{Shen Qi was concise: “The airport.” 1}

Faced with the message from Gu Wei, at first, even Shen Qi himself couldn’t believe how much it mattered to him.

But the slight glimmer in his usually indifferent eyes didn’t lie.

Whether he wanted to admit it or not, it felt as if, from the very beginning, he had been waiting for her return.

Now that she was willing to come back early, it confirmed his suspicions. Everything was unfolding exactly as he had anticipated, down to the smallest detail—she still had him on her mind. There was no need for him to bow his head, no need for any clumsy excuses. Between them, due to her habitual giving, such things were never required.

“Aren’t you leaving yet?”

If, in the previous moment, his gaze toward the phone had been somewhat gentle, his attitude toward Cheng Shuangyi in the next was filled with coldness and irritation. His tone was no longer even remotely polite.

He had intended to leave it at that, but the startled woman seemed to be waiting for something impractical and far-fetched.

Shen Qi opened the door to the presidential suite. His rejection was now clear, and he didn’t mind admitting bluntly, “I don’t have time to play these boring games with you.”

If Cheng Shuangyi still lingered, it would be nothing but self-humiliation.

She left reluctantly, trying to turn back in anger to curse at him, but Shen Qi didn’t give her the chance.

He shut the door with a hurried “bang,” signaling the end of this tiresome game with Cheng Shuangyi.

The contrast between what was cheap and easily obtained, and what was truly precious, became stark. With inferior company as a backdrop, true feelings began to emerge. Shen Qi had to admit that in this comparison, he was using his own emotions as the standard, and the choice he made was simply the one most beneficial to himself.

But he was still convinced that this was exactly what Qian Xu had been yearning for all these years.

Everyone has moments of confusion—no matter. For him, it was nothing more than a trivial mistake. Shen Qi felt there was nothing remarkable about it. As long as he had even a slight desire to fix things, everything would fall into place smoothly, and her true affection would still be his for the taking.

He remembered all the storms Qian Xu had weathered by his side over the years.

However, he didn’t seem to realize that it was his reckless decisions and his return to China that had caused Qian Xu so much suffering in just two short months.

Shen Qi even believed that his current actions were, in a way, showing kindness and responsibility. After all, there was still time to set things right. As for Cheng Shuangyi, she was merely an insignificant sideshow.

He hadn’t been in any rush to end things with her back in the U.S.; it was Qian Xu’s attitude that had influenced his decision.

Shen Qi had also thought he could easily let go of the past without feeling anything, but unexpectedly, he found himself reminiscing. It turned out that having someone willing to stand behind him unconditionally was a deeply reassuring presence. Compared to Cheng Shuangyi, who constantly craved attention and performance, he much preferred the quiet and calm that Qian Xu embodied.

…

In Jiangcheng, on an ordinary morning, Shen Qi, who rarely paid attention to his own children, sat at the breakfast table, surprisingly calling them over. His gesture was awkward, more like beckoning to stray cats and dogs than to his own son and daughter. “Shen Qinian, Shen Qiyue, come here.”

“Daddy’s calling us!”

Shen Qiyue was thrilled, believing this was her reward for helping her father reconnect with her mother.

Before this, even seeing her father had been a luxury. She could hardly imagine him calling their names so warmly at the breakfast table. It was something she had dreamed of for as long as she could remember.

She could hardly believe it and desperately wanted to share the news with her mother.

Unfortunately, it was still too early, and Cheng Shuangyi hadn’t woken up yet.

Her brother, who was running alongside her, didn’t show any visible reaction, but Shen Qiyue could sense the barely concealed joy in his steps.

Standing upright in front of their father, the children didn’t earn Shen Qi’s satisfaction, but neither did they meet with his usual impatience. His tone was calm as he spoke to them about the day’s plans.

“I called you over for something important.”

“I’ve invited a fashion designer here today,” Shen Qi said, gesturing to a woman in a graceful qipao beside him. “The two of you will cooperate and get fitted for some new clothes.”

Shen Qinian, accustomed to rejecting any female presence around their father, was predictably cold toward this designer. Her reaction was rooted in her loyalty to her mother.

Anyone who might threaten her mother’s future status wasn’t someone she would like.

Shen Qiyue, really, was one step away from dragging her brother into a united front of rejecting this so-called fashion designer.