After I Was Gone, Mr. Song Said He Loved Me

After hanging up the call with Zhang Jishu, I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

No matter what, it’s better than dwelling on someone I shouldn’t be thinking about. I’m still young, in my prime, and even if Song Yu isn’t interested, there are plenty of others who are.

As for Lu, he must have been swept up in the moment when he said those things. Once he’s had a chance to cool down, I’ll go see him again.

Honestly, I was just putting on a brave face. After the call, I felt a bit cowardly.

This was the first time I’d ever taken the initiative to meet someone privately. Though my intentions were purely to find someone to drink and chat with, others might not see it that way.

But the words were already out, and there was no turning back now.

In the end, it’s just dinner and drinks in a public place; nothing could really happen.

With my mind made up, I took a cab home and slept the afternoon away.

Perhaps I was simply exhausted, or maybe I’d momentarily forgotten about Song Yu, but I slept exceptionally well. The dark circles under my eyes from the morning had faded considerably.

Standing at the sink, I wiped away the condensation on the mirror, revealing a clean, handsome face.

I stared at my reflection for a long time, realizing for the first time that having a good-looking face wasn’t something to be proud of. To someone who doesn’t care for you, even if you’re as beautiful as a flower, it holds no value or advantage.

If they don’t like you, they just don’t like you.

The dinner was set at a chic French restaurant, and since the other party was a person of considerable status, I dressed carefully to avoid appearing too out of place.

Zhang Jishu was punctual, as promised. He said he’d finish his video conference at five and meet me, and he wouldn’t be a minute late.

He called to say he’d come pick me up, asking for my address. I declined, saying I’d go to the restaurant myself to save him the trouble, but he insisted on coming to get me, joking that it would give us more time together.

Zhang Jishu’s warmth and sincerity made it hard for me to refuse, so I agreed.

Half an hour later, his car arrived at my building, and I hurried downstairs.

Once in the car, Zhang Jishu kept the conversation lively, occasionally cracking jokes that had me laughing. Despite having only met twice before, chatting with him felt natural and engaging.

Perhaps we were enjoying the conversation too much, because the usual rush hour traffic seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, we were at the restaurant.

Sometimes, the more you try to forget something, the more fate insists on reminding you.

As Zhang Jishu and I entered the restaurant, I spotted Song Yu and Nian Hua being led to their table, laughing and chatting.

Hai City is a vast place with countless restaurants, yet here I was, running into Song Yu. What a twist of fate.

While I stood there, momentarily stunned, Zhang Jishu had already called out Song Yu’s name. I wanted to stop him, but it was too late.

Song Yu turned at the sound, first offering Zhang Jishu a polite smile, but when his gaze landed on me, his eyes narrowed briefly behind his glasses before quickly returning to normal.

“What a coincidence, President Song,” Zhang Jishu greeted, “I was just talking about you with Assistant Bai.”

I thought to myself, this guy sure knows how to make small talk. He hadn’t mentioned Song Yu once in the car, yet here he was, acting as if it was the truth.

“President Song, Mr. Nian,” I greeted them with a polite smile.

Nian Hua returned a courteous, distant smile, while Song Yu responded with a blank expression.

For some reason, despite it being a simple encounter, a strange atmosphere seemed to linger between the three of us.

Zhang Jishu, unaware of the complex dynamics between us, noticed Nian Hua and Song Yu standing side by side and gave a knowing smile. “Is this President Song’s…?”

Song Yu tilted his head towards Nian Hua, a tender smile playing on his lips, while Nian Hua blushed under his gaze, shyly averting her eyes.

Though Song Yu didn’t explicitly state Nian Hua’s identity, their exchange of glances spoke volumes.

Zhang Jishu chuckled, as if he understood everything.

At that moment, Song Yu’s gaze fell upon me, his expression reverting to its usual sternness. “Next time you have a social engagement, remember to inform me, alright?”

Zhang Jishu quickly stepped in front of me, defending my honor. “President Song, it’s after work hours now. Having dinner with Assistant Bai doesn’t violate your company’s rules, does it?”

Song Yu stared at me for a few seconds before courteously addressing Zhang Jishu. “Of course not. It’s Mr. Bai’s privilege to dine with President Zhang.”

I maintained a smile, though inwardly I felt quite uncomfortable.

Zhang Jishu immediately chimed in, “Privilege or not, Mr. Bai and I just hit it off. No need to be formal.”

“Alright then, we’ll head over now. Don’t want to disturb you two,” Zhang Jishu said with a smile, waving his hand before following the host to our reserved table.

I nodded to Song Yu and followed suit.

As we passed by, I felt a cold gaze sweep over me.

I didn’t have time to dwell on it; I just wanted to leave quickly.

Even though I kept reminding myself that Song Yu’s affection was for Nian Hua, and they were the perfect match, seeing them together still made my heart ache.

