83. A heart that clung tightly to you, suddenly felt empty.

A slightly hesitant voice came from the other end of the phone: "Is this Mr. Cheng's cell phone? Who is this?"

"This is Rao Wanyi. Bo Yan is taking a shower right now. I saw the caller ID and realized it was your number," Rao Wanyi replied frankly.

Wen Xueyan vaguely heard the sound of water.

"Are you in President Cheng's hotel room?" Wen Xueyan still found it hard to believe.

"Yes, it's past ten o'clock now, very late. Is there something urgent that you called? Do you want me to pass on the message? Or should I take the phone into the bathroom now?" Rao Wanyi asked.

Wen Xueyan paused for a moment: "It was something my husband, President Xi, instructed me to do, but there's no rush."

After saying that, Wen Xueyan was about to hang up, but Rao Wanyi's voice carried a long-lost joy: "You know what? I used to envy you for remarrying and meeting President Xi who loves you so much. You should find a husband like your President Xi! But don't worry, I don't intend to compete with you for President Xi. After my failed marriage, my family arranged several unreliable blind dates for me, and I had already given up on marriage. But after meeting him, I really like him! He is calm and strong, and I don't need to worry about him being like my ex-husband, bursting with ego all the time..."

Wen Xueyan's heart sank. Every word of these descriptions seemed to outline Cheng Boyan's features. She spoke with difficulty, "He sounds like a very outstanding person."

"He's like a snow-covered pine tree in the mountains," Rao Wanyi said in a low voice. "I'm in his room tonight, and I'm even wearing my new lace lingerie. It's not the cotton kind we used to wear in the dorm. I specifically chose pink. Do you think he'll like it...?"

Just then, Secretary Qiao, who had been quietly working on her documents at her desk, sensed something was wrong. She suddenly stood up, grabbed a document, and strode towards Rao Wanyi. Secretary Qiao wanted to interrupt her heartfelt conversation.

But it was too late.

"Wanyi," Wen Xueyan felt she was about to lose control and quickly interrupted her, "I'm a little sleepy, I'm going to sleep first."

The call ended, and Secretary Qiao's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. She looked at Rao Wanyi's profile, still bearing a sweet smile: "President Rao, I don't understand the data in this document. I was going to ask you for help, but I just realized I misread the decimal point."

Rao Wanyi looked at her, somewhat puzzled as to why Qiao Lanyue had stayed in the room and not left.

Rao Wanyi truly came with utmost "sincerity" tonight. Her distant cousin, Dean Song of the Jingzhou Chemical Engineering Design Institute, was one of the key figures Cheng Boyan was determined to win over during his trip to Jingzhou.

Rao Wanyi was determined to use the guise of introduction to get closer to him. This intention was hidden beneath a seemingly legitimate reason, and even she herself sometimes had to carefully distinguish between what was public and what was private.

She knew perfectly well that Cheng Boyan had already rejected her. If she were to knock on his door alone in the dead of night, given Cheng Boyan's clear-cut nature and his unwillingness to give anyone any false hope, that door might not be opened for her.

So she carefully arranged the meeting, even making a tacit agreement with her cousin that he would only stay for ten minutes, leaving a natural and reasonable opening.

She even prepared a bottle of red wine for her cousin to bring along.

Tonight, she wants to spend the night with the man she has long admired.

Having gone through a failed marriage, Rao Wanyi noticed that Cheng Boyan had been scandal-free in his personal life and dedicated to his work over the past few months. She not only admired his composure and wisdom but also his strong sense of responsibility.

"If he accepts my feelings," she told herself, "it must be out of genuine resonance, not just a fleeting infatuation."

The wine she brought was not mixed with any other ingredients; it was just a normal bottle.

Traditional education always tells women to be reserved, so she waits to be chosen. But her own experience proves that she only attracted suitors with ulterior motives. Truly outstanding men are never short of admirers; if they simply wait, they are likely to be snatched away by someone else.

Rao Wanyi decided to be brave for once.

