32. A whispered conversation on a winter's night. The warmth of his embrace.
The November night wind already carried a biting chill. Wen Xueyan sat by the window, a half-read technical book spread out on her lap, her gaze occasionally drifting to the empty street outside.
As the clock ticked past ten, Cheng Boyan pushed open the door and entered. There seemed to be a lingering chill on his shoulders, and a thin layer of weariness clung to his brows, but his posture remained upright.
"Xueyan, you haven't rested yet?" He took off his coat and hung it on the hanger, his movements still as composed as ever.
Wen Xueyan stood up and took his briefcase: "I've been waiting for you. How did the board meeting go?"
Cheng Boyan walked to the coffee table, poured two glasses of warm water, and handed one to her.
"The stock price fell 9% in a single day." He said calmly, "The board asked me to stabilize the situation, and some of them suggested that I withdraw the divorce lawsuit, which I did yesterday."
Wen Xueyan's fingers trembled slightly, causing ripples to spread across the water in her glass. She lowered her eyes: "So what do you plan to do?"
“I don’t want to back down,” Cheng Boyan said firmly, his gaze resolute. “But I need time to handle this situation.”
A northerly wind is starting to blow outside the window.
Wen Xueyan's wrist was suddenly grasped by Cheng Boyan. His palm was warm, but it carried an unusual tightness.
"Come out with me." His voice was deep, and his eyes held a complex mix of emotions that Wen Xueyan couldn't decipher.
"Now?" Wen Xueyan glanced at the clock on the wall with slight surprise. "It's already very late."
Cheng Boyan had already picked up his car keys and coat: "Now."
The black sedan slowly drove out of the underground parking garage. The car was well-heated.
Cheng Boyan drove very steadily, but at a speed significantly faster than usual, as if he wanted to use the high speed to sort out the chaos in his heart.
Wen Xueyan glanced at him sideways. The light and shadow from the streetlamp danced across his face, outlining his taut jawline.
"Where are we going?" she asked softly.
Cheng Boyan didn't answer immediately. The car sped up onto the elevated highway. The city nightscape outside the window flashed past like fireflies, as if time had reversed.
Wen Xueyan knew how much pressure he was under: the stock price plummeting, the board of directors questioning him, and the uncertain future between them.
“I went to see Xu Junxian today,” Cheng Boyan said, his voice calm but carrying a heavy feeling. “She’s awake and can already have simple conversations.”
Wen Xueyan's heart sank slightly.
"What did she say?" Wen Xueyan asked.
Cheng Boyan responded: "Her older brother was next to me. Before entering the ward, he told me that she couldn't be stimulated right now. I just exchanged a few pleasantries with him."
The car entered the highway and sped up. The scenery outside the window flashed by.
"Should we break up? Should I just back out?" Wen Xueyan asked. She felt that, from a legal perspective, outsiders would think she was a mistress.
Cheng Boyan seemed to see through her thoughts, shook his head, and replied, "Xueyan, you are not the third party. I only love you. The one with moral problems is her. After she is discharged from the hospital, I want to tell her that some rifts cannot be repaired, and some trust, once broken, is difficult to rebuild." His voice was as cold as the night wind of early winter, "When I discovered that she had already cheated on me, this marriage was already over. Her waking up does not change that."
Wen Xueyan remained silent. She could hear the resoluteness in Cheng Boyan's tone, but she also sensed the anxiety hidden beneath it.
The car drove out of the city and onto a secluded, winding mountain road. It eventually stopped in front of a wide-open viewpoint.
Cheng Boyan turned off the engine, and the car fell silent. He turned to Wen Xueyan, his gaze particularly deep in the darkness: "Xueyan, for the next period of time, I may have fewer opportunities to see you."
Wen Xueyan responded, "I understand."
Cheng Boyan gazed out the window at the boundless night sky.
“Xueyan,” he turned to her, his gaze exceptionally bright in the darkness, “the board of directors has made a request.”
Wen Xueyan's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason: "What are your requirements?"
Cheng Boyan took a deep breath, as if gathering the courage to continue: "Because I filed for divorce yesterday, the elders of the Qiao family contacted me again, wanting to ask if I would consider Qiao Qianyue. The board of directors advised me not to date other women for the time being, at least not in the public eye."
Wen Xueyan looked at him.
“What I mean is that we need to be more cautious until the divorce proceedings are completed and the company’s situation stabilizes,” Cheng Boyan said in a low and strained voice. “Otherwise, the stock price may continue to fall, and the board’s confidence may waver.”
