As Xia Liyang drove her Porsche out of the villa complex, she glanced in her rearview mirror, worried that Lu Huaicheng might chase her in his flashy Ferrari. Fortunately, she didn’t see any red car trailing her all the way to the highway.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she prayed he would get busy like he did over the summer or go on more business trips to avoid having time to meddle in her life.

Whether through sheer luck or because he had finally understood her words, Lu Huaicheng didn’t bother her for the next half month. She never ran into him in the elevator or the residential complex.

But every night, she could still see the lights on in his villa when she drew her curtains, and they would turn on rather early, signaling he wasn’t on a business trip and wasn’t particularly busy with work.

Choosing to believe he had given up, her heart finally settled, especially with her doctoral exams approaching, which kept her occupied in the library and away from thoughts of Lu Huaicheng.

One Friday, she was in the library checking her answers from a practice exam when her phone suddenly buzzed on the table.

Pausing, she glanced at it and saw a message from Chen Zhen.

What could he possibly want?

She wondered if he would ask her to subtly suggest to Lu Huaicheng to invest in his film.

After that gala, she had indeed mentioned it to Lu Huaicheng. Although he’d agreed, his attitude seemed perfunctory. He probably never followed up.

She picked up her phone and read the message:

Chen Zhen: “Ms. Xia, Mr. Lu decided to invest in my movie. When you’re free, let me treat you to a meal to show my gratitude.”

Xia Liyang was momentarily taken aback and typed, “Did he just inform you?”

Chen Zhen: “Yes, I got a call from him this morning.”

After a brief pause, she replied, “Congratulations, Director Chen. There’s no need to treat me—I’ve been separated from him for over two months, so I doubt I helped much. Your film is worth the investment.”

Chen Zhen: “But Mr. Lu said it was because of you that he invested in my movie.”

???

Xia Liyang froze, wondering what Lu Huaicheng meant by this.

Could he still not have given up on making her return to him?

But he had indeed calmed down recently and hadn’t tried to find her!

With furrowed brows, Xia Liyang thought about it for a while, then packed up her papers, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and went directly to Xu Songnian’s office.

Because of the rush hour traffic, she didn’t drive and took the subway instead. Half an hour later, she arrived at the entrance to his office.

As soon as she entered, she saw several unfamiliar faces in suits seated in the waiting area opposite the reception. Assuming they were his clients, Xia Liyang didn’t pay them much attention.

She headed straight for Xu Songnian’s office, knocked twice as usual, and was about to turn the doorknob herself when it didn’t budge.

What was going on?

Didn’t he hate locking the office door because it was inconvenient?

Frowning slightly, Xia Liyang leaned close to the door and asked, “Songnian? Are you in there?”

After a moment, Xu Songnian opened the door, looking slightly tense.

“Yang Yang, what brings you here?”

“I…” Xia Liyang glanced at his slightly unnatural expression and the fatigue he couldn’t hide between his brows, asking, “Is something wrong here?”

“Huh? No, nothing.” Xu Songnian quickly glanced at the suited people at the entrance, smiled, and said, “Come in and have a seat.”

“Oh…” Feeling something was off, Xia Liyang walked into his office, then turned back and asked, “If nothing’s wrong, why lock the door?”

“…Recently, we hired some newcomers who tend to barge in without knocking. It’s annoying,” Xu Songnian explained hastily, trying to change the subject. “So, is there something you need my help with again?”

“I wanted to ask if Lu Huaicheng has been causing you any trouble recently.” Xia Liyang looked at him intently.

Xu Songnian froze for a moment, glancing away. “What trouble could he cause me? Why ask that? Has he been bothering you?”

“He used to, but not recently, so I was worried he might have redirected his attention to you.” Xia Liyang replied slowly.

“What kind of trouble did he cause you before?” Xu Songnian frowned.

“Well…” Remembering the intense kiss Lu Huaicheng had given her against her door, her ears turned a bit red as she mumbled, “He came to see me a few times, spoke to me sarcastically, trying to get me to go back to him, but I told him off each time.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Xu Songnian breathed a sigh of relief, then, adopting a dismissive tone, said, “I haven’t had any issues here, so you don’t need to worry. I’ve just got a lot of work, so I still need to stay a bit longer.”

Seeing that he seemed eager to end the conversation, Xia Liyang hesitated to ask further, so she only said, “Well, make sure you get some rest. I’ll head out.”

“Alright, once I’m done here, we’ll grab a meal sometime,” Xu Songnian smiled at her.

“Sure.” As Xia Liyang stood from the couch, her gaze landed on a document sticking out of the trash bin beside his desk. She could just make out the folded characters “Junlan” on it.

