C14 Abandon

Bai Ling quickly dialed Zhang Yang's number. "Hey, I've agreed, but I want to choose the place."

Zhang Yang was puzzled by the young woman's thoughts. He had assumed she was upset and had planned to call her back once she had cooled off. To his surprise, before he could finish his work, she had called to accept his apology.

"Sure, you pick the place."

"Let's go to the same place as last time. You head over first; I'll be there soon."

Zhang Yang felt his head throb at the thought. His last visit to the Tang Pavilion had cost him over a hundred thousand yuan. Although he wouldn't need to spend as much this time, he was still looking at a bill of several thousand. But then he remembered his Excellent, and the expense seemed trivial. With a little patience, the effects of Excellent would bring him a continuous flow of money.

Arriving at the Tang Pavilion by taxi, Zhang Yang was about to look for a seat when he heard someone call out to him.

"Hey, isn't that our very own Director Zhang Yang? What brings you out today?"

It was Zhao Yu, accompanied by a glamorous lady, though not Xiaoxuan.

"Oh? Isn't this the Class Rep Zhao? How come you didn't bring Xiaoxuan along today?"

Zhang Yang had lost all interest in Xiaoxuan. Hating someone meant you still cared, but indifference was the true measure of moving on.

"Ha! I got tired of that b*tch and definitely kicked her to the curb. What, you didn't pick her up, did you? But hey, if you're willing to pay, she'll do anything, any position you want..."

As Zhao Yu spoke, he casually groped the woman beside him, eliciting a playful shriek, "Oh, Brother Yu, you're so bad."

Zhang Yang cringed at the flirtatious outcry.

"Ha, Zhao Yu, as long as you're happy. It's impressive how cheerful you can be, even with my cast-offs. I admire your optimism."

Though Zhang Yang had never taken Xiaoxuan to bed, it was clear to him that she was no virgin.

Zhao Yu's expression turned stormy as he pondered for a moment. When he had been intimate with Xiaoxuan, she had indeed not been a virgin. Cursing under his breath, he internally berated Xiaoxuan a hundred times over.

"Hmph, Zhang Yang, what goes around comes around. There's plenty of time ahead of us. We'll see what happens," he sneered.

With a haughty air, Zhao Yu returned to his seat with the glamorous woman by his side. Zhang Yang had reached the point where he could completely disregard the distasteful pair, focusing instead on ordering his meal.

Bai Ling had yet to arrive, so Zhang Yang pulled out his phone to look up some information. It was then that he overheard a familiar voice coming from Zhao Yu's direction.

"Zhao Yu, how could you be so heartless? I'm carrying your child, and you pressured me to get an abortion. Now, while I'm in the hospital, you're out here flirting with others. I would have been none the wiser if no one had informed me," Xiaoxuan's voice trembled with a mix of weakness and fury. Her face was pale, and the white adhesive from an IV drip was still stuck to her hand.

Zhao Yu had initially harbored a twinge of guilt toward Xiaoxuan, but Zhang Yang's earlier words had stung him deeply. It infuriated him to think that, despite his wealth, he was being compared to someone he deemed far beneath him.

Standing up and shaking his corpulent frame, Zhao Yu struck Xiaoxuan across the face. "You despicable woman, you're not even sure whose child you're carrying. I've already paid for the abortion; what more do you want from me?"

For Xiaoxuan, the entire ordeal felt surreal. Zhao Yu had never been like this; he'd always been willing to indulge her as long as she catered to his whims.

Touching her cheek in shock, the stinging pain confirmed to Xiaoxuan that this was no dream.

"Why? Zhao Yu, what have you heard? That child is yours! I've never betrayed you."

Having just tasted the opulent life for a brief two months, Xiaoxuan couldn't fathom a future without Zhao Yu's support. Overwhelmed by what appeared to be a grave misunderstanding, she had forgotten her initial intention to confront Zhao Yu about his infidelity during her hospital stay.

"Get lost, you wretched woman! What do you think this place is? You come here to make a scene and you've completely disgraced me. Lily, we're leaving."

Zhao Yu shook off Xiaoxuan's grip from his leg and strutted away with the glamorous woman in tow. Xiaoxuan watched his retreating figure, feeling utterly defeated.

Then, she caught sight of Zhang Yang across the way, smiling at her. Humiliated here, and he dares to mock me? You disgusting loser.

"Hmph, and who do we have here? If it isn't Zhang Yang, the guy who blew all his savings just to dine here," she scoffed.

Xiaoxuan composed herself and dried her tears. She refused to let these nobodies see her heartache and wouldn't give Zhang Yang the satisfaction.

Zhang Yang was at a loss for words. "You're in this state and you're still here? Why don't you leave? Aren't you embarrassed?"

"What's it to you? Listen, Zhang Yang, even if Zhao Yu dumps me, I wouldn't come crawling back to you. Just look at yourself, still the same poor loser. No progress whatsoever, still wearing bargain-bin clothes. You probably blew a good chunk of your salary on today's meal. Here's some advice: earn some money, save it, and stop trying to con people here. You're not good-looking and you're broke. It's best to just be honest and straightforward."

Xiaoxuan had convinced herself that Zhang Yang was nothing but a con artist, pretending to be part of the Second Rich Generation to scam the wealthy. Seeing him again after so long and still finding him mocking her, she was determined to unmask him.

"Zhang Yang, have you been running scams here for the past two months? How do you do it?"

