44 When we part, please let the winter wind be the prelude, sealing the poems I never sent.

"No, I'm busy," Cheng Boyan refused decisively. "You can have the nanny pack it and send it to me."

Xu Junxian paused for a moment, her voice softening further: "As Mrs. Cheng, I'm planning to go to the company to talk to your girlfriend, is that alright? Is your relationship just a passing fancy? She's probably afraid of being labeled a mistress, isn't she?"

Cheng Boyan turned his head, his gaze sharp as a knife: "You dare."

Seeing his sharp gaze, Xu Junxian remained silent.

She knew Cheng Boyan's personality, and she herself really didn't dare to go.

A dozen minutes later, in front of the wrought iron gate of Yujing Garden, Cheng Boyan uttered only two words from his thin lips: "Get out of the car."

Xu Junxian pushed open the car door, and the winter wind instantly rushed into the car. She had barely steadied herself when the door slammed shut. The black sedan sped into the night, its taillights fading into the distance in the cold wind.

On Monday morning, when Wen Xueyan walked into the office, she keenly sensed that the atmosphere was unusual. Her colleagues avoided eye contact, and the sound of their typing seemed unusually forceful.

"Manager Wen," the assistant hurried forward, his voice low, "After more than two weeks of hard work and repeated revisions to the drawings for the GP project, the client ultimately chose Guko Engineering Company to sign the contract."

Engineer Wang looked up from behind the partition, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Their quote is significantly lower, and their proposal is much more lenient than ours in Zone 22 blast protection zone."

Sales Director Gu Jinzhou appeared at the end of the corridor. He strode over.

"Manager Wen," Gu Jinzhou's eyes flashed sharply, "our competitors' quotes are 15% lower than ours. All because you insisted on using the explosion-proof rating for Zone 22! You even insisted on high-grade instruments!"

Wen Xueyan calmly gazed at him: "That's the bottom line for safety."

"Bottom line?" Gu Jinzhou's face turned ashen. "This order worth over ten million yuan, our sales department has been working on it for so long. Because of your so-called bottom line, it's all ruined now. We had basically finalized the business terms. I'll report this to General Manager Xu. Our department won't get its quarterly bonus, and you're partly responsible!"

At 10:00 AM, Xu Junhang summoned Wen Xueyan to the general manager's office. Wen Xueyan had already prepared the project documentation, but heard him say, "The GP project issue isn't your fault."

He walked to the window, gazing at the bustling traffic below: "Guko Engineering's pricing proposal is risky. If an explosion occurs, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Wen Xueyan was slightly taken aback.

Xu Junhang gently patted her shoulder: "You're right to persist."

However, Xu Junhang's next words made her heart jump again: "My mother came to the company to see you and is waiting for you in the meeting room."

"Do you remember that rainy night when I took you home? Actually, I had my suspicions that day."

Wen Xueyan's fingertips felt slightly cold.

"What happened later, along with what my brother told me, confirmed my suspicions." His voice was calm. "You and President Cheng are together, isn't that right?"

“You don’t need to answer me.” Xu Junhang raised his hand to stop him. “I won’t make things difficult for you. I’ve seen your work attitude and how you treat people over the past six months. Actually, I only found out later that my sister was in the wrong first, and her mistake was very serious. So I later became neutral, but my other family members support my sister.”

Wen Xueyan was stunned.

“I hope you can separate your work and life,” Xu Junhang said. “I personally do too.”

With mixed feelings, Wen Xueyan pushed open the door to the reception room. The heating inside was on full blast.

Mrs. Xu sat gracefully on the sofa, dressed in an elegant and dignified dark green Chinese suit, with a pearl necklace around her neck gleaming with a warm luster.

Wen Xueyan's face was fair and delicate. She wore a simple white cashmere sweater and black trousers, and her shoulder-length short hair outlined her pretty features. Madam Xu looked at her and felt that she was different from the alluring woman she had imagined.

“Miss Wen,” Mrs. Xu’s voice was cold, “you were also married, weren’t you?”

Wen Xueyan nodded gently, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Marriage is a long journey, and as we go along, it's inevitable that the initial warmth will fade. It's normal for feelings to cool down," Mrs. Xu said slowly.

"All I want now is for you not to interfere in my daughter and son-in-law's marriage, and not to be a third party. Can you promise that? I'm asking you to do two things: first, resign and leave the company; second, break up with Cheng Boyan. If you're willing to persuade Cheng Boyan not to get a divorce, that would be even better."

"Whether he wants a divorce is his own decision. Besides, wasn't it your daughter who betrayed him first?"

“But legally, my daughter is still Mrs. Cheng. I’ve seen too many things like this when I was young. My husband is no pushover, and I’ve fought off many mistresses. Let me tell you, the court ruling came down this morning. They didn’t grant the divorce, but Cheng Boyan plans to appeal again. I think it’s related to you, isn’t it?” Mrs. Xu continued, her voice carrying the authority that comes with age.

She stepped forward: "If you insist on continuing, I can go to the office right now and let everyone know that you're seeing a married man. Call Bo Yan now and persuade him not to divorce his wife. If he doesn't agree, just say you already have a new lover, okay?"

"Why should I listen to you?" Wen Xueyan said angrily.

