Chapter 145: First Love

Chapter 145: Chapter 145: First LoveOnly Xu Shanshan was on the bed, the girl sprawled out, with the blanket kicked to one side. Her nightgown had already ridden up to her waist, fully exposing her underwear—such a sleeping position was quite indecent.

But upon seeing Xu Shanshan dressed like this, Xu Yingying first breathed a sigh of relief. What she feared most was coming over to find Xu Shanshan naked with Li Yifei lying beside her—that would have been the end of everything.

At that moment, there were sounds coming from the bathroom, so Xu Yingying quickly backed out and waited at the bathroom door. It wasn’t long before she saw Li Yifei walking out.

Xu Yingying grabbed Li Yifei’s arm and pulled him into the living room, then stared at him intently.

"President Xu, you don’t need to look at me like that, I haven’t done anything. Also, Shanshan already knows about our relationship. Last night, I mistook her for you and slept like we usually do, so she figured it out," Li Yifei said.

Hearing that her sister was alright, Xu Yingying sighed in relief, but her expression quickly changed as she asked, "You admitted it?"

"What good would denying it do? You can say we haven’t crossed the final line, but if a couple is to the point of sharing a bed and still acting so proper, even an idiot wouldn’t believe that nothing’s happened," he replied.

Xu Yingying frowned, crossed her arms, and paced back and forth in the living room a couple of times before stopping in front of Li Yifei again. "What did Shanshan have to say?" she inquired.

"She said she won’t expose you. She said you two should be on the same side, but because you hid it from her, she wanted to reveal it," he explained.

Xu Yingying nodded, "Okay, I’ll have a good talk with her today. Thanks for everything these past days. Hold on a moment," she said.

After saying that, Xu Yingying took out her purse and pulled out a stack of money, handing it to Li Yifei. "This is your payment," she announced.

"No need, I still haven’t spent all the money you gave me last time to take Shanshan out. I still have over three thousand left," he said.

"Take it. You’ve helped me a lot during this time and have also wasted so much of your time. This is what you deserve. If you don’t accept it, I won’t feel at peace," Xu Yingying insisted, forcibly stuffing the money into his hand without waiting for a response.

Li Yifei didn’t refuse this time. He had been thinking about settling things clearly with Xu Yingying anyway. Taking the money would mean there were no further obligations between them, and neither would have to feel any burden.

"Then I’ll be going. We’ll get in touch when there’s time," Li Yifei said, pocketing the money and waving goodbye to Xu Yingying.

Xu Yingying hurriedly said, "Wait, you’re not at Huayang anymore, so you might as well come and work for me as my driver. How about that?"

Li Yifei flashed a grin, "Well, thanks, President Xu. Looks like I won’t be out of a job after all."

"Your departure from Huayang was because of me and Sister Fangqing. How could I not offer you a job? Let’s settle on that. I’ll call you after I’ve finalized things with the new company in a couple of days," she replied.

Li Yifei nodded, then left Xu Yingying’s place with a carefree stride.

At that moment, he truly felt a weight off his shoulders. Pretending to be Xu Yingying’s boyfriend during this time had been rather stifling.

Upon returning home, he found a bag on his coffee table. Inside were ten packs of cigarettes, all Special Tribute Little Pandas—undoubtedly left by Su Mengxin. Though he hadn’t given her his key, for her bodyguards, getting through his door was a piece of cake.

Su Mengxin definitely meant well, but entering his room without his permission still irked Li Yifei.

However, he had just run out of his preferred brand recently. Smoking any other cigarette felt unsatisfying, so he wouldn’t refuse these.

Tossing aside the cigarettes he’d bought from the street, Li Yifei opened a pack and contentedly smoked a cigarette, wondering what to do with his day. Suddenly, he realized he seemed to have nothing to busy himself with—no job at the moment, and Xu Yingying’s issue was resolved, leaving him with unplanned free time.

Just then, his phone rang—it was Su Peng on the line. Li Yifei immediately answered, "Hey, old classmate, what’s up?"

Su Peng laughed, "Didn’t I tell you last time that Tao Yizhong wants to host another gathering? It’s tonight. You don’t have a problem, do you?"

Li Yifei eagerly replied, "No problem at all, I’m just unemployed and at home."

"What? You’re unemployed? What happened?" Su Peng exclaimed.

Li Yifei gave a hearty laugh, "Nothing much. I just didn’t enjoy working at that company, so I gave the boss the slip."

"No way, aren’t you on good terms with your beautiful lady boss?"

"The lady boss also jumped ship, so naturally, as her dedicated driver, I got dragged down too. It’s impossible for me to keep working in the same company."

"That’s truly a tragedy, but it’s not a big deal. If push comes to shove, just find another job. Just right for today’s gathering, let everyone think of a solution. We might not necessarily find you a great job, but a general one shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"Thanks a lot for that, but I’m thinking of taking a break for now. We can talk about it later."

