Chapter 84 Where Else Could He Run?

Chapter 84: Where Else Could He Go?

After the start of winter, the weather grew colder and the days became increasingly shorter. The afternoon sun fell on the perfectly manicured lawn, and the wind grew soft, carrying the fragrance of grass and flowers.

Lin Haoda stepped out of the car. The temperature had risen today, and standing in the sun for a while made him a bit warm. He took off his coat and handed it to a nearby servant. Pei Mingyi handed the car keys to the driver, walked around from the front of the car, and came up beside him.

The two walked one after the other into the main entrance of the villa. There were quite a few people in the garden, and a charcoal grill that hadn’t been cleaned up from lunch was still set up on the lawn. Beside it was a long table covered with drinks, pastries, and white plates.

The servants were busy cleaning up, and the leftover food was being carried into the kitchen for disposal. Seeing Lin Haoda staring, Pei Mingyi smiled, stopped, and asked, “Still hungry?”

For lunch, he had made yellow croaker noodles, learned from the new chef from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The broth was a milky white, and even without any seasoning, it was incredibly fresh. Pei Mingyi had only tried it once and knew Lin Haoda would love it, so he privately sought the chef’s secret recipe.

Lin Haoda recalled the tender, flaky fish meat, shook his head, and said, “I’m full.”

Pei Mingyi was about to say something else when a sudden gust of wind blew. Lin Haoda’s eyelashes fluttered, and the tips of his hair swayed in the breeze. Pei Mingyi reached out, gripped his shoulder, warm from the sun, and asked softly, “Are you cold?”

Lin Haoda was wearing only a thin wool coat, not the most fashionable style, but soft and clean, making him look like a snow-white figure.

“Not cold.”

Pei Mingyi didn’t know Lin Haoda had snuck a heat pack under his coat. When he was changing clothes, Pei Mingyi was on the phone in another room. Lin Haoda had wanted him to bring in the heat pack from the coffee table, but after calling twice, he realized no one answered.

Half skeptical, Pei Mingyi took his hand and found the palm warm and soft.

The heavy grill was carried away by three or four servants working together. The crowd on the lawn scattered, grouping in twos and threes to head to the garden and the back hall. Among the stream of people, a few figures walked against the flow and stopped in front of them. Pei Mingyi took the initiative to introduce them—some were business partners, others friends.

Lin Haoda smiled and nodded at each of them, exchanging names. Several of them were industry insiders, working in game companies or related fields. They soon started chatting about a few popular games.

Lin Haoda stood to the side. He didn’t feel deliberately ignored; he didn’t talk much or look around restlessly. His gaze was calm, occasionally drifting elsewhere. When asked, he only said, “Mr. Pei kindly brought me along. I’m barely even a casual gamer at best.”

A young Mr. He joked, “Mr. Pei not only develops game IPs himself, but he also has to pick his partner from among gamers.”

Lin Haoda’s face felt a little hot, and he averted his gaze. Fortunately, Pei Mingyi said in a low, half-joking plea, “Still pursuing him, everyone. Please go easy on me.”

Everyone laughed. Pei Mingyi said a few more kind words before finally leading Lin Haoda away from the lawn.

They entered the building and learned that the host of the cocktail party was upstairs. Pei Mingyi expressed a desire to pay a visit. The butler nodded and said he would go up and ask first. Before long, Lin Haoda heard the butler calling them from the stairs.

The stairs were solid wood, waxed, and immaculate dark red, creaking as they ascended. They reached the second floor. The door of the first room on the right was open. The butler personally led them in.

The room was decorated in an antique style, set up as a study. Lin Haoda took a couple of steps and saw a foreign man with graying hair sitting behind a desk. He had a bit of a beard, wore a very formal three-piece suit, and appeared sharp and lively. His gray eyes first fixed on Pei Mingyi, then fell on Lin Haoda following behind.

Lin Haoda had originally wanted to wait by the door, but the butler insisted he enter before closing the study door from outside.

