[Free] The Years We Missed

Chapter 1

On the third floor of the Paramount Hotel, inside the grand ballroom where a charity cocktail reception hosted by the luxury jewelry brand Cavalline was taking place, crystal chandeliers shimmered brilliantly, their light reflecting off glasses of rippling wine.

Laughter and conversation blended with soft jazz melodies. Impeccably tailored evening gowns and extravagant accessories spoke volumes of the guests’ refined taste and extravagant status.

Amid the sea of dazzling attire, Tian Xu Ning stood out so distinctly that no one could possibly overlook him. Warm golden light traced the sharp, perfectly balanced features of a face breathtakingly beautiful. The exquisitely tailored suit hugged his tall frame, accentuating broad shoulders and endlessly long legs, enough to haunt the dreams of countless admirers.

He was Tian Xu Ning, the award-winning actor, the global ambassador of Cavalline, the man who had conquered the title of Best Actor in just four years after skyrocketing to fame through the boys’ love drama Revenge Love.

In today’s entertainment industry, Tian Xu Ning was a name synonymous with both popularity and proven talent, his status virtually unshakable.

While engaged in conversation with Cavalline’s chief designer, Tian Xu Ning suddenly paused. His gaze drifted instinctively toward the distance. Amid the bustling crowd, a familiar figure slipped through his line of sight, so fleeting it almost felt like an illusion.

Startled, he looked again, more carefully this time. But the figure had already vanished into the sea of guests and the dazzling glow of crystal lights.

A flicker of panic crossed his eyes, his heartbeat falling into disarray.

Murmuring a quick apology to the chief designer, he turned and moved away, almost without thinking. His gaze swept across the ballroom, searching desperately, hoping to catch sight once more of that silhouette that had just passed him by.

Outside on the balcony, Zi Yu took a hurried drag from his cigarette, letting the night breeze wash over him, easing the dizziness brought on by alcohol.

Smoke spilled from his lips, hazy as it curled around a handsome face still marked by a youthful air.

But only moments later, the smoke was swept away by the wind, leaving behind a pair of large, luminous eyes, brimming with unshed tears, heavy with sorrow, as though they held countless unspoken burdens.

“Mr. Zi, the man in the black suit just now was Best Actor Tian Xu Ning!” Jiang Rui said excitedly as he took a sip of his drink.

“Just think about it, if we could get him as our brand ambassador, LANXU would skyrocket overnight!”

Zi Yu let out a soft laugh, half joking, half serious,

“Even if we sold LANXU outright, it still wouldn’t be enough to cover a fraction of his endorsement fee. It’s fine to dream, but could you at least dream a little more realistically?”

At present, Zi Yu was the founder of LANXU, an affordable fashion brand that had been established for just two years. Though the brand had gained a modest degree of recognition, within such a vast market it was still little more than a small name.

In order to expand the business, and also for a few personal reasons, he had moved to Beijing only two months earlier.

As a “small-time CEO,” securing an invitation to tonight’s gala had required calling in more favors than he cared to admit.

Inside the opulent ballroom, surrounded by influential figures from the fashion industry and high-profile celebrities, he and Jiang Rui made the rounds, shaking hands, exchanging countless business cards, and delivering more polite pleasantries than he could count.

By the time the alcohol began to take effect and his steps grew slightly unsteady, Tian Xu Ning suddenly appeared before his eyes, snapping him sharply back to full awareness.

Four years had passed. He had changed little. Still as handsome as ever, yet now his presence carried a maturity, confidence, and magnetism that made it impossible to look away.

With just a fleeting glance, Zi Yu found himself unable to tear his eyes away.

A bitter smile flickered at the corner of his lips, only to be swallowed moments later by the curling smoke of his cigarette.

They came from two entirely different worlds. It had been that way before, and it remained the same now. To him, all Zi Yu could do was tilt his head and look up.

Jiang Rui continued, cutting off Zi Yu’s train of thought,

“Then why not go talk to Ivan? He’s the chief designer of Cavalline, you know.”

Zi Yu rolled his eyes, his tone betraying a hint of exasperation,

“I can’t just introduce myself out of nowhere, it’s way too presumptuous.”

“Mr. Zi, you can’t do business with such thin skin,” Jiang Rui chided.

Zi Yu shot back immediately,

“If you want thick skin, go find Zhuo Yang. I put up the money, he does all the work. Yet when it comes down to it, he’s off chasing girls and dumping all the work on me.”

Zhuo Yang was the co-founder of LANXU alongside Zi Yu, handling most of the managerial duties. By the original agreement, Zi Yu only needed to invest the capital, then sit back and wait for his share of the profits. In theory, that was how it worked. In reality, it was brutal. Since LANXU’s founding, Zhuo Yang had never been willing to let him take it easy. Every trivial task somehow ended up on Zi Yu’s plate, always under the guise of keeping him busy to “help him forget what needed forgetting.”

What made it worse, of course, was that Zhuo Yang knew Zi Yu hated these social obligations. Yet he had shifted the responsibility to Zi Yu just to smooth things over with a girlfriend. If Zi Yu hadn’t known that Tian Xu Ning would be at the gala, he wouldn’t have come at all.

To dodge Jiang Rui’s endless chatter, Zi Yu cut him off,

“I’m a little drunk. Go down to the garage and get the car. I’ll finish this cigarette, then we leave.”

Jiang Rui left. Zi Yu took a few drags, then stubbed out the cigarette, turning toward the elevator.

But before he could take a step, a voice - both familiar and strange - suddenly rang out, making his heart skip a beat.

“Zi Yu, you’ve been hiding really well. If you’re so good at running away, why not disappear for life?”