The office door was ajar, and Chen Dongyang, having finished a group meeting to optimize some game details, came back to find that Lu Huaijin had messaged him half an hour ago to come to the office, so he went directly.
Upon entering, he saw Lu Huaijin on the phone and instinctively moved to leave, but Lu Huaijin gestured to stop him.
Not wanting to eavesdrop on someone's phone call, Chen Dongyang chose a spot on the sofa relatively far from him and sat down.
Lu Huaijin continued talking to Tian Tian.
"It's settled then, okay? Send me the location, and I'll set off tomorrow to find you. We can talk things through face-to-face."
How ridiculous. Had their relationship progressed to the point where he needed to travel all that way to talk to her in person?
Tian Tian refused unenthusiastically.
"Talk or don't talk. I'm not interested in your affairs. I'm about to move to the next place, don't come looking for me."
"Good, Tian Tian, be good. Can't you just talk to me nicely?"
"Good Tian Tian?"
A nerve in Chen Dongyang seemed to be pricked, and he instantly turned to look at him.
So he was on the phone with Tian Tian.
He didn't hear a single word Lu Huaijin said afterward. His mind was buzzing, a jumble of thoughts, feeling restless and finding fault with everything he saw.
Lu Huaijin finally hung up the phone, a smile on his face as he walked towards Chen Dongyang with a newly released data analysis chart.
"Dongyang, I have to say, heaven has favored us. No one expected your game's performance to be so outstanding this time. Look, this is the data analysis chart just submitted; we're far ahead. You've become a hot commodity in the industry now, truly remarkable, truly remarkable."
Chen Dongyang could estimate the data himself without Lu Huaijin's analysis.
In fact, on the third day after the game became popular, he had privately received many job offers from headhunting companies.
There were even television program directors who, after somehow obtaining his contact information, invited him to participate in shows.
This world was like that. Some people spent their entire lives in obscurity in one position, achieving nothing until old age.
While others, with their first move, commanded universal attention.
Lu Huaijin believed Chen Dongyang was the chosen one, but only Chen Dongyang knew the truth.
He was already 30 years old, and after enduring so much hardship, this was fate's reward to him.
Without looking at the data, he offered Lu Huaijin a smile.
"Don't tell me all that empty talk. Just transfer my share of the profits to my account as soon as possible. Is there anything else? If not, I'll be going back."
Lu Huaijin liked technical people like this; they were straightforward and lacked ulterior motives.
Chen Dongyang was handsome, capable, and honest. If he weren't uninterested in men, he would have pursued such a high-quality individual.
"Alright, alright, you go back. Don't worry, not a single cent will be missing. I'll have the finance department transfer it to you right away."
"I have some business these next few days, I need to go on a trip. Please inform everyone not to worry. We'll have the celebration banquet after I return."
"Everyone in the project team will receive a generous bonus, and you won't be shortchanged on year-end dividends either. Stick with Brother Lu, and you'll have good things to eat. Rest assured."
On his way back to his workstation, Chen Dongyang felt conflicted. Should he call Tian Tian?
He didn't want to disturb her in a muddled way when Zeng Hui hadn't been dealt with yet, but seeing that Lu Huaijin was about to make a move...
Ultimately, he veered towards the balcony, closed the glass door, and dialed the number he knew by heart.
Having played games all afternoon and feeling dizzy, Tian Tian was even more upset thinking that she had been idle for two months without any achievements, while Lu Huaijin had seized the opportunity to leap forward.
Lying on the sofa dejectedly, she contemplated whether to continue traveling or return to work.
As she was thinking, her phone rang again.
She assumed it was Lu Huaijin again and answered it impatiently.
"Are you done yet? Are you that eager to show off? Fine, fine, I'm in Xianyang now. If you want to come, hurry up. Also, bring me two roast ducks from Juxian Hall. I haven't eaten Nan Cheng's food in two months, and honestly, I'm dying for it."
Her tone was casual, and she rattled off a string of requests.
After speaking, seeing no reaction from the other side, she only then belatedly moved the screen further away to look.
Uh, it wasn't Lu Huaijin.
It was a very familiar number; it was Chen Dongyang.
Did she know the concept of a couple not contacting each other for over two months?
It felt like two years, no, like two lifetimes since they last spoke.
Even with photos on her phone and past chat logs, the memories felt very, very distant.
After parting ways at the hospital that day, Tian Tian thought they would never cross paths again.
She tried hard to keep herself busy every day, with no time to think about him. After finally getting through that long period, why did he reappear?
Unsure of what to say, and thinking about what she had just said, Tian Tian felt a bit awkward.
Chen Dongyang, however, chuckled softly on the phone.
"Tian Tian, it's me. It's been a long time since I heard your voice. Hearing that you're doing well makes me very happy."
Tian Tian's heart felt as if it had been tugged, causing a pang of pain.
What was this supposed to mean?
They had broken up, and now he was suddenly contacting her again.
And he spoke in such a relaxed tone, expressing happiness for her. Wasn't this like throwing stones into a calm lake, stirring up trouble for no reason?
Did he expect her to thank him? Was this necessary?
To be honest, she would have preferred to hear Chen Dongyang lose control, crying on the phone, getting angry, or shouting hoarsely, even if his speech was slurred from drinking. Because an emotional outburst at least proved he was hurting, that he had loved her.
Such a calm tone only made Tian Tian feel that he had moved on, leaving her alone, stuck in the past.
Receiving his call, Tian Tian felt a mixture of surprise, sadness, and anger.
Unable to help herself, she sat up and said to him on the phone with a complex tone.
"Are you calling out of the blue just to wish me happiness? Are you okay?"
After making her self-introduction, Tian Tian's tone changed. It was hard for Chen Dongyang not to feel hurt.
But he could understand.
Miss Zhan, who had never suffered any grievances in her life, had endured all of them with him.
The fact that she was still willing to answer his call and speak to him was already a tremendous grace.
"I didn't call to wish you happiness, I wanted to tell you something else."
"Tell me what? That your game was successful, you're now rich, about to become a prominent figure, and can provide her with a good life?"
Chen Dongyang froze: "Lu Huaijin told you?"
It seemed he really had come to talk about this.
How ironic, Tian Tian's first reaction was to think he missed her.
"He doesn't need to tell me, and you don't need to tell me. Remember to repay the debt you owe me when you make your fortune. The rest is none of my business. You can hang up now."
Chen Dongyang felt a bit embarrassed by her words, but he didn't hang up.
"Okay. I'll give you all the money I earn from this game. But you can't hang up, I haven't finished speaking."