Meeting

Su missed the day An Chi left the country; she was in Canada that day.

Su was flying back to Northtown from Canada, while Anchi was heading to Washington from Northtown.

She called Tang Pai after landing, "He's gone?"

"Yes, Mr. Su, Young Master An just boarded the plane."

She mumbled an "Mmm" and hung up the phone. She wouldn't tell him that even after attending a three-day conference and taking the fastest flight, Su Yao still missed seeing him off at the airport.

These words are unnecessary between them.

After seeing An Chi off, Su still needed to go to the apartment in the city center to let Aunt Hong know.

After that, Aunt Hong was alone again.

“That child Anchi told me a long time ago, Miss,” Aunt Hong told her, sitting beside her.

She was too late for everything.

Aunt Hong asked cautiously, "Miss, did Young Master An do something wrong? Why did he go abroad? Will he... come back?"

“Aunt Hong, he didn’t do anything wrong. He went abroad to study and will come back after he finishes his studies.” Su Yao made this promise, but in fact, even she herself was not sure whether An Chi would return to China after studying abroad.

A dazzling array of choices can be overwhelming, and he probably wasn't an exception.

"Oh, Miss, you just got back from out of town, right? I made tomato and egg noodles. Would you like to try some?" Aunt Hong's tense expression relaxed, and her form of address changed unconsciously.

Upon hearing the familiar name, Su thought of An Chi and smiled, "Okay, thank you, Aunt Hong."

"No need to thank me, Xiao Chi asked me to make this. He said you liked this after you came back from outside, so he asked me to make it for you." Aunt Hong scooped up the noodles. "Xiao Yao, you must come here when you come back from outside. I'll make it for you."

When the white porcelain bowl was brought over, Aunt Hong grumbled, "I don't remember you liking this when you were little..."

Su Yao didn't say a word from beginning to end. She watched as the red tomato sauce soaked into the noodles. She flipped the noodles with her chopsticks, and the scrambled eggs underneath surged up. The bowl was full, with less of the off-white noodles and more of the golden-brown eggs.

One bite, and it's definitely different from what Anchi makes.

Aunt Hong may have the personality of the older generation; she always makes sure the eggs are slightly burnt, because she's afraid that if Su eats undercooked eggs, she'll feel unwell.

Compared to Aunt Hong, An Chi was much bolder. The eggs he made were a tender, pale yellow color. He wasn't afraid of the fishy smell of eggs; instead, they were sweet and could absorb the sauce better.

"Aunt Hong, I'm done eating." Su wiped her mouth, no longer dwelling on her thoughts of An Chi. "I'll come again next time, Aunt Hong."

With this assurance, Aunt Hong's initial frown and anxiety turned into a smile.

From that day on, Su would come to the flat every day to stroll around, even more often than An Chi did when he lived there.

Shang Jiuqi handled the final cleanup very well. Bai Lutong completely took over the mess of the Su family and became the next CEO after Su Yao. Su Wensheng didn't react much, but Su Qingye was hospitalized. The doctor said that her body was not as good as before and she needed to be taken good care of.

Su Yao looked at Su Qingye lying on the hospital bed, realizing that she had wasted her life, ultimately succumbing to time for her own interests and arrogance.

Bai Lutong came to see Su Qingye, holding a bouquet of flowers and placing them aside.

He joked, "Grandma Su probably doesn't want to see me right now."

Su kept her gaze fixed on him. "The person you least want to see is me."

"Xiao Yao, did you get what you wanted?" Bai Lutong asked.

Su then turned her gaze to him and said, "Mr. Bai, please feel free to say what you want to say."

"I've taken over the Su family business and helped you break free. Could you give me a chance, Xiao Yao?"

"What opportunity?"

"You know perfectly well the opportunity to be with you."

"Isn't Mr. Bai being a bit too delusional? You want me as a person after you've already got a company?"

Su Yao is shameless, and she knows perfectly well that the Su family's losses far outweigh its profits, while she, as a shareholder, only needs to wait for dividends.

"Then... how about a chance to pursue you?" Bai Lutong remained calm and unperturbed, slowly bargaining.

