71 One year later
One year later.
One day in March, Cheng Boyan finished a meeting and walked back to his office, his eyes falling on the invitation that had just been delivered to him.
Qiao Lanyue approached: "President Cheng, this is an invitation sent by President Xi. His son's one-month celebration will be held tomorrow night at the InterContinental Hotel." She paused, "The baby is already over three months old. I heard that it was postponed for two months because Director Wen was weak after giving birth and needed to rest."
Cheng Boyan nodded slightly, and only after Secretary Qiao left the office did he slowly pick up the exquisite invitation. The cover was decorated with light blue cloud patterns.
The scene from a year ago appears before my eyes as clearly as if it were yesterday.
It was a sunny morning like that day when Wen Xueyan and Xi Mingyuan arrived at his office together. After Xi Mingyuan left temporarily, saying he needed to use the restroom, only the two of them remained in the office.
Wen Xueyan was held by Cheng Boyan and sat on the sofa. When she was asked if she would like to go to the United States or Canada, Wen Xueyan gently shook her head.
This action made Cheng Boyan's heart sink.
She raised her hand and gently stroked Cheng Boyan's slightly furrowed brows with her fingertips, as if to soothe his inner unease.
"First of all," Wen Xueyan's voice was clear, "it's not easy for pregnant women to obtain US visas."
She paused briefly: "Secondly, if I can go, others can go too. With Xu Junxian's family background and connections, tracking her abroad wouldn't be difficult. In a foreign country, I'd be even more vulnerable. Besides, my mother is still in China. You can't expect me to stay abroad for months on end without ever leaving the house, can you?"
Cheng Boyan wanted to retort, but Wen Xueyan gently pressed her finger to his lips: "Most importantly, I am now Mrs. Xi, and I have a legal husband, which has become a protective shield. The Xi family's status makes Xu Junxian hesitant; if she divorces and goes abroad, it would be tantamount to voluntarily giving up this protection."
Wen Xueyan didn't tell him that the agreement's expiration date hadn't arrived yet, and Xi Mingyuan wouldn't agree to a divorce.
Her gaze returned to Cheng Boyan's face, his usually gentle eyes now unusually calm: "In the chemical laboratory, we always choose the safest reaction conditions. The same principle applies to our lives now. Abruptly changing the status quo could trigger an uncontrollable chain reaction. So, unless it's for work, let's avoid meeting for now. Actually, I didn't want to come today in the first place."
Cheng Boyan had to admit that her analysis was entirely reasonable.
As a top student in the field of chemical engineering, she always makes sound decisions with a rational mindset. This clarity of mind that she can maintain even in the midst of emotional turmoil makes him both feel sorry for her and want to cherish her.
Cheng Boyan had considered acquiring Xi Mingyuan's company, but even if he managed to win Wen Xueyan back, could he guarantee her safety? He was asking himself that question.
"Xueyan..." He wanted to say something more.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Wen Xueyan immediately stood up, and Cheng Boyan also quickly straightened his collar. When he opened the door, his face had regained its usual calmness.
Less than a minute after Xi Mingyuan walked in, before he could even ask about the project, Wen Xueyan's phone vibrated. Seeing the caller ID, she frowned slightly.
"Who is it?" Xi Mingyuan asked gently.
"My ex-husband."
"Song Tiancheng wants to see you again? This time, I'll answer him." Xi Mingyuan extended his hand, his tone calm.
Upon answering the phone, Xi Mingyuan's voice instantly turned cold: "Mr. Song, what is it?"
"Who are you?"
"I am Xi Mingyuan. What do you want with my wife?"
"Let Xueyan answer the phone!" Song Tiancheng's voice was agitated on the other end of the line, still narcissistic. "You two have only known each other for a short time before getting married in a flash? There's no foundation of love between you two! What right do you have to take her phone? I'm the one who loves her the most!"
Xi Mingyuan sneered, "Because I'm her legal husband now. This is the first time I've answered your call on behalf of my wife, and I hope it's the last. If it happens again, my lawyer will contact you."
After hanging up the phone, Xi Mingyuan handed the phone back to Wen Xueyan.
Cheng Boyan watched this scene quietly. He sensed Xi Mingyuan's composure when he spoke of his "wife" and noticed his ease in protecting Wen Xueyan.
