Chapter 23.1

As Yun Yin was about to leave, Pei Yu grabbed her wrist before she reached the door. He placed a hat on her head, its brim pulled low, obscuring her vision. For a moment, she couldn’t see anything.

Before she could speak, Pei Yu stepped in front of her and adjusted the hat.
“It’s windy outside,” he said.

“Oh,” Yun Yin replied, standing still and letting him fix it.

Once he was done, they finally left. If they didn’t hurry, Pei Yu would be late.

Though Pei Yu didn’t seem to mind.

Yujiang Building, President’s Office.

Pei Yu led Yun Yin to the door of the break room and casually said, “If you’re tired, go in and rest.”

Yun Yin was speechless. She had just woken up.
“I’m not tired,” she protested.

“I know,” Pei Yu replied. “But there’s a bed in there. Don’t sleep on the sofa. Call me if you need anything.”

“Okay. You go work,” Yun Yin said understandingly.

Pei Yu studied her for a moment before turning back to his desk.

In the break room, Yun Yin pulled out her tablet and headphones. She sat at the desk and began doodling on a blank sheet of paper, humming softly to herself.

When the entire page was covered in doodles, Yun Yin finally put down her pen and yawned. The warm room was making her sleepy.

Remembering how she’d caught a cold last time from sleeping on the sofa, she obediently chose the bed this time.

Breathing in the familiar, comforting scent, Yun Yin closed her eyes.

—

Two hours passed without a sound from the lounge.

Pei Yu signed the last document, stood up, and walked toward the lounge. He pushed the door open and saw a small lump under the covers on the bed.

He approached, and as expected, the person on the bed was fast asleep.

He didn’t know how she’d developed this bad habit, but she always liked to bury her head under the covers when she slept.

Pei Yu leaned over and gently pulled the blanket down until her entire face was exposed.

Her delicate face was flushed pink from the warmth. A slight smile tugged at the corner of Pei Yu’s lips, and faint amusement flickered in his dark eyes.

Woke up so early and insisted she wasn’t tired.

Yun Yin’s nap stretched all the way to lunchtime.

It was Pei Yu who woke her, and she slowly stirred.

After lunch, instead of heading to the break room, Yun Yin sat listlessly on the nearby sofa, casting a resentful glance at Pei Yu, who was engrossed in his work.

Working is so boring, she thought. Why did Pei Yu insist I come with him?

She had planned to give him his gift today, then browse the music store and her favorite record shop, which she hadn’t visited in ages.

Yun Yin slumped, absently plucking at the blanket’s fringe. Ever since lunch, she had repeatedly asked when they could leave. Pei Yu had only replied with “Wait,” then returned to his work, seemingly forgetting she was even there.

After a while, Yun Yin straightened up and surveyed the office. Boredom gnawed at her. Her eyes ached from staring at her tablet, so she rose and wandered toward the bookshelf.

“Can I find a book to read?” she asked politely before moving.

“Sure,” Pei Yu replied without looking up.

With permission granted, Yun Yin approached the wall-to-wall bookshelf. A quick glance revealed an estimated thousand volumes.

With so many books and Pei Yu so busy, could he possibly have read them all?

But that wasn’t the question occupying her mind.

Her slender, pale fingers trailed along the spines of the books. To her dismay, she realized none of them seemed comprehensible:

Securities Analysis.
The House of Morgan.
Principles of Professional Investment.

And some foreign titles she couldn’t even pronounce.

But then, Yun Yin’s fingertips paused on a black-covered volume.

It was one of her favorite poetry collections:

Luna de Enfrente
Also translated as The Moon Before Me.

The poetry book seemed out of place among the numerous finance texts.

Yun Yin pulled it out. When she opened the cover, a golden moon greeted her.

Beneath the moon were two lines of text:

The world is but a fleeting tenderness.
The river remains the same river. The people remain the same people.

Yun Yin’s lips moved slightly as she silently read the words.

“Find anything interesting?” Pei Yu’s voice suddenly sounded behind her.

Clutching the book, Yun Yin turned to see Pei Yu standing behind her, gazing at her thoughtfully.

