Chapter 13

"Ryan!" A familiar voice called from behind me, and the tension in my shoulders finally eased.

Turning, I saw my friend Zhou Yang striding toward us. I forced a smile. "Just ran into an old colleague."

It was an excuse I'd used too many times before. Back when I accompanied Vivian to events, she always insisted I introduce myself as her coworker. I thought she'd be satisfied with the same lie now, but her expression only darkened.

"This is my friend," I said calmly. "I mentioned I had dinner plans."

Vivian's face grew stormier. But Ethan spoke first, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, so someone actually invited you to a high-end place like this?"

He eyed Zhou Yang up and down, feigning concern. "What does your friend do for a living? Seems well-off."

Zhou Yang frowned and leaned toward my ear. "Who's this asshole? His mouth's begging for a punch."

"Used to it," I muttered.

Zhou Yang immediately caught on and replied lazily, "Just a small business. Barely scraping by."

Ethan smirked, looking even more pleased with himself. "Times are tough for entrepreneurs. Must be hard-earned money, huh? Seems a bit extravagant to blow it here."

What's going on? Zhou Yang's eyes asked silently.

I lowered my voice. "My ex. His current girlfriend."

Understanding flashed in Zhou Yang's eyes. He already knew the full story behind my breakup, and now a cold glint flickered in his gaze.

"Judging by your tone," Zhou Yang suddenly turned to Ethan with a bright smile, "I take it you don't earn your money the hard way? Unless..." He deliberately drew out the pause. "You're just a pretty boy living off someone else?"

"You—!" Ethan shot to his feet, but Vivian yanked him back down.

"Enough!" Vivian snapped, her voice icy. "Ryan, I don't have time for your childish games."

She took a deep breath, adopting a condescending tone. "If you agree to get back together, I'll reinstate you as director and give you 10% of the company's shares."

"10%?" Zhou Yang burst into exaggerated laughter. "Sorry, but our company already offered him 40%."