Su paused for a moment, knowing she couldn't make things too ugly. After all, the success of this matter depended on Bai Lutong's willingness to suffer such a great loss. "Okay, but I'm not that easy to win over."

"Xiao Yao, you still know how to weigh the pros and cons. Actually, even if you reject me, I won't say anything. I don't have that much time to calculate the gains and losses between us. I only know... I love you." Bai Lutong touched her shoulder, put his arm around her waist, and their breaths mingled.

The atmosphere was filled with an invisible fragrance and the nerve-stimulating effects of alcohol.

It is flowers, it is disinfectant, it is the breaths and gasps between two people.

Su Yao suddenly stepped on Bai Lutong's foot. Bai Lutong winced in pain and let go. "Watch your step. A suitor shouldn't get this close to me."

Before Bai Lutong could even recover, Su instructed, "Assistant Ge, Mr. Bai is injured. Take him to see him."

Ge Jin appeared just in time and "invited" Bai Lutong out the door.

The two were entangled for four years, and even slept together when they were in love. However, Su Yao never admitted that Bai Lutong was her boyfriend, but the outside world still accepted their relationship.

There were times.

Zhou Qingran, who only knew that the two had each run away from the other's engagement party, asked Shang Jiuqi, "You've been staying in Beicheng, and they've been like this all along?"

"Go ask Pei Zhixi, hasn't he been here all these years?" Shang Jiuqi moved a little further away from him, afraid of getting into trouble.

"Aren't you closer to Su? I heard that it was your idea to run away from the engagement banquet."

Unexpectedly, the rumor spread even more wildly, and Shang Jiu frowned slightly. "Don't believe the rumors. If you want to know how they are doing, ask the people involved."

"Su would probably curse me to death."

"I won't yell at you?"

For the past four years, An Chi has not returned to China, and he has gradually distanced himself from Su Yao's arrangements.

On graduation day, Su wanted to send him a message to ask about his future plans.

It took him a long time to reply: I'm going back to China to take care of my mother and sister. I've already received my graduate school admission notice from Beicheng University.

As Su looked at "Beicheng University," she suddenly realized that the child had his own plans, which she was unaware of.

She replied: Okay.

The children were not under her jurisdiction to begin with, and her excessive interference in their decisions only made her seem overly controlling.

Thinking of something, Su asked: Tell me the day you return to China, and I'll come pick you up.

An Chi: No need, I'll go back by myself.

Four years had passed, and the two had grown quite estranged.

Su decided not to make a fool of herself and stopped contacting them.

"Hey, Anne, what are you daydreaming about? Come and eat," the white man opposite him called out.

An Chi glanced at her phone screen every now and then, gave him an awkward smile, and said, "My family is messaging me."

"I've seen the screen go black for a while now, let's continue eating, An."

“Okay.” An Chi chewed on his food, still pondering.

Why did Su not react when she saw Beicheng University? Was she angry? Angry that he made the decision on his own? But if she didn't do this, would he still be sent abroad by her?

He didn't want to stay here anymore.

The thought of Su Yao being surrounded by so many beautiful women back home gave him a headache.

Even if he didn't think about these things, he couldn't help but miss Su Yao.

I don't know how many times I've woken up in a fright from a dream, or how many times I've gasped for breath when my skin is damp and clinging to my body.

When An Chi finally returned to Beicheng, he was somewhat dazed. This place that he had longed for seemed so ordinary, just like everything before he left, nothing had changed.

On the day An Chi returned to Beicheng, Su Yao heard Tang Pai say that she was waiting for news from him.

It was completely silent all day.

After Su Yao stopped working for Su's Group, he expanded his own company and arranged another place for him to work. Su Yao pondered and asked Tang Pai, "Does he know that my new office is here?"

"Um...Mr. Su, should we tell Mr. An now?"

Tang Pai changed his address to "Young Master An" to "Mr. An," and even Su Yao hesitated a bit, saying, "No need."

If he were interested, he would know what she had been doing in China these past few years.

