Jiang Xiao's studio had taken on a new project, so she needed to go on a business trip to City C. Before leaving, she instructed her assistant, Xiao Zhou, that if anyone came looking for her, to say she wasn't there, and if asked where she went, to say they didn't know.
Xiao Zhou asked why.
Jiang Xiao said, "I don't want to see someone I don't want to see."
Xiao Zhou half understood but was still a bit confused. She probed, "Boss, you're not avoiding President Cheng, are you?"
Jiang Xiao didn't answer, but her expression seemed to confirm it.
As Xiao Zhou sorted through documents, she said, "I think President Cheng is pretty great—handsome, rich, gentle, devoted. He's a rare good man among men."
Xiao Zhou didn't know what Cheng Yuan used to be like, and Jiang Xiao didn't plan to explain. She smiled faintly. "Is that what makes a good man?"
"What else?" Xiao Zhou asked. "What makes a good man?"
Jiang Xiao tapped Xiao Zhou's forehead with her pen. "Little girl, don't be fooled by a man's appearance. Remember, the more handsome a man is, the more unreliable."
Shen Yue agreed with that. She chimed in, "Right, the more handsome, the more unreliable."
Jiang Xiao glanced sideways and inadvertently noticed a hickey on the side of Shen Yue's neck. After Xiao Zhou left, she asked Shen Yue, "Something going on?"
Shen Yue pulled at her collar and dodged the question. "Nothing."
"Then what's that?"
"Bit by a dog."
"Where'd the dog come from?"
"Picked it up on the street."
Jiang Xiao had been through it all; she understood. "If you like someone, go for it. Being all shy isn't like you."
"What am I like?"
"You love and hate boldly," Jiang Xiao said. "Actually, I kind of envy you."
"Envy that I'm uglier than you?"
"Envy that you live more clearly than I do."
"You live pretty clearly now too," Shen Yue said with a wink. "At least you didn't forgive Cheng Yuan on a whim this time."
The conversation landed back on Cheng Yuan. Shen Yue asked, "Are you telling him about your business trip?"
"No," Jiang Xiao said.
"Then what if he comes looking for you?"
"Whatever," Jiang Xiao said. "I'm not his anything. No need to tell him my schedule."
"He loves you, doesn't he?"
"Just because he loves me, I have to respond?" Jiang Xiao had long seen through matters of the heart. "You just said I'm not the same as before. So I don't care what happens to him."
"Then what do you care about?"
"The project."
Shen Yue reminded her, "Oh, I heard Song Xuan will also be in City C. I think he's quite interested in you. You could arrange to meet."
"You really want to play matchmaker?" Jiang Xiao chuckled. "He and I aren't a good fit."
"Why?"
"That guy has a strong need for control. Not suitable for me."
Shen Yue rested her chin on her hand. "After all this talk, it seems like only Cheng Yuan suits you."
Jiang Xiao grabbed her bag and picked up her files. She patted Shen Yue's shoulder. "Alright, work first. Let's set other things aside. I'm off to City C. The company's in your hands."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of it," Shen Yue promised, thumping her chest.
The first day Jiang Xiao was away, the company ran normally. Everyone left work as usual.
The second day, there was an incident.
Shen Yue had an argument with someone.
"You think sending some junk will make Xiao Xiao fall for you again? Dream on."
The "junk" Shen Yue referred to was the jewelry Cheng Yuan had bought at an auction the day before, worth sixty million.
He had bought it specifically for Jiang Xiao.
But who knew she wasn't there?
Shen Yue: "Take your stuff and go. Now."
Cheng Yuan said coldly, "These aren't for you. You have no right to deal with them. Tell me where she went."
"I don't know." Shen Yue recalled all the things Cheng Yuan had done before and wished she could smash him to pieces. There was no way she'd tell him where Jiang Xiao was.
"If you won't say, I won't leave." When it came to patience, Cheng Yuan had it. When it came to shamelessness, he was even more so.
Shen Yue stiffened her neck. "Fine, wait if you want. Suit yourself."
She grabbed her bag and left first.