The black Bentley drove out of the Moon Lake Bay villa complex and merged into the morning rush-hour traffic. Fu Sinian held the steering wheel with one hand, while the other loosened his tie slightly, a suffocating tightness pressing against his chest. Warm air flowed from the car’s climate control system, yet it did nothing to dispel the chill surrounding him.
At a red light, the car came to a stop. He stared at the hurried pedestrians outside the window, his gaze gradually losing focus. His thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to a winter night three years ago.
It had been a rare snowstorm. Heavy flakes fell like feathers, covering the entire city in silver. He had just finished a cross-border video conference when he received a call from Su Wanning, her voice trembling with tears.
“Sinian, I can’t get a taxi outside the company. I’ve been standing here for half an hour. It’s so cold…”
He remembered not even having time to put on his suit jacket. Grabbing his car keys, he rushed straight into the snowstorm. The roads were nearly impossible to navigate because of the snow. What should have been a 20-minute drive took him almost an hour.
As he approached her company, he spotted her familiar figure standing under a streetlight. Wrapped in a thick down jacket, she kept stamping her feet. Snowflakes had gathered on her hair and shoulders, making her look like a little snowman.
The car stopped in front of her. She pulled the door open and slipped inside, bringing with her a biting gust of cold air. Her cheeks were flushed red from the cold, the tip of her nose just as red, and tiny crystals of frost clung to her eyelashes.
“Warm your hands first.” He immediately turned the heater to the maximum and reached out to hold her icy hands. They were so cold it made his heart ache, his brows drawing together unconsciously.
Yet she smiled, moving closer to him, burying herself completely in his arms, her cold cheek pressing against the hollow of his neck.
“You’re the best.” Her voice was muffled, tinged with a soft, coquettish tone. “I almost froze to death.”
He pulled her tightly into his embrace, wrapping her trembling body in his warm coat. He tucked her freezing hands into his shirt, pressing them against his warm chest. The sudden temperature made her inhale sharply, instinctively trying to pull back, but he held her firmly in place.
“Don’t move,” he said, his voice low and gentle. “From now on, I’ll be your personal heater, always on standby.”
She lifted her head, her eyes shimmering with moisture—whether melted snow or unshed tears, he couldn’t tell. Back then, her gaze had been filled entirely with dependence and love, as if he were the only light in her world.
“Then you have to keep your word.” She smiled and burrowed deeper into his arms. “I’m going to rely on you for a lifetime.”
…
The sharp honk of a car behind him jolted Fu Sinian out of his memories. The light had already turned green. He pressed the accelerator, and the car moved forward slowly.
Those warm moments were still vivid in his mind, standing in cruel contrast to what he had witnessed this morning.
The look of disgust when Su Wanning pushed away the red bean buns. The panic on her face when she saw the cufflink. And those pale, hollow explanations… the scenes replayed over and over before his eyes.
It felt as if an invisible hand had seized his heart, squeezing it tight—cold and aching. He could clearly feel the once-burning love within him slowly cooling, solidifying under the shadow of betrayal.
The girl who once smiled so brightly with just a single embrace from him now couldn’t even bear to look at the breakfast he bought. The wife who once clung to him and said she would rely on him for a lifetime was now lying to him for another man.
How ironic.
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning pale from the force. The cityscape outside the window sped past. The bustling metropolis awakened under the morning light, yet he felt as though he was sinking deeper and deeper into an icy abyss.
By the time he arrived at the headquarters of Huachen Group, he had already regained his usual composure. The towering building pierced into the sky, reflecting a cold, rigid brilliance under the rising sun—just like his current state of mind.
“Good morning, CEO Fu.”
“Hello, CEO Fu.”
As he walked inside, employees greeted him respectfully. He gave a slight nod in response and strode steadily toward his private elevator.
The top-floor CEO’s office occupied the best view in the entire building. Nearly 200 square meters in size, it was decorated with understated luxury. An Italian custom-made desk stood at its center, while authentic masterpieces hung on the walls. Every detail reflected the owner’s status and refined taste.
He stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city below. Traffic flowed endlessly, crowds moving in streams—this business empire he had built with his own hands was operating in perfect order under his control.
Yet at this moment, this office—symbolizing power and status—felt emptier and colder than ever before.
The secretary knocked softly before entering, placing a freshly brewed cup of coffee on his desk.
“CEO Fu, the materials for the 9:30 meeting are already on your desk. At eleven, you have an appointment with CEO Li from the City Investment Group, and at three in the afternoon…”
He listened as she reported the day’s schedule, but his gaze remained fixed on the view outside. Sunlight filtered through the glass, casting long shadows across the floor, yet it couldn’t penetrate the coldness in his eyes.
“I understand.” He interrupted her calmly. “You can go now.”
The secretary nodded respectfully and withdrew, closing the door gently behind her.
The office fell silent, leaving him alone.
He walked to the desk but did not sit down. Instead, he picked up a photo frame. The picture had been taken during their vacation in the Maldives. Su Wanning, dressed in a white beach dress, leaned against him with a radiant smile. The sea breeze lifted her long hair, sunlight falling gently across her face.
Back then, they had been so happy.
His fingertips brushed lightly over her smiling face in the photo, his expression unreadable.
He had once believed that such sweetness would last a lifetime. Yet it had decayed so easily. He had once believed their trust was unbreakable. Yet cracks had appeared so effortlessly.
He placed the photo frame face down on the desk with a soft sound.
Then he picked up the coffee and walked back to the window.
The aroma of the coffee lingered at his nose, yet he couldn’t taste anything. Just like this luxurious office—no amount of material comfort could fill the hollow space within him that was slowly expanding.
Outside the window was the prosperous capital city, the business landscape he had built himself. Yet standing at the very top of it, he felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness and coldness.
It was a cold that spread from deep within his heart.
No amount of sunlight could ever drive it away.