{Shen Qi, do you have the right to say that? 3}

For the first time in her life, Qian Xu nodded guiltily.

This surprised Qian Xu.

She knew that if she had recklessly slapped the son of President Zhao, even though such a vulgar act wouldn’t greatly affect the company’s operations, it would definitely leave a thorn in the father’s heart.

Zhao Buhui didn’t mention it, clearly not wanting to leave that thorn behind.

Based on her past impressions of spoiled rich kids like Zhao Buhui, Qian Xu thought they would immediately mock her if they were ever hurt—saying something like, “What, disappointed with Shen Qi, so now you take it out on every man you meet?”

But Zhao Buhui didn’t say a word. He had only given her one warning and then let it go. He didn’t dwell on their relationship or make a scene. Though his pride was hurt, his emotions remained stable. He didn’t throw a tantrum or wallow in self-pity, and he left with a surprising sense of grace.

Qian Xu re-evaluated her initial judgment of Zhao Buhui and realized that, compared to Chairman Zhang, the man had been much kinder to her.

Her frown eased.

She glanced out at the snow; the snowfall had lessened, showing signs of melting.

–

Back at his business, Zhao Buhui did something out of the ordinary for the cold weather—he asked the front desk for an ice pack.

The receptionist, hired by him personally, was concerned: “Boss, what happened to you…?”

Zhao Buhui didn’t feel like explaining such an embarrassing incident, so he waved his hand, grabbed the ice pack, and quickly hid it behind his back. He couldn’t wait to press it against his burning face. Why hadn’t he realized before that a woman’s strength could be so formidable?

Or maybe it was just that, up until now, he hadn’t gotten on a woman’s bad side.

No, he didn’t provoke her today either.

Maybe Qian Xu just had a vengeful streak. He had only given her a brief reminder, nothing more. Did that really warrant such a heavy-handed response?

He never mistreated his employees and didn’t want to ignore the receptionist, so he forced himself to say, “I don’t feel anything when I drink whiskey without ice.”

He wasn’t sure if his receptionist could read between the lines, but she seemed to take his weak excuse seriously. When he returned to his private room, he found that all the drinks had been served on ice.

In this weather, was she trying to freeze him?

But he couldn’t be bothered.

First, he had to ice his face.

As he applied the ice, he realized that Xu Qingyan had been sitting there for quite some time. His eyes were unfocused, and he seemed deeply heartbroken.

Xu Qingyan’s gaze was empty, filled with despair.

Zhao Buhui knew all about the woman who had hurt him. He had even warned him before, “I told you, you couldn’t handle Cheng Shuangyi. But you didn’t listen. Now you’ve been dumped, and you’re feeling the pain, right?”

Xu Qingyan was sucking on a bottle of alcohol, but Zhao Buhui casually snatched it away. Xu Qingyan didn’t even seem upset—his demeanor was so passive. “Buhui, I don’t understand.”

He gripped the acrylic coffee table tightly, struggling to pull himself up from the floor. “Why was Shuangyi in such a hurry to leave me? Just because my net worth today isn’t as high as Shen Qi, who just came back from the U.S.?”

“You’re an idiot. Why would you compare yourself to someone like him?”

Just mentioning Shen Qi seemed to bring bad luck to Zhao Buhui.

“I’m talking about Cheng Shuangyi,” Xu Qingyan’s usually playful face showed a rare flicker of genuine emotion and understanding. “Don’t you know that some women are naturally emotionally distant? They don’t have the capacity to love anyone.”

He didn’t define all women this way but mused to himself, “But some women are different.”

For a brief moment, Zhao Buhui couldn’t help but drift into a meaningless exploration of life. He didn’t know why, but Qian Xu’s cold, distant, and restrained face—beautiful yet unapproachable—flashed in his mind.

He had touched her sharp, thorny edges.

Yet he still believed she might be one of those “different” women.

Zhao Buhui quickly snapped back to his usual laid-back self, no longer caught up in the murky subject. “Anyway, you should be glad you can walk away now. Otherwise, you might’ve lost more than just a relationship.”

Zhao Buhui wasn’t the type to get overly involved. He saw things clearly, though he wasn’t great at weighing pros and cons. He just wanted Xu Qingyan to move on.

He gave his old friend a firm pat on the shoulder, and Xu Qingyan’s vacant stare seemed to focus slightly, as if Zhao Buhui’s words had had a small but noticeable effect.

Zhao Buhui, thinking of himself as too macho to say anything overly emotional or cheesy, guided him back to the pool table next door to shoot a few rounds.

However, just as Xu Qingyan was getting up, a rapid knock came from outside the private room.