Cheng Boyan also wanted to protect Wen Xueyan, but because the divorce case was not yet over, he did not even have the right to openly care about her, so he could only protect her secretly.
"President Xi," Cheng Boyan finally spoke, his voice losing its usual composure, "you may all go back. I'll inform the staff that the project will continue. The losses from the past few days will be handled according to the contract."
Since forcing her would hurt her, and since letting her leave the table would put her in a more dangerous situation, he chose to back down.
The moment Xi Mingyuan and Wen Xueyan left the office, Cheng Boyan keenly noticed a detail: in their private space, Xi Mingyuan did not take the initiative to hold Wen Xueyan's hand, nor did he put his arm around her waist as he did during the prenatal checkup that day.
They maintained a perfect distance between them, a distance that didn't resemble that of newlyweds but rather that of well-coordinated working partners.
However, Cheng Boyan's vague sense of relief did not last long. That evening, Cheng Boyan had just returned home when the doorbell rang abruptly. Through the security camera, he saw Xu Junxian standing outside the door in disbelief.
The moment the door opened, Cheng Boyan's tone was icy: "How did you get out? Shouldn't you be in the detention center?"
Xu Junxian turned gracefully, her skirt tracing an elegant arc: "My dad pulled some strings, I got medical parole. Boyan, let's give each other another chance, okay?"
"Impossible." Cheng Boyan refused without hesitation and made a move to close the door.
Xu Junxian hurriedly reached out to brace herself against the door, narrowly avoiding getting her fingers caught. A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but she forced herself to remain calm: "How could you be so heartless? We were husband and wife after all..."
Cheng Boyan's expression was stern. He forcefully pried her fingers apart, then decisively closed the door, shutting out that unwilling figure.
Leaning against the cold door, Cheng Boyan slowly came back to his senses. Xu Junxian's sudden appearance was like a wake-up call, waking him from a reality he had been unwilling to face: as long as there was a legal connection between them, Wen Xueyan and her unborn child would always be in danger.
After all, Qiao Lanyue, who is still hospitalized, is a real example.
As night deepened, Cheng Boyan sat alone in his study. He recalled Wen Xueyan's glance back as she left, her eyes filled with unspoken words; and he also thought of Xu Junxian's eyes, which were filled with unwavering obsession.
He picked up his phone; the screen still displayed the last message Wen Xueyan had sent: "Take care." Those two short words carried a thousand unspoken messages. His fingertips hovered over the dial button for a long time, but he didn't make the call.
That night, Cheng Boyan sat in his study until dawn. As the rising sun shone through the window, he finally made his decision: to cut off all contact with Wen Xueyan.
Cheng Boyuan felt that this relationship was like the sunlight outside the window; it was right in front of him, but there was always a layer of cold glass between them.
He could choose to break through this barrier, but the broken glass could hurt the person most important to him.
So he could only stay inside the window for the time being, quietly watching the sunlight fall and feeling that warmth that was out of reach.
In the morning light, Cheng Boyan sent Wen Xueyan a final message: "I won't bother you anymore. But if you ever need my help, please remember to contact me anytime."
......
Recalling this moment, Cheng Boyan gently put down the invitation and walked to the French windows.
Throughout the year, he would occasionally see Wen Xueyan in financial news. She shone with a unique brilliance in her professional field.
Every time Cheng Boyan sees her in the news, he unconsciously stops what he's doing and fixes his gaze on her confident and composed figure.
After becoming pregnant, her temperament became more composed, yet she still retained a unique gentleness between her brows, like a carefully polished jade, both warm and resilient.
The initial reason for their separation was Xu Junxian's obstruction.
A lot happened this year.
At the second hearing, the judge still did not grant the divorce.
A week after Cheng Boyan formally filed for divorce for the third time, Xu Junxian launched her meticulously planned counterattack.
That day, Cheng Boyan received an urgent call on his way to the company: "President Cheng, Xu Junxian has applied to the court for property preservation, freezing all your joint assets, including your 47% stake in Cheng's Group."
This news hit him like a punch. Cheng Boyan immediately turned around and headed to the company. The car radio was already broadcasting news that Cheng's Group's stock price had plummeted at the opening bell.
In the days that followed, the Cheng Group was plunged into an unprecedented crisis. With a large amount of working capital frozen, several important projects were forced to halt, suppliers came knocking on their door demanding payment, and banks began reassessing their credit lines.
