The room smelled of disinfectant. A maid brought in dinner, which Yan Zhou accepted.

Jing Min lay pale-faced on the hospital bed.

His gaze drifted towards the doorway, but as time ticked by, the figure never appeared.

His gaze became somewhat vacant, as if he were staring into an empty distance, or as if he didn't care about anything at all.

Yan Zhou bent down and arranged the exquisite food items on the tray one by one, then stood up and looked at Jing Min.

"Mr. Jing, let's eat."

With Yan Zhou's help, Jing Min got out of bed and went to the table.

"Has she eaten?"

"I've eaten and gone back to my room to rest."

After Yan Zhou finished speaking, he felt it was inappropriate and added...

"Your wife has been busy with her thesis lately, leaving early and returning late these past few days. She probably arranged for you to stay in another room so as not to disturb your rest."

Even Yan Zhou himself didn't believe this. Being busy is normal, but being so busy under the same roof that you can't even see each other for a moment is a bit hard to talk about.

He spent the afternoon in his room accompanying President Jing during a video conference. They are currently on vacation; some work has been arranged in advance, but others require remote coordination.

Chu Wuyang did not appear all afternoon.

When he went downstairs to ask someone to come up, the other person was also cold and distant.

Jing Min listened to Yan Zhou's forced explanation but did not expose him.

He picked up the spoon and spoke slowly with a calm expression.

"Then let's not bother her. Revising a thesis is hard work, let her rest!"

Yan Zhou looked surprised, not used to Jing Min's considerate attitude, and was momentarily stunned.

"Why don't you sit down with me?"

...

Early the next morning, Yan Zhou walked through the garden to the main building.

From afar, Chu Wuyang could be seen leaving the house; a car was parked at the entrance, and the driver was already waiting there.

He glanced up at the master bedroom window; the curtains were drawn.

His brows furrowed involuntarily.

He walked upstairs at a brisk pace.

Pushing open the master bedroom door, I saw Jing Min standing with his back to the window. I couldn't see his expression, but I had a strange feeling that his figure looked somewhat lonely.

Jing Min watched quietly for a few seconds, then turned to look at Yan Zhou as if she had just heard the noise, her expression natural.

A greeting in a calm tone

"So early? Have you already eaten?"

Yan Zhou nodded and quickly stepped forward to help him up, but Jing Min gently waved her away.

Yan Zhou, who had been worried about Jing Min's poor condition, glanced at him casually and was surprised to find that Jing Min's complexion had become rosy.

He finally felt relieved.

...

The same thing happened on the third day.

Chu Wuyang leaves early and returns late. Jing Min, who has a routine video conference during the day, casually asked about Chu Wuyang's situation during dinner.

Yan told him the truth during the day.

Jingmin did not ask further.

On the fourth day, the same thing happened. Jingmin asked as usual, and the answer was the same.

The fifth day was the same.

On the sixth day... Jing Min didn't ask any more questions.

And so, the two of them, living under the same roof, didn't see each other for almost half a month.

It's already November.

Looking out of the bedroom window, the trees in the yard were all bare, and the sky remained a gloomy gray.

It makes one feel somewhat depressed.

Parker gave Jingmin another full-body checkup and concluded that Jingmin was recovering well and could resume a normal life.

However, it's important to avoid extreme emotional fluctuations, as unknown toxins in the body can always be a hidden danger.

Yan Zhou was taking notes of some key points.

That evening, Jing Min went downstairs for dinner. Chu Wuyang glanced at him from the table, then quickly looked away.

Jingmin stared straight at the person in front of him, as if from another world.

He cleared his throat, picked up a glass of water and drank it, then spoke in a clear, crisp voice.

"How's the paper preparation going? Has the deadline been set?"

Chu Wuyang, who was focused on eating the food on her plate with her head down, put down her knife and fork upon hearing this.

The voice was cold.

"The end of this month is a bit rushed, so I'm planning to move to that apartment downtown tomorrow. It'll be easier to connect with my classmates and professors then."

Jing Min lowered his eyes, his fingers unconsciously tightening their grip on the knife and fork.

It quickly and slowly loosened again.

"Then I'll go with you tomorrow,"

Chu Wuyang remained expressionless, shoveling food into her bowl with small bites, a hint of impatience flashing in her voice.

“The apartment is too small, and your condition hasn’t fully recovered yet. It’s inconvenient to have too many people taking care of you. I can manage by myself.”

A moment of silence...

After finishing her meal, Chu Wuyang grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth and got up to leave. She had just stepped onto the stairs when…

A harsh sound of metal clashing against a table echoed from the restaurant. She paused briefly, her back to the table, but didn't turn around before continuing upstairs.

Then downstairs came the crisp sound of a glass shattering as it rolled to the ground.

And the chaotic sound of a series of items falling to the ground...

Almost a month later, Jingmin was undergoing intensive rehabilitation treatment at his suburban villa while also handling work remotely.

At night, Jingmin held a cup of coffee, standing by the window gazing at the waxing and waning moon, a scene both serene and clear.

At the same time, Chu Wuyang was in her apartment in the city, sitting on the wooden floor and looking out at the Central Park through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind; the city's hustle and bustle made the moonlight appear hazy.

As November drew to a close,

Chu Wuyang's defense went smoothly, but Jing Min arrived late and missed it.

Fortunately, Chu Wuyang mentioned afterwards that she had made plans to travel with her classmates, so Jingmin was relieved and didn't ask where she went.

Graduation ceremony arrived in the blink of an eye.

Jing Min had an important contract to sign the day before and had to be present in person; there wasn't enough time to apply for a flight route at the last minute.

He traveled through several cities before finally arriving in New York, but he was still too late.

Holding flowers, looking dejected,

He picked up the phone and dialed, but the call wouldn't go through. His heart tightened.

Only after Yan Zhou reminded him that there were always people around her did he feel relieved.

Having learned of his general whereabouts, he went to look for him alone.

From afar, he spotted a familiar figure by the roadside near the school gate. He chuckled and was about to walk towards him when the person opposite him seemed to have seen him too, smiling and waving.

A smile played on his lips as he quickly made his way through the crowd, almost reaching her.

A car sped past.

Instinctively, he immediately realized what was happening and tried to reach out and pull the familiar figure closer.

But she was surrounded and squeezed into a safe place by the people around her.

After struggling to break free of the crowd and frantically searching, he saw that familiar figure nestled in someone else's arms.

Fingers gripped the corner of another person's hand tightly, showing complete dependence.

Yang Jinchu also protected her tightly.

How familiar this scene seems!

His eyes turned cold instantly, and the flowers in his hand scattered all over the ground.

Jing Min stood rooted to the spot, his eyes fixed on the two embracing figures, a surge of anger welling up within him.

His hands, hanging down, were clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

His eyes turned bloodshot and blurred; jealousy and rage nearly consumed him.

Five years ago, he didn't have the courage to step forward; five years later, he can no longer tolerate it, nor is it possible for him to.

He strode forward, mentally rehearsing his actions, wanting to tear them apart.

Another high-speed car sped by...