Chapter 15: Once We Part, We Become Strangers

Zhang Long’s legs had turned to jelly. It took him quite a while after wobbling off the Ferris wheel to finally recover, which made Luo Man click her tongue in disapproval—what a fragile constitution, and they hadn’t even tried the giant pendulum yet. Forget it, the giant pendulum was even more intense than the drop tower or the flying chairs; Zhang Long would probably be scared out of his wits. Amitabha, amen, mercy.

...

“Ah, President Zhan.” Chen Youwei’s gaze hardened, then he sighed lightly in response, “I know your company is struggling, but which company isn’t these past two years? The various payments owed to my Tengda are even greater than yours, and yet I’m still holding on.”

“We’ve been long-time partners, haven’t I brought you plenty of business before?”

“Mutual understanding.”

So, having failed to assert the contract, now he wanted to appeal to sentiment? But business is business. No matter how much you talk, if both the company and the family are about to collapse, only money matters.

Zhan Yi gave a low, steady laugh. “It’s precisely because of our long partnership that I’ve kept silent all this time.”

“But the more silent I am, the more I get taken advantage of. I know for a fact that all of Old Wei’s orders are settled normally, and only mine are neglected.”

“I don’t know whether it’s your doing or your subsidiary’s President Zhao, but it’s all the same to me.”

“I’m afraid I can’t understand.”

Hearing this, Chen Youwei was about to give an appropriate explanation, but Zhan Yi cut him off with a wave. “I may be honest, but that doesn’t mean I’m easy to bully. Personally, I don’t care, but for the sake of my family I have to stand tall. I’m here only to discuss when the arrears will be settled.”

“There’s no need to say anything else.”

Zhan Yi’s resolute gaze and expression made it clear to Chen Youwei that he was serious, fully prepared to burn his bridges. More words would be useless. Time to show him the door.

“Then you may leave.”

Chen Youwei’s attitude instantly turned cold. “Tengda’s procedures are all in order. If you want to be tough, President Zhan, take the legal route. I won’t see you out.”

...

“Why are you afraid of heights?”

Their day at the amusement park ended, and as it was nearing dinnertime, Luo Man invited him out again. Zhang Long, with no shame, took full advantage, retaliating for her earlier teasing.

“How should I know?” Zhang Long answered irritably. “Don’t ever invite me to anything higher than three meters off the ground again.”

“Tsk tsk, what a pity.” Luo Man shook her head, clicking her tongue. “If you’re afraid of heights, you’ll miss out on so many fun things—drop towers, bungee jumping, hot air balloons, skydiving.”

“No, this needs to be cured.”

“If not, you’ll miss out on much of life’s joys. You wouldn’t even be able to fly. It’s fine domestically, but you couldn’t travel abroad—what a loss.”

Zhang Long said nothing. He didn’t want to argue about his fear of heights anymore and focused on his food, hoping to finish quickly and leave. He had no interest in watching a movie either; it all felt pointless.

“Fan Lu is getting married,” Luo Man suddenly said, batting her large eyes and flashing a knowing smile. “I heard her fiancé is quite well-off, though not as handsome as you, and he’s a bit older. Want to know how much older?”

“No.”

Zhang Long didn’t even look up, bored stiff.

“Eight years older.” Luo Man shrugged and laughed lightly. “A classic case of an old bull with a young grass. The bride price is said to be 880,000 yuan. Looks like she found her next match quickly after your breakup. Does it feel suffocating?”

Zhang Long still didn’t look up.

“Coward.”

Luo Man pouted. “You’re not doing badly now. You should have some backbone. The best revenge on an ex-girlfriend is to live better than she does. Want me to pretend to be your girlfriend at her wedding for free?”

“Give you some face.”

“No need.” Zhang Long finally looked up, his expression earnest. “We’re strangers now. I don’t want any further entanglement. If you want to attend the wedding, go ahead. It has nothing to do with me.”

...

“As expected, it’s hopeless.”

Zhan Yi and Zhang Lizhen returned home, sighing over dinner. President Chen of Tengda was as forceful as rumors said—unmoved by either hard or soft approaches.

“Are we really going to sue?” Zhang Lizhen asked worriedly. “Tengda has considerable influence in the industry. If it goes to court, it won’t be settled in a year or two. Even if we win, they’ll just ignore the verdict, using all sorts of tricks to delay.”

“Maybe we should think again.”

Even Zhan Yi hesitated now, not as resolute as he’d been in Chen Youwei’s office. If they went to court, all ties would be severed, but begging hadn’t produced any results either. That President Zhao was deliberately withholding payment; otherwise, he wouldn’t owe only Zhan Yi, leading to this predicament.

Seeking investment? Potential investors took one look at their high debts and shook their heads, not wanting to get caught in the mess.

No way forward, no way back—a dilemma.

“What’s the use of thinking anymore?” Zhan Yi had built a company and achieved some success; he wasn’t a fool. “Now, the choices are to either struggle until bankruptcy or cut our losses and burn our bridges—quit this industry and fight it out in court with Tengda and a few others. We have nothing to lose.”

“I’ve been used as a sacrifice.”

Zhang Lizhen didn’t understand. Zhan Yi let out a long breath. “I only realized recently—everyone gets payments delayed these days. Tengda probably is in trouble, but to survive, they’ve chosen to abandon some downstream partners and swallow their funds.”

“For every partner they swallow, Tengda buys itself more time to survive the current winter.”

Now Zhang Lizhen understood. Tengda would never pay, even if it went to court—they’d just keep stalling, and even if they lost, they’d drag it out for two or three years. Shameless. In business, it’s a battlefield—no one cares if you get hurt.

...

“Still can’t let go?”

Luo Man spoke earnestly. “If you can’t even face Fan Lu’s wedding, can you really say you’ve let go?”

“To your classmates, you’ll always be a loser in this matter, no matter how well you do in the future. If you want to redeem yourself, you have to show up and make them see with their own eyes.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Zhang Long waved her off. “I truly don’t care anymore, and I’m not just pretending to be strong.”

“And I don’t care what classmates think. I won’t be going to reunions anymore. Being free and alone is great. Why overthink?”

“All right, I’m full.” Zhang Long stood up and smiled. “Let’s skip the movie. It’s getting late; I should head back.”

“Okay, text me when you get home.”

Luo Man could tell Zhang Long wasn’t in high spirits anymore. Pressing him would only make things awkward, so she readily dropped the movie plan, and they went their separate ways.

As for meeting up again on Sunday? There was no need; they weren’t a couple, and it’s best not to cling too much.

Even couples need space and freedom—just like in the TV dramas.

Push too hard, and it only makes things worse.

And so, Zhang Long bid Luo Man farewell and took a taxi back to his place on the Bund. Now, he was considered well-off among the working class—no need to be overly frugal.

Buses and subways could be for occasional use.

Oh right, he should set aside time to get a driver’s license. His previous self had never considered it; just affording a slightly better quality of life had been a challenge, let alone the luxury of a car.

But now, things had changed. With driving experience from his past life, getting a license shouldn’t be difficult—just time-consuming, probably two or three months.

Before the end of the year: get a license and buy a car.

After the New Year, he should have saved up enough to purchase a house outright—a new goal for the agenda!