On the glass, the traces of fingertips slowly gliding across it were clearly visible.

The courtyard was bustling with noise. Jin Yaotiao closed her eyes, and countless images rushed through her mind, where the past and present merged, ultimately freezing in a scene of foreign streets with maple leaves outside an open window.

So that’s how it is.

Shen Qiming watched as she opened her eyes and looked around the courtyard. A slow smile appeared on his lips, and a hint of joy appeared in his eyes.

Then his gaze suddenly froze.

Because on Jin Yaotiao’s smiling face, a droplet of clear water was sliding down her delicate profile.

Shen Qiming: “!”

He froze for a few seconds, unsure of what to do.

He quickly walked around the floor-to-ceiling window and entered the office building, which had yet to be officially used.

When he found Jin Yaotiao’s office, she seemed to have regained her calm.

There was no trace of sadness on her face. She was sitting on a chair near the window, gazing outside.

The sunlight illuminated the fiery red maple leaves, and the warm light spilled over her, making her look slender and relaxed, like a blooming rose.

Hearing Shen Qiming enter, Jin Yaotiao turned around.

She saw Shen Qiming standing at the door, looking like a big dog who had been hit on the head and didn’t know what had gone wrong.

Shen Qiming, clearly deep in thought about his mistake, spoke in a low voice, “…Is it the type of maple tree you don’t like? I’ll have someone replace them.”

He was wearing a gray coat, stepping into the sunlight, radiating brightness from head to toe.

She chuckled, suddenly realizing how peaceful her emotions were at this moment, to the point that she could calmly reflect on her own mistakes. She shook her head and said, “Shen Qiming, I’m sorry.”

Shen Qiming didn’t expect to hear that: “…Why are you apologizing?”

What did I do wrong? I’ll change.

“At least, I shouldn’t have doubted your motivation in investing in Mingde through the foundation.” Jin Yaotiao exhaled and said calmly, “And I realized that I wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

Shen Qiming’s brows furrowed suddenly, and he stepped forward, squatting in front of her. “Yaotiao, you are great. You’ve always been great. It’s my fault for not being good enough, which is why I couldn’t keep you.”

He paused for a moment and then added, “But I will work hard to win you back.”

Jin Yaotiao lowered her gaze, and the golden-red light from outside the window bathed Shen Qiming’s deep, handsome profile, casting a distinct shadow.

For the first time, she could look at this face, which had once made her heart race, without any prejudice, and reflect on everything from the past.

Jin Yaotiao glanced at the fiery red outside the window and felt a sense of relief. “Shen Qiming, stop chasing me. Really, it has nothing to do with whether or not I’m with you. There are just too many things I want to do now.”

For example, creating a business empire all by herself.

Shen Qiming paused and suddenly said, “Yaotiao, from the first time you said you liked me to our engagement, it’s been twelve years.”

Jin Yaotiao looked at him, surprised by his good memory.

“More than ten years, and I’ve been the one making you suffer all this time. I’m sorry,” Shen Qiming said. “Now, you can do whatever you want. Just don’t resist my closeness.”

Jin Yaotiao was silent for a moment: “…What if, after another twelve years, I still don’t respond to you?”

Shen Qiming’s gaze was like a deep ocean: “Then in the next twelve years, I should still be alive. I have many twelve years to learn how to pursue you.”

Jin Yaotiao: “…You’re quite the talker now.”

Shen Qiming squatted in front of her, looking up at her.

A few strands of hair fell on his forehead, and he smiled slightly, filling the room with light. “Have I improved compared to before?”

Jin Yaotiao met his gaze and slowly spoke, “…When I drew a heart on the glass earlier, I knew something was off.”

Shen Qiming: “?”

Jin Yaotiao: “Where did you learn all this? Even your speech has tone markers now.”

You used to be a domineering CEO, but now your character is crumbling day by day.

Shen Qiming’s long eyelashes fluttered, and thinking about the book How to Be a Little Wolf Dog That Rich Women Love in his car, he calmly replied, “Nope.”

---

Before the employees of the branch office even entered the new office building, they were already amazed by the smoky red maples in the courtyard.

As they walked in, their steps subconsciously slowed, as if they feared disturbing the beautiful scenery.

Upon entering the new building and looking down from the windows on the upper floors, the maple forest was even more breathtaking.

The employees crowded around the windows to admire the view, tears filling their eyes.

“Our company is really becoming more and more like a fairyland. Not only is the cafeteria great, but the workplace is almost like a scenic area.”

“Yeah, who needs to go to a park on dates now? Just bring your partner to the company on a day off and work overtime. You can eat in the cafeteria and stroll downstairs during lunch break. It’s going to be so lovely.”

“By the way, the new building is so big, so the cafeteria must have been expanded. I wonder what delicious dishes they’ll have. Yesterday, the stir-fried donkey meat in the old building was amazing. Today, since we moved to the new location, there must be a celebratory meal.”

“I just saw Master Ma and Master Tu bringing all their newly recruited apprentices in one car. It’s definitely not a small event.”

Jiang Bai was also stunned by the sight of the red leaves in the courtyard, unable to come back to his senses. He turned to Jin Yaotiao and said, “Chairman Jin, nice job. This arrangement of the maple trees must have been done by an extraordinary landscaping company. Where did you get such amazing maple trees?”

Jin Yaotiao sat behind her desk, resting her chin in her hand, gazing out the window, silently turning a pen.