Ye Qingyi's heart sank with an inexplicable sense of failure.
Tang Ze had merely gone to snap a photo of the supplies before posting it on his social media feed. "Too much food to finish," he quipped casually.
With beautiful women by his side and endless provisions at hand, any man would recognize this as nothing short of divine living.
Those who once called him "Xiao Tang" now unanimously referred to him as "Boss Tang."
Yet Tang Ze remained modest, insisting they were all former colleagues who should support one another. He promised to deliver some supplies whenever he found time.
Suddenly, a video call came through—Manager Xiao from the Hua'an Hotel.
When Tang Ze answered, a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a sleazy grin appeared on the screen.
"Xiao Tang, remember me?"
"Of course, Manager Xiao," Tang Ze replied coolly. How could he forget? Back when he worked as a bellboy at the Hua'an Hotel, Manager Xiao, then the lobby manager, had exploited his diligence by assigning him the dirtiest and most exhausting tasks.
He still remembered Xiao's harsh words:
"You're nothing but a naive country boy, born to scrub floors your whole life. Letting you work as a bellboy was already doing you a favor; otherwise, you'd be mopping toilets."
But that scolding demeanor was long gone, replaced by a sycophantic smile.
"Xiao Tang, I always knew you were destined for greatness. It's such a shame you left so soon—I was planning to promote you to team leader."
"Manager Xiao, I'm not fit for leadership roles. You flatter me too much," Tang Ze said humbly.
"Nonsense! You're the most promising young man I've ever met!" Manager Xiao gushed, piling on the flattery in hopes of winning him over.
Meanwhile, Tang Ze sat relaxed on the sofa, pulling Ye Qingyi into his arms. When Manager Xiao caught sight of the captivating Ye Qingyi, his smile faltered. Three stunning women under one roof? What kind of power did this take? Manager Xiao knew full well—it required influence akin to that of a top-tier figure.
For Ye Qingyi, seeing this display brought a small measure of relief—or perhaps equilibrium. But why did she care about such things in the first place? She must be losing her mind.
"Manager Xiao, surely you didn't call just to reminisce," Tang Ze remarked, his hand resting lightly on Ye Qingyi's shoulder. Her soft moan made Manager Xiao's eyes water with envy.
"Well, my family's food supply is running dangerously low…" Manager Xiao hesitated, reluctant to admit his predicament. Memories of how he'd mistreated Tang Ze lingered, but desperation left him no choice.
Tang Ze immediately understood. "Manager Xiao, don't mention it. You looked out for me back then—it's only right I return the favor. Just give me your address, and I'll send something over when the weather clears up."
"Ah, wonderful! I knew I wasn't wrong about you!" Manager Xiao exclaimed, though jealousy simmered beneath his forced cheerfulness. He even began plotting schemes in his mind.
One address secured, Tang Ze wasn't satisfied. Former supervisors started flooding him with congratulatory messages, each accompanied by delivery addresses. With every new entry, Tang Ze's smile grew wider.
Ping!
Tang Ze's WeChat notification chimed. Instantly, all three women glanced at his phone, their reaction mirroring that of girlfriends reflexively peeking at their partner's buzzing device.
It wasn't surprising—they'd never heard Tang Ze's phone alert go off before. Even earlier calls had been video chats confirming the authenticity of his supplies rather than photoshopped images.
Tang Ze assumed it might be another hesitant ex-colleague, but upon seeing the sender's name, he paused.
This wasn't a supervisor—it was an ex-love interest. Or rather, someone he'd unsuccessfully pursued—not quite an ex-girlfriend, since she'd never accepted him.
The three women, noticing Tang Ze's subtle change in expression, instantly sensed there was a story behind it. A strong man like him carrying emotional baggage? Their curiosity burned fiercely, even Ye Qingyi couldn't resist. Women simply understood these dynamics too well.
Tang Ze scanned the room, catching them trying—and failing—to feign disinterest.
"If you want to see, just look. No need to act like sneaky thieves," he chuckled.
An Bai was the first to pounce, despite Sun Ting's feeble attempts to hold her back. What if Tang Ze was joking? If she took it seriously, she might miss dinner tonight.
Only after confirming Tang Ze wasn't angry did Sun Ting finally join in the gossip-fest.
Ye Qingyi tried convincing herself it wasn't worth prying. "Why does it matter to me?" Yet, seeing Sun Ting and An Bai's exaggerated reactions, she scolded herself and hurriedly joined in.
A message popped up from a cartoon avatar:
"Are you okay?"
Four simple words, yet the trio immediately deduced the sender was female—and her relationship with Tang Ze was far from ordinary. Otherwise, she wouldn't have initiated contact so casually.
Without hesitation, they concluded: almost certainly an ex-girlfriend.
"One question at a time—you're making my ears hurt," Tang Ze groaned. "Are all women this nosy?"
"Fine. Ye Qingyi, you start. Then An Bai, followed by Sun Ting."
Hearing her name first, Ye Qingyi felt a fleeting spark of satisfaction—but quickly questioned why. Why should being first bring her joy? Ridiculous. "Ye Qingyi, stop letting him manipulate you. You're just bored and curious," she chided herself silently.
Sun Ting piped up, "Should we open a bottle of red wine? It'll set the mood for storytelling."
"You're always coming up with ideas. Go ahead," Tang Ze replied nonchalantly. After all, boredom was boredom, and this was a tale only he could tell.
Sun Ting uncorked an 800-yuan bottle of red wine, pouring glasses for everyone—including Ye Qingyi.
"Ask away," Tang Ze said, taking a sip and leaning back comfortably.
Ye Qingyi cleared her throat. "Who is she?"
"She's someone I once… pursued," Tang Ze admitted honestly. It wasn't a happy memory, but he'd moved past it, able to share it openly now.
An Bai pressed eagerly, "Did you succeed? Or did you break up afterward?"
"Of course not. I never stood a chance."
Sun Ting chimed in, "Why not?"
Tang Ze rolled his eyes. "Be serious. If I'd pursued any of you back then, would you have given me the time of day?"
They couldn't deny it. Back then, none of them would have paid him any attention.
"What did she do? Was she out of your league?" Ye Qingyi asked next.
Tang Ze swirled the wine in his glass, his voice softening. "Three years ago, we worked together at the same hotel. I was a bellboy; she was a receptionist."
"So she must be gorgeous. As pretty as us? Show us a picture!" An Bai urged impatiently, while even Ye Qingyi leaned in with keen interest.
Tang Ze clicked his tongue. "I don't have any photos."
"She must have some on her social media," the trio insisted stubbornly.
"For heaven's sake…"
"Master, you promised not to get mad," An Bai pleaded pitifully.
Tang Ze sighed. "Fine, fine. Who said I'm reasonable?" He opened her profile, only to find it set to "visible for the last three days." The women exchanged disappointed glances—but reasoned that anyone working as a receptionist at the Hua'an Hotel couldn't be unattractive.