Chapter 14 Ah Ying, have you... let it go?
Ye Yuying paused, looked up at him, and saw a hint of weariness in her eyes.
"After all... this is real money being poured in, and it's exactly what we need. Otherwise, the team would have to disband. We're all past the age of working for love; even the best personal relationships can't allow someone to default on their mortgage just because I can't find investment, right?"
She suddenly chuckled softly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
Do you think I've changed a lot over the years?
Cheng Mingdu did not answer immediately, but looked at her for a while, then adjusted his posture to appear slightly more formal.
He looked into Ye Yuying's eyes, his tone as calm as ever, yet resolute:
“If this identity will allow you to move freely in Jiangcheng…” he said, “then I’ll give it to you.”
Ye Yuying was greatly shocked. A mocking smile appeared on her lips as she asked, "Are you trying to make people mistake me for your half-sister, to deceive them?"
Cheng Mingdu slightly withdrew his gaze, looked down at the bunch of daisies on the coffee table, and tapped the edge of the table twice with his fingertips, as if he was weighing and considering.
After a long silence, he finally spoke, his voice low and steady: "You said it was about swindling and deception. What I mean is, this identity can be used to shield oneself from the limelight, acquire resources, fight for fair treatment, and avoid unnecessary trouble—that's acceptable."
He spoke calmly, as if discussing a simple agreement, without any emotion.
Ye Yuying seemed to have been struck by something heavy, and remained silent for a long time.
"This title is not important at all, and I haven't provided you with any protection. You now have the power to make the world open doors for you."
Her fingers gently gripped the handle of the cane, her knuckles turning white. Her gaze fell on the meticulously fastened cufflink of his shirt, a thin metal totem. The pattern was too far away to make out, but it was somewhat dazzling in the dim light.
"Aren't you afraid I might actually use this identity to ask for things?" Her voice lowered, with a barely perceptible hoarseness. "What if I use this 'identity' to ask for favors, extract information, or even negotiate with others without your knowledge?"
"You won't." He interrupted her, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable certainty.
Ye Yuying pursed her lips, seemingly lost in thought.
“You are ruthless, decisive, and clear-headed now. You can grit your teeth and say things like ‘I will voluntarily give up control’ at a financing meeting—” He paused, but his tone softened unconsciously, “but I still believe you haven’t changed.”
"If you were going to use me to pave your own way... you wouldn't have left without saying goodbye in the first place."
Ye Yuying suddenly looked up.
Those words were like a fine needle, silently piercing the old wound in her heart that had long since scabbed over.
Her soft tone revealed her deepest thoughts, peeling away her facade.
Ye Yuying gripped the cane tighter and tighter, almost leaving her fingerprints on the metal surface.
She didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly, her eyes calm, but there seemed to be a faint glimmer in the corners of her eyes, like the sunlight that had been softly scattered in her eyes during the day.
"Have you... let it go?" Her voice lowered.
Cheng Mingdu didn't avoid her gaze, concealing the sharpness that easily appeared in his eyes. He calmly looked into her eyes, but denied it, saying, "No..."
How can he let go of this? There is no way.
No matter how high your education level, how quick your mind, or how much power you wield, this problem remains unsolvable.
Ye Yuying tilted her head and slowly revealed her true thoughts: "But... I couldn't say goodbye to you in person back then."
"Because once I say it out loud, I'll never be able to leave."
“Even if you don’t blame me, don’t question me, and don’t stop me, as long as you’re standing there, I can never leave.”
Therefore, the only option left was to escape.
Her voice was as soft as a broken thread.
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with shame, but also with an extreme clarity.
"Indeed, you can give me everything I want, even far more than I can imagine."
"But what I want has always been clear—I want to have my own name."
She had long since learned to gloss over her concerns with the lightest tone of her voice; her clear and calm tone swept across the daisy petals almost imperceptibly.
Cheng Mingdu's gaze fell, his fingertips still resting on the edge of the coffee table, pausing for a moment.
He didn't rush to speak, his eyes lowered, revealing a turbulent depth.
The air was heavy for a long time before he whispered, "You already have it."
These words, spoken so softly, fell upon the light and shadow of the lounge, like the feather at the beginning of Forrest Gump, brushing against the ever-burning place in Ye Yuying's heart.
She took a deep breath and straightened her posture. "Maybe, soon."
The phone lit up silently; it was a message from Ding Chu.
She said softly, "I should go now. Ding Chu is still waiting for me outside."
Cheng Mingdu nodded without saying anything more.
She got up with the help of her cane and walked steadily.
He stared at the flower, remaining silent for a long time.
After what seemed like an eternity, he murmured to himself, "Will Ye Yuying, who now has a name, return Aying to me?"
