Chapter 23: A Time for Reflection
After Yang Yu’s so-called “injury,” life couldn’t have been better for him.
Lin Jia stayed by his side around the clock, taking care of him without rest. Their relationship grew warmer with each passing day. Feeling pleased, Yang Yu rewarded the love advisors with even more money.
The advisors were ecstatic and swore with full enthusiasm that they would continue to provide their best strategies for him.
However, not everyone was having such a good time.
Meng Yun and Yu Fei, after indulging in reckless fun following their breakups, had now settled into a quiet period of reflection. Memories of their time with Lin Jia and Ding Dian resurfaced, and the longing only grew stronger.
One day, Meng Yun listlessly stared at his phone, scrolling through Lin Jia’s social media, noticing she hadn’t posted anything in over ten days.
Across from him, an equally downcast Yu Fei asked, “What are you doing? You’ve been glued to your phone lately, looking all serious.”
Meng Yun handed him the phone. “Look at this. The day Lin Jia supposedly left for a trip, I never saw any post about her actually going. And at first, she was constantly uploading travel photos and selfies, but recently—nothing.”
With a hesitant expression, Meng Yun continued, “The day Lin Jia moved out, some pretty-boy came to pick her up. Do you think… they went on the trip together?”
Yu Fei shrugged. “If you’re that uneasy, why don’t you just call and ask? Sitting here overthinking won’t help.”
Meng Yun hesitated. “How about you ask Ding Dian?”
Yu Fei scoffed. “If Ding Dian was still talking to me, do you think I’d be wasting time here with you? She won’t even answer my calls or reply to my messages.”
Frustrated, he pulled up Ding Dian’s social media.
“Look at her—living her best life. Shopping every day, redecorating her entire place. She even mailed back all the gifts I gave her. And this caption? ‘Out with the old, in with the new.’ Just looking at it pisses me off.”
Grabbing a glass of water, Yu Fei took a big gulp before continuing, “I asked Ke’er about it. Apparently, two months ago, some pretty-boy started hanging around Ding Dian. She even mentioned him to me once, but I didn’t think much of it. Now that I look back, something’s definitely off.”
“Ke’er also told me that Ding Dian recently bought the café she used to work at. But with her salary, there’s no way she could afford it.”
Talking about Ding Dian, Yu Fei couldn’t stop venting his frustration.
Meng Yun’s expression grew more serious. “Could the pretty-boy you’re talking about be the same one I saw?”
Yu Fei nodded. “It’s possible. Did you get a good look at him?”
Meng Yun shook his head. “I only saw him from my apartment window, but I did recognize his car.”
The two locked eyes and spoke in unison: “Lamborghini Reventón.”
At that moment, they became certain—Ding Dian and Lin Jia had been deceived.
They couldn’t just sit by and watch their exes fall into this pretty-boy’s trap. Even if they couldn’t win them back, they had to expose his true colors.
“We have to do something,” Meng Yun said firmly. “Even if we can’t get Lin Jia and Ding Dian back, we need to reveal the truth about this guy.”
Yu Fei nodded. “Exactly. If we don’t, they could be in real danger.”
Meng Yun frowned. “So, what’s our next move?”
Yu Fei, known for his scheming mind, was the one Meng Yun relied on for ideas.
“Our biggest problem right now is that we don’t know anything about this guy,” Yu Fei analyzed.
“Yeah, we’re completely in the dark,” Meng Yun agreed.
“Leave that to me. Ke’er mentioned his name—Yang Yu. I know a private investigator. I’ll have him look into it. Worst case, we just spend some money.” Yu Fei’s confidence showed in his smirk.
“Alright, we’ll go with your plan. But what about me? I can’t just sit here doing nothing.” Meng Yun asked.
Yu Fei sighed. “At this point, Meng, forget about your pride. Call Lin Jia, talk to her, and see if you can get some information. If you had swallowed your pride earlier, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad.”
For the first time, Meng Yun felt a real sense of urgency.
Before, even after their fights and eventual breakup, he had always believed Lin Jia wouldn’t actually leave him. But now, with Yang Yu suddenly in the picture, he was deeply unsettled—especially thinking about how she had been alone with him on this long trip. The mere thought made him restless.
Taking a deep breath, Meng Yun picked up his phone. Encouraged by Yu Fei’s nod, he mustered the courage to dial Lin Jia’s number.
A robotic voice cut through the silence:
“Sorry, the number you dialed is powered off…”