“This one,” Yun Yin said, holding up the poetry collection.

Pei Yu moved closer. “Not interested in these?”

Yun Yin followed his gaze to the professional finance books.

She nodded. “Not at all.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Pei Yu’s eyes, but it vanished quickly.

According to her records, Yun Yin had previously attended a prestigious Ivy League university abroad, majoring in finance—one of the school’s most renowned programs—and had consistently excelled in her studies.

He had read her articles before—they were excellent and insightful.

But now…

“Don’t you understand?” Pei Yu asked again.

Yun Yin frowned. “A little.”

Not just a little—she didn’t understand at all.

In that moment, she had clearly forgotten the original owner’s background and experiences, caught off guard by the question.

She was different from the original owner. Diagnosed with congenital heart disease at birth, she had been unable to engage in any strenuous activity since childhood. In severe cases, she spent half the year in the hospital, studying at home and in medical facilities.

Finance was truly beyond her grasp.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have struggled to distinguish the real bid document on her first day in this book.

“What do you like? I’ll have my secretary prepare it for you next time,” Pei Yu said casually, his eyes flickering slightly.

Yun Yin paused, sensing something was off, but waved dismissively. “No need to trouble yourself. I’m just bored.”

“You’re bored?”

“Mm-hmm,” Yun Yin replied listlessly.

“Want to go out?” Pei Yu lowered his head, his dark eyes fixed on her.

The moment the words left his lips, he saw her eyes light up.

“Really?” Her peach blossom eyes sparkled as she looked at him.

Pei Yu nodded. “Alright.”

Before Yun Yin could even rejoice, he added, “Zhou Nanxing will accompany you.”

Zhou Nanxing was another of Pei Yu’s female secretaries, whom Yun Yin had met before.

Yun Yin hesitated. “Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to have her accompany me during work hours? Besides, I think I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Then I’ll accompany you after work,” Pei Yu said calmly, taking the book from her hand.

Never mind then.

Yun Yin decided that having Secretary Zhou accompany her wasn’t such a bad idea after all. She could even get some advice while choosing a gift.

“Can I leave now?” she asked eagerly, her mind made up.

“…”

Pei Yu gripped the book tightly, suddenly feeling an itch in his back teeth. “Are you really that reluctant to have me accompany you?”

A chill ran down Yun Yin’s spine. As if remembering something, she immediately forced a smile and drawled, “You’ll be accompanying me after work too. I just don’t want to tire you out too much.”

Her smile vanished, replaced by a mournful expression as she gazed at him, as if accusing him of misunderstanding her good intentions.

Caught off guard by her reversal, Pei Yu was momentarily speechless.

After a moment, he walked to his desk and dialed the internal line to the secretarial office.

Yun Yin followed closely behind him, step by step.

Soon, Zhou Nanxing knocked on the door of the president’s office.

“Come in.”

Zhou Nanxing entered and saw her boss, Pei Yu, leaning down to whisper something to the beautiful woman.

“I need to see you before I leave for the day.”

Yun Yin calculated the time. There were still three or four hours until Pei Yu finished work—plenty of time.

She replied with rare docility, “Okay.”

After a few more exchanges, Pei Yu finally turned to Zhou Nanxing, who was standing by the door.
“Contact me immediately if anything comes up.”

“Yes, President Pei.” Zhou Nanxing couldn’t help but steal another glance at Yun Yin.

To her surprise, Yun Yin noticed. Instead of saying anything, she simply smiled at her.

In that moment, Zhou Nanxing felt her heart melt.

How could Miss Yun be so beautiful?!

“I’ll be going now,” Yun Yin said. “You should focus on your work.”

Pei Yu, seeing her eagerness to leave, responded with a detached, “Mm.”

After leaving Yujiang Building, Yun Yin skillfully led Zhou Nanxing to a shopping mall in the city center.

Instead of heading straight to the record store, Yun Yin went directly to the mall’s top floor.

As they stepped out of the express elevator, a dedicated staff member immediately approached to assist them.