He heard Pei Mingyi greet the man as “Mr. Seth.” Lin Haoda also nodded and said, “Good afternoon.”

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Lin Haoda felt that Mr. Seth’s gaze lingered on him a bit longer. Then Pei Mingyi initiated conversation on various topics. Seth listened patiently, occasionally chiming in.

They didn’t stay long in the room. After about ten minutes, Seth’s butler knocked and came in, holding a glass of water and pills.

Pei Mingyi waited for him to swallow the medicine, then volunteered to leave, saying they would meet again later.

Seth nodded, politely inviting them to the evening banquet. Hearing Pei Mingyi agree, he then turned his face and cast his gaze on Lin Haoda, who had remained quiet the whole time. “Will this young gentleman also be coming?”

Lin Haoda nodded. Pei Mingyi answered, “Of course.”

After saying goodbye once more, Lin Haoda lifted his foot to follow Pei Mingyi. Suddenly, the butler called out from behind him, “Mr. Lin.”

Lin Haoda turned and met Seth’s gray-brown eyes. Seth smiled at him, his voice gentle: “Forgive me for asking, but may I ask if you’ve met Guan before?”

Lin Haoda was taken aback, not understanding; the pronunciation of the middle syllable was too unclear for him to confirm who Seth was asking about.

During those few seconds of hesitation, Pei Mingyi, who heard the commotion, walked over. He gently took Lin Haoda's wrist and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Lin Haoda smiled at Seth and denied it: "Sorry. I don't know them."

"I should be the one apologizing." Seth raised an eyebrow in surprise, as if trying to remember: "You two look a lot alike."

Lin Haoda could only smile again: "Maybe it's just a coincidence."

As they descended the stairs, Pei Mingyi grew a bit worried and asked Lin Haoda if he felt uncomfortable.

"Seth is a decent person; he's always had a good reputation in the industry." He paused, as if he wanted to say more but held back.

"It's nothing. Maybe he really just mistook me for someone else."

Lin Haoda reassured him: "Otherwise he wouldn't have stared at me the second I walked in."

Winter afternoons are always very short. As if in the blink of an eye, the sunlight fades, and night rises from far across the horizon.

The evening banquet was quite formal, with people arriving continuously from dusk onward. Seth changed into a more formal tailcoat and, accompanied by a crowd, made his way to the garden.

The garden at night was even more beautiful than during the day. The bushes were strung with small fairy lights, twinkling in the darkness.

A breeze came up in the evening. Wearing only thin clothing, Lin Haoda had to stay near the space heater, away from the crowd, staring blankly at the blinking colored lights, lost in thought.

Pei Mingyi quickly walked over from the crowd, the wind slightly tousling his hair. He had just grabbed a steaming glass of milk and handed Lin Haoda a plate with freshly fried fish pieces and chicken nuggets.

Lin Haoda sipped the milk slowly, wanting to ask Pei Mingyi when they could leave, but he knew he couldn't. Tonight, a few important investors and producers might show up; Lin Haoda had heard others mention it while helping Pei Mingyi socialize in the afternoon.

Pei Mingyi stayed with him for a little while but soon left again.

Lin Haoda finished the milk and fish, then slowly walked to the long table to return the plate. Just then, a maid brought out a large pot of hot creamy soup, looking rich and fragrant. Lin Haoda hesitated, when suddenly a commotion arose. He instinctively looked up and saw a figure walking gracefully in through the garden entrance, wearing a bright, fitted dress with exquisite makeup, nodding and greeting everyone with poise.

The night seemed to numb his thoughts. It took Lin Haoda two seconds to react, recognizing Jiang Tianyi.

He stood dumbfounded by the table, his lips slightly parted, his teeth quickly turning cold in the wind.

Jiang Tianyi continued walking, and when she saw Lin Haoda—standing at the edge of the crowd, thinly dressed and dazed—she was clearly startled as well. After gracefully excusing herself from a few business contacts, she didn't hesitate long and walked directly toward the long table.

