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The following afternoon, at 2:50 PM.

In the lobby of the Mohe Building, after the receptionist verified Lin Ruoyin's identity, a young assistant led her to the private elevator that went directly to the top floor.

The elevator ascended at a steady pace, the numbers constantly changing. Lin Ruoyin looked at her reflection in the mirror.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

With a "ding," the elevator doors slid open.

Zhou Hui was already waiting at the elevator. He was still wearing a well-fitting black suit, his expression calm. When he saw Lin Ruoyin, he nodded slightly: "Director Lin, this way please. President Xu is in his office."

He led her through the open corridor to a heavy double wooden door.

Zhou Hui pushed open the door and stepped aside.

The office is minimalist, even cold. One wall is dominated by a huge, dark screen, like a closed eye; the other is a floor-to-ceiling window, framing the entire city as a flowing backdrop.

Xu Jia stood before that expanse of light and scenery. The afternoon light poured in, casting a clear yet lonely silhouette on his tall figure. The well-tailored dark suit accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, fitting perfectly, yet it was silently separated from the image of him in a light-colored shirt in her memory, in the interplay of light and shadow.

Lin Ruoyin paused almost imperceptibly the moment she stepped inside.

The atmosphere here is completely different from the small studio in my memory, which was always filled with the smell of turpentine and linseed oil. There were stacks of picture frames, casually placed plaster statues, and walls covered with sketches and color swatches. Here, there is only the cold gleam of metal, the transparency of glass, the faint scent of leather, and a near-sterile, efficient silence.

A complex and sharp emotion suddenly pierced my heart.

Xu Jia.

She watched his retreating figure in silence.

Seeing everything you have now, I should be happy for you, right?

But……

She gazed at the figure standing against the light, so close yet seemingly separated by an insurmountable chasm of time.

Are you really... doing well?

Zhou Hui gently closed the door behind her, the soft click pulling her back from her brief daze. She quickly composed herself, straightened her back, and walked steadily into the office, stopping a few steps away from Xu Jia.

Xu Jia also slowly turned around because of the sound of the door closing.

His gaze lingered on her face longer than in normal social interactions, from her meticulously styled hair to her calm, expressionless eyes, and finally to her tightly pursed pale lips. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, then relaxed, but a complex and unreadable emotion flickered in his eyes.

He took two steps forward, moving out of the shadows, and his face became clear in the even indoor light.

A handsome face, yet almost sharp.

His voice was deep, carrying a hint of sarcasm or something else that was hard to discern, as he broke the silence: "Director Lin, you've really worked hard."

He paused, his gaze fixed intently on her, and asked, slowly and clearly, word by word, "Every time the Lu family has a problem, is it you who steps in to put out the fire?"

Xu Jia's voice echoed in the empty office.

Lin Ruoyin met his gaze without flinching.

“Xingyu is a key project for the group. As the design director and brand manager, it is my responsibility to communicate the core requirements of the project.”

She paused, her tone becoming more formulaic: "If Mr. Xu feels it's inappropriate for me to handle the negotiations, we can switch back to Mr. Shen Yi, or you can designate another senior executive from the Lu Group to handle the negotiations."

Xu Jia walked behind his desk and sat down. He didn't immediately respond to her suggestion. The complex and unreadable flame deep in his eyes flickered slightly as he asked, "Where is Lu Yan? Shouldn't he come in person at a time like this?"

Lin Ruoyin looked at Xu Jia, paused for a moment, and then seemed to suddenly realize something.

Xu Jia rejected Shen Yi, but the person she wanted to force out might not be her, but Lu Yan.

“…He’s in charge of other aspects, and I’m in charge of this project.” She downplayed the main point. “Mr. Xu, I’m here today to discuss the possibility of cooperation between our two parties in the Southeast Asian market. We understand that Mohe has in-depth cooperation with relevant local institutions, and we hope to leverage your influence to push for the approval of the Xingyu project.”

She spoke at a steady pace, clearly and logically, keeping the topic firmly focused on business cooperation.

Xu Jia leaned back in his chair, his fingertips interlaced, and listened quietly as she finished speaking.

His gaze never left her face.

The office fell silent again for a brief moment.

After a long while, Lin Ruoyin finally heard Xu Jia speak: "I never realized you were such a virtuous wife."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Ruoyin's expression finally changed.

Xu Jia's sharp gaze pierced her, and he continued with a cold laugh, "I didn't realize you were so obsessed with money that you didn't even care about the other person's true nature. As long as his surname is Lu, as long as his family has enough money, it doesn't matter whether he's a human or a ghost, whether he's a good-for-nothing or not, is that right?"

