Chapter 1

At dusk, the remnants of the setting sun spilled through the glass curtain walls of the office.

The powerful air conditioning overhead ensured that those inside felt none of the stifling summer heat that blanketed the city.

Cheng Li picked up her coffee from the desk, her eyes still fixed on the computer screen.

Compared to the endless sound of clacking keyboards around her, she appeared particularly composed and at ease.

Her computer was playing a rather unconventional press conference, which clearly had little to do with her work.

It wasn’t until someone lightly tapped her on the shoulder that she looked up.

Standing before her was the company’s CEO, Ren Kuang.

She removed the wireless earbuds from her ears.

“I’ve sent you the latest optimization plan for the foundational architecture system. Have you had a chance to review it?” Cheng Li asked, unfazed at being caught slacking off by the boss, speaking directly.

Ren Kuang glanced at her screen. “Watching Qiyu Technology’s latest press conference?”

“Qiyu announced they’re getting into car manufacturing. I figure it’s only a matter of time before they venture into autonomous driving. Know your enemy, right?”

Ren Kuang chuckled. “Bold of you to consider an industry leader like Qiyu our rival. I like that.”

Still, it was clear he wasn’t here for small talk.

“Come to my office for a moment.”

Cheng Li nodded and pressed the spacebar to pause the video.

They entered Ren Kuang’s office one after the other. Instead of sitting, Ren walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and stood there.

“I remember how ambitious I felt when I first moved into this office.”

Cheng Li paused briefly, then sincerely said, “You still are.”

“Lao Yu officially handed in his resignation today.”

At these words, Cheng Li’s heart sank, though there was also a sense of relief, as if a weight had finally lifted.

Yu Cheng was Cheng Li’s direct supervisor and the chief architect of Fanhai Intelligent Systems. However, rumors had been circulating within the company lately that he was planning to resign.

Cheng Li had repeatedly urged her subordinates not to spread unverified gossip.

Yet Yu Cheng’s frequent absences recently had forced much of the work onto her shoulders.

There’s no smoke without fire.

And now, the fire had indeed spread through Fanhai, a budding autonomous driving startup.

Seeing Cheng Li’s silence, Ren got straight to the point. “What are your thoughts?”

Thoughts?

What thoughts could she possibly have?

Alarmed by the question, Cheng Li quickly replied, “Senior, I have no intention of leaving with Director Yu.”

When a key technical figure in a startup departs, it often leads to a wave of resignations from their team.

Such collective exits can be highly disruptive for any company.

“I know that,” Ren laughed, not expecting her to bring this up. “You’re one of mine. No matter what Yu Cheng does, there’s no way he could take you with him. I’m guessing he didn’t even give you a heads-up about his resignation.”

Cheng Li nodded. He hadn’t.

Three years ago, when Ren Kuang decided to venture into the autonomous driving sector, it was during a booming period for the industry. Given his years of experience at leading domestic tech firms, he had no shortage of connections and technical know-how.

Ren Kuang personally recruited Cheng Li from their alma mater, not only because they graduated from the same university but also because Cheng Li’s professional skills stood out. She was the top student of her year.

Over the past three years, Cheng Li had exceeded expectations, rising from an assistant engineer to her current role as a senior engineer.

Ren Kuang looked at her. “To be honest, you’ve always surprised me. After the company was founded, we faced a funding crisis, and several people left. Morale was low, and I thought the pressure might get to you, that you’d leave too. But you never complained and performed better than anyone.”

Cheng Li’s heart raced at Ren Kuang’s words of praise.

“Though Danny is still considering it, I’ve already made up my mind,” Ren said with a slight smile. “After Yu Cheng leaves, I want you to take over his position.”

Danny was the company’s co-founder.

Chief Architect.

Cheng Li took a deep breath. Though Fanhai was only three years old, it had already gained a reputation as a rising star in the autonomous driving industry, with a bright future ahead.

She had assumed it would take years before she could advance further.

Yet here was the opportunity, right in front of her.

Without hesitation, Cheng Li replied calmly, “I won’t let you down.”

“You never have,” Ren said with a hearty laugh.