As the door opened, Cheng Boyan appeared in the doorway. He saw the director of the Chemical Engineering Design Institute, and a perfectly measured warmth flashed in his eyes. However, when his gaze swept over her behind the director, that warmth seemed to subtly subside, transforming into a more cautious politeness.

Cheng Boyan stepped aside to welcome them in.

Almost the instant they sat down, Cheng Boyan picked up his phone: "Secretary Qiao, bring your office computer and the first draft of the agreement from today to my room."

Rao Wanyi's heart sank slightly in that instant. His reaction was so quick, and his defenses so solid.

Watching Cheng Boyan make a phone call, she felt that her ex-husband's obsequious flattery back then was nothing more than a meticulously calculated scheme to covet the Rao family's resources. Truly outstanding men never need to flatter to prove themselves; they radiate their own light and set their own boundaries.

However, this boundary also gave Rao Wanyi a feeling of becoming more courageous despite setbacks.

Not long after Secretary Qiao entered, his cousin raised his glass to congratulate him on the initial cooperation intentions, and Cheng Boyan responded calmly.

However, at the very moment they clinked glasses, someone's wrist trembled slightly, and the crimson wine spilled out of control, splashing onto Cheng Boyan's white shirt, quickly creating an embarrassing mess, and continuing to drip down onto his trousers.

Cheng Boyan glanced down and said in a gentle tone, "Please have a seat, everyone. Excuse me, I need to clean up a bit."

Cheng Boyan took off his tie, which reeked of alcohol, then turned around, grabbed a change of clothes from his suitcase, and went into the bathroom.

Because he had visited a chemical plant during the day, he took a longer shower.

After sitting for a short while, Dean Song, my cousin's brother, got up to take his leave as planned.

Rao Wanyi saw him to the door, and when she turned back, she found Secretary Qiao still sitting upright at her desk.

"Secretary Qiao, would you like to go back to your room and rest first? You can work again tomorrow?" Rao Wanyi asked.

"No need, President Rao. I still have work to report, otherwise President Cheng will criticize me," Qiao Lanyue replied.

"I'll explain to Mr. Cheng for you. You should go home early."

"No," Secretary Qiao insisted, refusing to leave.

Rao Wanyi had no choice but to sit down on the sofa.

It was during this wait that Cheng Boyan's phone rang.

Five minutes later, almost as Cheng Boyan finished dressing and stepped out of the bathroom, Secretary Qiao reported, "President Cheng, you received a phone call while you were showering. President Rao answered it for you."

Cheng Boyan paused in wiping his hair. His gaze shifted to Rao Wanyi, and a fleeting emotion flashed in his eyes—a clear hint of displeasure, like a sudden glint of cold light on a calm lake.

"Is that so?" he replied indifferently, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger. "President Rao, from now on, I will answer my own calls. You don't need to do it for me."

“I wasn’t planning to answer it for you. I saw it was my old classmate Wen Xueyan’s phone number, and I guessed it might be President Xi looking for you. And it turned out to be true,” Rao Wanyi explained.

Upon hearing that it was Wen Xueyan calling, Cheng Boyan's tone clearly indicated that he wanted to see her out: "President Rao, thank you for your hard work tonight. It's getting late, I need to rest. You and Secretary Qiao should go back to your room now. I'll discuss the specifics with your cousin another day."

His words were polite and considerate, yet carried an undeniable decisiveness, clearly widening the distance between the two.

Upon hearing this, Secretary Qiao immediately began to neatly tidy up the documents on the desk. Then she stood up, walked to Rao Wanyi's side, and said respectfully but with an implied urging, "President Rao, let's go together."

Rao Wanyi felt a subtle embarrassment and disappointment. She smiled and nodded to Cheng Boyan, "Okay, then I won't disturb Mr. Cheng's rest any longer. Good night."

Secretary Qiao practically dragged her out of the room.

