Chapter 16 Two Years of Silence

Among their friends, the conversation would occasionally turn to this mysterious Mrs. Huo.

Usually, after a few rounds of drinks, Ji Yun would start the conversation: "Hey, Yanli, your guy... is he still drifting abroad?"

"Um."

"It's been two years, hasn't it? You haven't come back even once?"

"Um."

"She really didn't touch that money at all?" Zhou Mubai pushed up his glasses. He had asked this question more than once. "Ten thousand a month, two million four hundred thousand in two years, left untouched in a regular account—that doesn't make sense."

Shen Yu was the most practical: "I had someone check her public spending records. There were no records of luxury goods purchases, no records of visits to high-end venues, and not even any credit card spending records in China. It seems that she... really doesn't need money."

Ji Yun stroked his chin: "Do you think she has someone else abroad? So she doesn't care about the title of Mrs. Huo at all?"

As soon as he said it, he shook his head: "No, no. If there really was someone else, she should be in a hurry to divorce and divide the property. But she didn't even mention an agreement."

“Perhaps,” Zhou Mubai pondered, “she really is as she appears: that she only got married to fulfill her elders’ wishes and has no interest in anything related to the Huo family.”

"Is that possible?" Ji Yun didn't believe it. "That's the Huo family. Even if she's aloof, what about the people around her? Colleagues, friends, relatives—no one advised her to use that identity for anything?"

The answer to this question was found by chance six months later.

That day, Ji Yun's cousin returned from studying in the UK and was interning at a top law firm. At a family gathering, the cousin excitedly talked about a major case the firm had recently taken on—an investment dispute involving a Chinese company overseas, which involved laws from multiple countries and international arbitration.

“The most impressive team was the Chinese negotiating team,” my cousin said, her eyes shining. “Especially the chief translator, a very young lady named Song Zhiyi. Not only was her translation accurate, but she also had a deep understanding of the local laws and culture. She offered crucial suggestions several times during deadlocks, ultimately helping the company save hundreds of millions of yuan in losses.”

Ji Yun nearly dropped his wine glass: "Who are you talking about?"

"Song Zhiyi. What's wrong, cousin? Do you know her?"

Ji Yun called Huo Yanli that very night.

“Guess what?” Ji Yun said in a complicated tone, “My cousin said that in the case she was involved in, your wife—yes, Song Zhiyi—was a key member. And most importantly, throughout the whole process, she never mentioned that she was Mrs. Huo, never used any Huo family resources, and never even contacted Huo’s overseas branches.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

How do you know she didn't mention it?

“My cousin told me. She said Song Zhiyi is very low-key and almost never chats with people outside of work. It was only later, when her team was celebrating a success, that someone joked, ‘Song Zhiyi is such an excellent translator, her boyfriend must be very capable,’ and she casually said, ‘I’m married.’ If you ask her again, she won’t say anything more.”

Ji Yun paused for a moment: "Yanli, if she really wanted to use the Huo family's resources, that case would have been the best opportunity—the Huo family has a branch in that region and political and business connections. But she didn't even mention it."

Huo Yanli hung up the phone.

He stood before the floor-to-ceiling window of his apartment, gazing at the night view of Beijing. Two years had passed, and the city remained largely unchanged, still brightly lit and bustling with traffic.

But somewhere deep inside him, something seemed to be loosening.

Two years passed quietly amidst occasional news, tentative inquiries from friends, and increasingly frequent thoughts that he himself was unwilling to admit.

It wasn't until the last quarter of the second year that the CFO of the Huo Group brought up the monthly transfer of 100,000 again at the annual budget meeting.

"Mr. Huo, the living expenses for your wife... haven't been withdrawn for twenty-four consecutive months. According to bank regulations, accounts that remain inactive for extended periods may be classified as dormant. Should we adjust our strategy?"

Huo Yanli looked at the complex financial statements on the screen, his gaze lingering on a certain number for a few seconds.

“No need,” he said. “Keep turning.”

After the meeting, he sat alone in his office for a long time.

As dusk settles outside the window, the city lights begin to twinkle. Another night is about to begin in this city.

And where on Earth is his nominal wife right now? Is she at the negotiating table, in a field hospital, or asleep wearily against a wall in an airport late at night?

He didn't know.

All he knew was that in two years, she had never contacted him once.

He never touched a single penny of his money.

She never asked for any special treatment as "Mrs. Huo".

She was like a gust of wind, blowing into his life, leaving a legal mark, and then drifting away to fulfill her own mission.

And that mark, in the silence of these two years, has not faded, but has become clearer and heavier because of her every absence, every act of independence, and every time she is told by others that "she did it on her own".

Huo Yanli stood up and walked to the French windows.

His reflection was shown in the glass; he was impeccably dressed in a suit, with a cold and aloof expression, still the powerful young master of Beijing's elite circles.

But only he knows that in a corner of his heart, a piece of the puzzle is always missing.

And that puzzle piece has a name.

Song Zhiyi.