Rain was falling from the dark sky. Even in times like this, Ge Jin would prioritize safety and take Su home. "President Su, where are you going today?"

"Let's go to Aunt Hong's place." After giving the order, she rubbed her temples and closed her eyes to rest.

The darkness that greeted Su Yao upon opening the door indicated that An Chi had not returned.

She opened her phone and saw a red dot on her WeChat Moments; it was a post from him.

An Chi is a child who rarely shows his emotions. He rarely posts on social media, maybe only a few times a year. But today, he posted one about his family.

It was An's mother, An Lan, and him—the whole family.

When he said "mom and sister," it was indeed his mother and sister, and Su Yao even breathed a sigh of relief.

She shouldn't overthink it; An Chi might really have nothing to do with her anymore.

Now that he's been brought here, Su Yao is prepared to lie down here as well.

Previously, the master bedroom was used for An Chi to sleep in. In recent years, since he has not been around, Su Yao usually rests in the master bedroom.

After washing up, she lay down on the bed.

Hearing a noise in the middle of the night, Su thought she was dreaming, as these dreams had become increasingly frequent in recent years.

I rolled over and touched something uneven.

Su opened her eyes and saw An Chi looking her over. She quickly withdrew her hand and tried to get up, but An Chi grabbed her shoulder and asked in a hoarse voice, even more somber than four years ago, "Where is Mother going?"

"Go to the guest room."

"Since you're here, let's lie down together." He tightened his grip, ready to pull Su Yao back at any moment if she tried to escape.

"Aren't you with your mother and sister?" Instead of fleeing as expected, she turned her back to him and asked.

Su Yao still caught An Chi's soft laughter. "I went to my parents' house, so I can't just not come back."

"What kind of description is that?"

Four years ago, Su Yao always liked to joke around with An Chi, but now she can't stand An Chi joking around herself.

"Go to sleep. Do you have to go to the company tomorrow?"

Thinking back to the question she asked Tang Pai earlier today, Su asked, "Do you know where I work right now?"

“I know, I not only know, but I know you better than I did four years ago, Su Yao.” His hand was still around her, not loosening its grip at all.

Su laughed: "Isn't everything you know just from the news? Can you trust the news?"

"Then test me?"

"Sure."

"Since we're going to test you, how about we give you a small reward if you answer correctly?"

"Okay, what do you want? But shouldn't there be a punishment for answering incorrectly?"

"If you answer correctly, you can sleep facing me; if you answer incorrectly, I'll sleep facing you." After going abroad, An Chi unexpectedly became quite glib.

Su didn't want to argue with him. "You can't do this. If you answer correctly, I can sleep facing you. If you answer incorrectly, I'll punish you."

"good."

"Let's start with something simple: what's my favorite food?"

She didn't give him this answer four years ago, and now it seems like she's deliberately making things difficult. Even financial news interviews don't necessarily ask these kinds of questions.

"I made tomato and egg noodles."

"So confident? What if Aunt Hong's cooking is better than yours?"

"Just answer directly, right?" He slowly approached her.

"That's right. My second question is, which floor is my office on now?"

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be on the twenty-third floor, right?"

"Very clever." These things wouldn't be shown in the data, yet he knew them all, as if An Chi had never left in the past four years.

"You can't keep asking, Su Yao." He hit the nail on the head; he was still so perceptive.

"And the last one, should I step through the door with my left foot or my right foot today?" She racked her brains, always trying to stump him.

An Chi wasn't angry. He thought for a moment, "Right foot?"

Su Yao shifted her body and found that An Chi was still pretending, and she could easily let go of his hand with a slight tremor. She turned around and faced him.

Congratulations, you got it right.

Looking at the person he had been longing for, An Chi stepped forward and gently pecked him, "Sleep."

Su was somewhat puzzled as he awaited the next step.

He laughed and said, "There's no rush."

Su Yao didn't understand his smile, but she still lay in his arms and slept. The emperor wasn't in a hurry, so why should the eunuchs rush to make a fuss?

As the moon rises slightly, busy Su Yao never pays attention to such romantic things. After a long day of work, can she even distinguish the movement of her left and right feet?