They chatted for another ten minutes before Ren said, “It’s almost time to clock out. I won’t hold you up from your date.”

Cheng Li froze.

“Dressed so beautifully today—must be for a Qixi^[1]Qixi (七夕), also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day, is celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar. date with your boyfriend,” Ren Kuang teased.

It was Qixi, the traditional Chinese Valentine’s Day. Advertisements and promotions filled the streets, making it impossible to ignore.

Normally, Cheng Li preferred simple, practical attire, but today she was wearing a mint-green dress. The fresh color made her fair skin appear even more delicate and radiant.

Besides, she was a striking beauty to begin with.

When Ren Kuang had first been introduced to Cheng Li by a professor, he’d wondered if someone so stunning could really focus on technical work.

Cheng Li had thoroughly shattered that superficial assumption.

She smiled. “You guessed it.”

Ren Kuang said lightly, “Xu Jiheng is a lucky guy, landing the face of Fanhai. By the way, since I played matchmaker, I expect to sit at the main table at your wedding.”

“Of course,” Cheng Li replied.

Cheng Li’s boyfriend, Xu Jiheng, was also an alumnus of J University.

The two hadn’t known each other during college. Their first encounter was due to Fanhai’s financing project, as Xu Jiheng worked in investment banking.

So when Ren Kuang called himself their matchmaker, it wasn’t entirely baseless.

*

After leaving Ren Kuang’s office, Cheng Li walked back to her desk, noticing the teasing expressions of her colleagues along the way.

It all became clear when she saw the enormous bouquet of roses sitting on her desk.

“You’ve got to hand it to Mr. Xu,” her assistant, Zuo Qingqing, whispered. “When the delivery guy brought these in, the whole office erupted.”

Cheng Li smiled faintly.

Just as she was about to message Xu Jiheng on WeChat, her phone rang—as if he had read her mind.

It was a call from him, likely to arrange dinner plans.

As soon as the call connected, Xu Jiheng’s voice came through: “Lili, I’m so sorry. I just got a last-minute notice from work. I have to make a short trip to Hangzhou.”

Cheng Li hadn’t expected this and was momentarily taken aback.

When she didn’t respond, Xu Jiheng, aware of his guilt, softened his tone to coax her. “I promise I’ll make it up to you when I get back. Don’t be mad at me, or I won’t be able to focus on work.”

Hearing this, Cheng Li relented. “It’s fine. Work is important.”

“Don’t sound so upset,” he added, then asked, “Did you get the flowers?”

“I did. They’re beautiful. Everyone’s so envious of me.”

Relieved, Xu Jiheng chuckled. “I promise I’ll make sure everyone envies you forever.”

After hanging up, Cheng Li sat down, ready to dive back into work.

In the high-pressure environment of an internet company, overtime was common. Still, being Qixi, many colleagues had clocked out on time for their dates.

“Boss, aren’t you leaving?” Zuo Qingqing asked as her boyfriend called, prompting her to shut down her computer and prepare to head out.

Seeing her superior still at her desk, she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

“You go ahead. I’ll leave after I finish this,” Cheng Li replied.

Zuo Qingqing nodded knowingly. “Got it. You’re probably waiting for Mr. Xu to pick you up, right?”

When Xu Jiheng had pursued Cheng Li, it was a grand affair witnessed by many in the company. The couple was well-liked and admired.

Cheng Li smiled without commenting.

She simply didn’t want to go home too early and face her mother’s probing questions about why she wasn’t out with Xu Jiheng tonight.

Around seven, Cheng Li stretched and pulled out her phone to book a ride home.

Even the ride-hailing app showed a queue.

While waiting for a driver to accept her request, she casually opened Weibo and came across a photo Xu Jiheng had posted earlier of the sky.

She clicked on it, intending to like the post.

But accidentally tapped into his “Liked” section instead.

At the top was a selfie of a young woman.

On a whim, Cheng Li clicked into the woman’s profile.

The latest post was of a bouquet of roses.

It was normal for someone to share flowers on Qixi. What wasn’t normal was the fact that the bouquet she posted looked exactly like the one sitting on Cheng Li’s desk.

From the white wrapping paper to the black satin ribbon, they were identical.