I had intended to drink away my sorrows, but it only made me feel worse.

Back at the table, Zhang Jishu asked what I wanted to eat. I wasn’t in the mood for food, so I casually replied, “Anything, whatever’s good.”

Zhang Jishu didn’t fuss over it, swiftly ordering several signature dishes from the restaurant and having a bottle of wine decanted.

This French restaurant had a limited seating policy, serving no more than ten tables per meal, which made the spacious dining area exceptionally quiet.

Song Yu and Nian Hua were seated diagonally from us, not too far away, but a band playing in between obscured our view.

By now, I was more at ease around these bosses, unlike when I first started. I could chat about various topics, appearing poised and courteous.

We talked about everything from the entertainment industry to business, and from business to current affairs. Sometimes I spoke confidently, other times I feigned ignorance, maintaining a perfect balance. The atmosphere at the table was very pleasant, and soon the first bottle of wine was finished. Zhang Jishu ordered a second bottle to be decanted.

Suddenly, I felt a dull ache in my stomach, which seemed to be intensifying.

I couldn’t help but wonder why my stomach was hurting after just a few drinks. Could it be because I hadn’t eaten anything?

Zhang Jishu poured me a drink, and I couldn’t refuse, so I discreetly rubbed my stomach, hoping to ease the discomfort.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a WeChat message from Song Yu. It was brief, just four words.

—Come to the toilet.

I stared at the message, my mind racing to decipher Song Yu’s intention. Was he asking me to probe Zhang Jishu about Huanya’s interest in e-commerce? If that were the case, he could have just said so in the message. Why call me out?

Zhang Jishu noticed me staring at my phone and asked, “What’s up, Mr. Bai?”

I snapped back to reality and smiled, “Oh, nothing!” After hesitating for a few seconds, I added, “President Zhang, excuse me, I need to visit the toilet. We can continue our conversation when I return.”

Zhang Jishu was understanding and graciously let me leave.

I thanked him and headed towards the toilet.

As I turned a corner and passed the staff lounge, I was suddenly pulled inside by an arm and pinned against the door.

I was about to shout when I realized the person in front of me was Song Yu.

“President Song!?” My heart raced like a drum, and I was still shaken.

“I told you to rest at home, but you ignored me?” Song Yu leaned in, his face dark and brooding.

I found it oddly amusing and retorted, “I’m working, not on a personal date. What’s wrong with that?”

I didn’t think I had done anything wrong, and he had no reason to be so aggressive.

Song Yu’s expression grew increasingly grim. After staring at me for a few seconds, he slowly straightened up.

“Why are you throwing a tantrum?” His tone was puzzled.

I could no longer maintain my calm facade and met his gaze. “Isn’t President Song always putting work first? How is meeting President Zhang to discuss work considered a tantrum?”

“Discussing work?” He scoffed, and the air around us seemed to freeze.

I swallowed nervously, feeling sweat trickle down my back.

After a moment of silence, Song Yu nodded. “Fine, I’ll leave Huanya’s e-commerce project entirely to you. Don’t let me down.” With that, he opened the door and walked away without looking back.

I stood there, unable to comprehend what had just happened. It felt like I had committed some unforgivable sin.

But I had already made a bold claim, and now I had to see it through.

My stomach seemed to hurt even more, as if something was churning inside.

I covered my mouth and quickly ran to the toilet, pushing open a stall door and bending over to retch. Everything I had eaten and drunk earlier came pouring out.

Upon closer inspection, there was a hint of pink mixed in. I frowned, as I hadn’t eaten anything pink.

Oh, it might have been the French foie gras I had earlier.

Regardless, after vomiting, my stomach felt significantly better. Though still painful, it was bearable.

Returning to my seat, Zhang Jishu noticed my pale complexion and asked if I was feeling unwell.

Not wanting to ruin the mood during our first dinner together, I insisted I was fine and even poured a drink to toast him.

My proactive gesture was well-received by Zhang Jishu, who didn’t hesitate to praise me.

I seized the opportunity to subtly mention Huanya’s interest in collaborating with Boyang on e-commerce.

Zhang Jishu chuckled lightly and said, “Honestly, when you invited me to dinner, I knew you’d bring this up.”

I awkwardly tugged at the corners of my mouth, trying not to make my intentions too obvious, and softly explained, “President Zhang, please don’t misunderstand. I mean no harm. E-commerce is the future of the economy, and Huanya is interested in this area. Your company, as one of the earliest tech companies, has a great reputation and advanced technology in the country, but hasn’t yet achieved market dominance.”

“But with Huanya’s investment and proper marketing, I believe the prospects are very promising.”

Zhang Jishu took a sip of his wine and smiled knowingly. “What you just said has been told to me by countless people over the years.”

My expression froze, feeling the embarrassment of having my little ploy exposed.