Guan Ciyan.

Jian Yang called his name.

Not “Sir,” not “Boss.” Jian Yang called his name.

Without him having to ask, Jian Yang called his name. Did this mean that Jian Yang had fully acknowledged their relationship now?

Jian Yang said he had work to do, and Guan Ciyan let him go.

He had done a terrible job.

Jian Yang had accepted his confession gift, but his proposal had been so crude and hastily put together.

It was only because Jian Yang was too forgiving.

Guan Ciyan spent an extra half hour on breakfast, then canceled all of his scheduled work for the day and drove alone to the castle.

There were guards at the iron gates, but they were essentially useless.

After all, he had already taken care of the old man’s two closest bodyguards, and word had naturally spread here. The former glory and prestige that had protected this place should have ended long ago.

When the armed soldiers appeared before him, Guan Ciyan merely nodded at them, and the gate opened.

The truth was, he had wanted to do this for a long time.

But he had hesitated, waiting for the right moment.

This wasn’t the perfect moment—but it was the most urgent one.

He walked straight through the hall, heading for the back garden, where a woman was quietly tending to her routine work at this time of day.

“Young Master, I will call Madam.”

“No need.”

Guan Ciyan waited nearby. He couldn’t recall the last time he had simply looked at his mother—the woman who had willingly allowed herself to be trapped in this castle for his sake.

She didn’t even know how to use a smartphone.

Her white dress fluttered in the wind. The green branches in the garden sprouted milky white buds. She was like the wind itself—so light that she could be carried away at any moment.

Sweat formed on her neck from her work, giving her face a rare flush. In these two hours of the day, she almost looked like a living person.

“Mom.”

It had been a long time since Guan Ciyan had called her that.

They couldn’t appear too distant in front of the old man, lest it displeased him.

But they also couldn’t be too close, lest the old man thought he could use her to threaten him.

Over time, Guan Ciyan had stopped being sure—had she ever regretted it? Did she resent him?

“Today isn’t the usual day to meet,” the woman said.

“We were never bound by any schedule.” Guan Ciyan spoke plainly. “I’ve met someone I love. I want to marry him.”

“That’s good.”

Her reaction was calm, as if she had already expected it.

“He’s not a lady from any prestigious family, and I haven’t sought the Guans’ approval.”

Her eyes paused for a moment, her hands stilling slightly.

Guan Ciyan continued, “But he loves me very much.”

“Mom, come with me.”

The woman wiped her sweat and picked up an ornament from the table—it was the first and only gift he had ever given her, when he was five years old.

“Let’s go.”

Guan Ciyan was momentarily moved, his dark eyes flickering.

One by one, memories of gifts that had been rejected flashed through his mind.

The indifference and distance between them suddenly felt fragile, like something that could shatter at any moment.

His soul seemed to rush through more than a decade of time. Blood ties, mother and child—when he looked into her eyes, he saw the same emotions reflected back at him.

Perhaps they had always felt the same way.

Guan Ciyan protectively held her shoulders and helped her into the car.

On a hidden mountainside, he had already prepared another villa for her—one no less grand than the castle where she had been confined.

But this time, she was the master of the house.

No one could limit her anymore.

But she had been tamed for too long. Beneath her calm expression, Guan Ciyan could see her unease. The brave woman who had once worn a black raincoat and escaped the housekeeper’s grasp had long been erased by more than a decade of captivity.

“Mom, I’ll come visit when I can.” Guan Ciyan stopped the car and looked at her seriously. “I can’t promise a fixed schedule, because whenever I have time, I’ll come. The people inside are trustworthy. First, you can always call me.”

He handed her a phone. “It only has my contact information. In the future, maybe your friends’ numbers will be added too.”

“Go on.”

She spoke the same words she always did when he left after visiting her.

But this time, Guan Ciyan could hear a different meaning.

He was already the head of the Guan family. And yet, his mother was still teaching him to be brave.

“…Alright.”

Guan Ciyan couldn’t help himself—he hugged her.

—

Not long after, all of the Guan family’s businesses announced that Guan Ciyan had stepped down.

The old man called him, threatened to kick him out of the family, and demanded to know where he had taken his mother.

Guan Ciyan only replied with five words: “Mind your own business.”

At first, his resignation didn’t seem like a big deal. Power struggles in wealthy families were nothing new. Most people assumed that with his abilities and resources, he would soon reclaim his position.

But three days passed, and Guan Ciyan remained focused solely on managing Fuyu Sanctuary, his entertainment business.

He made no other moves.

The first to panic were the shareholders.

Especially those involved in the media and entertainment industries—sectors deeply tied to Guan Ciyan. Previously, resource distribution had been effortless for him, like moving money from one pocket to another.

But now, everything was separated.

Every transaction had to be settled in real market terms. Even getting a minor celebrity from Fuyu Sanctuary to appear at an event required paying the standard rate.

Suddenly, the company’s cash flow took a massive hit.

Not to mention internal and external affairs—everything was now left in the hands of Guan Jingyu.

Guan Jingyu’s problem wasn’t talent.

He was just stupid.

Even with several managers guiding him, he couldn’t learn.

When negotiating, he either said the wrong thing or agreed to ridiculous conditions.

In short—the whole company was a complete mess.

Guan Ciyan was pleased with his resignation.

He had spent two days handling matters related to his mother. It was only then that he realized he hadn’t contacted Jian Yang in the past two days.