Cheng Li took a deep breath. She reminded herself not to let her imagination run wild. The woman had merely received a “like” from Xu Jiheng. It was Qixi, after all, and a boyfriend sending roses was completely normal. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that they came from the same florist.

At that moment, her driver called to inform her that he was almost downstairs.

She quickly shut down her computer and, after some thought, decided to take the bouquet with her.

Once in the car, the driver confirmed her phone number before preparing to depart.

“Driver, could I change the destination?” Cheng Li asked.

The driver, with a good-natured tone, asked, “Sure, where would you like to go?”

“To Bund J Restaurant,” Cheng Li decided firmly.

She had just seen, in a comment on the girl’s Weibo post, that she mentioned dining at Bund’s most famous J Restaurant tonight.

Cheng Li knew her behavior was irrational—borderline obsessive—but she couldn’t rest without seeing for herself.

Perhaps going there would prove she was simply overthinking.

*

Tonight, the Bund was especially lively. The buildings lining both sides of the river were bathed in a warm golden light, glittering beautifully in the night.

This was the heart of the city, always bustling, and even more so on a festive occasion like this.

When Cheng Li arrived at the restaurant, she found herself at a loss.

She had rushed over without a plan. What was she supposed to do now? Storm into the restaurant and check every table one by one?

The doorman politely inquired, “Miss, do you have a reservation?”

He assumed Cheng Li was a diner.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly before she impulsively gave Xu Jiheng’s phone number.

After checking, the doorman smiled and said, “You have a reservation at table number five, our best seat by the floor-to-ceiling window.”

At that moment, Cheng Li’s last shred of hope was extinguished.

She thought of leaving immediately but found herself compelled to see it with her own eyes.

Declining the staff’s offer to escort her, she walked inside.

The restaurant was quiet, with dim lighting creating an intimate, romantic ambiance. Cheng Li didn’t know where table five was, but she knew it was by the best window seat. She walked along the row of window tables, searching.

Finally, her gaze landed on one spot.

The table was covered in a pristine white cloth, adorned with elegant crystal candle holders and champagne flutes filled with golden liquid.

Her boyfriend, Xu Jiheng, was seated there. Across from him was a woman Cheng Li had never seen before.

On the chair beside the woman lay a bouquet of roses identical to the one Cheng Li had received.

Heh. Men really know how to save effort—two bouquets from the same florist.

Suddenly, Xu Jiheng stood up, startling Cheng Li, who quickly hid behind a nearby pillar. She thought he had spotted her.

But instead, he moved to sit beside the young woman. A waiter raised a phone to take a photo as the woman leaned on Xu Jiheng’s shoulder, their hands linked. They smiled at the camera, just like any other couple in the restaurant tonight.

They looked so sweet, so well-matched.

When the woman whispered something in his ear, Xu Jiheng responded with a faintly helpless smile—a smile Cheng Li had seen countless times before.

She had thought that smile was hers alone, something he showed only when indulging her whims.

But now, she realized even that expression was mass-produced, just like the roses in her hand.

When the woman tilted her face up and Xu Jiheng lowered his head to kiss her, Cheng Li could no longer bear it. She shut her eyes.

She had thought she would be furious, but all she felt was an icy chill creeping into her very being, freezing every inch of her.

How could someone lie so effortlessly, so convincingly?

She recalled his words over the phone earlier: how he promised to make her the envy of everyone.

So this was how he did it—by gifting her a one-of-a-kind betrayal.

Impulsively, she wanted to storm over and expose this man’s disgusting hypocrisy.

But reason told her it would only create a melodramatic scene, reducing her to a laughingstock in the eyes of the restaurant’s patrons.

She didn’t want to degrade herself like that.

This kind of scumbag wasn’t worth it.

Looking at Xu Jiheng, still oblivious to her presence, Cheng Li felt no more attachment.

She turned and left the restaurant. Outside, she glanced at the roses still clutched in her hand. Without hesitation, she threw them into a nearby trash bin.

The once vibrant roses struck the edge of the bin with force, their petals scattering and wilting instantly.

Just like her feelings—sweet and warm moments ago, now completely shattered.