050 Calculating the Minor Accounts

"Why?" The moment Gu Yan stepped through the door of Suite 521, Shen Hong's voice reached her.

"Huh? Why is President Shen here?" Wei Hao remained entirely oblivious to the tense atmosphere, speaking with naive confusion. The latter ignored Wei Hao's question, keeping his eyes locked on Gu Yan's expressionless face.

"There was no need." She didn't look at Shen Hong as she spoke. Previously, she might have held onto the illusion of reconciling, but after that night, she had given up all hope. Even when faced with a complete stranger whose stomach illness was acting up, one could not remain entirely indifferent, let alone toward a legal wife. That could only point to one conclusion: he did not love her.

"You two know each other?" It was only when Shen Hong slammed the door behind him and left in anger that Wei Hao finally pieced things out.

"Not well."

The hazy air was thick with the scent of alcohol and cigarette smoke, and the music was blaring at maximum volume, nearly deafening. Men and women were frantically writhing their waists and hips on the dance floor, while coldly glamorous women laughed and mingled among groups of men, using flirtatious banter to tease those unable to keep their desires in check. Seductive women snuggled intimately into the arms of men, whispering sweet nothings while the men drank and frolicked with them. This was the vibrant heart of the city's nightlife: the bar.

Under the dim lights, a bartender swayed gently, with utmost elegance mixing a colorful cocktail. A man in a suit sat at the edge of the bar, pouring glass after glass of alcohol down his throat.

"Well, well! Our distinguished Young Master Shen actually has moments of loneliness. Do you need little sister here to find you a few girls?" This was the scene that greeted Luo Xiaomeng as she walked in. It wasn't that she wanted to kick him while he was down or take advantage of his vulnerability; she was simply too furious to hold back.

Shen Hong glanced at Luo Xiaomeng and continued drinking.

"Spit it out. What do you want with me?"

"Tell me about her." Perhaps due to the excess alcohol, his voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Ha!" Luo Xiaomeng couldn't help but sneer. "Should I be happy for little Yan that her ex-husband is actually drowning his sorrows in a bar over her?"

"Tell me about her." He ignored Luo Xiaomeng's tone, blindly repeating the same phrase. He couldn't understand why, even though she was the one who had asked for the divorce, the entire world seemed to treat it as his fault.

"You're asking the wrong person." Perhaps intimidated by Shen Hong's tone, Luo Xiaomeng stopped mocking him. "Come to think of it, I've also let little Yan down and hardly have the right to call myself her friend. Three years ago, when she was at her most heartbroken, the ones by her side weren't us, her so-called friends. He should know, but I doubt he'll ever tell you."

Hearing this, Shen Hong set down his glass. "Who is it?"

"Zheng Yingqi. Back then, Cai Meiyuan was away in South Korea, Xu Xian was seriously injured and in a coma, and Yilin and I were actually blaming little Yan at first. I don't know what happened to her during those days, but in the end, she just vanished without a word."

Watching Shen Hong's pensive expression, Luo Xiaomeng continued, "You clearly had feelings for little Yan. Even as a bridesmaid, I could deeply feel the happiness between the two of you when you got married. Why did your attitude change after the marriage? I know little Yan, she loves you, and I know even better the immense pressure she endured to marry you. With so many eyes watching, I think little Yan wanted to hold on more than anyone, to show those waiting for a joke just how happy the two of you were. If you think she divorced you for money, then I feel pathetic for her. Think about it—Zheng Yingqi is superior to you in every way; why would little Yan choose to marry you? While it's still not too late, reconciliation isn't completely out of the question. Think it over carefully, I don't want you to regret this."

After Luo Xiaomeng left, Shen Hong remained seated at the bar, drinking. "Why did your attitude change after the marriage?" He wanted to know why as well. Was her chastity really that important to him? Shen Hong asked himself in his heart, yet still could not come up with a reasonable answer.