{She always holds the steering wheel herself. 4}

But Zhao Buhui didn’t seem to care about it face to face.

Even though Zhao Buhui was the boss, he didn’t seem like someone who promoted an overtime culture. Something felt off, and Qian Xu unconsciously started considering other possibilities.

What if she didn’t stay for overtime? If she didn’t remain at Zhao Tian Group, who might she run into?

In the vast city of Jiangcheng, the only person who could both pose a threat to her and cause her discomfort was none other than Shen Qi, someone who could never understand her words, yet whose status had drastically changed.

Qian Xu understood his good intentions but still rejected them.

Avoiding him every time was not her way.

Just because he appeared, did that mean she wouldn’t even be able to maintain her normal work schedule? Would she have to live in constant fear, like when buying water at a convenience store, always walking on eggshells, worried that she might run into Shen Qi?

If he really intended to show up again and again in her life, eventually, he would have to get used to her indifference.

As she took the elevator directly to the ground floor, she noticed the dark car parked in front of Zhao Tian Group’s fountain but pretended not to see it. She wondered at his leisure. During their time in the U.S., she had never seen him so free that he could park his car outside her school. The rare times they met were when he entrusted her with the bothersome task of babysitting his child.

Other than that, there hadn’t been much connection between her and Shen Qi.

Only later did she realize that their relationship, from the start, had been based on a fundamentally unequal footing. He had always taken her efforts for granted.

Now that she had clearly expressed her rejection and even stated outright that they should “cut ties,” he instead appeared everywhere in her life.

She thought, this wasn’t about lingering old feelings—this was more about his pride, which wouldn’t allow any challenge to his authority.

Her resistance had wounded his pride, making him uncomfortable.

He was now trying every possible way to regain control over her.

Through this experience, Qian Xu had come to see another side of Shen Qi. She realized that while he appeared polite and restrained on the surface, deep down, he was a complete madman who wouldn’t tolerate anyone challenging his authority.

She wondered what would happen if she, one day, competed with Shen Qi at the negotiation table in the business world and took away his interests.

Would the expression on his face be even more fascinating?

Would he, having been hurt so deeply, crumble like she nearly had?

Qian Xu boarded her car with an expressionless face. As for the dark sports car behind her, she didn’t have time to hear its engine roar. Now, sitting in the driver’s seat of her own car, she was in control.

Even if her car was just a simple Beetle, at least she never had to worry about being forced out of the driver’s seat.

But then, another man suddenly appeared in her field of vision, and she was surprised. She didn’t know why Zhao Buhui had returned to Zhao Tian at this moment. Was he here to witness her gossip first-hand, to see how the woman who argued during the day shed tears at night?

Qian Xu chose to ignore him completely.

She turned the steering wheel with one hand and smoothly drove onto the wide road.

…

Zhao Buhui rushed back.

He hadn’t been this diligent about visiting his own company in a long time. After becoming an adult, such visits had become rare. Today was special, though, and it was all because of a woman—he had made two trips in one day.

Zhao Buhui didn’t fully understand what drove him to do this.

But he knew himself well. If he didn’t make this special trip, his conscience might not be at ease.

He had driven quickly, worried that if he arrived late, Qian Xu, all alone, might be helpless against Shen Qi.

However, when he finally arrived, he realized that he had been overthinking. Shen Qi’s low-key sports car was indeed parked near the fountain, but there was no sign of a woman cowering or retreating.

Qian Xu hadn’t hesitated at all. She had walked straight to the underground parking lot, and shortly after, drove out in her red Beetle.

The Volkswagen model had already been discontinued. He didn’t know how she had gotten her hands on it after returning to China.

However, he thought that, when it came to cars, her taste wasn’t too bad. The only time she might have had poor judgment was when she chose a man, which might explain the three years Shen Qi had spoken of.

He stood with interest, watching from a distance.

Given that she worked at his father’s company and he had come all this way for her, one might expect her to at least acknowledge him. But it seemed she had noticed him from the beginning and deliberately chose to ignore him without any hesitation.

The woman skillfully maneuvered her car with one hand, steering it past the marble edge of the fountain and disappearing into the dark night.