Madam Xu's gaze suddenly turned cold, but quickly returned to its elegant calm: "Miss Wen, you are a smart woman. I'll give you two days. You should understand that some wars don't need gunpowder to leave people battered and bruised. Your mother lives alone in Haidong New Village, right? You have many relatives; do they all know about your affair with a married man?"

Mrs. Xu picked up her handbag: "You'd better watch yourself. If I come back in two days and still see you at the company, or if I find out you're still seeing him, I'll bring reporters and shout 'Catch the mistress!' in the office."

After Madam Xu left, Wen Xueyan looked out the window. The sky in the distance was a grayish-blue, with low-hanging clouds, as if a snowfall was imminent.

Even if Xu Junxian was at fault first, and even if Cheng Boyan only approached her after deciding to end the marriage, it still cannot change the fact that their relationship is currently in a gray area.

She wondered if life, like the changing seasons, was not a time to demand the warmth of spring in winter, and if she should continue to persist in this relationship at this time.

But then she remembered the care Cheng Boyan had given her during her helpless moments, the reassuring warmth of his broad hands, and the nights they slept in each other's arms, his even breaths brushing against the top of her head with a slight itch.

After lunch, the afternoon sun shone through the blinds. Wen Xueyan lay on the table, resting her head on her arm, and took a light nap.

Suddenly, she was startled awake by a murmur of whispers. Looking up, she found everyone in the office staring at her. Their gazes held a mixture of surprise, disdain, and a hint of gleeful anticipation.

"I never expected her to be this kind of person."

"You always act so aloof."

Wen Xueyan opened her phone in confusion, and a trending topic immediately caught her eye: "Secrets of the Rich and Powerful: Suspicion Surrounds the Marriage of the President of Cheng's Group, with a Female Employee Surnamed Wen from the R&D Department Allegedly Involved."

The article uses ambiguous language to describe her relationship with Cheng Boyan, calling her a "career elite who took advantage of the situation" and "deliberately approached" Mrs. Cheng while she was in a coma.

The comment section has already been flooded with comments:

"To act like a 'three-times-or-three-times' woman is a disgrace to one's high level of education."

"Mrs. Cheng is so pitiful; she's seriously ill in bed and still has to suffer betrayal."

Her fingertips were icy cold. She wanted to explain, but found herself unable to utter a sound. Just then, her phone rang. It was her mother, her voice trembling with tears, demanding, "Xueyan, is what the news said true? How could you do such a thing?"

Just as she was about to suffocate, she suddenly woke up.

The office area remained quiet, save for the white noise of the air conditioner running. She touched her forehead; it was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

It was just a dream.

But the chill of being condemned by everyone was truly imprinted on my heart, lingering for a long time.

After waking up from the dream, she resolved to break up with him and resign, ending this state of anxiety and uncertainty. But she still wanted to see him one last time before parting ways.

She sent a message: "Bo Yan, I want to see you tonight. I need to talk to you about something. Can I wait for you downstairs at your home in Jinglan Peninsula after get off work?"

His reply was quick: "Okay."

Cheng Boyan received the divorce decree today, which stated that "divorce is not permitted, but there is still a possibility of reconciliation." His mood sank to the bottom, and he even suspected that the Xu family had bribed the judge.

Wen Xueyan's message was like a beam of clear light, and a smile finally appeared in the corner of his eyes.

After sending the message, Wen Xueyan tidied her desk, clearly marking all unfinished work and tasks that needed to be handed over. The resignation letter was already written and scheduled to be sent at 6 PM that afternoon. Although the employment contract required one month's notice for resignation.

*

As dusk fell, the streetlights in the Crystal Blue Peninsula residential area came on. Wen Xueyan sat in Su Jing's car, watching the familiar black sedan approach.

"Call me anytime if you need me to pick you up," Su Jing said as she rolled down the car window before leaving.

Wen Xueyan nodded and got into Cheng Boyan's car.

Cheng Boyan, dressed in a dark gray suit, sat in the driver's seat. He was extremely busy today, but he still made a point of ending his meeting early to rush back.

"Xueyan." He reached out and naturally tried to tuck a strand of hair that had been ruffled by the wind behind her ear.

Just as Cheng Boyan's fingertips were about to touch her skin, Wen Xueyan suddenly turned to the side. Unusually, almost with a resolute air, she leaned forward and gently pressed her soft lips to his cheek.

A brief, cool kiss, yet one that held a thousand unspoken words.

Cheng Boyan felt as if the first snowflakes were falling on his cheek.

In the dim light, he did not see Wen Xueyan's tears.

She rarely takes such initiative.

Immediately, an indescribable flutter seized him. He responded almost instantly, gently cupping her face in his large hands, his thumb caressing her delicate skin with affection, before lowering his head to kiss her lips.

Wen Xueyan's hand tentatively reached towards his waist, her fingertips touching Cheng Boyan's cold metal belt buckle.

Cheng Boyan felt his blood boil with excitement as he heard Wen Xueyan unbuckle his belt. The soft "click" sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet carriage.

Welcome all readers, teachers, and darlings to leave comments and vote! Thank you for your support.

Want to see more

Looking forward to the next chapter

Thank you for your comments, readers.

Mr. Xu is quite reasonable! We're breaking up! Sigh!

Thank you for your comments, reader. Cheng will definitely win her back. Xueyan still wants to be with him tonight.

Not enough

Thank you readers for urging me to update! I'll write more! ^_^