Noticing Yun Yin’s unfamiliar face, the staff member guessed she didn’t visit often. With Yun Yin’s striking beauty, anyone who had seen her before wouldn’t easily forget.

“Welcome! Is this your first time here?”

“Yes,” Yun Yin nodded.

The staff member’s suspicion was confirmed, but they remained enthusiastic.
“Miss, this floor offers high-end custom services and requires membership. If you don’t have one, you can apply on the spot. All you need is a card with a million-dollar credit limit. Would you like to proceed?”

“Yes.” Yun Yin then obtained a membership with the staff member’s guidance.

This million-dollar card was actually due to Pei Yu’s good fortune.

During her coma, she had dreamed of the original owner of her body and relived the first half of her life.

After graduating from high school, the original owner had defied Yun Cheng’s chosen university and major, opting instead to study finance abroad. Yun Cheng, furious, threatened to cut off her living expenses, but she refused to yield.

Over the past few years, Yun Yin had refused Yun Cheng’s money, learned to invest, and saved a substantial sum.

Yun Yin had thought that with the original owner’s capabilities, she wouldn’t need to rely on the male lead to escape the Yun Family and gain her freedom. But the author had trapped her in an invisible cage, labeling her a mere plot device.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t break free.

So, the first thing she did upon waking up was retrieve all the original owner’s important belongings from her memories and secure them in a safe.

She had no intention of touching that savings account.

Since the Yun Family had reaped so many benefits because of her, it wasn’t unreasonable for her to claim some compensation now.

The ten million yuan card in her hand was Yun Cheng’s “compensation.”

Initially, Yun Cheng had tried to fob her off with a mere one million yuan. It was only when she mentioned Pei Yu that he reluctantly produced the ten million.

Yun Yin didn’t care what Yun Cheng thought. She had the ten million now.

Lost in thought, Yun Yin turned to Zhou Nanxing beside her and asked, “What’s a good gift to give someone?”

Zhou Nanxing pondered for a few seconds before replying, “Miss Yun, are you planning to give it to President Pei?”

“……” Yun Yin fell silent for a moment. Was her interest that obvious?

“Yes,” she nodded, not denying it. “Does Pei Yu have any particular preferences?”

Yun Yin reasoned that Zhou Nanxing, as President Pei’s personal secretary, should have some insight into his tastes. Asking her seemed like a logical move.

But she was wrong. Zhou Nanxing shook her head.
“I’m not really sure. I’ve never seen President Pei show any particular fondness for anything.”

“Not even one thing?” Yun Yin persisted.

Zhou Nanxing paused, searching her memory. After a few seconds, she shook her head again.
“I don’t think so.”

Miss Yun has asked the wrong person, she thought. I truly don’t know anything about President Pei’s preferences.

Typically, someone like President Pei would have a personal assistant. But aside from work-related interactions, he rarely took up the time of the secretarial staff—except for Special Assistant Lu.

“Alright.”

With no useful information gained, the two women decided to explore the penthouse level.

After circling the floor, they found mostly clothing, shoes, handbags, and jewelry—nothing particularly unique.

Given Pei Yu’s status and position, he lacked nothing. If she wasn’t going to give him a gift, she wouldn’t give him anything at all. But if she did, it had to be something truly special.

But what kind of gift could be considered special?

“Secretary Zhou, do you have any good suggestions?”

“Miss Yun, you can just call me Nanxing.”

“Alright, Nanxing,” Yun Yin replied smoothly.

Zhou Nanxing smiled.
“For a gift, cufflinks or a watch would be excellent choices.”

Her suggestion sparked an idea in Yun Yin’s mind.

After walking for a while, Yun Yin stopped at a high-end jewelry store.

As soon as they entered, a sales associate approached.
“Welcome. How may I assist you?”

“No need,” Yun Yin said. “We’re just browsing.”

The associate withdrew without pressing further.

Yun Yin paused at a display case, examining the watches inside. None of them particularly caught her eye.

Spotting a decent-looking one in the back, Yun Yin was about to ask the associate to take it out for a closer look when a voice called out—

“Yun Yin.”