When Jin Yaotiao asked this question, she was very calm.

It had been many years.

She had asked herself this question countless times in the past but never actually voiced it.

At that time, she was bound by many emotions and fears of loss, but now, that version of her no longer existed.

On the opposite side, Shen QiMing was stunned for a moment, gazing into her clear and bright eyes, unsure of why she would ask such a question. “Of course.”

In the autumn of Mingzhu Mountain, the ground was covered with fallen maple leaves, swirling in spirals with the breeze.

In the distance, the sounds of tourists in groups could be heard, but they seemed blocked by some invisible barrier. In the small space by the car, it was peaceful, with only the faint sound of sand grains.

Jin Yaotiao sank into a strange contradiction, as if the past and present were intertwined.

One end was a tumultuous wave, the other end as serene as water, and it was impossible to tell which side was real.

Shen Qiming watched her, but his brows gradually furrowed. “YaoTiao, why are you asking this?”

After a long while, Jin Yaotiao smiled lightly. “Mr. Shen, so during this period after our broken engagement, when you’ve appeared by my side—going to Rochester, attending the Fragrance Banquet, visiting Shenzhen, secretly investing in MingDe, sending me maple leaves… all these actions, are they because you like me?”

Shen QiMing didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”

Jin Yaotiao felt somewhat incredulous.

The suspicion she had developed due to Shen QiMing’s recent abnormal behavior was actually confirmed.

She thought about the version of herself in the past, whose mind was consumed by love. If she had received the maple leaf that Shen QiMing gave her back then, she probably would have been so happy that she couldn’t sleep the entire night.

Shen QiMing’s feelings and responses were things she had once longed for, yet after the version of herself that had once dreamed of such things had disappeared, she had received them.

Yes, it was true.

The past version of herself seemed laughable to her now.

She almost wished she could erase it completely. How could she expect anyone to have seen it?

Jin YaoTiao became quiet, completely dismissing the intertwined times, then turned her eyes away and casually caught a maple leaf blown over by the wind.

The maple leaf was already dried and brittle, with its corners missing. It was not as beautiful as the one Shen QiMing had given her.

She smiled and said, “Mr. Shen, I’m quite different from the past, aren’t I? Thank you for thinking well of the present me, but I’m sorry, I don’t want to talk about love with anyone anymore.”

By letting go of those unnecessary things, her life had indeed become better.

As she had told Debbie before, some people might just not be suited for having relationships.

Shen QiMing looked at the contrast between her fair palm and the bright red maple leaf and vaguely sensed something was off in her words. Confused, he furrowed his brows. “Why? How are you different?”

Jin YaoTiao let go of the leaf, and upon hearing his question, frowned slightly.

Shen QiMing stared at her, and suddenly seemed to realize something. He awkwardly said, “Sorry, you look good in whatever you wear.”

Jin YaoTiao: “?”

Is that what I’m talking about?

At this moment, the driver poked his head out of the car and spoke softly: “Mr. Shen… it’s difficult to park here.”

Mingzhu Mountain was a popular tourist area, and the traffic was extremely congested.

Jin YaoTiao snapped back to reality from Shen QiMing’s bewildering response, looked around at the tourists and cars, and then said, “Mr. Shen, you can go ahead. Just turn out of here, and the road behind will take you to the villa area. I need to go home now.”

Shen QiMing: “I’m going back to Jingmao. I can drop you off.”

Jin YaoTiao glanced at the time and said, “Mr. Shen, do you have any business meetings today?”

Shen QiMing: “No.”

Jin YaoTiao smiled. “If you don’t have a meeting, why are you going back to Jingmao?”

It was the usual end-of-day rush hour.

Shen QiMing’s obsessive-compulsive habits showed in many areas, such as his cleanliness, and his strict routine of leaving work at exactly the same time every day unless he had meetings or business trips.

He would always be home by six o’clock, staying in to handle work and reviewing the documents he brought home from the office.

He never went to the study, but stayed in the living room, so whenever Jin Yaotiao was moving around the house, she would always see him reviewing different documents.

Sometimes, Jin YaoTiao would find it strange that he didn’t go to the study, as it was much quieter there. The living room, on the other hand, had the sounds of her TV.

But Shen QiMing never mentioned anything. He would always quietly sit beside her, without saying a word, working seriously, causing the housekeepers to walk on tiptoes.

Then, the volume of her TV would gradually lower.

It was almost six o’clock now.

Shen Qiming said, “There’s some work. I’ll go back to work overtime.”

Jin Yaotiao frowned sharply. “Overtime at Jingmao?”

Shen Qiming didn’t seem to find anything strange about it. “Mm.”