Pausing, she quickly leaned down and retrieved the document while he turned to his computer.

Xu Songnian noticed and, alarmed, reached out to stop her, but Xia Liyang had already read the cover: “Junlan Group Acquisition Letter of Intent.”

“What’s this?” Xia Liyang’s heart sank as she looked up in shock at Xu Songnian, whose lips pressed tightly together.

After a moment of silence, Xu Songnian downplayed it, “Just an acquisition letter. I already declined, which is why it’s in the trash.”

“And he just dropped the acquisition after you refused?” Xia Liyang’s hand holding the document trembled slightly.

She had expected Lu Huaicheng might cause Xu Songnian some trouble but had never imagined it would escalate this far.

She’d thought he would, at most, taunt and suppress Xu Songnian occasionally, as he had with her.

“I didn’t agree, and he can’t force me to sign.” Xu Songnian paused and, attempting to console her, said, “Honestly, the terms he offered aren’t bad. It’s not entirely unthinkable.”

“…But this is the firm you built from scratch. How could you sell it to him?” Xia Liyang bit her lip, her expression changing as she recalled the suited strangers outside his office. “Are those people outside from Lu Huaicheng’s team? Are they pressuring you because you refused to sign?”

“…No, they’re just sitting there. It’s not as bad as you think.” Xu Songnian laughed it off, though he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

Knowing him too well, Xia Liyang’s heart clenched at his telltale gesture.

“Alright, put that document back in the trash and go home for dinner; it’s getting late.” Xu Songnian reached for the document in her hand, but Xia Liyang dodged and headed toward the office door. “No, I’m going to see Lu Huaicheng.”

“Yang Yang! That’s not necessary!” Xu Songnian frowned, rising from his chair and catching her hand on the doorknob.

He had hidden it from her precisely because he didn’t want her to confront Lu Huaicheng again.

“He’s crossed a line. I’m going to talk some sense into him.” Xia Liyang paused, brushing off his hand. “Besides, this has nothing to do with you; I’m the one who dragged you into this. I have to deal with it, or I’ll never be at ease.”

“I’ll go with you,” Xu Songnian said hurriedly, turning to grab the jacket draped over his chair.

“There’s no need. You going with me would only make things worse. Let me talk to him alone. He won’t do anything to me; you can be assured of that. I still understand him,” Xia Liyang said, pushing open his office door and leaving quickly.

Xu Songnian stood there, gripping his jacket, stunned. After a moment, he sat back down in front of his computer, staring blankly at the screen.

Outside the office, Xia Liyang called Lu Huaicheng.

“Are you home?” she asked coldly.

“Can’t you greet me a little nicer if you’re the one calling?” Lu Huaicheng replied lazily, as though he had already expected her call.

“…After everything you’ve done, how can I greet you nicely?” Xia Liyang said in a frustrated tone.

“Then come back to me once you’ve adjusted your attitude,” Lu Huaicheng chuckled, promptly hanging up.

Listening to the busy tone on the line, Xia Liyang almost threw her phone in anger. She clenched the contract in her hand and, after taking a moment to calm herself, glanced down at her watch, then up at the brightly lit Junlan Group building not far away.

Without hesitation, she walked toward the building. Once inside, she realized there was a gate with a card reader, and without an employee card, she couldn’t enter.

She thought for a moment, then noticed a deliveryman with a cart exiting. She hurried over and asked if she could borrow his card, offering to pay.

“Well, I can let you in, but without a card, you can’t get out. I have to make my next delivery, so I can’t wait downstairs for you,” the delivery man said, interested but hesitant.

“No worries; I’ll figure out how to get out myself,” Xia Liyang replied, waving it off.

The delivery man beamed, took her money, and swiped her through the gate.

Xia Liyang took the elevator all the way to the top floor, arriving just as an employee was leaving, opening the office door. She quickly slipped in, keeping her head down.

Since it was after work hours, there weren’t many people left in the office. Holding the contract, she walked briskly, and no one seemed to notice she didn’t belong.

She soon found herself at the door to Lu Huaicheng’s office. The lights were on inside, and through the frosted glass, she could make out a figure.

She took a deep breath, knocked briefly on the door, then pushed it open.

Behind the desk, Lu Huaicheng sat comfortably, one long leg crossed over the other, casually glancing at a document. At the sound of the door, he slowly lifted his gaze, his dark eyes meeting Xia Liyang’s as she approached, fuming with anger.

A barely noticeable smile played at the corners of his lips. “Couldn’t wait another second to see me?”