By the flowerbed near the hospital inpatient building, the air carried the dampness of sunlight evaporating the rain’s moisture.
On the bench, a woman sat with a slender frame, her skin as pale and smooth as fine jade where it peeked from her sleeves and skirt hem. She had casually tied her hair into a low ponytail, her head bowed as she stared at her phone screen, revealing a delicate, pale neck. Occasionally, a summer breeze would brush past, lifting a few stray strands of hair that framed her cheeks.
Her slender, pale fingers tapped lightly on the dial button, and a string of digits appeared on the screen. This phone number seemed etched into An Ning’s very bones. With a casual press, she could recall all eleven digits. Yet, for four whole years, she had never dared to dial it once. She didn’t even know if he had changed his number.
After hesitating for a long time, her trembling fingertip finally pressed the call button.
“Beep—”
The sound struck An Ning’s heart like a heavy hammer, making her chest ache. Instinctively, her fingers tightened around the phone.
The call went through!
…
Ou Teng Group.
CEO’s Office.
“Hey, Lu, did you run into a ghost today? You’ve been distracted all day—something’s off with you!” On the spacious black leather sofa, Liang Xu, dressed in a sharp suit, lounged casually, teasing the man seated at the desk who was flipping through documents.
The man wore a crisp, custom-made black suit, impeccably tailored. From the subtle patterns on the fabric to the buttons, everything exuded understated elegance and refinement. His black hair was neatly styled, his features sharp and defined, and his demeanor carried an aloof, almost chilling aura. Even in silence, he commanded an imposing presence.
Ignoring the teasing, he didn’t even lift his eyes. His long fingers gripped a metal pen, signing his name with bold, forceful strokes in the blank space at the bottom right of the document.
Lu Xiyan’s silence only spurred Liang Xu on. “Tsk, I have to say, our Lu here—with that build and those looks—really does resemble a work of art.”
At this, the cool-faced man finally lifted his eyelids, his thin lips parting slightly as he uttered a single, measured word: “Scram.”
Finally, a response. Liang Xu chuckled. “Last night, Wanwan called me, asking where you were.”
Suddenly, Lu Xiyan’s hand stilled mid-signature. The pen tip pressed into the paper, leaving a small blot of ink.
Last night…
A flicker of emotion passed through his deep-set eyes, vanishing as quickly as it came.
Liang Xu, oblivious, continued teasing, “Don’t you think this is weird?”
“Weird how?”
“Wanwan is your fiancée. You’re about to get engaged. If she wants to know your whereabouts, why doesn’t she ask you directly? Why does she always come to me for information? What’s that about?” Liang Xu muttered under his breath, “It’s just strange. Am I part of some couple’s game you two are playing?”
Lu Xiyan didn’t look up. “Maybe she likes you.”
The cold, detached remark nearly choked Liang Xu. He sprang up. “You can joke with me like that, but don’t let Wanwan hear it. You know she’s fragile. If she gets upset and something happens, not even the Cheng family or your grandfather would let you off the hook.”
Lu Xiyan paid no attention. Just then, his desk phone rang.
He glanced at it—an unfamiliar number.
The location showed Jining City.
Liang Xu thought it was Cheng Wanwan’s call and leaned over curiously, “Huh? Such a remote location? Our company hasn’t expanded operations to Ji Ning, right? These advertisers are quite clever to reach you.”
Lu Xiyan was about to hang up when he suddenly froze.
His phone number wasn’t accessible to telemarketers.
As if realizing something, his finger had already pressed the answer button.
……
On the phone screen, the call duration ticked away second by second.
An Ning’s breath hitched, her heartbeat pounding violently against her eardrums.
The other party remained silent—she couldn’t be sure if it was him.
After ten seconds of complete stillness, she finally spoke first, “Hello…”
……
“Hello…”
That soft voice traveled through the phone into his ears, and Lu Xiyan almost instinctively clenched his hand.
His originally calm and cool eyes instantly churned with dark undercurrents.
As if something was about to burst forth, he heard her cautious question, “May I ask… are you Lu Xiyan?”
……
This simplest of sentences had drained almost all of An Ning’s strength.
Particularly when pronouncing those three characters, her voice involuntarily trembled.
The other party remained silent. Just as she began to wonder if this number had been reassigned to someone else, she heard a low, cool “Mm” from the phone.
In that moment, even time seemed to stand still.
She didn’t know if he had recognized her voice.
She parted her lips, her throat dry, “I’m… An Ning.”
“Do you need something?” His tone was cold.
An Ning lowered her gaze, a gold-wrapped chocolate clenched in her palm.
“Nothing particularly important.” She carefully chose her words and said softly, “Didn’t I owe you money for a box of chocolates? How should I repay you?”
The other party remained silent, seemingly quite impatient with her sudden disturbance.
An Ning tightened her grip, “How about… you send me your payment QR code? I can scan it to pay you.”
“My phone is out of battery.” His voice was icy, “Three o’clock this afternoon. The coffee shop on Golden Ring Street.”
“Ah?” Before An Ning could process this, the call was disconnected.
……
The ended call left the phone clutched in a pair of hands with distinct, firm knuckles.
Ji Ning City.
Why was her call coming from Ji Ning City?
Hadn’t she gone abroad?
Hadn’t she disappeared overseas for four years?
The office temperature seemed to drop by over ten degrees instantly.
Cold. Bitterly cold.
Liang Xu saw his handsome face as if covered in a layer of frost, even colder than an ice cellar.
“Who was it?” he asked curiously, “What’s this about three o’clock at a coffee shop? Did you schedule a client meeting?”
But this expression, this tone—it didn’t sound like a client.
And what important client would require President Lu himself to personally meet?
Lu Xiyan tossed his phone casually onto the desk, pulling a cigarette from the case and clamping it between his lips, “Not a client.”
Liang Xu frowned, “Then who?”
With a click, the lighter ignited the cigarette.
Lu Xiyan took a deep drag, slowly exhaling smoke rings, “An Ning.”
“Who?” Liang Xu thought he had misheard. Upon realizing, his voice immediately rose, “Who? Who did you say?”
Lu Xiyan looked up at him, his voice deep, “An Ning.”
“Holy shit! She’s back in Jing Hai!”
Liang Xu cursed, nearly exploding with rage, “Are you fucking insane, Lu Xiyan? Have you forgotten how she dumped you back then? How the hell did you end up arranging to meet her again?”
Pointing a finger at his face, Liang Xu fumed, “You’re really something else—you won’t be satisfied until you’ve been burned twice!”
“Heh!”
Lu Xiyan let out a light laugh, the corners of his eyes lifting with a trace of coldness. “Impossible.”
He could afford to be foolish once.
But never a second time.