Chapter 23

Lin Yuxi had never been to Zhou Yanjing’s company. 

When Boyu Investment was just starting out, it was during a cold period in their relationship. 

Later, Boyu made a name for itself on Wall Street, growing rapidly into a global top-tier investment bank. 

During Zhou Yanjing’s two-plus years in New York, Lin Yuxi had never once set foot in the United States. 

She didn’t know where Zhou lived there, and she had never been invited. 

She wasn’t thick-skinned enough to chase after heartache. 

Just like when Zhou Yanjing decided to go to New York, his recent decision to return to China was also made without consulting Lin Yuxi. 

He never discussed his matters with her, whether personal or business. 

The towering office building loomed overhead as Lin Yuxi got out of the car and took off her white lab coat. 

She had rushed out too hastily, forgetting to change her coat. Walking into an office building in a lab coat to find someone seemed a bit too strange. 

Like a patient escaping from a psychiatric hospital. 

Inside the building, Lin Yuxi was stopped by the receptionist. 

“I’m here to see Zhou Yanjing.” 

Hearing her call him by his full name, the receptionist gave her a curious glance before politely asking, “Do you have an appointment?” 

Lin Yuxi had run here impulsively, so of course, she didn’t have one. 

This was her first time here, so she didn’t realize she needed an appointment to see her own husband. 

At that moment, the receptionist suddenly nodded toward someone and called out, “Assistant Yang.” 

Yang Kang was about to walk past, but when he saw Lin Yuxi out of the corner of his eye, he stopped abruptly and looked at her in surprise. 

“Why are you here?” 

He didn’t address her as “Mrs.” in front of others, and Lin Yuxi chose not to read into the reasons behind it. 

“Is Zhou Yanjing here?” 

“President Zhou flew to New York two days ago. He still has some things to handle over there.” 

“Oh,” Lin Yuxi responded. 

He came and went freely, and she never knew his whereabouts. 

Yang Kang glanced at his watch. “If it’s urgent, you can try calling him. It’s 10 p.m. in New York right now, so President Zhou should still be awake.” 

Lin Yuxi nodded. “Okay, you can go back to work.” 

The receptionist noticed how respectful Yang Kang was to her. He was Zhou Yanjing’s right-hand man, and for him to be this deferential to such a beautiful woman meant her identity must be significant. 

The young receptionist stared at Lin Yuxi, partly curious and partly nervous, fearing she might have offended an important person and would suffer for it later. 

Lin Yuxi was about to leave but noticed how the girl seemed on the verge of tears, so she offered a kind word of comfort: “No need to be scared. You’re biting your lip till it’s almost bleeding.” 

Her tone and expression were gentle. 

The receptionist blinked in surprise as Lin Yuxi turned and left. 

As she stepped out of the building, a cold wind swiftly penetrated through her sweater, chilling her to the bone. 

Lin Yuxi took out her phone and called Zhou Yanjing. 

The Central Business District was filled with modern, metallic gray-silver buildings, their stone-paved streets reflecting a cold, impersonal atmosphere. 

Her hands quickly grew cold. 

In the past, Zhou Yanjing would warm her hands for her. Sometimes, when he thought it was taking too long, he would pull open his coat and stuff both of her hands inside. 

He was always warm, with tight muscles around his waist radiating heat through the fabric, enveloping Lin Yuxi’s icy hands in warmth. 

She was always wrapped in his arms in that position. 

Winter was coming again. 

The phone rang for a while before it was finally answered. 

Lin Yuxi opened her mouth, but all the courage she’d summoned to come this far vanished completely. 

She couldn’t believe herself like a soldier’s horse that falters on the battlefield. 

She stayed silent, and so did the person on the other end. Unsure if the call had even connected, Lin Yuxi finally spoke: 

“Zhou Yanjing.” 

There was the sound of a lighter flicking on the other end. Zhou Yanjing’s voice, possibly lazy from alcohol, came through with a languid drawl: “What’s up?” 