Inside the room, almost the instant the door closed, Cheng Boyan strode to the coffee table, picked up his phone, quickly found Wen Xueyan's number, and planned to call her back.

*

On Wen Xueyan's end, after hanging up the phone, she walked to the window, gazing at the deep night outside, and tears finally broke free. Those glistening teardrops silently slid down, dripping onto the windowsill and splashing into tiny water droplets.

She remembered that at the university dance, Rao Wanyi lent her her favorite dress; she remembered that when she was short of money, Rao Wanyi would secretly slip living expenses into her bag.

But now, they've both fallen in love with the same man.

Wen Xueyan pressed her forehead against the cold glass, letting her tears blur the lights of countless homes outside the window.

Yes, Rao Wanyi has a distinguished family background and extensive connections. Aren't they a better match?

Rao Wanyi has always been upright and honest in rebuilding her career and raising her daughter alone after her divorce.

Therefore, it is absolutely impossible that she lied and said that President Cheng was taking a shower.

But it is precisely this certainty that makes the bitterness in my heart even more unbearable.

She couldn't help but recall the phone call her cousin Wen Haijing had made earlier that day. Wen Haijing seemed unusually calm about the fact that President Xu would never marry her.

Perhaps Wen Haijing had already seen through it all.

If you don't have hope, you won't be disappointed or lonely.

The emotional fluctuations caused by postpartum hormonal changes surged like a tidal wave, making Wen Xueyan almost unable to resist the urge to immediately dial the phone again to question her.

She wanted to know the truth, to hear his explanation in person, even if it was the cruelest truth.

She lightly swiped her finger across the power button, and the screen went dark instantly. In that moment, she not only cut off contact with the outside world but also temporarily isolated herself from the emotions that would cause her to lose control.

What good would it do to ask such a question? She suddenly recalled the face of her ex-husband, Song Tiancheng, when he cheated on her. That man could always find all sorts of high-sounding reasons to explain away his infidelity.

"I even wore my new lace lingerie tonight, do you think he'll like it..." These words seemed to echo in her ears once again.

Wen Xueyan closed her eyes, seemingly seeing Cheng Boyan's hand caressing another woman's lace lingerie... She couldn't accept it. She tried hard to control herself from thinking about it.

Unable to sleep, Wen Xueyan wanted to see her baby, but worried that her emotions would affect the child. So she opened her iPad, put on her headphones, and listened to Pamajor's song "A heart that once clung tightly to you, suddenly felt empty..." on repeat.

Welcome all readers and fans to leave comments and vote! Thank you for your support.

Please clear up the misunderstanding quickly!

Thank you for your message. Mr. Cheng will work hard to win back his wife tomorrow.

I love watching it

Thank you for your message.

How come you're writing new stories so fast? I was only just getting used to my old one a few days ago. I feel like this one shouldn't be read with a normal perspective; the guy doesn't seem to love the woman that much, doesn't he even realize he's not even aware of his own child?

Thank you for your message and for reading my previous book. I remember seeing your comment. I started this book after finishing the previous one (but I'm still figuring out which of the next three to write first). Writing sometimes feels like I'm talking to the characters; there's so much I want to say. The love in this book, Mr. Cheng's, is indeed a bit different from Mingming's. Mr. Cheng faces more temptations in this book, but his heart remains steadfast. He wasn't sure if the baby was his because he used protection that day. Plus, the female lead married Mr. Xi, who was younger and had better conditions than him. He wanted to object but felt it was inconvenient to object while still in divorce proceedings, so he was heartbroken and more restrained. (Chapter 79 describes Mr. Cheng staying at the hospital the day Xueyan gave birth.) In Mingming's book, Mr. Cheng was always single, making it easier to force himself on her. Thank you for reading every time.

Haha, okay, write whatever you want, I'm just venting. I haven't seen any good books since then. A few days ago I read a group portrait, *I Wish to Always Be Happy*, it was really good. If you could publish something similar, I'd be hooked!

Okay, okay, I'll go check out that book too. Thanks for the recommendation!