How many loves can be relived in the story of a devoted CEO pursuing his wife?

Li Songze narrowed his eyes, watching Lin Xuedong consciously down a glass of red wine.

On the large table were several plates of fine food to accompany the drinks. Lin Xuedong picked up a fork, casually ate a couple of bites of lobster meat, and chewed it slowly, muttering, "I'm actually quite hungry."

"Ah Dong, are you serious this time?" With no outsiders present, they chatted freely. It was Xing Peng who spoke, raising his eyebrows and asking, a stark contrast to his previous restraint.

Lin Xuedong looked up at him, and said smugly, "I told you I used every ounce of my effort, believe me?"

"Tch! Don't blame me for not reminding you, be careful on the road... Zeng Ziyan." Xie Zhanming exhaled a smoke ring, the white smoke curling in the half-lit private room, obscuring the stern look on his face.

Lin Xuedong forked another small piece of steak into the burger. "Last night when I went back to the old house, I made my stance clear to Zeng Fan: there's no future for me and his daughter."

"Wouldn't you have driven my sister and brother-in-law crazy?" Xie Zhanming's shimmering eyes flashed with interest as he said with a half-smile. "Don't underestimate me!"

"Isn't it because we still have you, Uncle, to help out?" Lin Xuedong proactively poured drinks for each of them, raising his glass in a toast. "Come on, we're happy today, let's drink to that!"

"What's there to be happy about? Did you win over a beauty?" Xing Peng raised an eyebrow and teased.

Lin Xuedong smiled but remained silent, first offering a toast as a sign of respect, then his handsome eyes turned to Li Songze, and he said smugly, "Of course, I'm happy that our Lin family will be partnering with Songke to jointly develop a 5G intelligent autonomous driving system!"

Li Songze tilted his head back, downed the entire glass of red wine, and then casually asked, "When will you come to make the arrangements?"

"It'll be around 3 PM next Monday. Sisi is already drafting a project cooperation proposal."

"Oh? ...Her?" Li Songze's originally cold expression suddenly brightened.

Lin Xuedong's face lit up with joy at the mention of Liu Sisi. "Yes, it's her. She will represent the Lin family in planning and liaison work for this project."

"Hehe~, impressive, my brother, you're even teaming up as a couple?" Xie Zhanming said sarcastically, it seems this nephew is serious.

"Hey guys, I need to ask you a favor. Please don't tell anyone about Sisi and me. She's a shy woman, so please!" Lin Xuedong clasped his hands together, looking at them earnestly, then added self-deprecatingly, "Women can be quite awkward sometimes. Are all your female confidantes in a similar situation?"

After a couple of drinks, he probably loosened up and started nagging again. "It's supposed to be a happy and joyous occasion, but she absolutely forbids me from going public with our relationship. She even makes me take a detour to and from get off work! How frustrating is that?!"

“…” Li Songze frowned but didn’t reply.

"Hehe~, Adong, just admit defeat!" Xing Peng tilted his head back and drank the glass of wine, shrugged, and joked. "We call the shots with all those women."

Xie Zhanming squinted at him with interest, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Tsk tsk tsk, I knew it. You haven't done anything for ten years, and now you're all acting all lovestruck? Who are you trying to fool?"

Lin Xuedong rubbed his forehead, gently shook his head, and hummed in agreement. "I was too hasty and afraid of scaring her, so I'll let her have her way for now."

After he finished speaking, Li Songze handed him a cigarette. He glanced down at it, then naturally took the cigarette and put it in his mouth.

"Clap."

After lighting the cigarette, the ember at the end flickered, and white smoke rings escaped from the man's thin lips, adding a touch of melancholy to his handsome features.

Xing Peng smiled and asked, "Just starting out, right?"

"Hmm, ten days." Lin Xuedong chuckled self-deprecatingly, thinking he had struck with overwhelming force. But he hadn't expected to hit the sponge so hard; the little woman didn't seem to appreciate it.

"Oh? That's not her fault, it's just her subconscious self-protection." Xing Peng raised an eyebrow and said casually. "President Lin, it's understandable that she feels pressured standing next to you, but she'll feel better after spending more time with you."

"I'm feeling pretty repressed too, you know. She's right under my nose every day, but when there are other people around, she ignores me. Ugh..." Men in love are so damn childish, Lin Xuedong really wanted to despise his own pettiness. But in front of his brother, he felt he had to get it off his chest.

