Late at night on the top floor of Hengyao Group, Jiang Yi sat alone at his desk. The city outside had already fallen asleep, with only a few scattered lights flickering in the darkness. He rubbed his aching temples, just about to rest, when his phone suddenly received a security alert from the smart home system.
He opened the app. The screen displayed the real-time security status of his home in Linjiang Garden. The moment his eyes fell on the study records, his expression froze.
The system log clearly showed that at 14:17 yesterday afternoon, someone had attempted to unlock his study computer using a fingerprint. The attempt failed three times in a row. That lock had only ever stored his fingerprint.
Jiang Yi’s fingers tightened slightly. He continued scrolling through the logs of other devices and found that the smart stationery case in the study had also been opened. It was a special box where he kept his fountain pens. Among them, the most precious was a limited-edition Montblanc pen, a gift from his father when he had first succeeded in his business. He had always treasured it.
The surveillance footage showed that yesterday afternoon, Shu Jin had returned home with Gu Chen. Gu Chen had walked straight into the study, sat down at the desk, casually picked up the pen, and played with it… even attempting to unscrew the cap. Although he eventually put it back, its position had clearly shifted from its original placement.
A wave of nausea surged in Jiang Yi’s chest, hard to suppress. That man had not only stepped into his home… he had now laid his hands on his most private space.
He thought of how that pen had come into his possession. Five years ago, when Hengyao had just secured its foothold in the industry, his father had brought it back from overseas. With a solemn tone, he had said, “The business world is like a battlefield. I hope this pen will accompany you in signing every important contract, and remind you never to forget your original intentions.”
Over the years, he had indeed used that pen to sign countless important agreements, never once forgetting his father’s words. And now, a pen that carried such weight had been casually handled by a gambler.
The moment he pushed the door open, a strange, unfamiliar presence rushed toward him. At the entrance, there was an extra pair of men’s casual shoes. On the coffee table in the living room lay a half-finished pack of cigarettes that did not belong to this home. In the air lingered the nauseating scent of cologne.
Jiang Yi walked straight toward the study. The moment he pushed the door open, his brows knitted tightly.
Several financial magazines lay scattered across the desk… he had always arranged them neatly by date. There were cigarette butts in the ashtray, even though he never smoked in the study. What he found most unbearable was that his treasured set of Yixing clay tea ware had clearly been used. A faint trace of tea stains clung to the rim of the cups.
He walked to the desk and opened the smart stationery case. The Montblanc pen lay quietly inside, but there was now a fine scratch on the cap. Jiang Yi’s fingers brushed lightly over the mark, his gaze growing colder and colder.
He took out the pen and carefully placed it into his pocket. Then he opened the locked cabinet and retrieved several important business notes and documents. These notes recorded all of Hengyao’s business secrets and core technologies over the years. If leaked, the consequences would be unimaginable.
While organizing the documents, he noticed signs that the desk drawer had been tampered with. Although the lock had not been broken, the mere act itself had already crossed his bottom line.
Jiang Yi stood there, looking around this private space that had once belonged solely to him. On the bookshelf still sat a photo of him and Shu Jin, both of them smiling so happily. And now, this place that held countless shared memories had been recklessly trampled by another man.
He walked to the shelf and took down an exquisite wooden box. Inside were all the gifts Shu Jin had given him over the years… ties, cufflinks, watches… each carrying a piece of their past. But now, every memory was covered in a shadow.
Finally, he went into the bedroom to take a few changes of clothes. In the walk-in closet, it was obvious that his wardrobe had been touched. Some shirts even carried the scent of unfamiliar perfume. Meanwhile, in Shu Jin’s wardrobe, several new, revealing dresses had appeared… styles he had never seen before. Get faster updates on g.com.
Jiang Yi only took a few of his usual suits and shirts, folding them carefully into a suitcase. As he closed it, his gaze fell on the bedside table.
Their wedding photo still stood there. In it, Shu Jin wore a pure white wedding dress, her smile radiant like a blooming flower. He still remembered that day… how she had shyly leaned into his arms and softly said she wanted to place this photo by the bed, so that the first thing she saw every morning would be him.
Now, a thin layer of dust had settled over the frame.
Jiang Yi gave one last look at the home that had once been filled with love and warmth… then turned and left without looking back.
Back in the car, he called his assistant, “Prepare the villa in Jinhua Garden under my name. I’m moving in today. Also, hire a professional cleaning company to pack and seal all my personal belongings in Linjiang Garden.”
After hanging up, he gripped the steering wheel and sat there for a long time without starting the engine. In the rearview mirror, the windows of Linjiang Garden gleamed under the sunlight… yet that light could no longer reach his heart.
The pen that Gu Chen had touched lay heavy in his pocket, like a cold stone. He knew that once certain boundaries were crossed, there was no going back.
From this day on, Linjiang Garden was no longer his home… and Shu Jin was no longer the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.