The seaside in late autumn is as cold as the winter in the south.

Dengqing Antique Shop is the guard of the sea, stationed firmly on the shore where the sea breeze is blowing.

Shangguan Qing stayed in the store, looking through the window at the gloomy sky outside.

"It's as cold as the underworld." She walked to the counter without much interest. "Youxuan, have you ever heard of General Shangguan from the Warring States Period?"

She asked casually, not holding out hope.

There are four words that have been playing on a loop in my mind recently: "General Shangguan".

The person whose name I didn't even know occupied my entire thoughts.

Youxuan sat in front of the sofa, tilted his head, hesitated for a while, "I seem to have some impression..."

Shangguan Qing's eyes lit up, he put his hands on the counter and became serious.

"Tell me, what do you know?" she asked eagerly.

Youxuan thought carefully, "At that time, I had not yet transformed into a human form, nor was I dead. I met a general in the hunting ground. I think his name was Shangguan something..."

What was Shangguan's name? He heard someone calling his full name, and it was a woman's voice.

"Hunting ground?" Shangguan Qing was a little disappointed. "Generals in ancient times often went to hunting grounds. It's not surprising. What does he look like?"

This question stumped Youxuan. How could he remember something that happened thousands of years ago so clearly?

He shook his head. "I don't remember, but sir, you can go and look up ancient data. The general should have records."

"It's useless." She sat on the stool and weakly fiddled with the abacus in front of the counter. "He made a deal with the underworld. All the things about his life were erased and can't be found."

Youxuan's eyes softened. He slowly stood up, walked to Shangguan Qing, and asked softly, "Sir Shangguan, is this person... really important to you?"

Shangguan Qing lowered his eyes slightly when he heard this, and his fingers unconsciously stroked the beads on the abacus, making a subtle and crisp sound.

There was a barely perceptible tremor in her voice. "Well, a lot of things have been related to him lately."

A hint of determination flashed in Youxuan's eyes. He gently patted Shangguan Qing's shoulder and said softly, "Perhaps, I can try to go to the underworld and ask those ghost messengers. They may know something."

After saying this, he moved slightly, and a faint glow appeared around him, like the gentlest ripples in the night.

Shangguan Qing looked up, with a flash of surprise and expectation in his eyes. He saw Youxuan's figure gradually become blurred, and finally turned into a wisp of green smoke, penetrating the closed shop door, blending into the vast night and the howling sea breeze, and heading towards the abyss of the underworld.

Shangguan Qing was the only one left in the store. She stared at the void outside the door that was swallowed by darkness, feeling mixed emotions.

Everything around seemed to be still, only the sea breeze was still howling, with a bit of desolation and unwillingness, as if it was also telling of a thousand years of waiting and searching.

Her fingers unconsciously stroked the abacus again. Every touch seemed to convey some unfinished love, closely connected with General Shangguan in that distant time and space.

Shangguan Qing stepped out of Dengqing Antique Shop. The sea breeze blew towards her with a biting chill. She frowned slightly, wrapped her coat tightly, but her steps were unusually firm.

After crossing several quiet streets, she arrived in front of the towering building of Cheng Group. The towering glass curtain wall sparkled in the sun, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding sea and sky.

As you walk into the lobby, the air is filled with a faint aroma of coffee and the tense atmosphere of efficient operation.

The receptionist politely asked her purpose of visit. Shangguan Qing whispered her name and said she wanted to see Cheng Ji.

The receptionist quickly confirmed the appointment and, smiling, led her into the elevator directly up to the conference room on the top floor.

Inside the conference room, the lights were bright and cold. Both sides of the long conference table were filled with elites in neat suits, and the atmosphere was tense.

Cheng Ji sat in the main seat, looking focused and calm. The computer screen in front of him displayed a complex data report.

Suddenly, Qin Hao's voice was like a sharp blade cutting through the silence, with a hint of provocation, "Mr. Cheng, I noticed that the profit margin of our overseas projects dropped by 3 percentage points last quarter, which is much worse than expected.

I would like to ask, is this related to your recent hesitation in adjusting your strategy? "

Qin Hao leaned forward slightly as he spoke, looking straight at Cheng Ji, as if he wanted to nail every word into the other's heart.

Cheng Ji frowned slightly, but quickly regained his composure.

He gently turned the pen in his hand, his eyes swept over everyone at the conference table, and finally fell on Qin Hao, his voice low and powerful,

"The fluctuation of profit margins is affected by multiple factors, including uncontrollable factors such as international exchange rates and fluctuations in raw material prices. As for strategic adjustments, I always believe that being prudent is more important than being aggressive. As for your questions, I will personally lead the team to conduct in-depth analysis and give a satisfactory answer."

Assistant Li Yang stepped forward with a document in his hand, but he was not in a hurry to present it. Instead, he whispered in Cheng Ji's ear, "Mr. Cheng, Miss Shangguan is already waiting in your office."

Before he finished speaking, Cheng Ji's eyes lit up instantly, like a lighthouse suddenly lit up in the night.

He stood up quickly, with a barely perceptible eagerness in his movements, but still maintained his composure and grace.

In the conference room, everyone's eyes followed his movements unconsciously. Cheng Ji nodded slightly to indicate that the meeting was suspended, and then strode towards the office with big strides. His back was firm and resolute, leaving the room full of astonishment and discussion.

The door closed gently, blocking out all noise, leaving only the unknown story that would soon intertwine between Cheng Ji and Shangguan Qing.

Cheng Ji pushed open the door, and a soft light overflowed from the room, interweaving with the cold light in the corridor, giving him a warm outline.

His pace slowed down unconsciously, and his eyes fell gently on Shangguan Qing who was sitting quietly on the sofa.

She was wearing a simple long dress, her long black hair fell softly on her shoulders, and a few strands of hair gently brushed her cheeks, adding a bit of gentleness and fragility to her.

Shangguan Qing looked up, his eyes flashing with anticipation and a hint of barely perceptible nervousness. Their gazes met in the air, as if time had frozen at this moment.

The air is filled with a faint scent of lavender, which interweaves with the salty and humid sea breeze that occasionally seeps in from the window, creating an indescribable warm atmosphere.

Cheng Ji approached slowly, and every step he took seemed unusually steady and powerful.

Finally, he stopped in front of her and spoke softly, with an imperceptible tenderness and firmness in his voice, "You are here."

Shangguan Qing opened her red lips slightly, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze, "Today, I am in a bad mood. So, I decided to come to the group to find you and see you."

After saying that, she stood up gently, walked around the coffee table, and slowly walked towards Cheng Ji. Every step seemed to leave a faint mark in the air.

The distance between the two people gradually shortened until they could clearly feel each other's breathing.

Shangguan Qing's eyes were gentle and deep, as if he could see through every corner of Cheng Ji's heart.

In this quiet and tense moment, time seems to have really frozen, leaving only two hearts slowly approaching, together weaving a warm picture that belongs only to them.

The corners of Cheng Ji's mouth rose unconsciously, with a warm light flashing in his eyes. He gently pulled Shangguan Qing's hand, with a hint of doting in his tone.

"Would you like to put aside your work for a while and go play in the suburbs? The sunrise and sea breeze there might blow away all your worries."