His calm tone helped Lin Yuxi regain some composure, and she found her courage again. “I wanted to ask you…” 

Just as she began, a female voice interrupted from the other end: “Yanjing, do you want some pineapple?” 

Lin Yuxi stopped mid-sentence. 

Zhou Yanjing moved the phone away and responded, “No, thanks.” The woman seemed to say something else, but Lin Yuxi couldn’t make it out, her mind buzzing. 

When Zhou Yanjing’s voice returned on the line, it sounded clear again. “What did you want to ask?” 

There was a pause. 

“Nothing,” Lin Yuxi said. “I’ll talk to you when you get back.” 

Before Zhou could say anything else, she hung up. 

The autumn wind was too cold for just a sweater, and Lin Yuxi felt the chill seep into her bones. 

Her frozen fingers were almost numb, and her attempt to call a car felt clumsy. 

Maybe because of the cold, her body was trembling slightly. 

A black sedan pulled up in front of her, and Yang Kang’s face appeared from the lowered window. “Mrs. Zhou, let me drive you back to the hospital.” 

Lin Yuxi didn’t refuse there was no point in making things harder for herself. 

The car’s heating was warm, and soon her cheeks felt flushed, but she still felt cold inside her bones. 

The half-hour drive back to the hospital was silent. Yang Kang glanced at her through the rearview mirror now and then, seeing her leaning against the seat, staring out the window, lost in thought. 

After pulling into the hospital’s underground parking lot, Yang Kang turned off the engine and said, “We’ve arrived, Mrs. Zhou.” 

Lin Yuxi unbuckled her seatbelt, put her white coat back on, and while buttoning it up, suddenly asked: 

“Assistant Yang, have you met Jiang Nan?” 

Yang Kang froze, unsure how to answer. 

“So, you have met her.” 

Lin Yuxi finished buttoning up and looked up, her face carrying an inexplicable smile as she asked, “Who’s prettier, me or Jiang Nan?” 

Yang Kang, as Zhou Yanjing’s most trusted aide, held the title of assistant but was treated like a vice president. In Boyu, his words represented Zhou Yanjing’s authority. 

He could confidently negotiate deals in cross-border acquisitions and help Zhou Yanjing land major IPO projects, but he was utterly at a loss when faced with this life-threatening question. 

Cold sweat nearly broke out on his forehead. 

“Of course, you’re much more beautiful than Miss Jiang.” 

It wasn’t just flattery few people could compare to Lin Yuxi in terms of looks. 

“Really?” Lin Yuxi asked, her voice tinged with self-mockery. “Then why does Zhou Yanjing love Jiang Nan more?” 

Yang Kang was speechless. 

“President Zhou, he actually” 

But Lin Yuxi had already opened the door and stepped out, walking straight toward the elevator without looking back, her slim figure in the white coat appearing cold and distant. 

The voice she had heard over the phone was unmistakable. Lin Yuxi couldn’t have been wrong. 

It was Jiang Nan’s voice. 

Lin Yuxi didn’t contact Zhou Yanjing again. She didn’t know whether he was still in New York or had returned to China. 

She no longer sought an answer. 

Because she knew it would only lead to humiliation. 

A few days later, one afternoon, Lin Yuxi received a call from Ling Yaqiong. 

“Your Uncle Sheng has passed away. The memorial service is on Saturday morning. Make sure to take time off and attend.” 

Lin Yuxi glanced at her schedule. “I have surgery scheduled for that morning…” 

“Is surgery more important, or is your Uncle Sheng’s memorial more important?” Ling Yaqiong said, displeased. “You’re an adult now. Don’t you understand anything?” 

Lin Yuxi calculated the time. The surgery wasn’t complicated and would take at most an hour. She should be able to make it in time after finishing. 

Without arguing further, she replied, “I understand.” 

But things didn’t go as planned. The surgery went smoothly and was finished in under fifty minutes. However, before she could leave the operating room, an emergency patient was rushed in, their eye burned by chemicals. 

With a doctor’s instinct, Lin Yuxi immediately stayed to perform an urgent wash for the patient and rushed to the memorial afterward.