emotion: "I suppose so. If you have something to do, go ahead and take care of it."

Lu Hao stared at him with narrowed eyes for a while before slowly turning around, opening the iron gate, and leaving.

Even after turning away, Lu Hao didn't dare to relax for a moment, constantly keeping an eye on Lao Meng's actions out of the corner of his eye.

He only breathed a sigh of relief when he could no longer see the iron gate and Old Meng.

He always felt that Lao Meng's appearance seemed a bit abnormal.

If they were just taking a walk, it wouldn't have been a big deal if they met at Nanhu Lake. But they just happened to meet at a secluded little iron gate between the old town and Nanhu Lake.

Moreover, Lao Meng's attire was also unusual; Lu Hao felt that he might pull out a gun at any moment.

Lu Hao shook his head vigorously to suppress the chaotic thoughts in his mind.

The most important thing right now is to find Zhen Youqu, hand over the original evidence, and finally put an end to this long-standing turmoil.

A gentle evening breeze swept across the lake, carrying wisps of mist.

Lu Hao walked briskly along the plastic track of Nanhu Lake. The streetlights lit up one after another, and the warm yellow light spread on the ground, elongating his shadow.

Within minutes, he arrived at the lakeside stone platform where he had previously discussed things with Zhen Youqu.

On the wide stone platform, a tall figure stood quietly with his back to him.

A relieved smile appeared on Lu Hao's lips. He strode over, braced his hands on the edge of the stone platform, and climbed up to stand next to Zhen Youqu.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a plastic bag, and handed it to Zhen Youqu.

"Here you go, everything you wanted is right here."

Zhen Youqu turned around, took the plastic bag, and carefully examined it.

Li Zhenggang's notebook, Shi Zhenxiang's USB drive, and a notebook that Xiao Xiyue got from Ma Bo.

After confirming that nothing was missing, Zhen Youqu sighed softly, his eyes filled with emotion, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

"You're the one who's really suffering," Lu Hao said softly, looking at the weariness in his eyes. "You didn't have to get involved in this dispute at all."

Zhen Youqu waved his hand, his tone frank: "At first, I really didn't want to get involved in this mess. But the person who was parachuted in this time is an uncle of mine. It's only right that I help him stabilize the situation."

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Hao's eyes. After thinking for a moment, he tentatively asked, "For you to take the initiative to help, this uncle must be very kind to you, right?"

Mentioning this elder, Zhen Youqu's expression softened, a gentle smile curved his lips, and he nodded slightly.

"Yes, he's the closest person to me in the family."

"I knew it." Lu Hao smiled knowingly. "How could someone like you, who's always at odds with the family, be so close to an uncle? I see."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Youqu added in a nonchalant tone, "However, my uncle is also the most shrewd and calculating person among all of them."

"How can someone in such a high position, wielding power, maintain their position if they lack cunning and shrewdness?" Lu Hao remarked calmly.

Zhen Youqu smiled with relief, took out a red invitation from his pocket, and handed it to Lu Hao.

"Hey, I'm getting married next month, remember to come to my wedding."

"Huh? A wedding?!"

Lu Hao's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief as he stared intently at Zhen Youqu, utterly shocked: "You've found the one you've been searching for?"

"Yes, you saw her. She was the girl standing behind me when I was in a wheelchair." Zhen Youqu explained softly, her eyes gentle.

Lu Hao's eyes turned somewhat strange. After hesitating for two seconds, he couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Don't tell me this girl was arranged by your uncle?"

Zhen Youqu did not answer directly, but smiled faintly, then turned around to face the calm and waveless surface of South Lake.

The evening breeze lifted the hem of his coat; his gaze was deep and distant as he looked at the shimmering lake, his tone gentle yet resolute:

"She is gentle, obedient and sensible. I see tranquility in her."

Seeing the tenderness in his eyes, Lu Hao didn't ask any more questions.

He took the invitation, patted Zhen Youqu on the shoulder, and said sincerely, "Don't worry, I will definitely be there on time for such a joyous occasion. I will absolutely not be absent."

Zhen Youqu smiled, then jokingly asked, "And what about you? When do you plan to arrange your wedding? With so many people around you, you can't keep putting it off."

Upon hearing this, Lu Hao fell silent instantly.

The evening breeze was bleak, stirring up a sense of inexplicable melancholy in people's hearts.

He silently took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and let the swirling smoke envelop his face.

He slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, and a long-suppressed sense of fatigue and emotion welled up in his heart.

He didn't reply, silently turned around, and slowly walked back the way he came, leaving only one sentence behind, which drifted away on the evening breeze over the lake:

"You should take care of things at the company as soon as possible and finish the handover so I can be free sooner."