After a long silence, Wen Xueyan spoke softly, her voice gentle yet firm: "Bo Yan, I understand your situation. Perhaps it would be better for us to separate."
“No.” Cheng Boyan immediately refused, grasping her hand. “That’s not what I meant. I will never agree to break up.”
A gentle light appeared in Wen Xueyan's eyes: "This is to give you time and space to handle these complicated matters. You don't need to be distracted by protecting me while dealing with the company crisis."
Cheng Boyan tightened his grip slightly, then pulled her into his arms.
She gently withdrew her hand and smoothed his slightly furrowed brow: "I believe in you, Boyan. I believe you can handle all of this."
"Come with me." Cheng Boyan got out of the car and opened the door for her.
A mountain breeze, carrying the chill of early winter, swept over them. Cheng Boyan carefully draped his coat over Wen Xueyan's shoulders, then pulled her to the edge of the viewing platform and hugged her from behind.
The city lights below were dazzling, like a galaxy scattered across the earth. And above was a real starry sky, so brilliant it took your breath away.
“Look.” Cheng Boyan pointed to the sky, “The Big Dipper, Orion, and the Andromeda Galaxy over there. Even from that distance, we can still see its light.”
Wen Xueyan looked up and was awestruck by the vast starry sky. Faced with such a universe, the troubles of humankind seemed so insignificant.
“Do you know?” Cheng Boyan’s voice was particularly clear in the night wind, “Some of these stars may have already disappeared, but we can still see their light. Because some things, even if their source has changed, their influence continues in space and time.”
Wen Xueyan suddenly understood his metaphor. Their love was the same; even if they couldn't see each other for the time being, the time they had shared and the love that had penetrated to their very bones would continue to exist in each other's lives.
The early winter night sky was clear and vast.
The city lights beneath my feet are brilliant, like an inverted starry sky.
His voice was exceptionally clear in the cold wind: "When the stock price plummeted today, what I saw was not the drop in numbers, but the worry and fear on the faces of those employees. They trust me and have entrusted their careers to the company I lead. I will be very busy going forward, and the Xu family may even arrange for reporters to follow me because they oppose the divorce, so I may not be able to come here for a while."
“I understand.” Wen Xueyan nodded. “There are so many things that you need to deal with, and you also have corporate responsibilities. As for me, I will continue to work hard and won’t bother you.”
Wen Xueyan looked at the man in front of her; he appeared even more upright in the cold wind.
The starry sky quietly swirled above them. Cheng Boyan stretched out his arms, closed his eyes, and embraced her tightly.
As the early winter night breeze swept by, Wen Xueyan felt even warmer in his embrace.
For the next three days, Cheng Boyan remained calm and composed at the company, only the deep wrinkles between his brows betraying the pressure he was under. He was busy with work during the day, and late at night he would return to his residence alone at Jinglan Peninsula.
On Thursday evening, inside the Royal Garden villa, Xu Junxian stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, her fingertips lightly brushing against the velvet curtains. This residence, which had once witnessed their honeymoon, was now so empty that she could hear her own heartbeat.
This was her second night after being discharged from the hospital. Although the nanny at home would take care of her daily needs, she had not seen Cheng Boyan here.
Because of her illness, Cheng Boyan hasn't personally asked her for a divorce yet, but she already knows he has filed for divorce, since that's a fact.
Xu Junxian learned from her second brother that Cheng Boyan might be living in the Jinglan Peninsula residential area.
Xu Junxian's gaze swept over the ginkgo trees in the courtyard, some withered and some flourishing.
After five years in a coma, he awoke to find the world no longer the same.
The sky at dusk was as gloomy as a gray satin soaked in water.
Due to changes in the project schedule, Wen Xueyan and other employees in her department are still working overtime.
The phone rang. Wen Xueyan thought it was the delivery person and answered, "Hello, just leave it at the front desk..."
"I am Mrs. Cheng." A cool female voice came from the other end of the phone. "I would like to see you."
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An embrace in the winter night breeze feels so warm.
I can't get enough of it, I hope Old Si updates more, I love reading it.
Thank you for your comments, readers!
Wow! They actually found it!
The next chapter will reveal whether she discovered it. Thank you for your comments, readers.
How were they found out? Wasn't she just woken up from a coma?
Thank you for reading. The fact that Mr. Cheng didn't come home at night aroused her suspicion; the next chapter will reveal whether she discovered anything.
I love it! Please update soon!
Thank you for your comments, readers!
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