"Office romances shouldn't be too high-profile or ambiguous." Xing Peng's tone was somewhat flippant. Working in government agencies, such office romances were not tolerated. He didn't want to get involved in trouble, just like a rabbit not eating the grass near its burrow. "Why don't you just take her in and keep her as a mistress?"

Lin Xuedong poured another round of wine for everyone. He raised his glass, swirled it, and looked at the deep red wine, saying somewhat dejectedly, "She's not that kind of woman."

Then he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

"If you love her, you have to put up with it. There's nothing more to say." Xie Zhanming took a sip of his drink and said noncommittally. "Women can be quite dramatic sometimes. You haven't experienced enough of that."

Lin Xuedong glanced at him, his eyes then sweeping over Li Songze, who remained silently standing to the side, seemingly lost in his own gloom.

Frowning slightly, Lin Xuedong recalled what they had discussed during their last meeting, and a smirk played on his lips as he teased, "Looks like I'm not the only one troubled by love."

Li Songze looked up at Lin Xuedong, his gaze deep and somewhat complicated.

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhanming glanced sideways at Li Songze, his excitement radiating as if he had discovered a new continent. Anything related to Li Songze was highly coveted in their eyes.

"Hey~, Lao Li, you're also bothered by women?" He flicked his earlobe, pretending to be all ears.

Xing Peng suddenly became interested and joined the gossip. "Seriously? Old Li, Ah Dong hasn't touched a woman in ten years, it's understandable that he's rusty, but you?"

Li Songze didn't answer immediately; he slowly lit a cigarette. After taking two puffs, white smoke rings obscured half of his cold, stern face.

"Old Li, you've been smoking a bit too much lately. If you're having any troubles, just tell the brothers. Like me, I have to get it off my chest. Once I've vented, I know it's not such a big deal, and I feel much better now." Lin Xuedong curled his lips, adding fuel to the fire.

"Yeah, Lao Li, you must be tired of that girl at the TV station, right?" Xing Peng knew about his secret affair; it had been going on for years.

"It's alright, Lao Li, how about we have Amei bring a few girls over tonight, have some fun? Ha~." Xie Zhanming got excited and burst into laughter.

Li Songze's eyes were dark, and he said indifferently, "I'm planning to break it off."

He had been depressed for several days. No matter how hard he tried, day or night, he couldn't shake off the figure that kept flashing in his mind.

Now that he knows he will have more contact with her in the future due to the 5G cooperation project, he is even more unsettled.

"Hey~, what's the big deal? Worrying about a girl? Are you kidding me?" Xie Zhanming acted immediately, standing up and walking out of the private room. "I'll go find Amei right now and pick one out for you myself. Just wait~."

After Xie Zhanming left, Xing Peng continued the conversation, "Old Li, she's been with you for several years, hasn't she?"

"It's been five years, it's time to set her free." Li Songze sighed softly. Since they won't get married, then he shouldn't hold her back any longer.

In fact, keeping female companions for emotional and physical comfort is a common social practice in this wealthy circle. The difference lies in the type of companions: some people find stable and reliable partners, like Li Songze, while others prefer to constantly try different ones, lingering and flattering, like Xie Zhanming.

Some people are just looking for novelty, putting on an act, and occasionally seeking a change of pace, like the Xing brothers, Xing Peng and Xing Yi.

Lin Xuedong, however, was devoted to Liu Sisi and lacked the womanizing tendencies that others might have. Therefore, he maintained a virtuous lifestyle for many years, preferring to remain single rather than engage in casual relationships.

"Old Li, why not take this opportunity to get a new job and seriously find a marriage partner? Actually, we're all approaching forty, it's about time we settled down," Lin Xuedong remarked with some feeling.

Li Songze poured himself a drink and drank alone, his expression indifferent and unperturbed. "Without a heart to belong to, how easy is it to find true love?"

"Sigh... Ah Dong, with Lao Li's wealth and background, you can't understand his worries. Marriage has to be something he likes first, and secondly, it has to be something the elders approve of! Otherwise, it's better to be carefree like this now," Xing Peng glanced at Li Songze. "Right?"

Li Songze pursed his thin lips first, then smiled slightly.