He would give up, not because he no longer considered Hao Jian a brother, but because he didn't know if Hao Jian was still alive, and whether he still remembered his once brother.
"Hao Jian? He's also in Hua City, don't you know?" Chen Zhiyan asked in surprise.
"What? He's in Hua City?" Yu Ou's expression changed instantly, his voice trembling a bit as he asked,
"I asked around later and heard he went abroad. Has he come back?"
"Yeah, he came back a while ago, I even ran into him. I'll call him right now to come over, he'll definitely be very happy to know you're back. Back in high school, you two were like the combination of light and shadow."
Chen Zhiyan joked. The reason she referred to Yu Ou and Hao Jian as light and shadow was that wherever Hao Jian was, Yu Ou would surely be there.
Hao Jian was like light, protecting Yu Ou, and Yu Ou followed Hao Jian like a shadow.
The nature of their relationship was actually quite subtle; the power of a shadow depends on the brightness of the light. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow.
That was the case with Hao Jian and Yu Ou. In the beginning, Yu Ou was bullied at school, but since meeting Hao Jian, under his lead, Yu Ou grew stronger and has now become a formidable martial artist.
Everything was because he was influenced by the "light" of Hao Jian, which allowed him to cast such a dark shadow.
"This might not be good, right? What if he's at work, and besides, I dressed too casually today. How about another day?" The thought of meeting Hao Jian after so many years made him nervous.
"It's not like you're going on a blind date that you need to change clothes," Chen Zhiyan laughed at Yu Ou's expense and gave him an annoyed look,
"You big guys, why are you acting like little girls? This isn't like you at all."
"I just am. I just am." Yu Ou kept repeating "I just am" and never actually got around to finishing the statement.
"Alright, I understand. It's normal to feel a bit nervous after not seeing each other for so long."
Chen Zhiyan smiled, and then the phone connected. She signaled Yu Ou to be quiet and said cheerfully to Hao Jian,
"Hao Jian, I have good news. Yu Ou is here with me. Can you come over now? Ah, okay, we'll wait for you here; don't worry, I won't let him escape!"
"Hao Jian says he'll be here soon. He told us to wait for him here; I can tell he's very pleased," Chen Zhiyan told Yu Ou.
"That's great, that's great. That kid, had me worried." Yu Ou walked back and forth excitedly, then suddenly looked up at Chen Zhiyan,
"Does my hair look messy?"
"No, it looks very handsome," Chen Zhiyan replied helplessly. Seriously, she was beginning to wonder if Yu Ou was gay; why was he even more excited about seeing Hao Jian than she was?
"By the way, what brings you to the jewelry store?" Chen Zhiyan suddenly asked.
"Ah, you didn't mention it, and I almost forgot. I'm planning to buy a wedding ring for my fiancée," Yu Ou smacked his forehead, finally remembering his original intention.
"Some forget friends at the sight of beauty, while you forget your love at the sight of friends; whoever marries you is out of luck," Chen Zhiyan huffed.
"It was just a moment of excitement, just a moment," Yu Ou said, a bit embarrassed, as he started to laugh sheepishly.
As they were talking, a couple suddenly walked in through the door, both dressed in designer brands, obviously from wealthy families, especially the woman, who from head to toe, was sparkling with jewels, very luxurious! But at the same time, so tacky!
"Honey, this time you have to buy me a big, big wedding ring, I want one that's twenty carats," the woman said coyly.
The man, suppressing the pain of parting with his money, forced a reluctant smile, but the thought of acquiring a share of her family's wealth once he married her made him feel all right again.
"Sun Renyao? He doesn't belong to you."
Yu Ou was surprised to find the man was Sun Renyao and looked at Chen Zhiyan curiously.
But he didn't expect Chen Zhiyan to be looking down, her face ashen. He immediately understood what was happening and didn't ask any more questions.
Chen Zhiyan hadn't expected to encounter Sun Renyao here either. If there was anyone in the world Chen Zhiyan didn't want to run into, Sun Renyao was undoubtedly at the top of the list.
Especially now that she was in such a sorry state, she really didn't want to face Sun Renyao.
At that moment, Sun Renyao also noticed Chen Zhiyan, and at first, he was startled, then he smiled and walked over: "Yo, isn't this Chen Zhiyan? I didn't expect to see you here."
"Chen Zhiyan? I didn't expect you to have lost so much weight. Really, if you had lost weight earlier, maybe Sun Renyao wouldn't have divorced you."
The woman also sneered, obviously recognizing Chen Zhiyan.
Hearing this, Chen Zhiyan's complexion turned a bit pale, and she glared at the woman: "Xiao Meimei, aren't you just a homewrecker yourself? What's there to be arrogant about?"
"Steal someone else's husband? Chen Zhiyan, get it straight, I didn't hook up with Sun Renyao; he pursued me of his own accord. It's no wonder, with my figure and looks far better than yours, which man wouldn't choose me? Not a fatty like you, that's for sure." Xiao Meimei laughed coyly, extremely pleased with herself.
Xiao Meimei truly loathed Chen Zhiyan, and for good reason.
Back in high school, she had a crush on Hao Jian, just like Chen Zhiyan, but Hao Jian would rather hang out with Chen Zhiyan, that "dead fat pig," and wouldn't even give her the time of day. This had dealt a heavy blow to her self-esteem back then.
At the time, Xiao Meimei's family circumstances were almost the same as Chen Zhiyan's, and her appearance and figure were both far better than Chen Zhiyan's. But Hao Jian found her a bit contrived and also slightly scheming; nowhere near as sincere as Chen Zhiyan. Hence, he wasn't willing to give her any attention, and she had harbored resentment ever since.
No wonder, after all, the deeper the love, the deeper the hatred.
Facing Xiao Meimei's insults, Chen Zhiyan clenched her fists but didn't know how to retort.
Being overweight was a sore spot for her; she had suffered so much because of it in the past, and even Sun Renyao's departure was related to her weight. If she had been as slim then as she was now, even if Chen Zhiyan had been left, she thought it might not have been with such conviction.
"But now you are indeed a lot prettier. However, it's no use. Your family is bankrupt now, and you're just a female loser. What do you have to compete with me for a man?"
Xiao Meimei laughed coldly, her gaze boldly sizing up Chen Zhiyan: "Chen Zhiyan, it seems even the gods are against you, making you lose to me for a lifetime."
"Compete? Who wants to compete with you for a man? A man who's in it just for the money and lives off selling his body, who would care for that?" Chen Zhiyan retorted:
"Xiao Meimei, don't be so smug. The day you run out of money is the day he'll toss you out like a broken rag!"