"Alright then, there’s one more thing I need to mention beforehand, Ye Yunzhu will also be there today, so... brace yourself."

Li Yifei’s mouth twitched, and he said, "There’s nothing to brace for, we’re all old classmate, aren’t we?"

"Hmm, that’s good. Our reunion is at Longyuan Villa; everyone will probably start arriving around four o’clock. If you’re not busy, you can head over early."

Li Yifei cheerfully agreed, but after hanging up the phone, he sat motionless for a long time, until the cigarette burned down to his fingers, causing him to jerk and stub it out in the ashtray.

Shaking his head, Li Yifei took a couple of deep breaths and muttered to himself, "Let the past be the past, I can’t keep thinking about it."

After staying at home all day and receiving another call from Xu Shanshan, who told him that she had already spoken with her sister, she would cover for Xu Yingying, but she complained that Li Yifei had run off early in the morning without keeping her company.

Li Yifei coaxed Xu Shanshan with a few words, and finally, she let it go.

When four o’clock came, Li Yifei got ready to attend the class gathering. Only then did he realize that most of his clothes were still at Xu Yingying’s place, leaving him with only a few old ones at home.

But Li Yifei didn’t mind; he went out to a small nearby clothing store, spent over a hundred yuan, got a long-sleeve T-shirt, and a pair of jeans, changed into them, and headed straight for Longyuan Villa by taxi.

Longyuan Villa is located in the suburbs of Mile City. It’s not a big hotel, but it has its unique charm. It’s an eco-restaurant with all the vegetables and fruits grown by the villa itself. For those who care about wellness, it’s a pretty nice place.

When Li Yifei arrived, a few classmates were already there at the entrance, chatting with one another. Li Yifei joined in and casually conversed with them.

This gathering wasn’t as crowded as the last time. By almost six o’clock, only about a dozen people had shown up, several of whom Li Yifei hadn’t seen the last time.

"Yifei, I really have to thank you. When I went back, my wife and I watched the CD. It brought us so much face," Tao Yizhong was grateful to Li Yifei for his wedding event and went on to express his gratitude to Li Yifei.

A few who arrived later were clueless and immediately inquired about the story, leading Tao Yizhong to recount the tale of Li Yifei arranging for two famous TV hosts, Li Xinyue and Song Lianyao, to attend his wedding. This earned Li Yifei a newfound respect from everyone.

Li Yifei responded with a laugh, "Now that won’t work anymore. I’ve quit my job, and I don’t have the boss’s support." By saying so, Li Yifei avoided his classmates asking him for further favors, as he wouldn’t want to keep pestering Li Xinyue and Song Lianyao. If these two beautiful hosts asked him for something in return, he would be unable to refuse.

Everyone started asking loudly and then felt sorry for Li Yifei. Su Peng took the opportunity to suggest that everyone help Li Yifei find a job. Most expressed willingness to help, but few really had the ability to do so.

"It’s no use asking us; the person who can really help is here," Tao Yizhong pointed at a Junjie car pulling up to the entrance.

"Mayor Ye has arrived." The classmates all greeted her eagerly, except for Li Yifei, who remained at the entrance, watching the car come to a stop. His heart, unhelpfully, began to race—it had been seven years since they last saw each other.

As the car door opened, a black high-heeled shoe emerged, followed by light gray trousers and a woman in a blazer stepping out of the car.

Her black hair was styled into a bun; her delicate face bore no makeup, but her natural beauty was still captivating to all men. Her bright eyes still sparkled as she greeted all the classmates with a gentle smile, appearing approachable and immediately narrowing the distance with her friendly demeanor.

Both were strong women, but Xu Yingying felt cold and unapproachable, instilling a sense of fear, whereas Ye Yunzhu seemed more tactful and affable, quite different from the fiery character she used to be. Having spent time in the political scene, she had indeed changed a lot.

Ye Yunzhu’s gaze passed through the crowd and locked onto Li Yifei standing at the entrance. Their eyes met briefly before she looked away, but Li Yifei could clearly sense the excitement and joy in her eyes.

"Li Yifei, what’s the matter, don’t you recognize your old classmate?" After exchanging pleasantries with everyone and making her way toward the villa, Ye Yunzhu naturally approached Li Yifei. She pressed her small fist playfully against his chest and punched him lightly, her winsome smile beaming.

Li Yifei had imagined countless scenarios for meeting Ye Yunzhu again, but he never expected her to greet him in this manner. Suddenly, he felt at ease, and with a grin, he said, "How could I not recognize you? You, little chili pepper, sure made me suffer back then."

As their eyes met again, only they could understand the meanings hidden within each other’s gaze.