Cheng Boyan had to work overtime every day, raise funds from all sides, appease shareholders, and deal with a constant stream of negative news.
But this is just the beginning.
Xu Junxian decided to take another gamble. She hired a private investigation agency to investigate every female employee around Cheng Boyan. From the CFO to the receptionist, no one was spared. Within a week, three female executives were forced to resign. Even Qiao Lanyue, who was still suing Xu Junxian, was investigated by her.
"She's gone mad," Fang Xiyi said with great distress at the board meeting.
Cheng Boyan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the reporters gathered below. This was the most difficult moment in his many years of navigating the turbulent business world. Despite this, he still wanted a divorce and refused to give in. At that moment, he was grateful that Wen Xueyan had married Xi Mingyuan and cut off all contact with him, distancing herself from all of this; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
At the same time, he secretly used his personal connections to hire a top-notch investigation team to investigate the truth behind Xu Junxian's medical parole and whether any relevant personnel abused their positions to illegally release her.
Qiao Lanyue also cooperated with the investigation. She provided audio recordings as evidence of Xu Junxian's previous threats and formally filed an appeal with the procuratorate.
Just when the situation was at a stalemate, shocking news arrived: Xu Junxian had been murdered.
A few days later, the court lifted the freeze on Cheng's Group's shares. The stock price began to recover, banks restored credit lines, and departing customers gradually returned.
Xu Junxian's sudden departure made Cheng Boyan believe that the entangled past had finally come to an end, even though Cheng Boyan had also been investigated by the criminal police at the time.
Considering that Wen Xueyan was still pregnant at the time, Cheng Boyan did not take the initiative to contact her in order to avoid causing any emotional fluctuations or unnecessary trouble for her.
Three months ago, he learned of her safe delivery from local news: "It is reported that Ms. Wen Xueyan, wife of the president of Shiming Group and the group's technical director, recently gave birth to a son and has now begun her maternity leave..."
At that moment, Cheng Boyan's pen suddenly stopped, and the ink smeared a small patch of dark blue on the document.
He hoped that Wen Xueyan would call or text him, at least to let him share in his joy.
That day, he checked his phone countless times, from dawn till dusk, but the screen remained silent. Each time a notification sound rang, his heart skipped a beat, but it was never the name he was hoping for.
In the end, he refrained from disturbing her.
That day, Cheng Boyan wondered if Wen Xueyan had truly started a new life and didn't want to be disturbed anymore? Was the child unrelated to him?
At this moment, Cheng Boyan turned back to his desk, his gaze falling once again on the light blue invitation.
We lost contact with each other for a whole year.
The following evening, the banquet hall of the InterContinental Hotel was brightly lit.
The crystal chandelier refracted a dazzling light, and the air was filled with the fragrance of champagne and roses. Xi Mingyuan held a little boy in his arms, with Wen Xueyan standing beside him.
She wore a light blue cheongsam with a matching shawl, her figure restored to its former slenderness, her skin glowing like pearls under the light, and her cheeks radiating a fair glow.
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Xi!" Guests came forward one after another to offer their congratulations.
Just then, Cheng Boyan walked slowly into the banquet hall. He was dressed in a dark blue custom-made suit, exuding an air of elegance, and beside him was a bright and beautiful young woman with a radiant smile.
The moment Wen Xueyan looked up, her gaze met Cheng Boyan's.
"Mr. Cheng, thank you for coming." Xi Mingyuan spoke first, unconsciously tightening his arms around the child.
Cheng Boyan's gaze lingered on the child's face for a moment before turning to Wen Xueyan: "Congratulations."
The young woman beside Cheng Boyan smiled sweetly: "The baby is so cute."
Suddenly, the baby in her arms started babbling and waving its little hands in the air.
Xi Mingyuan said, "Xueyan, you should go cut the cake."
Halfway through the banquet, Cheng Boyan took the opportunity of toasting to whisper in Wen Xueyan's ear, "Let's go to the rooftop on the third floor. I'll be waiting for you."
Welcome all readers and fans to leave comments and vote! Thank you for your support.
Finally! If he hadn't been murdered, this guy would have been incredibly difficult to deal with.
Yes, thank you for your message! ^_^
Could the murderer be her ex-husband?
I can't wait!
Thank you for reading and for your prediction! The answer will be revealed in the next chapter!
Okay! Thanks for your comment, it motivates me a lot.
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