"Uncle, please don't blame him." She choked up as she spoke, almost bursting into tears. "It's not his fault. Please let me talk to him."

Xu Xinchen left the room without anyone stopping her. When she went out, the man from before was already gone.

She wandered the streets like a zombie, her mind filled with all sorts of random thoughts, unable to concentrate.

But the gaze of that person lingered in her mind like a ghost, impossible to shake off.

He said he wanted an answer from her, so what was the answer?

She breathed a sigh of relief.

She couldn't give it to her.

However, now that the situation has become so bad, he probably doesn't need her answer anymore.

A slight stinging sensation rose in her heart, very subtle, but it made her feel a dull ache.

She wandered aimlessly, but eventually decided to go to the company.

Only work can make her forget all of this.

On Sunday, not many people were working overtime. She buried herself in her work for a while, and her troubled mood finally calmed down.

She went to the tea room to get a cup of water, and as she passed the office, she suddenly stopped and started walking upstairs.

She climbed the stairs one step at a time. The fifth floor was dark and deserted, seemingly empty, but she could clearly hear voices coming from the office next door.

"President Gu."

She walked over quietly, put her ear to the office door, and suddenly heard a sound coming from inside.

My heart skipped a beat.

In the office, Assistant Wang stood in front of Gu Yan's desk and flattered him, "Mr. Gu, it seems that the marriage between Chen Ningsheng and Chen Bailing has now fallen through."

He laughed and said, "You're still one step ahead. Now that Chang Yu doesn't have the Chen family's help, I'm afraid his financing won't be so smooth."

Gu Yan lowered his head, his face devoid of any smile, the light and shadow from the window casting shadows on his profile.

"It was definitely the right decision to bring Ms. Lu to work for the company back then. I didn't understand what you meant then, but I finally do now."

"Oh?" Gu Yan looked up at Assistant Wang, who was smiling and humbly accepting his advice. He lowered his voice, as if speaking to someone else, "I understood it then, but I don't understand it now."

Assistant Wang blinked in confusion.

Outside the door, Xu Xinchen almost collapsed to the ground due to her weak legs. She used her last bit of strength to escape from this place.

A bitter smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.

So, this is the truth?

The successive blows made her head feel like it was about to explode. She endured the excruciating pain and took a taxi home.

Lying in bed, the bed gave her her last bit of warmth.

Tears involuntarily streamed down my face.

It turns out she was just a pawn being used.

It turns out that none of this was real. His thoughtfulness, gentleness, and care for her, everything that went beyond what was expected of him, was all part of a carefully orchestrated performance.

Then, a jumble of memories flooded her mind.

The times she spent with Chen Ningsheng, and the pain of breaking up with him.

Her heart sank completely into an abyss.

Xu Xinchen slept until midnight. Her head was still spinning. She looked out the dark window. It was quiet outside, except for the occasional bark of the neighbor's dog.

The darkness amplified her inner demons. Upon waking, all the events of the day came rushing back to her. She struggled to sit up in bed, only to find her body weak and unable to exert any strength.

After drinking the water, she lay back down on the bed, but this time she kept her eyes open, staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by someone banging on the door, making a loud banging sound, and the door was about to collapse.

Xu Xinchen turned over and buried her head in the blanket, shutting out the sounds behind her.

She didn't want to open the door, no matter who it was.

The person kept pounding on the door without making a sound, as if confident that she could guess who it was.

After several loud bangs, the noise stopped. Xu Xinchen covered her ears and waited for a long time, but there was no sound coming from outside. She guessed that the person had left.

After everything quieted down, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Outside the window, it was dawn again. After washing up in the bathroom, Xu Xinchen realized that her throat was dry and her eyes were swollen. She must be sick. She touched her forehead and found that her temperature was indeed alarmingly high.

After she finished washing up, she opened the door and a figure startled her so much that her heart almost stopped.

She stopped in her tracks, and the figure's face came into clear view: Chen Ningsheng.

Her gaze fell downwards. Had he not left yet?

Chen Ningsheng also noticed the movement, his eyelids twitched slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.

He shielded his forehead with one hand, squinting to block the sunlight, when he inadvertently saw her standing in front of him. He froze, then jumped up in a start.

He had dark circles under his eyes and a stubble beard, looking even more haggard than she, the patient.

But those dark eyes shone even brighter as they looked at her.

Xu Xinchen avoided his gaze and tried to walk past him, but unsurprisingly, he blocked her way.

"I need to go to work."

She no longer wanted to waste her time with him, playing these pointless games.

The expected strong reaction did not come; to my surprise, he nodded in understanding.

"I send you."

She stood still, confronting him.

"Let's not see each other again, okay? Chen Ningsheng, you're already engaged."

Chen Ningsheng paused for a moment, then looked at her with bright eyes, "The engagement has been cancelled."

She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. It was utterly absurd; she had now become the one ruining his marriage.

He is a sinner in the marriage.

She had a premonition that she and he were probably really going to be entangled.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

What am I sorry for? Am I sorry that I didn't resist and he pulled me inside?

This apology is utterly inadequate.

She was distraught and didn't want to see him again, but he blocked her way once more, stubbornly saying, "I'll take you."

This shamelessness seems to have returned to what it was a year ago.

Xu Xinchen was helpless and couldn't do anything about him, so she walked around him and moved forward.

Chen Ningsheng's lips twitched slightly as he watched her walk straight ahead, her hair bouncing and glistening on her shoulders. His eyes flickered, and he strode after her.

Xu Xinchen eventually got into Chen Ningsheng's car. His car was understated yet luxurious, and the price was hard to tell, but Xu Xinchen knew how expensive it was. He never compromised on his own and always used the best of everything.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the company. Xu Xinchen got out of the car without saying hello. She had only taken a couple of steps when she heard his cheerful voice from behind her through the car window, "I'll pick you up tonight."

Before she could respond, the car slid and disappeared into the vast sea of ​​cars, never to be seen again.

On the fifth floor, a figure quietly observed everything from the curtains.

A half-smile appeared on his lips.

Behind him, Assistant Wang said, "President Gu, your plan was very successful. Not only did you break up Chen Bailing and Chen Ningsheng's wedding, but you also brought his relationship with Miss Lu a step further. Isn't this keeping him firmly in your grasp?"

Gu Yan remained expressionless, his lips slightly pursed, as the curtains were drawn, obscuring his face.

When Xu Xinchen arrived at the company, she was still dizzy and her body was starting to feel hot. She knew that her condition was not optimistic and had been trying to hold on in the car.

She felt extremely unwell, but she didn't want to go to the hospital. Out of an instinctive fear of that place, she took out two expired cold medicines from the drawer and went to the tea room to get hot water.