It was still early—the bar hadn't even opened yet. The heavy rain had extinguished the fire in Luo Jialin's chest. Looking at Tian Hua, who was equally soaked to the bone, he even felt the urge to laugh.
Tian Hua didn't get angry. He just looked a little frustrated and, more than that, disappointed in himself. The downpour had somewhat washed away his guilt, though. Maybe this was karma. Someone like him, always dignified and composed, now looked utterly disheveled.
Luo Jialin shook the water from his sleeves. "You went to see Shu Lanzhou, didn't you?"
"Pretty sharp." Tian Hua glanced down at the bag in his hand, then tossed it into a nearby trash can with a wry smile.
Luo Jialin clicked his tongue. "Not hard to guess. Out of the five of us, no one really liked that place's food except her. Even Ruo Shi wouldn't go out of her way for it."
"She didn't even like it that much," Tian Hua sighed and repeated everything Shu Lanzhou had said to him.
Hearing all that left Luo Jialin feeling a little hollow inside. Especially now, when he'd been constantly hitting walls in life, that deep longing for validation made him strangely sympathetic to Shu Lanzhou's past.
So that's how she used to live—so cautious, so desperate to belong.
And they all just ignored it?
"It's a miracle she even said that much to you," Luo Jialin muttered, patting Tian Hua's shoulder. "She doesn't have that kind of patience for the rest of us."
"What good did all that talking do?" Tian Hua shook his head, his expression clouded. "She still wouldn't forgive me. She won't give me the slightest chance."
Luo Jialin patted his shoulder again. The two of them sat like defeated comrades on the steps behind the bar.
Their feelings were a tangled mess.
"How's your company doing?" Tian Hua hadn't seen Luo Jialin in a long time. They barely kept in touch, but he had always followed his situation from a distance.
It was more of a conversation starter than genuine curiosity.
Luo Jialin shook his head. "Don't ask. I just transferred ownership this afternoon. The product is still nowhere near ready. Who knows when things will pick up."
Silence fell again.
Finally, Tian Hua couldn't hold it in anymore. "You know a lot of people. Can you do me a favor?"
"Go ahead." Luo Jialin reached into his pocket for a cigarette but found them soaked through. He tossed the ruined pack into the trash.
Tian Hua hesitated. If it hadn't been absolutely necessary, he wouldn't have asked Luo Jialin for help. Compared to the others in the team, Luo Jialin had always been the most distant from him.
But right now, there was no one else.
"Help me look into someone… a foreign investor. He just came back from abroad. This is his business card…"
He pulled the card out of his pocket, only to find the ink smudged from the rain. The information was barely legible.
"Forget it. Can't read it now. I'll just tell you his name—Zhang Chengyou."
The name made Luo Jialin's shoulders flinch. So, Tian Hua had gone to persuade Shu Lanzhou to cooperate with Zhang Chengyou—and clearly failed.
But why was he suddenly interested in investigating Zhang Chengyou?
Did Shu Lanzhou say something to him?
What exactly did she find out?
"How do you know him?" Luo Jialin tried to keep a neutral tone.
Tian Hua picked up on it. "What, you know him? Who is he? Can he be trusted?"
"You know Xiao Anning, right? She's got a research center under her name. That was funded by Zhang Chengyou," Luo Jialin replied after a moment's thought.
Tian Hua's eyes narrowed in shock. No wonder Shu Lanzhou had been so furious—she'd accused him of selling her out.
It all made sense now. This Zhang Chengyou was entangled with Xiao Anning.
"I heard that after Professor Han left the institute, he started working with Xiao Anning. Their research is supposed to supply your cosmetic medicine company's products, right?"
"So tell me, have you met this Zhang Chengyou? Do you know he's been privately scouting for partners to launch a new beauty line?"
Luo Jialin pretended to have a sudden realization. "Don't tell me—you were planning to introduce Shu Lanzhou to him? That's why you went to see her?"
A trace of bitterness flickered across Tian Hua's face.
"Before I knew who Zhang Chengyou really was, I thought I was doing a good thing. Shu Lanzhou understands pharmacology, and with the Mu Corporation behind her, it would've been a win-win."
"But now… what the hell was I thinking? Zhang Chengyou clearly has ulterior motives. He never intended a sincere partnership."
"Heh… you really did a bang-up job," Luo Jialin sneered. "You knew I was running a cosmetic medicine company, and that I'm basically enemies with Shu Lanzhou now."
"And you go and hand her a business partner on a silver platter? What was that? Starting a competing company to take me down? Great job, Tian Hua. You're a real pal."
Tian Hua's guilt flashed across his face.
"Don't take it so personally. If we're talking about closeness, neither you nor she are more important to me. And in terms of capability, Han Weicheng has already lost twice."
"And don't think I don't know what happened to Du Yifan. I may be stupid with money, but I'm not an idiot. I know who to bet on."
At the mention of Du Yifan, a rare flicker of guilt crossed Luo Jialin's face. "I was tricked by Han Weicheng too. If anyone's to blame, it's him."
"But that's no excuse for you helping Shu Lanzhou and leaving me high and dry." He grabbed Tian Hua by the collar. "You're buried in gambling debt. Do you really think Shu Lanzhou's going to help you out of that mess?"
Tian Hua's face darkened. He shoved Luo Jialin away. "Shut up. My problems are none of your business."
"And don't act like you're some saint. You've been in bed with Xiao Anning and Han Weicheng for ages. Don't pretend you didn't know Zhang Chengyou was sniffing around."
"Maybe this whole thing was a setup. What do you all really want? You've already ruined enough people—now you want to drag Shu Lanzhou down too?"
Luo Jialin stumbled back, nearly slipping on the rain-soaked ground.
"I'm no saint, but neither are you. Now you're playing the victim? You bullied her more than any of us. She should have rejected you."
"You're just a greedy gambler who'll do anything for money. You've got no room to talk."
Blinded by rage, Tian Hua lunged at him, throwing a punch that landed squarely on Luo Jialin's jaw. "You think you're any better? You're the worst of us all."
"Out of the five of us, you hurt her the most. And even now, you're still going after her. Luo Jialin, are you even human?"
Luo Jialin punched back, and within seconds, the two of them were locked in a violent brawl.
The rain intensified, soaking them to the bone. They shouted, cursed, and poured all their fury and resentment into their fists—until finally, they collapsed, exhausted, on the drenched pavement.
Luo Jialin wiped the rain from his face. It tasted salty. But why would rain be salty?
How did it end up like this?
Tian Hua covered his face with his hands, trying to rub away the tears. But with rain pouring down his cheeks, who could even tell what was tears and what was just water?
Gasping for breath, Luo Jialin finally spoke the truth:
"Han Weicheng wanted to make a quick buck, but he was too scared of the fallout. So he sent Zhang Chengyou to cozy up to Shu Lanzhou—to use her as a scapegoat."
"I already broke ties with them this afternoon. I'm planning to do my own research from now on. Want to join me?"