Offside game

Su Yi looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who slowly walked up to him was Zhang Cheng, the vice president of Shenzhou Software. This was a somewhat unexpected scene for him.

"Su Yi, can I talk to you?" Zhang Cheng glanced at An Jing beside Su Yi, then turned his gaze back to Su Yi, speaking in a voice devoid of emotion.

"Me?" Su Yi asked subconsciously.

"Yes, can we talk?" Zhang Cheng repeated.

Su Yi glanced at An Jing beside him, then whispered to her, "Yi, if you have something to do, you go ahead. I'll wait for you at home."

Although Su Yi couldn't guess why Zhang Cheng had suddenly come to find him, he seemed to have a vague idea, so he said softly to An Jing, "You go back first, I'm going to talk to Mr. Zhang about something."

Seeing An Jing turn and walk upstairs, Su Yi said to Zhang Cheng, "Where shall we talk?"

In the "Waiting for Someone" bar, Su Yi and Zhang Cheng sat down in a corner.

Seeing Zhang Cheng's familiar greeting to the waiter when he came in, and how he led him straight to this spot, Su Yi could tell that Zhang Cheng must be a frequent visitor to this bar.

This was naturally Su Yi's first time at this bar. At first, he felt the name "Waiting for Someone" was a bit strange. Perhaps everyone is waiting for someone. The key is that some people have found their way, some have given up, and some are still waiting... As he thought to himself, he suddenly felt that the name of this bar was actually quite good.

The environment inside is also comfortable, with less noise than other bars, and the music is so soft that it's not easily noticed.

"What would you like to drink?" Zhang Cheng asked as Su Yi sat down.

"Uh, how about a whiskey?" Su Yi rarely drinks at bars, but he had whiskey with Mo Yuqing last time and thought it tasted pretty good, so he casually suggested it.

Hearing Su Yi's casual reply, Zhang Cheng stopped what he was about to say to the waiter, "Another martini, the best one you have here," he said.

"Not drinking whiskey today?" the waiter asked casually, somewhat surprised.

"No, perhaps I'm better suited to drinking martinis."

After the waiter left, the two fell into a brief silence. Su Yi looked around the interior of the bar, while Zhang Cheng seemed to be studying the pattern on the tablecloth, even though it was just a simple floral design, and even though he had probably seen it many times before. They both seemed lost in thought, yet also seemed to be tacitly waiting for something.

When the waiter brought the drinks, Su Yi had a whiskey on the rocks, while Zhang Cheng had a martini with lemon slices in front of him.

"You're with Xiao Qing now, aren't you?"

Upon hearing Zhang Cheng's words, Su Yi, though somewhat prepared, remained silent, unsure of what to say.

Zhang Cheng seemed to understand his thoughts, smiled, and continued, "That day, I saw you two together." His awkward smile contained a bitter undertone.

"What do you want?" Su Yi asked suddenly, looking directly at the other person.

"I... I don't know either. My mind is a mess. You might find it funny, you lost the case, and the woman you like is with you. What can I do?"

"I won't involve business matters in my personal life. Regarding that lawsuit, I can only say that you have your reasons, and we have ours. As for Yuqing, she has the right to make her own choices." At this moment, Su Yi couldn't quite describe his feelings. However, the man in front of him didn't seem as bad as he had imagined.

"Yes, she has the right to choose. But can you give her happiness? Can you take responsibility for her? The girl next to you today, is she your girlfriend?" Zhang Cheng said these words somewhat agitatedly. Realizing his situation, he took a sip of his drink, calmed himself down, and quietly looked at Su Yi. The young man before him was truly enviable.

Zhang Cheng's words echoed in Su Yi's mind. He sat there silently for a while before speaking: "Since I've been with Yuqing, I've felt the weight of this responsibility. I may not be able to give her any official title, but I will do everything in my power to ensure that she and Jin'er are happy. This may sound selfish, but I cannot lose anyone who holds such an important place in my heart."

Meeting Su Yi's eyes, Zhang Cheng could clearly sense the other's determination. His gaze shifted to the wine in Su Yi's hand, and he sighed, saying, "I've known Xiao Qing since we were little, we grew up together. I don't know when it started, but I inexplicably began to care about her thoughts. She's always been a very well-behaved girl, always quietly doing her own thing, and I've always been quietly by her side, watching her. In university, I didn't date like other students. At that time, my heart was already completely filled with Xiao Qing..." Seemingly realizing the situation, Zhang Cheng gave a self-deprecating laugh and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be saying this. But you know what? I was the one who first approached my family..." When I confessed my feelings for Xiao Qing, I always thought that this quiet girl who had always been by my side was meant to be mine. But it wasn't until Xiao Qing had a falling out with her family over this that I realized I didn't really understand her world. Much later, I learned that she liked whiskey. It was at this very bar that I asked her out, and we talked. The conversation was ordinary; in her eyes, I was just an older brother she grew up with, nothing more. From then on, I often found myself coming here, ordering her favorite whiskey. Perhaps I just wanted to understand her better, or perhaps it was just wishful thinking on my part.

Su Yi listened quietly to Zhang Cheng's almost delirious ramblings, unsure of what to say. At that moment, he suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for the man; perhaps this kind of helplessness was something many people couldn't shake off.

"Hehe, I don't know why I called you here today to say these strange things. Su Yi, do you know what's going on?"

"What?" Su Yi looked at Zhang Cheng, confused.

"I envy you, even, I'm jealous. I don't know what you think, but Xiao Qing is truly a precious woman. I can only envy you for being with her. Perhaps saying that as long as she's happy is useless, but that's probably all I can say right now. Su Yi, you must cherish her."

After saying this, Zhang Cheng stood up. His voice continued, "If one day she is unhappy, I will not give up."

Watching the man's departing figure, Su Yi didn't know what he was feeling. A heavy sense of responsibility was rekindled within him; indeed, the more you gain, the heavier your responsibilities become.

"Zhang Cheng," Su Yi suddenly said to the man, "I won't give you a chance."

Zhang Cheng subconsciously turned around, heard Su Yi's words, gave him a deep look, and continued walking away.

"I hope you can do it," he thought to himself.

Men only mature after they understand the meaning of responsibility.