"Aaron, I'm sorry!"

Zhu Qianying's apology was sincere.

Over the past five years, she had considered contacting Xing Bailun and Qi Xiao, but she was afraid of causing them trouble.

Only a family with the wealth and resources of the Ji family would dare to risk offending the Yan family and secretly help her all this time.

While the Ji family could be considered related by some twists and turns, her lack of contact with Xing Bailun and the others, as good friends, was an act of kindness towards them.

"Zhu Qianying, is all you can say 'I'm sorry'?"

Xing Bailun was angry, but in the end, he softened his voice and sat down opposite her.

“I…” Zhu Qianying sighed, “I left in a hurry back then, and I couldn’t possibly leave you with much information, because, the kind of person Yan Shao…”

Upon hearing this, Xing Bailun became even angrier.

"You still bring him up? Do you know that he has a son now? He says he's your son, but who knows who he's actually with? But it's obviously his child, and he looks just like him, so annoying."

Zhu Qianying coughed twice and gave an awkward laugh.

"Aaron, that child is indeed my son with him, named Zizai, and he's not even five years old yet!"

Xing Bailun was speechless for a moment, staring wide-eyed at Zhu Qianying. After a long while, he finally spoke, "Yingying, are you sure you're not joking?"

Zhu Qianying nodded, "Of course not, that is definitely my son."

Xing Bailun fell silent again, seemingly taking a considerable amount of time to process this information. "So, you ran away while pregnant?"

Zhu Qianying nodded, "I didn't know myself..."

In fact, whether she knew or not, it probably wouldn't have affected Zhu Qianying's decision at the time.

At that time, she had completely given up on the marriage she thought would last a lifetime, or rather, on Yan Han, the man she loved. Even if she had known she was pregnant then, it probably wouldn't have changed her mind.

After all, children are not a magic bullet to save a marriage. Aren't she and her sister the best examples?

Moreover, her pride would not allow her to use her child as a tool. She is not so lowly or self-degrading as to use her child to try to hold onto anything!

"So where are you now..." Xing Bolun wanted to ask her where she was now and how she made a living, but he didn't dare to ask because he wasn't sure if she was doing well.

Zhu Qianying felt a warm glow in her heart. Indeed, he was a good friend. Even after five years apart, he was still so considerate and attentive to her.

“I’m doing well. After I left L City, I went to M Country with my mother and continued to work as a designer at Ying Jewelry.”

Zhu Qianying kept it brief, briefly recounting her experiences over the past five years.

Xing Bailun remained silent, simply gazing at her with deep, intense eyes.

Xing Bailun and the others knew that Zhu Qianying used to work as a jewelry designer at Ying Jewelry, but after Zhu Qianying disappeared, Xing Bailun went to the Ying Jewelry branch in L City to look for her, only to be told by the manager that Zhu Qianying had already resigned.

So, they assumed she had settled in a small city in China, never imagining that she had actually gone abroad.

After she finished explaining the current situation, Xing Bolun asked, "So what are your plans now? Are you planning to go back to L City and live there permanently?"

Zhu Qianying omitted the part about being threatened and persecuted by thugs, so Xing Bailun simply assumed that she wanted to come back.

As for Zhu Qianying sending her son back to the Yan family, Xing Bailun said he could understand. After all, with such a large family fortune as the Yan family, who would just sit idly by without fighting for it?

Moreover, there's no need to fight over Zizai, because Yan Han hasn't remarried or had any other children in the past few years. It's just that he and the eldest daughter of the Yi family still maintain a close relationship.

"I haven't decided yet, but I do have such a plan."

Zhu Qianying has saved up a little money over the past few years. She just went to a real estate agency and found that if her requirements aren't too high, her savings should be enough to buy a furnished apartment in L City.

"Do you need any help?" Xing Bailun felt that with his relationship with Zhu Qianying, there was no need to worry about saving face.

"For now, I should be able to afford an apartment with the money I have. I'll think about it more carefully. You should also tell Qi Xiao and the others about my return. Once I've settled down, I'll treat you to a meal to make amends."

"One meal? That's too cheap for you! At the very least, you should give each of us a limited edition piece of jewelry to appease us!" Xing Bolun teased her with a smile.

Zhu Qianying smiled and nodded in agreement, "As long as you don't mind, I'll design a complete set of exclusive styles for you free of charge on your wedding day, how about that?"

Zhu Qianying knew most of the details about their relationships from her younger sister.

Ling Chen and Lü Hui got married and started their careers two years earlier. Ling Chen had a healthy baby boy last year, and Lü Hui had a beautiful baby girl a few days ago.

As for Xing Bolun and Qi Xiao, they are still single, and it is said that they don't even have girlfriends.

In terms of business, Xing Bailun took over the Xing family business five years ago, just when the domestic economy was in recession. However, the Xing family business still developed steadily under his leadership. Although the pace was slow, it was already quite remarkable.

Qi Xiao and the others also took charge of their respective family businesses and gradually became successful.

Xing Bolun picked up his coffee, took a sip, and looked out onto the street. He said casually, "Let's talk about it when that day comes!"

By now, Xing Bailun is thirty years old. A thirty-year-old man who is successful in his career is commonly known as a diamond bachelor, and he is at the most sought-after age.

However, Zhu Qianying had no right to offer any advice on this matter.

"There will be..." she could only reply vaguely.

Xing Bolun turned his gaze away and stared intently at her. "Will such an opportunity ever come?"

Zhu Qianying was stunned for a moment, then met Xing Bailun's eyes.

In fact, five years have left many marks on this man, not wrinkles, but a calm demeanor and a commanding presence in his eyes.

But the look in his eyes when he looked at himself remained the same as it had been five years ago—deep and affectionate.

"Aaron, how do you know you don't have it if you don't open your heart?"

She understood what Xing Bolun meant by "opportunity," but she could only deliberately misinterpret his words.

"Shadow, I know, you understand everything!"

Yes, she understands everything.

Even so, the first thing she did upon returning was to notify Xing Bailun, meaning that she intended to confront him directly.

But she avoided and hid from Yan Han and the Yan family.

In truth, she knew very well that what was coming was something she couldn't avoid or escape.

Perhaps it was because she understood this that, even though her rational mind told her to avoid and hide, she still returned to L City.