Mr. Lu, stop being such a jerk. Your wife is your nemesis's white moonlight.

Xu An'an was stunned, not understanding why Yan Heng would say that.

"But you clearly had other plans for today..."

She said hesitantly.

She really didn't mean to not tell Yan Heng.

Yan Heng dressed very formally when he left home in the morning, clearly going to attend an important meeting.

She couldn't let her own little matter delay his schedule, especially since she had already handled this kind of thing countless times before.

"So what?" Yan Heng replied matter-of-factly.

"What could be more important to me than you?"

Hearing such direct words, Xu An'an was stunned, and her face turned red instantly.

Yan Heng's words were too blunt. She didn't know what to say for a moment, so she could only pretend to be busy and tactfully drink water.

Yan Heng, however, showed no intention of letting her go.

"Xu An'an, I promised you that I wouldn't force any other relationship before your divorce. But you can't really just treat me as an ordinary... friend."

"I didn't..." Xu An'an retorted subconsciously.

What ordinary couple would kiss so many times like that...?

Yan Heng ignored her words and continued, "I want to be a part of your life. I hope you can tell me when you encounter difficulties, and I want to help you solve them. I've come this far to protect you. You can't even take that right away."

"But you've already helped me so much!" Xu An'an frowned. "I can't rely on you for everything."

"That's how you should be," Yan Heng said.

"But this time it really isn't a big deal..."

"What constitutes a major event?" Yan Heng asked. "You were so heartbroken, isn't that a major event?"

Xu An'an's heart skipped a beat.

She lowered her head, not wanting Yan Heng to see the emotions in her eyes.

Now that she's calmed down, she doesn't know why she suddenly had a panic attack.

She hasn't done this in many years—is it because Xiaomi was mentioned again today...?

"Xu An'an," Yan Heng noticed her unusual behavior and frowned, "tell me, why were you crying just now?"

Xu An paused for a moment, her fingernails digging deep into her palm.

She didn't want Yan Heng to know about her shameful state.

She might have been able to before, but now, she doesn't want him to know she was once a patient...

"What else could it be?"

She looked up and smiled, "I just suddenly remembered my miserable childhood, and I felt a little sorry for myself."

Yan Heng frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

Just as he was about to ask another question, there was a knock on the door of the private room.

It was the last dessert.

Xu An'an's favorite pineapple cake.

But this time, the person delivering the food was not a waiter, but a middle-aged man who was about fifty years old.

He was dressed elegantly, with slightly graying temples. His appearance was not outstanding, but he possessed an air of refined elegance.

Upon seeing that it was him, Yan Heng raised an eyebrow. "It's so late, you haven't left yet?"

The man chuckled, but his gaze fell on Xu An'an. "If you leave, wouldn't you be missing out on Miss Xu again?"

Xu An'an, who was suddenly called out, was taken aback. She quickly stood up, smiled politely at him, and then looked at Yan Heng with a puzzled expression.

"And this is...?"

Yan Heng then stood up and said, "Let me introduce him. His name is Qin Youtang. He is the owner and head chef of this restaurant."

Xu An'an opened her eyes wide and quickly shook hands with him: "Mr. Qin, it's a pleasure to meet you. I really enjoy your cooking."

"That's truly my honor." Qin Youtang elegantly grasped her hand and bowed slightly. "I'm also a loyal fan of yours, and I'm so glad to finally meet you in person. You're even more beautiful in person than on camera; no wonder Yan Heng—"

"Ahem!" Yan Heng suddenly coughed lightly twice, clenching his fist, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Don't you always say you're tired? It's getting late, go back and rest."

"Hey, why are you kicking me out?" Qin Youtang retorted. "I think you've forgotten when you came begging me to take over this mess. At my age, I'm still fighting on the front lines, isn't it all to make more money for you, you wicked capitalist?"

Xu An'an was stunned and asked blankly, "Make money for him?"

Qin Youtang looked at Yan Heng and asked, "You didn't tell her?"

Yan Heng frowned and remained silent.

"What a silent devil!" Qin Youtang suddenly burst into laughter. "No wonder you, with that face, have been chasing after someone for seven years without success! Hahahahahaha..."

He laughed for a while before saying to Xu An'an, "He said I was the boss, but actually he's the real owner of this restaurant. Otherwise, why would it be called 'Hengyu'?"

Yan Heng frowned, about to cover Qin Youtang's mouth before he could finish speaking, when he heard him say, "You don't know, do you? Back then, Yan Heng bought this place and renamed it this way because he hoped to meet you again!"

......

On the way back, the two remained silent.

Xu An'an kept thinking about what Mr. Qin had said.

"Hengyu" was actually opened by Yan Heng...

And this name is actually related to himself...

Yan Heng drove in silence, but his heart was in turmoil.

Qin Youtang's mouth should really be sealed with cement.

They dare to say anything!

Although he had confessed his feelings to Xu An'an many times, the feeling of having his past foolish deeds exposed in person still made him feel very embarrassed.

He didn't want Xu An'an to know those things, after all, those were the most disgraceful times of Yan Heng's life.

The car stopped in the garage.

Yan Heng turned off the engine, but neither of them showed any intention of getting out of the car.

The lights inside the car went out, plunging the entire carriage into darkness.

It was very quiet.

All that could be heard were the two people's deliberately shallow breathing.

Even though Xu An'an was afraid of the dark, she felt a sense of complete security enveloped by the sound of breathing.

"Yan Heng, can you tell me about 'Heng Yu'?"

Yan Heng knew Xu An'an would definitely ask, but he remained silent for a while before answering.

"I bought 'Hengyu' the year I returned to China. Before that, it was a very niche bar called 'Wuqi'."

Yan Heng paused for a moment, as if he were lost in an unpleasant memory.

"The name sounds depressing, right? It's even more depressing inside. It's a quiet bar, and the owner is a very颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, dispirited, and demoralized) person. He opened this bar not so much as a job, but rather as an excuse to indulge in more smoking and drinking."

"So much so that despite its prime location, this bar remains lukewarm in popularity. Because the bar is too depressing. This kind of sadness is destined not to appeal to the general public, but it's like a drug that can become addictive for those who have experienced heartbreak... and the more addicted they become, the more painfully they sink into despair."

A painful descent into depravity...

How did Yan Heng find out?

Why did he go back to that bar?

Did he... ever do that too?

Yes. Xu An'an recalled.

The year Yan Heng returned to China was the time when he and Lu Yiming were at their most successful.

The fact that several companies she managed turned a profit one after another became a small piece of news in the business world.

That year, she and Lu Yiming attended countless banquets together and appeared in financial news countless times...

"Indefinite"

There is no deadline, no expectation, no hope.

That's why Yan Heng went into that bar.

Xu An'an's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but turn to look at Yan Heng.

But it was too dark here, and I could only see his blurry outline.

Yan Heng hadn't spoken for a long time, and Xu An'an wondered what he was thinking. Was he lost in his memories again?

Xu An'an stared at Yan Heng's profile. What would he be thinking about writing when he was drinking in "life imprisonment"?

What kind of expression will it have?

Xu An'an suddenly felt a huge urge—she wanted to see Yan Heng's face clearly.

She wanted to see his eyes clearly at this moment, to see every subtle wrinkle between his brows, and to see everything he had endured during the days she was absent.

The impulse came on so strongly that her fingertips were slightly numb.

She unbuckled her seatbelt.

The next second, she leaned in and kissed him.