60. Mr. Cheng's reply
As night deepened, Cheng Boyan, still troubled, decided to take a walk along the riverbank. Just as he opened the door, Xu Junxian, as if she had been waiting for him, embraced him tightly around the waist, burying her tear-streaked face in his broad chest.
"Bo Yan, please hug me, okay?" Her voice was choked with sobs, sounding especially pitiful in the quiet corridor.
Cheng Boyan forcefully pushed her away. He clearly remembered checking the access control before opening the door; there was no one at the door. It seemed she had deliberately hidden on the other side.
"Please have some self-respect. If you continue like this, I will call the police."
"Why?" Xu Junxian looked up through her tear-filled eyes. "Wen Xueyan has already married someone else. Why are you still so hung up on her? Her feelings for you were just a passing fancy. Only I truly love you!"
Cheng Boyan ignored her and continued walking forward.
Xu Junxian jogged to catch up with him and hugged him from behind, her arms tightly wrapped around his waist.
"Don't leave me. Let's have another child. With a child, you'll surely forgive me..."
"Have you even bothered with your brother's situation?" Cheng Boyan coldly interrupted her. "Why don't you check first to see if he's alright?"
These words instantly brought Xu Junxian to her senses. She hadn't thought much of Cheng Boyan's earlier comment. She hurriedly reached for her phone. Cheng Boyan seized the opportunity to quickly enter the elevator.
The car pulled up and stopped by the river. The river wind was biting at night.
He got out of the car and looked up at the night sky, where countless stars were scattered like shattered diamonds on the dark blue canvas.
He took out his phone and looked at the smiling photos of Wen Xueyan in his album. That day, he was the one who took her to Yinlu for dinner.
When Wen Xueyan looked up and smiled at him, the clear and bright quality in her eyes blended strangely with the elegant flower arrangement in the restaurant and the calligraphy hanging on the wall.
That day, sensing the impending separation, he took these photos of her using the soft lighting of the restaurant.
As he relived the moment under the cold light of his phone, the way she ate and the curve of her eyes when she smiled were so clear that they broke his heart.
This was the warmth that he once had within his reach.
Cheng Boyan leaned against the car, lit a cigarette, and let his thoughts drift away into the night with the smoke.
During his hospital stay a few days ago, Cheng Boyan leaned against the hospital bed, looking out at the gray sky.
Although he still had a fever at the time, he was absolutely certain that Wen Xueyan had come to his side, and that gentle kiss and that worried look in her eyes were definitely not a dream.
After they left that day, a question arose: Xu Junxian was also in the hospital at the time, so how did Wen Xueyan manage to visit her without her knowledge? The only explanation was Xi Mingyuan. It was that man who provided her with cover and created the opportunity.
The next day, he secretly instructed his trusted confidant, the company's vice president Fang Xiyi, to investigate the recent movements of the Xu family as soon as possible. Soon, news came that Xu Junheng had sent his men to see Wen Xueyan's mother, but those men were subsequently hastily transferred to another location.
Although he couldn't know exactly what they said, Cheng Boyan was almost certain it wasn't anything good. It was nothing more than coercion and enticement, using Wen's mother's traditional and conservative views to put pressure on Wen Xueyan to leave him, since he was already married.
Thinking of the pressure Wen Xueyan was enduring, and how he had failed to protect her, he felt a pang of regret. His woman had suffered injustice behind his back.
This heartache quickly turned into icy anger.
Just three days later, news broke that Xu Junheng, who was on a business trip in the United States, had gambled away millions of dollars at a Las Vegas casino, which is not considered illegal there. However, he also misappropriated working capital from the US branch's account and is now facing multiple charges and has been arrested. His father, Xu Dechuan, was furious upon hearing the news.
Xu Dechuan was surprised. Xu Junheng had been abstaining from gambling for many years, so why did he suddenly go again? Someone must have framed him. Xu Dechuan was worried about the impact on the company's stock price, so he was trying to keep it a secret. Xu Junxian was still unaware.
Cheng Boyan had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. He wanted to let Xu Junheng know the consequences of crossing his bottom line.
Meanwhile, the day before Cheng Boyan was discharged from the hospital, Vice President Fang also brought a preliminary investigation report on Xi Mingyuan. Young, single, wealthy but stingy, with no bad scandals, seemingly cynical, but actually extremely dedicated and hardworking due to family conflicts.
According to Vice President Fang, Xi Mingyuan was Wen Xueyan's senior when she was in graduate school, but the two did not date back then and may not have known each other. In addition, according to colleagues, Xi Mingyuan went to Nuosai Chemical for a meeting as a client six months ago, so he must have known Wen Xueyan at least then. Some people even said that President Xi wanted to poach her from the company at that time.
From a man's perspective, Cheng Boyan felt that Xi Mingyuan was a formidable competitor.