It wasn’t unusual for them not to be in constant contact, so Guan Ciyan didn’t think much of it.

They had to respect each other’s work.

When he finally sent Jian Yang a message asking if he was done with work—

A red exclamation mark appeared.

Guan Ciyan stared at his phone. After half a minute, he sent another message.

Another red exclamation mark.

WeChat must be glitching.

So he called Jian Yang directly—he had been blocked.

Maybe he went to the mountains again, bad signal.

Then, he remembered the game Jian Yang had convinced him to download. The one where Jian Yang had begged him to sign up just to like his posts and boost his energy.

Guan Ciyan opened the game.

His friends list was empty.

Right then, Bai Shun’s call came through.

“Congratulations, man! You finally got what you wanted. I was filming yesterday, so I missed the news. I’m free this afternoon—want me to come help pick out engagement rings?”

A short suffocating silence followed.

Guan Ciyan waited for Bai Shun to finish his excited rambling but didn’t respond.

“Hello? Bad signal?”

“…Yeah, might need a couple of days.”

His chest felt tight. He couldn’t say more.

“Alright, talk later.” Bai Shun hung up.

For the first time, Guan Ciyan’s mind went blank.

It took him half a day to confirm—Jian Yang had deleted him.

And deleted him completely.

Why?

Didn’t he agree to marry him?

Weren’t they in a relationship?

Buzz—

A notification popped up.

Today was the broadcast date for the variety show Jian Yang had recorded.

Numbness spread through Guan Ciyan’s heart, accompanied by a creeping sense of panic. He instinctively tapped on the screen. Jian Yang’s face appeared.

“…I’m not the main character here. There’s nothing between me and Chairman Guan. I’m still single. If I ever start dating, I’ll let my fans know first.”

The words played again.

Jian Yang had publicly cut ties with him.

Guan Ciyan checked their last conversation.

Since Jian Yang had gone on that work trip with his director, they hadn’t spoken.

But that wasn’t unusual for them.

He had been busy dealing with the Guan family and his mother. He hadn’t thought too much about it.

He called Jiang Ke.

“What’s Jian Yang’s schedule lately?”

Jiang Ke hesitated for a moment. “No work scheduled. He should be at home.”

No work…

But Jian Yang wasn’t at the villa.

“Where does he live now?” Guan Ciyan asked.

“I don’t know,” Jiang Ke replied firmly.

Guan Ciyan’s tone turned icy. “A manager who doesn’t know their artist’s whereabouts? Jiang Ke, Jian Yang might be naive, but are you going to be stupid with him?”

Jiang Ke had clearly anticipated this.

“Chairman Guan, Jian Yang asked me to help find him a place before, but right now, I really don’t know where he is. He’s not under a contract with us—I have no right to track his movements.”

Jian Yang was her boss.

Because Guan Ciyan had put him in that position.

Guan Ciyan wasn’t the type to make things difficult for no reason.

“Send me the address.”

Jiang Ke was an experienced employee, good at reading between the lines.

She not only sent the address—she sent the lease contract too.

The lease had started last month.

That meant when they had been on set for Wenye, sleeping side by side—

Jian Yang had already been planning to leave.

So when he accepted the confession. When he agreed to the proposal.

It was all just a stalling tactic.

Buzz—

So when Jian Yang accepted his confession—when he agreed to the proposal—it was all just a stalling tactic.

Buzz—

“Congratulations on the engagement! When’s the wedding?”

A message from Wen Ye popped up.

Guan Ciyan stared at his phone for a moment before turning off the screen. He grabbed his keys and drove straight to Jian Yang’s rented apartment.

Maybe this was just a misunderstanding.

Once they talked, it would be fine.

Jian Yang liked him so much. Back when he hadn’t even responded to his feelings, Jian Yang had stayed by his side for so long.

How could he possibly leave now, just when Guan Ciyan had finally fallen for him?

It didn’t make sense.

When he arrived, he found it was just a regular apartment complex—a far cry from a villa.

A modest 70-square-meter unit in a building with seven apartments per floor. Guan Ciyan waited for the elevator for a long time.

He’d rather live here than stay with me?

Guan Ciyan took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

No answer.

He called a locksmith to open it.

Jian Yang wasn’t hiding from him—he really wasn’t here.

The apartment was sparsely furnished but spotless.

The plant on the coffee table had fresh water. A soft blanket and a pillow—ones Jian Yang liked—rested on the couch.

He was doing just fine.

Every piece of furniture in the apartment was telling Guan Ciyan—Jian Yang wasn’t sad at all.

He opened the fridge.

It was neatly stocked with fruit juice and milk.

“Heh.” Guan Ciyan chuckled coldly.

There was no misunderstanding.

Jian Yang had planned this departure perfectly.

Guan Ciyan sat on the couch and picked up the pillow, bringing it close.

It didn’t smell like Jian Yang.

Buzz—

Buzz—

Buzz—

His phone vibrated again.

“You didn’t reply, so I figured I’d check—do you need help with the wedding? Have you set a date? Summer’s a tough time to book hotels, and you still need to meet the parents. Guess it won’t be until next year at the earliest…”

Wen Ye was calculating the timeline when Guan Ciyan cut him off.

“Next month.”

“Huh? Next month? Isn’t that a bit too fast?”

“Next month.”

His face was dark and unreadable.

Even he wasn’t sure—who was he saying this for?