His words struck precisely at the facade of calm she was trying to maintain.

Lin Ruoyin's fingers curled slightly at her side, her nails pressing against her palm, causing a slight stinging sensation.

“President Xu,” her voice remained steady, but a hint of suppressed tension could be detected if one listened closely, “We’ve been discussing the possibility of cooperation on the Xingyu project today. I just want to confirm whether Mohe is willing to negotiate with the Lu family on this matter?”

She steered the conversation back on track, refusing to let him drag her into the mire of personal emotions.

Xu Jia stared into her eyes, which were trying to maintain their composure. A certain unwavering determination within them, which he couldn't decipher, caused a sudden, inexplicable pang in his heart. This pain irritated him, and intensified his hatred for the man who so readily hid behind her, enjoying her protection.

"Cooperation?" Xu Jia finally got back to the so-called main topic, his tone blatantly sarcastic. "Director Lin, do you think there's a possibility of cooperation between us?"

Returning to business matters inexplicably made Lin Ruoyin feel even more relieved.

"In the business world, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. The Xingyu project is crucial to the Lu family, and if Mohe's layout in Southeast Asia can have a traditional high-end brand like the Lu family as a physical landing point and complementary resources, it can also expand its influence and achieve a win-win situation. I believe that with Mr. Xu's vision, he will not be limited to personal grudges."

Her words were logically sound, and her demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant; she attempted to build a bridge of communication using pure business rationality.

However, Xu Jia wasn't really listening.

His gaze fell on her face, tracing the faint weariness in her eyes that she tried so hard to conceal but still managed to see through, sweeping over her features that were thinner than he remembered. The room was kept at a constant temperature, yet she seemed to shiver with cold, her shoulders subtly hunched in. She stood there like a plant battered by wind and rain, yet still striving to straighten its spine—resilient, yet also…fragile.

The burning hatred that had been smoldering in his heart for five years should have been even stronger. He should have used sharper words to expose her "willing to endure anything for profit" attitude. But inexplicably, a completely different emotion, like an undercurrent in deep water, quietly surged and crashed against the hard barrier of hatred.

It's heartbreaking.

This realization made him feel both irritated and bewildered.

But that uncontrollable emotion, like a delicate vine, silently entangled the even more hurtful words he was about to utter. Looking at her slightly pale face and hearing the faint hoarseness beneath her calm tone, those even harsher rejections suddenly caught in his throat.

Almost without reason, he made the decision, driven by a sudden and untimely surge of heartache.

"Okay." He heard his own voice.

As soon as the words left his mouth, not only Lin Ruoyin, but even he himself was stunned for a moment.

Seemingly surprised by his... brisk, even abrupt, agreement, her prepared follow-up remarks suddenly became useless, and she could only cautiously confirm, "...Mr. Xu means... you're willing to consider cooperation?"

"..." Xu Jia looked away, no longer looking at her, as if trying to cover up the momentary loss of control he had just experienced. Then, his tone hardened again, as if he was trying to find justification for his inexplicable softening, "Mo Hen can intervene, but on our terms."

"Okay." Lin Ruoyin replied almost immediately, her voice filled with an eagerness as if afraid he would change his mind, and a sudden gleam in her eyes. In that instant, Xu Jia suddenly saw a glimpse of her former self in that unusually vivid light, and he paused again.

"...I will have Zhou Hui set up a special task force to liaise with you." He looked away and continued in a calm tone.

"Okay, I'll do that as soon as possible too..."

“However,” Xu Jia interrupted her response. He looked at her again, his gaze calm, “during the project collaboration, I need to speak directly with you about all the important meetings and key decision-making communications.”

He spoke as if it were a matter of course, shrouding this requirement in considerations of professional competence and communication efficiency, using a businesslike mask to bury his head in the sand and ignore the deeper implications.

Lin Ruoyin remained silent for a few seconds. She knew this meant that for the foreseeable future, she would have to engage in frequent and in-depth work-related contact with Xu Jiayou. This undoubtedly added fuel to the already complicated and difficult situation.

But did she have a choice?

“Okay.” She nodded. “I will personally take charge of the coordination between this project and Inkcore.”

As Xu Jia watched her agree, a complex emotion flickered in his eyes, a mixture of triumph and deeper gloom.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you." He extended his hand.

Lin Ruoyin looked at the hand with its distinct knuckles, paused for a moment, and finally extended her own hand to gently shake his.

His palms were dry and warm. The touch was brief, yet it felt like an electric current, instantly penetrating her carefully constructed defenses and reaching her heart.

She quickly withdrew her hand and nodded slightly: "It's a pleasure working with you."