Listening to the report, Cheng Boyan asked, "Xi Yi, if a man deeply loves a woman but is temporarily unable to give her a formal commitment due to the constraints of reality, even to the point that she is threatened, and then a younger, equally outstanding single man appears and pursues her, what do you think... should he hold on tightly, or should he let go and allow her to have a potentially easier future?"
He did measure his rival with a hint of jealousy, but he also wanted to assess whether she could truly bring him happiness.
Vice President Fang cautiously replied, "President Cheng, it depends on whether you can ultimately clear all obstacles and ensure her safety during this period."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Cheng Boyan turned to look out the window, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of mist.
At that moment, a gust of river wind blew by, interrupting Cheng Boyan's reminiscence.
He dialed the phone number of Vice President Fang Xiyi.
"Xi Yi, can I borrow your car for a moment?"
Fang Xiyi replied simply, "Okay, Mr. Cheng, where are you? I'll bring the car over."
After changing cars, Cheng Boyan drove towards Yunjing Mansion.
As the car drove through the streets late at night, a familiar melody suddenly came through the car radio—the voice of a male singer: "I love you so much, so I'm willing to let you go, to fly to more places..."
He had heard Liu Ruoying's version before, but hearing the male version now made him feel even more weathered.
Cheng Boyan abruptly pressed the shut button, and the singing stopped abruptly.
When those lyrics reached his ears clearly, they instantly shattered all the calm he had tried so hard to maintain. Those seemingly carefree words, every single one, seemed to be questioning his conscience: was he truly willing?
He did let go, allowing her to fly towards a marriage that could give her status and stability. But this act of letting go was ultimately mixed with too much resentment and pain.
He parked Fang Xiyi's blue sedan downstairs in Building A. From this angle, he could clearly see the entire floor-to-ceiling window on the fifteenth floor.
Tonight, the fifteenth floor is brightly lit. He lowered the car window, lit a cigarette, held it between his long, slender fingers, and stretched his hand out the window, letting the crimson glow in the cold wind.
He gazed silently at the lights. In his unspoken imagination, Wen Xueyan might have just finished bathing, wrapped in a soft robe, her slightly damp, shoulder-length hair casually tucked behind her ears. Then, he thought of Xi Mingyuan beside her; would Xi Mingyuan kiss her...? Cheng Boyan even felt an urge to rush forward.
He was unwilling to accept it.
At this moment, the fifteenth floor was brightly lit, and behind the huge floor-to-ceiling windows lay a world he could not reach.
What he couldn't see was that Wen Xueyan had just finished showering. She was wearing comfortable cotton pajamas and sitting at her desk, carefully reviewing the materials from the technical meeting.
The room next to her bedroom, separated by a wall, was occupied by Aunt Zhang, a nanny arranged by Xi Mingyuan, so that she could respond to her needs at any time during her pregnancy.
Cheng Boyan had no way of knowing these details.
Xi Mingyuan's own master bedroom is located at the other end of the living room, separated from her room by a spacious living room and corridor.
Cheng Boyan remained waiting in the same spot, like a lone wolf, silent and patient.
By midnight, the last glimmer of light on the fifteenth floor had faded into darkness, and the entire floor blended into the deep night.
At that moment, all was silent. Cheng Boyan clearly felt something inside him sink completely.
He took two deep drags on his cigarette, then stubbed it out in the car ashtray and drove away.
As the early spring sunlight streamed into the bedroom, Cheng Boyan woke up in his apartment in Jinglan Peninsula, the warmth of his dream still lingering on his muscular chest.
In the dream just now, his hand was originally only resting on her waist.
Then, his fingertips slipped inside her hem, first lightly tracing the delicate lace along the edges, outlining its intricate patterns. The subtle friction sent a tingling sensation through his nerve endings, reaching right to his heart.
Finally, his fingers found the clasp.
After being untied, his palm was finally able to rest against it completely and without any barrier. It was a warm and soft territory. The touch from his palm was more delicate than he could have imagined, like the finest warm jade, or like silk warmed by the winter sun.
He dared not use force, but simply covered it with his entire palm with utmost care.
Then, while kissing her, he gently caressed her. At that moment, his fingertips could still recall the delicate touch of her skin, a vivid illusion that made him almost unwilling to open his eyes.
Upon waking, Cheng Boyan reached out to his side, only to touch something cold. Just a few months ago, her warm body had been there, but now only the weight of memories remained.
The phone rang. Seeing Xu Junxian's name on the screen, his eyes instantly regained their usual coldness.
"What is it?" When he answered the phone, his voice was no longer as gentle as it had been moments before.
"Bo Yan..." Xu Junxian's voice was trembling with suppressed sobs, "My brother was taken away by the police in Las Vegas, is this related to you...?"
"Xu Junxian," Cheng Boyan interrupted coldly, "You've made such accusations without evidence, which constitutes defamation. Should I have my lawyer explain the consequences to you in detail?"
Her tone softened noticeably: "If I agree to the divorce, could you find a way to get the American police to let my brother go?"
"Is that so?" President Cheng sensed that things were not so simple.
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