The phone vibrated at that moment; it was a message from Lin Yanran: "I've finished the report. Should I send it over now?"

Yu Jiuyuan replied: 【Mm.】

She put down her phone, took a deep breath, and pushed the document to the very edge of her desk.

Out of sight, out of mind.

At 10 a.m. sharp, Lin Yanran appeared at the villa entrance.

He was wearing a black down jacket, clutching a folder tightly in his hand, his cheeks red from the cold, like a large dog that had been frozen.

The butler took the documents from his hand and handed him a cup of hot cocoa: "Officer Lin, warm your hands."

"Thank you." Lin Yanran took the cup, but her eyes involuntarily glanced towards the living room, not seeing Rong Shenghan.

"The chairman is in his study," the butler reminded him at the opportune moment.

Lin Yanran nodded and strode towards the study.

When I knocked and went in, I saw Yu Jiuyuan on the phone, her tone light and cheerful: "Yuanxu, is your strain okay? I'll come over this afternoon and bring you some nutrient solution... Hmm, Rong Shenghan prepared it, might as well use it."

After hanging up the phone, she looked up at Lin Yanran, her smile fading slightly: "Did you bring the report?"

"Hmm." Lin Yanran handed over the folder, but her eyes held a complicated expression. "You two...are still arguing?"

Yu Jiuyuan raised an eyebrow: "Is Officer Lin very free?"

"No." Lin Yanran quickly waved her hand, her cheeks flushed. "I just felt... he seemed to be in a lot of pain."

When he arrived yesterday, he saw Rong Shenghan standing in the snow at the villa entrance, his face frighteningly pale. He coughed several times, but still stubbornly stood there, as if he were being punished.

Yu Jiuyuan paused in flipping through the report, then continued, her tone indifferent: "It's none of your business."

Looking at her tense profile, Lin Yanran suddenly felt that she couldn't understand her.

She clearly cared about Rong Shenghan, yet she pushed him so far away; she clearly harbored resentment, yet refused to vent it freely.

“Actually…” He hesitated for a moment, but still said it, “I was there when my dad signed the contract with the Su family. When Su Mingyu mentioned you, Rong Shenghan seemed… not very happy.”

Yu Jiuyuan raised her head, her eyes sharp: "Why was he there? What did he say about me?"

"It seems Su Mingyu asked him to give you his opinion... He didn't say much, just mentioned that you and Xie Zhecheng looked quite compatible at the exhibition..."

Lin Yanran's voice grew softer and softer, "Then Rong Shenghan crushed the cup in his hand."

Did you crush the cup?

Yu Jiuyuan's heart skipped a beat, only to be immediately covered by a chill.

So what if she's jealous? So what if she's angry? She still won't tell the truth.

"I understand." She lowered her head, continued reviewing the report, and her tone returned to calm. "The report is fine; you can leave now."

Seeing that she was completely unmoved, Lin Yanran sighed inwardly and turned to leave the study.

When he walked into the living room, he saw Rong Shenghan sitting on the sofa. The coffee in front of him had gone cold, but he didn't seem to notice. He was just staring blankly at the snow scene outside the window.

Lin Yanran hesitated for a moment, then walked over and asked, "Hey, are you alright?"

Rong Shenghan turned his head, his face was indeed frighteningly pale, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes: "It's nothing."

"You don't look well, should we go to the hospital?"

"No need," Rong Shenghan's voice was hoarse. "Thank you."

Looking at him like this, Lin Yanran suddenly felt a little awkward.

He had never really liked Rong Shenghan, thinking he was too calculating and not as straightforward as Xie Zhecheng. But seeing his dejected appearance now, he felt a pang of inexplicable sympathy.

“Well…” Lin Yanran scratched her head, “Yu Jiuyuan is just stubborn, actually she…”

He wanted to say, "Actually, she might not be that angry," but Rong Shenghan interrupted him: "I know."

His tone was soft, yet carried an undeniable certainty, as if he had an absolute understanding of Yu Jiuyuan.

Lin Yanran paused for a moment, then turned and left the villa without saying anything more.

In the living room, Rong Shenghan looked out the window again.

The snow started falling again, swirling and fluttering, as if trying to bury the whole world.

He knew Yu Jiuyuan was being stubborn, and he knew that she wasn't actually that cold-hearted.

But he knew even more that this wound was too deep to be healed by a few kind words.

He took out his phone and dialed his assistant's number: "Move forward the plan, we'll start tomorrow."

No matter the cost, he wanted to end it all as soon as possible.

He couldn't let Yu Jiuyuan be bothered by him anymore, and he couldn't let the Su family have a chance to hurt her.

After hanging up the phone, he looked at the closed door of the study, a resolute glint in his eyes.

Wait for him.

He will tell her the whole truth once he has dealt with everything.

Even if she still refuses to forgive him by then.

In the study, Yu Jiuyuan stared at the restaurant address Xie Zhecheng had sent her on the computer screen, but her fingertips hesitated to make a move.

Lin Yanran's words echoed in her mind as Rong Shenghan crushed the cup.

This detail made her heart tighten inexplicably, but she quickly suppressed it.

Jealousy means nothing, and it certainly cannot negate his concealment.

She took a deep breath, closed the chat window, and returned to her work.

Only by keeping myself busy can I stop thinking about the man who is hiding a secret, and stop caring about the dull ache in my heart.

The snow outside the window fell heavier and heavier, enveloping the entire villa in a white, silent blanket.

No one knows how long this silent battle will last.

But Yu Jiuyuan knew that she would never be the first to back down.

no way.