"Do you want to eat something or sit nearby for a while?" Huo Chuan wanted him to relax a bit, so that in the next few hours, he wouldn't be as tense as a startled cat.

Staring at by so many pairs of eyes, Cen Sidu felt uncomfortable. He timidly noticed the corner and asked, "I would like to go sit over there. Is that alright?"

"Alright." Huo Chuan nodded readily and led him over there.

They both sat down on the sofa and remained silent for a while. Huo Chuan broke the silence and spoke first, "Have you been in Yangcheng all these years?"

Cen Sidu nodded with an "Hmm" but had no intentions of saying anything more.

"Why did you suddenly drop out of school back then?" Huo Chuan's possessive gaze was fixed on his face, like a hungry cheetah ready to pounce.

Cen Sidu toyed with his fingers, and he knew that no matter what, he could not evade this question.

He hesitated for a moment and then said with a startled expression, "There was a bit of a family issue, so I left school."

Huochuan's gaze fell directly on his profile, and in fact, he knew what had happened for Cen Sidu to drop out of school.

After returning to the country, he had already investigated and found out.

He simply wanted to hear Cen Sidu tell him in person.

However, even if she asked him directly, she did not hear any further explanation from him.

Just like back then.

Recalling those times, our relationship was so good. I thought, at least you would tell me. Unexpectedly, you just disappeared without a word. That day, I had to corner you at your doorstep before you finally met with me." Huo Chuan smiled, remembering that day. He had forgotten the state of mind he had back then, what kind of feelings he had when he went to see him.

Cen Sidu's head drooped, and Huo Chuan's words seemed to transform into sharp spikes that pierced him from head to toe.

Huochuan scrutinized him recklessly, his desire magnified by the bright lights. "You're still the same, not fond of speaking."

"Sorry," Cen Sidu's voice sounded muffled.

Huo Chuan chuckled and said, "Why apologize? I like this about you, regardless of what I say, you always listen quietly without interrupting. You are a very qualified listener."

Cen Sidu, whose heart could never calm down, had no time to digest the meaning behind his words.

Thirteen years have passed, and he is still the same when facing Huo Chuan.

Embarrassment, uneasiness, shyness.

He made himself become unlike his true self, yet he always said that he liked being this way.

It really puts people in a contradictory state.

Actually, when I came back six months ago, I intended to look for you. However, due to the overwhelming amount of work at the company at that time, it got postponed until now.

"Looking for me?"

"Hmm." Huo Chuan poured himself a glass of wine and after taking a sip, he leisurely said, "I have always wanted to see you again."

Cen Sidu desperately tried not to delve into the deeper meaning behind his words, but his words transformed into ants that eagerly burrowed into his skin, gnawing at his flesh. This made him unable to ignore, unable to refrain from responding.

"Now that we've met, does it diverge greatly from what you imagined?"

From the first moment Cen Si Du laid eyes on Huo Chuan, he knew that they were not people from the same world.

He is handsome, cheerful, and wealthy, and possesses an indescribable charm in his demeanor and way of dealing with others.

Now Cen Si Du finally understood that the temperament he possessed was unique to the people in his world.

Innate, with a temperament that looks down upon everything in the world.

And as for oneself, it is dull, sensitive, timid, and impoverished.

Almost the antonym of Huo Chuan.

Whether in the past or present, Cen Sidu has always been puzzled as to why he would be noticed.

Hearing his question, Huo Chuan couldn't help but laugh, "Are you so lacking in confidence?"

"What?" Cen Sidu was momentarily at a loss as to what he was laughing about.

Did you laugh at the question you just asked?

The English translation of the given Chinese novel paragraph is: "The you in my memory, the you in my imagination, are all the same. There is no difference."

Cen Sidu glanced at him slightly, unsure whether his words were sincere or just self-deception. "People are bound to change, and it's not necessarily a good thing to say that there hasn't been any change."

He didn't want to be the same as before. For many years, he had always wanted to make some changes.

Whether it is one's own way of life or the burdens weighing on their shoulders.

Huochuan stared at his unusually serious face, and burst into laughter. "There's no need to be so serious. Perhaps there are other changes in you that I am unaware of," he said, handing him a glass of wine.

Cen Sidu's gaze fell upon the glass of red wine in front of him, and without hesitation, he declined, "I can't drink. I have to ride my bike back later."

"I'll have someone accompany you," he implied, insistent on it.

Cen Si Du still refused, "I am a delivery driver, I still have orders to fulfill when I go back."

"Tonight, I won't see you off. Is that not acceptable?" Huo Chuan didn't put down his wine glass and insisted that he drink.

Cen Sidu, who was not good at discussing verbal skills with others, did not remain in a deadlock with him for too long. Under his scorching gaze, he hesitated but still reached out his hand and accepted the cup of alcohol.

The aroma of red wine quickly permeated the nostrils, enticing to the extreme.

Cen Sidu stared at the deep red liquid in the wine glass, thinking that this should be an expensive wine. If he didn't drink it, would he really become someone who didn't know how to appreciate it?

Huo Chuan called out to him, saying, "Si Du."

Cen Siding looked up and stared at him in a daze.

*Ding—*

With a crisp sound, Huo Chuan raised his glass to toast him.

"I'm very happy," he said, "to be able to see you today, I'm really happy."

As soon as the words fell, he tilted his head back and finished the liquid in the tall glass in one gulp.

Cen Sidu's gaze involuntarily fell on the Adam's apple sliding up and down his throat. After a moment or two of daze, he realized something was off and quickly glanced away.

He was handsome and charming, with his actions and manner of speech. It was truly difficult for people not to take notice of him.

The wine glass in his hand seemed to be scorching hot, causing him to hastily gulp it down in a panic.

Huo Chuan noticed his reaction, sitting beside him, only smiled and didn't say anything more.

After downing a glass of wine, Huo Chuan poured him another glass.

Cen Sidu remained silent, knowing that Huo Chuan was always like this. Whenever he wanted to do something, he would find a way to make it happen, not tolerating any refusal from others.

But starting from this drink, Cen Sidu couldn't remember what happened afterwards.

It seems like one glass after another of alcohol was consumed.

There was red wine, champagne, and even some strong liquor that he couldn't even name.

I could only feel that the alcohol was very strong. With every sip that I drank, it burned my throat.

He vaguely recalled that it seemed like there were many people persuading him to drink, and many people pouring alcohol into his mouth.

Amid the constant urging, he emptied his wine cup over and over again.