Alistair's Ex-Girlfriend

 [It's not an excuse, knowing this was his ex's restaurant, why did Alistair book it here? It's infuriating! Even I wanted to hit him!]

 Jiang Jing's message flashed on Lily's screen.

[Meng must have felt terrible. She said she was going out to find you. As soon as she left, Mishan mentioned she had other friends coming and left after a drink.]

 [No one knows what happened outside. Meng came back looking distraught, and Mishan followed, constantly apologizing. Meng ignored her, grabbed her bag, and when Mishan tried to stop her, Meng pushed her. Mishan fell against the table, cutting her face. Honestly, it looked somewhat staged.]

 [Alistair demanded an apology, but Meng refused, saying she did nothing wrong, and ran out...]

After reading Jiang Jing's messages and listening to Aria for about twenty minutes, Lily had a clear picture of the events. She stood up from the bench and pulled Aria to her feet, heading back.

 "I don't want to go back, I want to go home," Aria protested.

Lily held her cold hand, her light smile scattering in the wind. "Why be afraid? She loves to act, right? Well, I've been getting into acting myself lately. Let's see how she does against me."

Dusk settled, the glow of the setting sun fading into the horizon, leaving only a blush of red in the sky. By the river outside the restaurant, a few outdoor seats were set up for relaxation.

 Edmond found Alistair sitting alone, looking out at the river. The red glow from his cigarette flickered in the breeze. He was staring at the water, lost in thought.

 "You look so pitiful that I almost don't want to hit you," Edmond said, sitting down beside him. "But I still have to punch you twice, or I won't be able to face Lily."

 Alistair turned to him, tossing his cigarette pack and lighter over. "Betraying friends for a girl, huh?"

 Edmond took a cigarette and lit it. "If I'd known this was your ex-girlfriend's restaurant, I wouldn't have picked it."

 He exhaled a thin cloud of smoke, clearly annoyed, and kicked Alistair's leg. "Tonight was my idea, and now Lily probably thinks I knew. I'll have to explain it to her later, and who knows if she'll believe me. Thanks a lot."

 Alistair was equally frustrated. "Yeah, I knew it was Mishan's restaurant, but I swear, I picked it because the food is good. She told me she wouldn't be in town. I didn't expect to see her today."

 When he booked the private room, Mishan had said she was going back to her hometown and arranged everything with her manager. Running into her at the entrance was unexpected, as she claimed to have returned early. She only wanted to say hello. He had nothing to hide and didn't think much of it. Who could have predicted the subsequent chaos?

 Edmond asked, "So what happened after Aria left the room?"

 Alistair scratched his head in frustration. "Mishan owns this place because I helped her open it. She wanted to repay me, but I refused. She called earlier to apologize, saying she wanted to give the money to Aria. When Aria found out I financed it, she got upset."

 Edmond almost choked on his smoke. "You funded this place?"

His expression darkened. "Don't tell me you're still entangled with her."

 "Absolutely not!" Alistair defended himself. "I have boundaries!"

 Alistair's relationships were clean cut. He dated multiple women, but never at the same time. Each relationship was legitimate, ending cleanly before starting another. He had principles, respecting each girlfriend and ensuring they parted on good terms, often with generous compensation. He wasn't wrong, at least in his view.

 Their social circle was rife with entanglements, making clean breakups rare. Edmond was an anomaly. He was an enigma—no entanglements, no dalliances, a 32-year-old with no sexual history. Alistair sometimes thought Edmond's unusual purity was a result of his traumatic upbringing, including a horrific accident that had consumed all his energy to simply survive.

 Edmond listened to Alistair's lengthy defense before correcting him, "I'm not a virgin anymore. Lily kissed me last night."

 Though it was brief.

 Alistair was speechless. Bragging about a single kiss at 32? Refocusing, he admitted, "Mishan and I ended things cleanly, but we stayed in touch. I didn't anticipate today's disaster. After Aria ran out, I was going to clear things up but the timing was terrible."

 Edmond sensed a deeper issue. "You usually cut ties cleanly. Why stay connected to Mishan? You helped open this restaurant last year, long after your breakup. Why?"

 Alistair took several deep drags on his cigarette before answering, "I owe her. When she left the industry, it was because of me. She needed help, and I couldn't turn her away."

 The biting wind from the river cut through their conversation, chilling them to the bone. Alistair's story finished, leaving Edmond silent. After a moment, Edmond asked, "What about Aria?"

 Alistair stared at the glowing end of his cigarette. "She's sweet. I don't hate her, but I don't want to ruin her life."

 Alistair understood himself well. Marriage wasn't for him; he valued his freedom too much to commit, knowing he'd only hurt Aria if he did. He'd agreed to the engagement under family pressure but saw it as temporary. He hadn't expected the arrangement to solidify so quickly.

 "I came tonight to clear things up with her, but Mishan's presence complicated everything."

His phone buzzed with messages from Lily:

 [I don't know how important Mishan is to Alistair, but I won't tolerate her bullying Aria. I'm about to confront her. If you want to stop me, you'll have to knock me out.]

 [If you knew about Mishan and didn't warn me, I'll be angry with you for a month and won't speak to you.]

 [Alistair's behavior is unacceptable. Even if he dislikes Aria, there's no need to humiliate her. Knowing his fiancée's sensitivity about Mishan, yet bringing her into the room, is inexcusable.]

 [Ask him if he truly doesn't want to marry Aria. If that's the case, I'll persuade Aria to leave him.]

 [If you're on my side, meet me in half an hour. Otherwise, we're in a cold war.]

 Edmond read the messages repeatedly, fixating on the words "cold war for a month," "I'm very angry," and "I don't want to talk to you."

 Pocketing his phone, he stood up and pulled Alistair to his feet, his fist connecting with Alistair's face in a swift, unhesitating punch.