His voice was so soft that even he himself could not hear it.
The name "Aying" eventually drifted into her ears through the air.
It's a name from a long time ago... Since his aunt passed away, he's the last person in the world who can still call her A-Ying.
It was Aying, her childhood name, the way she looked before the world shaped her...
Originally, her name was Ye Yuying, but her maternal grandmother felt that the character "Ying" was too light and might indicate a lack of good fortune, so she changed it to Ye Yuying.
This name, gentle and intimate, was once uttered by him...
She was on the verge of a mental breakdown and stood on the school rooftop, only a step away from falling.
In the darkest moment of her life, it was this name that saved her life. When Cheng Mingdu called out it, it brought back her original self.
Her life was filled with harsh and cruel realities, and "A-Ying" was the only remaining warmth and light in her heart, like a small, warm stone that kept the warmth hidden in her cold world.
Later, they succumbed together in the midnight hours, and he still called out that name.
She nestled in his arms, her forehead against his collarbone, like a weary bird.
His fingers gently traced the ends of her hair, one stroke at a time, as if to soothe her, his gentle tone almost enveloping her in this chaotic world.
That was the only sound that gave her a brief sense of security during her countless nights of breakdown.
She never told anyone the name "Aying".
In all documents, in media reports, and at the end of her presentation slides, business cards, resumes, and business plans, there are always only those three words, pronounced clearly and sharply—Ye Yuying.
She never gave anyone else a chance to get close to that name, except for Cheng Mingdu.
She longed for it, she longed for it so much, she longed for it beyond measure.
Her steps faltered for half a second in mid-air, but she ultimately did not turn back.
She held back the tears welling up in her eyes and walked toward the exit.
Sometimes fate puts two people back on each other's chessboard, but the time that has passed is enough to change everything. Even if they meet physically, neither of them is in their original position.
*
The funds came in quickly, and Ye Yuying rented the office next door as well, so that everyone's working environment would be more spacious.
She enjoys turning the computer screen to its darkest setting after nightfall, letting the city's darkness envelop her, and meticulously manipulating the mouse, counting every detail on the model.
When she went out for a drink of water, the lights in the office next door were off, flickering on and off. As she walked by with her water cup, she noticed that everyone was lowering the screen to watch a movie together.
She smiled and prepared to go straight back.
“Hey boss, we’re watching Forrest Gump, wanna join us?” Ding Chu stood up and waved to her.
Ye Yuying stopped in her tracks, and the water in her cup swayed slightly.
A moment later, she turned and glanced at the screening room.
On the curtain, the opening feather slowly drifted down, wandering rootlessly above the city, like a chance occurrence of fate, or a kind of destined tenderness.
"Have you seen Forrest Gump? It's a classic movie, and we just happen to have never seen it."
Ye Yuying's eyelashes fluttered, then she suddenly smiled, her voice very soft, "I've seen it."
Many times, so many times that it's impossible to count.
Feathers swirl in the city streets, on car roofs, and in the wind.
"Hello. My name's Forrest, Forrest Gump."
"Do you want a chocolate?"
"I could eat about a million and a half of these."
Ye Yuying stood in the corner, her cane resting against her knees. She didn't look at the screen; the light and shadow fell obliquely on her cheeks. Her lips moved slightly, silently reciting each word in sync with Agan's voice.
My mom always said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
Her voice blends with the narration, a man and a woman, seemingly revealing a predetermined destiny.
In the scene, a feather falls and lands in front of a pair of dirty sneakers.
"Those must be comfortable shoes. I bet you could walk all day in shoes like those and not feel a thing."
I wish I had shoes like that.
"There's an awful lot you could tell about a person by their shoes. Where they're going, where they've been."
Forrest Gump picked up the feather, carefully tucked it into the pages of the book, sat on the bench, and looked up with a smile.
"I've worn lots of shoes. I bet if I think about it really hard, I can remember my first pair."
Ye Yuying seemed to be singing a monologue along with the movie, leaning against the door frame and closing her eyes—in her memory, she also had a pair of shoes like this, a pair of spiked shoes that helped her in sprinting when she was in junior high school.
Cheng Mingdu bought it and sent it over.
Wearing those shoes, amidst those unsuspecting gazes, she miraculously broke the school record and ran all the way to the district sports meet... In the end, she became a specially recruited sports talent student at Rongcheng No. 1 High School, sharing the same high school as Cheng Mingdu.
At that moment, she felt as if she were one step closer to Cheng Mingdu; she could almost reach the edge of the beam of light with her outstretched hand… Finally…
"Mama said they'd take me anywhere."
She said they were my magic shoes.
A note from the author:
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50 red envelopes!! [Cat emoji]
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