Just then, two beauties, one tall and one petite, Bai Ya and Bai Ling, walked in and overheard Xiaoxuan's accusation. Before Zhang Yang could respond, Xiaoxuan jumped in.

"Don't be fooled by him. He's no Second Rich Generation; he's just a destitute loser. He squanders all his money here trying to impress, deceiving girls to trust him, all to achieve his nefarious ends."

Zhang Yang was at his wit's end, feeling like he wanted to cry but no tears would come. When had he ever accomplished so many grand feats without his own knowledge? Someone could use such an imagination to write novels!

"Zhang Yang, is what she's saying true?" Bai Ling's gaze had shifted, now filled with suspicion.

"Man, I wish she was talking about me. Look at how tanned I've gotten, working on a construction site for two months just to afford a single meal here. And here I was, about to pull one over on you, a glamorous rich beauty, when she caught me red-handed," Zhang Yang said with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood as he explained to Bai Ling. Bai Ling had previously met Xiaoxuan and was already aware of some of their history, leaving her with a poor impression of the woman.

"Brother-in-law, why didn't you mention you were hauling bricks? My sister runs such a large company; surely she can afford to take care of you on her own?" Bai Ling quipped, her eyes gleaming with a plan to embarrass this woman. Bai Ya, sensing the conversation was taking a wrong turn, tugged at Bai Ling's arm and shot her a stern look.

"How can you be like this? I've already told you he's a scam artist. Don't you believe me?" Xiaoxuan was flabbergasted, the situation unfolding nothing like she had anticipated. In her mind, these two beauties, far more stunning than herself, should be furiously confronting Zhang Yang and then calling the police!

"Alas, who made my sister board this ship of thieves? Now, we can only follow this path to the end. It's not like we can't afford to keep him around," Bai Ling said with a sigh.

Zhang Yang was completely taken aback. What on earth was this turn of events? How had he suddenly become someone kept by Bai Ya?

Bai Ya was gripping Bai Ling's arm tightly. They had agreed before leaving the house that they wouldn't show any displeasure towards Zhang Yang. Clearly, this woman was out to cause trouble for Zhang Yang, and although Bai Ya was reluctant, she knew she had to maintain appearances for Zhang Yang's sake, lest Bai Ling become upset.

"You... You all have no shame! And you, Zhang Yang, have you no sense of decency left?" Xiaoxuan was so incensed she was at a loss for words, the reality far from what she had envisioned.

"Please, you should take a long hard look at yourself before criticizing others," Bai Ling retorted dismissively.

Zhang Yang decided he was done engaging with her. What had he been thinking when he got involved with her in the first place?

Xiaoxuan stormed off in a huff, leaving the three to take their seats. "Thanks to Ling for her help just now. That woman is incredibly irritating."

"Mr. Zhang Yang, did you leave her high and dry? Why else would she always have it out for you every time you meet?" Bai Ling joked, while Bai Ya sat quietly to the side.

Had Bai Ling not been constantly bringing up Zhang Yang for the past two months, Bai Ya would have been reluctant to see him again.

Zhang Yang, feeling unjustly accused, recounted the whole story, which softened Bai Ling's view of him.

"Mr. Zhang Yang, aren't you being a bit too petty? It took you two months to get over your argument with my sister."

Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Bai Ling remembered why she had come and started to grill Zhang Yang.

"You've got it all wrong, Ling. How could I be petty? I've been biking in Tibet for the past two months, trying out a life without electronics. I didn't even know you were trying to call me."

Zhang Yang explained earnestly. Bai Ya continued to sip her tea gracefully, paying no attention to their exchange. Bai Ling's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Does biking sound fun? Do you meet all sorts of interesting people on the way? Is it exhausting? Would you take me along next time?"

"Ling, remember your promise," Bai Ya interjected when she heard Bai Ling's eagerness to go biking, reminding her not to forget her commitment to avoid dangerous activities.

Bai Ling's eyes instantly lost their luster. She felt as if she had merely been moved from a small cage to a slightly larger one; true freedom was still just a distant dream.

"Hey, isn't that Director Bai? What brings you to Tang Pavilion for a meal today?"

The owner of Tang Pavilion, Mr. Lin, was part of the Lin Group. The entire executive team of the Lin Group knew that Lin Yuan, the sole heir to the Lin Group, was fervently pursuing Bai Ya. So when Tang Pavilion's manager, Li Yuan, saw Bai Ya come in, he quickly notified the young heir.

"Lin Yuan, what do you want?"

Bai Ya asked with a frown. Lin Yuan had a reputation as a ladies' man, and if not for the ongoing collaboration with the Lin Group, Bai Ya wouldn't have given him the time of day.

"Haha, Director Bai, did you forget that Tang Pavilion is part of our Lin Group's holdings? It would be quite rude of me not to welcome you to my turf," Lin Yuan said with a chuckle as he entered the room and spotted Bai Ya.

Upon seeing Zhang Yang, Lin Yuan was reminded of the last time he was bested in a fight by him. His bodyguard had speculated that Zhang Yang might be skilled in some legendary martial arts. Lin Yuan had done some digging into Zhang Yang's background; he was just a recent graduate with no remarkable distinctions, yet his source of skill remained a mystery.

A sense of unease gripped Lin Yuan, the fear of another beating looming over him. However, he quickly reassured himself, recalling that there had been no cameras to capture the previous incident, leaving him without evidence to act on. This time, Lin Yuan thought, if Zhang Yang dared to lay a hand on him, he would make sure Zhang Yang regretted it.