Jin YaoTiao stared at him and suddenly said, “Mr. Shen, I thought you were the type of person who would go home immediately after work.”

Shen QiMing, who was searching for something on his phone, glanced at her, his gaze calm beneath his lashes, as if it were only natural. “You’re not at home.”

Jin YaoTiao: “…”

Shen QiMing, noticing her expression, fell silent for a moment. “YaoTiao, what’s wrong?”

Jin YaoTiao asked another question she had never asked before: “Shen QiMing, why did you use to leave work on time?”

Shen QiMing hesitated when he heard her voice and expression: “… To accompany you.”

Jin YaoTiao froze for a moment. “Mr. Shen, your way of accompanying was quite special. You didn’t talk while reviewing documents. I really didn’t realize you were accompanying me.”

He had accompanied her for so many years, yet she never knew that was the purpose.

Shen QiMing lowered his eyes and softly said, “I didn’t know you cared about this. I’m sorry.”

After a moment, he asked, “Shall we get in the car?”

---

Inside the car, Shen QiMing took out his phone. The screen displayed the search results for “100 Survival Instincts Test for Straight Men.”

The driver in front noticed the boss’s serious expression as he fiddled with his phone, and couldn’t help but glance at the rearview mirror several times.

It must be a big business deal, right?

Shen Qiming completed the test one by one, and when finished, his score appeared:

Twenty-five.

Out of one hundred.

It was already the second time he took it…

He put his phone down, looked out the window, and his brows furrowed tightly.

The driver was even more cautious, slowing down the car.

Looks like the boss was in trouble.

Even during the multinational merger talks, he hadn’t looked this worried.

---

Jin Family.

Jin YaoTiao placed a bunch of decorative maple leaves in a vase, adjusted the leaves, and tilted her head, admiring the bright red color.

Her phone rang, and she took it out to check.

It was a push notification from a news app about Lin Miao’s new show, World of Cuisine.

The first food documentary on Jingcheng TV had significant investment, likely to promote Lin Miao. “Gourmet World” spared no expense in its publicity.

Before the film even aired, the advertising campaign was already loud and everywhere.

Even Jingcheng TV devoted a significant portion of its advertising slots to promote the documentary, and online promotions touted the theme of promoting traditional Chinese cuisine, sparking anticipation from many viewers.

In contrast, Jia Bingyang’s “Chinese Delicacies,” which didn’t sign an exclusive deal and was the debut film of a new director, didn’t receive much attention from the streaming platforms.

While it got the necessary treatment, it was far less glamorous compared to “Gourmet World.”

Few people online knew Jia Bingyang’s name, and on the same release date, the heavily-promoted documentary on Jingcheng TV was scheduled to air.

Jin Yaotiao turned on the TV, curious to see the work of the young heir who had overshadowed Jia Bingyang.

She had watched a bit of it before, but didn’t remember much, just that the visuals were high-end.

The grand opening special effects clearly cost a lot of money, and the film fit her impression— the first scene featured the expensive caviar, delicately spooned out by a French chef with a shell spoon, served on a piece of gold leaf.

She watched for a while, but soon found herself wishing for a blanket.

The narrator’s clear and authoritative voice introduced the French chef, explaining the high cost of this caviar and the need for air transportation.

Jin Yaotiao clicked her tongue.

No wonder she hadn’t been impressed.

What exactly was this food documentary trying to convey?

Despite her thoughts, the heavy advertising and prominent platform still attracted many viewers, and inside Jingcheng TV, Lin Miao watched the rapidly climbing viewership ratings, resting on the couch with his chin in his hand and smiling.

An assistant reported to him, “Director Lin, Jia Bingyang’s documentary is on Zebra Video, around the same time as ours.”

Upon hearing Zebra Video, Lin Miao scoffed. “Internet streaming? A platform that’s not even worth mentioning.”

He took out his phone, scrolling through the official account of his own program.

Thanks to the money invested earlier, the fan count had surpassed a million.

The show was on air, and many of the fans were commenting while watching.

The most popular comments were filled with meaningless expressions like “Ahhhhh,” but he quickly scrolled to the latest comments, where some fans praised the scale of the program.

Lin Miao chuckled and refreshed his feed. He was about to scroll again when he saw a new comment:

“Is it just me, or does anyone else feel disappointed? We were promised Chinese food, but we keep seeing Wagyu beef, tuna, and caviar. It looks good, but these ingredients are too far out of reach for ordinary people. It’s hard to get excited.”

Lin Miao’s face darkened, and he immediately blocked the account.

Was this film made for people like you, with your muddy feet?

Why can’t Chinese food be high-end and innovative?

This film is meant to be shown abroad, and he didn’t want foreigners to think Chinese cuisine only meant greasy food.