"Long time no see."

Jiang Tianyi hadn't changed much; compared to two years ago, her hair was cut shorter, making her look very confident and radiant.

Compared to her, Lin Haoda was as ordinary and unremarkable as ever, with nothing new to describe.

"Miss... Jiang." His cold teeth pressed against his warm tongue. Lin Haoda paused briefly before continuing: "What a coincidence."

"Yeah." Jiang Tianyi smiled at him. "What are you doing here?"

She looked up and glanced around, as if searching for something, then suddenly realized: "No wonder when I brought it up a couple of days ago, he said he wanted to come in person."

Lin Haoda blinked, not understanding, and let out a slow, confused "Huh?" before asking, "Who?"

Jiang Tianyi laughed, staring at his face for a long time, then changed the subject: "Nothing."

"Why haven't you replied to my messages?"

She smoothly changed the subject, her thin brows furrowed together. "Lin Haoda, did you forget about me—your friend—when you left Hong Kong?"

Lin Haoda wanted to deny it, but facing Jiang Tianyi's frank gaze, he quickly felt a pang of guilt and regret. "I'm sorry," he finally managed to say.

"Why just say sorry?" Jiang Tianyi paused for a moment, then comforted him in her own way. "I have plenty of friends, but you are special."

As if to prove the point, she reached out her hand toward Lin Haoda. "I'll give you one chance. Do you want to salvage our friendship?"

Lin Haoda's lips moved, but no words came out. His fingers at his side suddenly felt hot, as if burned by fire.

He lowered his eyes, looking at Jiang Tianyi's hand held out in the cold wind. Jiang Tianyi wasn't the patient type, but she was willing to wait for him. The night breeze picked up, and she didn't urge him, only curling her fingers slightly.

The landscape lights on the lawn cast a soft glow. The diamond set in her ring wasn't overly large, but it was still enough to refract a blinding glare in the dim environment.

In an instant, Lin Haoda suddenly realized. His face turned somewhat dejected, and his lips lost a bit of color. He stared at the wedding ring on Jiang Tianyi's ring finger. The cold wind curled up a few dead leaves, and the biting cold seemed to pierce into his body, hollowing out his heart.

For some unknown reason, Jiang Tianyi only heard him say a very brief "I'm sorry," and then he tried to hurry away.

Perhaps as punishment for his refusal, Jiang Tianyi stepped forward and caught his wrist. "Wait."

Lin Haoda heard her complain softly, in a tone full of anticipation, as if she were looking forward to some drama: "Why so late? He should be here any minute."

At the same time, quite a ruckus arose from behind them.

Lin Haoda's intuition was sharp. His hands clenched into fists, his neck stiff as stone, he didn't dare move, let alone turn around to look.

Jiang Tianyi was here tonight, and she was wearing a wedding ring. They were a legitimate couple. Would he come?

He probably would. But there was no need for them to meet, no reason for it. So he might as well leave now, or hide in an empty room.

Lin Haoda thought in a daze.

"Jun Shan—" But the next second, he heard Jiang Tianyi's cheerful voice: "We're here."

Jiang Tianyi released him. Lin Haoda moved his numb fingers, thinking he should just turn and leave right now. But then he heard footsteps, someone walking across the lawn. In the darkness, soft blades of grass bent under the newcomer's feet, rustling.

It was already too late. Besides, where could he run?

The footsteps finally stopped behind him.

"Good evening."

Lin Haoda's heart gave a violent lurch.

Two years. Seven hundred days and nights.

Hearing this voice again—not in a midnight dream, not in self-deception. The video album that Lin Haoda had locked away and secretly taken out to revisit was now safely in his pocket, untouched, silent.

Lin Haoda didn't deny his weakness, but fate seemed to enjoy tormenting him. He'd given up long ago, so how had it come to this?

Thinking this, he pressed his lips together, tasting bitterness, and slowly closed his eyes.