After the banquet, hosts and guests exchanged farewells at the hotel entrance. Fang Zhiyuan waited until Cheng Yi and Ye Mingzhe had seen the clients off before approaching them.
"Yi, let me drive you home."
"No need. We have to return to the company; there's still work to do."
Fang Zhiyuan wasn't easily dismissed. He attempted a different approach.
"Mr. Ye, may I offer you both a ride? It's hard to get a cab at this hour, and my driver will be here shortly."
"You're very kind, Mr. Fang, but we have a group; there won't be enough space. Thank you, though."
Six people plus a driver indeed wouldn't fit. Ye Minglang wasn't wrong.
"I'll ask the hotel to arrange another car. Please, Mr. Ye, allow me this opportunity."
"If you're so insistent, Mr. Fang, it would be impolite to refuse."
Ye Mingzhe smoothly accepted, subtly putting Ye Minglang in a tight spot—a classic case of putting the client first.
"Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Ye."
"However, there's no need to call another car. Our lady here can drive."
Three men sat in the back, two ladies in the front. To Fang Zhiyuan's surprise, it was Cheng Yi behind the wheel. He found an excuse about "knowing the directions" to claim the front passenger seat, much to Ye Minglang's frustration.
Fang Zhiyuan watched as Cheng Yi adeptly adjusted the seat and mirrors, familiarizing herself with the car's features before starting the engine. This version of Cheng Yi felt unfamiliar—she could drive. Of course, getting a license isn't hard, and driving isn't a big deal. There were probably many things he didn't know about her. After all, it had been six years.
The car moved smoothly through the city; the route to the company wasn't complicated. Cheng Yi kept her eyes on the road and the GPS, occasionally glancing in the rearview mirror to keep an eye on the backseat.
Fang Zhiyuan reflected that Cheng Yi's distance wasn't just due to lingering resentment; there had to be more to it, perhaps things he hadn't considered or things she had gone through.
Six years is enough to transform a person—from familiar to stranger, from dependence to independence.
Suddenly, he realized that his true opponent was a woman named Cheng Yi.
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Cheng Yi knew well that avoiding him was futile, especially with someone as persistent as Fang Zhiyuan.
As she stepped out of the restroom and found herself blocked, she remained unexpectedly calm. Over the past two days of negotiations, Fang Zhiyuan had barely had a chance to speak to her alone, and with Ye Minglang clinging to her like glue, there had been no real opening. Today marked the final day of talks, and he had no idea when he might see her again—he wasn't about to let this chance slip by. Desperate, he seized her hand and refused to let go, no matter how much she struggled.
Suddenly, the men's restroom door opened. Ye Mingzhe stepped out, eyes narrowing at the entangled pair, approaching silently.
Cheng Yi forcefully pulled her hand away, looking down, visibly tense.
"I heard you two are old acquaintances. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"Yes, Mr. Ye. Would you mind if we had a word?"
He merely smiled, leaning in to whisper something to Cheng Yi. She seemed startled, as if snapping back to reality.
"Minglang is still tied up. Perhaps you and Mr. Fang could assist with reviewing the banquet setup?"
"It would be my honor. Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Ye."
Ye Mingzhe continued smiling, gently patting Cheng Yi's shoulder before disappearing down the corridor. Yet, his words lingered in her ears.
"I believe in you."
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On the hotel's fourth floor, the banquet hall buzzed with staff arranging the venue and preparing dishes, ensuring a delightful evening for all.
One side of the hall featured floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the river, where the crimson sunset and sparse streetlights illuminated the rush hour traffic. They stood by the window, indifferent to the picturesque view. Whether it was the solitude of dusk or the overly cool air conditioning, Cheng Yi felt a chill.
A suit jacket gently draped over her slender shoulders, shielding her from the unseasonal summer cold.
"Don't refuse; you'll catch a cold."
Cheng Yi softly murmured a thank you, falling silent once more.
The quieter she became, the more at a loss Fang Zhiyuan felt. He couldn't decipher her thoughts; she seemed so unfamiliar. He had been interacting with her as he always had, forgetting that six years could reshape a person entirely.
Her professional prowess impressed him; she handled matters adeptly, even with a touch of finesse, especially when dealing with him. Recently, through Rain Sail as an intermediary, she no longer avoided him. It was a good start, yet he gradually realized that while she didn't resist, she also didn't move closer.
He shouldn't view today's Cheng Yi through the lens of who she used to be. But how should he approach her now? He was desperate, unable to grasp her thoughts. What was she thinking? And what should he do?
"I've never believed in gods, but after I came back, I found myself praying over and over that as long as you were alive, nothing else mattered. People are like that—when I finally found you, I couldn't bear the thought of you being with someone else. I chose to leave; you could say I abandoned you. Now, I have only one wish—to be with you again. Can you give me another chance? Yi, we've been together since childhood, promising to stay together forever."
Cheng Yi gazed blankly at the darkening sky. City lights flickered on, and traffic wove through the illuminated homes like a fiery ribbon entwined in the night. She slowly turned to face the resolute man, her expression bleak.
"And then?"
Fang Zhiyuan couldn't tell if she sought an answer or was questioning him.
"What?"
"And then? Will we live happily ever after, like Cinderella and her prince?"
As long as she was willing to give him a chance, he was confident he could heal the wounds he'd caused.
"Of course, we'll be happy. We'll get married soon, have our children—you love kids. Now, I can provide for us; you won't need to work, just do what you love."
A single tear slid down from her hollow eye, leaving a faint trail on her cheek. She quickly wiped it away, and when she looked up again, the tear was gone, as if it had never been there.
"There was a time when that's all I ever dreamed of. But I've come to see it was just a fantasy I made up for myself."
"What? No... We can still have this. I know we can. I—"
"Do you know, it took me six years to claw my way out."
"What do you mean?"
"You think I forgot?"
"If we both haven't forgotten, then why can't we be together?"
Cheng Yi laughed bitterly at his hopeful tone, a laugh that sent chills down his spine.
"Yes, I remember—too well."
The banquet hall was now brightly lit, the dazzling lights reflecting off the crystal chandeliers, casting a harsh glow on Cheng Yi's ashen face. But beneath that face, hidden from view, were scars long since healed, but never forgotten.
"All these years, the hardest part wasn't trying to forget—it was knowing I never could."
Her heart had been shattered, and she'd had to pick up the pieces.
Enduring the pain, she had sewn up her sorrow.
Even when the wound healed, the scar remained.
And that scar was a constant reminder of just how deep the pain had been.
True heartbreak isn't sobbing uncontrollably.
It's wanting to cry but finding no tears left.
Once hope is lost, there's no more to hold on to.
All these things—she knew them too well.