Zhou Yichi's pupils contracted sharply.
Clutching his phone, he said hurriedly, "Don't wait—no more waiting. Next week, next week, okay? I can't take leave for tomorrow's meeting, but I can come back to do the experiments and the paper later. Let's go traveling, go see the sea!"
"……"
Jiang Ningchu felt a momentary sting in her nose.
She believed that he loved her.
But she also knew clearly that he would never understand what she actually cared about.
"No need."
Jiang Ningchu took a deep breath and shook her head. "Let's just leave it at this. I'm heading back."
"Don't—don't go……"
Zhou Yichi abruptly pulled her into his arms, his arms clamped tightly around her, burying his face in her shoulder, his voice muffled. "Don't go, Xiaochu. I love you, I really do love you……"
"Please……" His tone was full of an almost humble pleading, "let's not break up, okay……"
Jiang Ningchu stood silently in place, motionless.
No struggle, and no response.
Only when his emotions had calmed a little and his grip loosened did she raise her hands and push him away.
Then, without a backward glance, she turned and left.
Back home, Jiang Ningchu changed his WeChat contact name and deleted all the calendar reminders related to their anniversaries.
Three years of relationship—and there were far fewer traces to clean up than she had imagined.
Aside from occasionally opening WeChat out of habit to look for him, her life seemed to have undergone no earth-shattering changes.
Yunqi Plaza, 28th floor.
Jiang Group and Hongyuan Industries' final round of proposal presentations passed smoothly, and the Exclusive Agency Contract for the Local Life Services Platform was officially signed.
Morale throughout the company soared, and work began in full swing to implement the proposals.
Jiang Ningchu assisted Ada, working on scheduling, liaising with third parties, and handling communication and coordination. Busy beyond her feet touching the ground every day, she gradually adapted to the rhythm of being an "advertising person."
During the lunch break, by the island counter in the lounge area.
Lin Wei watched Jiang Ningchu shoveling down food while looking down replying to messages, and couldn't help rapping her knuckles on the table. "Don't do work while eating. What kind of client is this hardcore, not even letting you have your lunch break?"
"It's about the publicity department."
Jiang Ningchu didn't even lift her eyes, focused intently on her phone screen.
As if typing one-handed was too slow, she simply set down her chopsticks, held the phone with both hands, and busied herself with it in full concentration.
After finishing her replies, Jiang Ningchu let out a long sigh of relief. "All the big screens in Nancheng had to be coordinated and filed for approval. The terms are very detailed, so communication really is taxing."
With that, she placed her phone face-down on the table and smiled at Lin Wei. "Don't worry, President Lin. Ada said we'd stop by this afternoon to talk in person. We'll get it resolved as quickly as possible, for sure!"
"You little thing!" Lin Wei gritted her teeth and reached out to pinch Jiang Ningchu's cheek. "Is that what I meant? You, honestly……"
She glanced at the several bouquets of vivid red roses on Jiang Ningchu's desk not far away and lifted her chin. "From Dr. Zhou? He's been sending them for days now, hasn't he? What? Is the big day coming soon?"
Jiang Ningchu followed her gaze, nodded, then shook her head.
"We broke up."
"Broke up?!" Lin Wei whipped her head around, her tone involuntarily rising. "What happened?!"
Jiang Ningchu swallowed her last bite of rice, pulled out a tissue to wipe the corner of her mouth, tidied up her lunch box neatly, and got up to pour herself a cup of coffee.
Coffee poured slowly into the mug, releasing a faintly bitter aroma.
She cradled the cup and took a light sip, glancing at Lin Wei with a calm expression. "That's the situation. We broke up."
Lin Wei glanced at a few coworkers lounging on beanbag chairs nearby, soaking up the sun and listening to music. Without a word, she grabbed Jiang Ningchu's hand and marched straight up to the second floor, heading right for the office.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Lin Wei shut the door, then pressed the remote to close the electric blackout blinds.
She pulled Jiang Ningchu down onto the sofa beside her and lowered her voice. "No wonder you've been buried in work these past few days without saying a word… and you didn't tell me about something this big?"
Jiang Ningchu pressed her lips together.
How was she supposed to explain?
She didn't know how to describe her own state of mind. A bad thing had happened, exactly as she'd expected—and to her, it didn't seem worth talking about.
Seeing her hesitate, Lin Wei understood at once.
She let out a soft sigh, her voice gentling. "I suppose… after the way he acted at that industry party, you'd have to be an invincible ninja to keep the relationship going."
"Ugh…"
She recalled the sight of Zhou Yichi's deathly pale face and sighed, "I really thought that once everything was laid out in the open, he'd finally see the truth, dump that green tea girl, and get his attitude straightened out."
"It's not about anyone else."
Jiang Ningchu's tone was flat, devoid of emotion. "We're just not right for each other."
Lin Wei didn't press for details.
Over these three years, she knew better than anyone how many times Jiang Ningchu had swallowed her grievances alone.
She had long since lost patience with Zhou Yichi's lukewarm love—the kind that always came second to "more important things."
"Fine! Not right for each other? Then good riddance!"
Lin Wei suddenly stood up, rounded the coffee table, and threw an arm around Jiang Ningchu's shoulders. "How are you holding up? Want your girl to throw you a huge single's party? I'll invite a few cute guys…"
Jiang Ningchu's shoulders relaxed at her antics. She pushed her away lightly, a smile flickering in her eyes. "No need to rush things, do we?"
Lin Wei laughed in relief. "Sounds like you really are okay. That puts my mind at ease."
She grabbed the gum from the desk, popped a piece in her own mouth, and shook one out for Jiang Ningchu.
"But seriously," she said, her voice dropping, "what's the deal with the hotel room thing? Don't tell me after three years of dating, right up until the breakup, we still don't know if he was… incapable?"
Jiang Ningchu didn't answer. She simply unlocked her phone, swiped across the screen a few times, and handed it over.
Lin Wei caught her meaning, taking the phone with a glance at her. "I can look at all of it?"
Jiang Ningchu nodded.
With permission granted, Lin Wei looked down, her fingers scrolling rapidly.
The silence lasted only a few seconds.
"What the hell is this?"
Lin Wei's brow furrowed tightly, her fingertip freezing on the screen. "On the side of the road? He actually dared to leave you alone halfway up a mountain?"
Her head snapped up, anger rising in a straight line. "Jiang Jiang, when did this happen? Why did you never tell me?"
Jiang Ningchu explained quietly in a few words.
As she listened, Lin Wei's face grew darker, her lips pressing into a thin line.
Their question-and-answer exchange was painfully inefficient.
It took Lin Wei quite a while to piece together the full story behind Zhou Yichi's so-called "apologies," and she completely lost her composure with rage.
"I'm actually laughing at this."
Her finger tapped heavily on the phone screen. "What does that even mean? 'Has mysophobia,' 'wanted to save the best for our wedding night'—translated, doesn't that just mean he never planned to marry you, so he couldn't even be bothered to touch you?"
Jiang Ningchu gave a calm little mm. "You could put it that way."
"Disgusting."
She tossed the phone onto the coffee table, stood up, planted her hands on her hips, and paced back and forth in front of it. "So he didn't want to sleep with you because he wasn't sure he'd marry you and didn't want the responsibility?"
"And now that you've broken up, he's playing this pathetic card as if it were some grand romantic gesture?"
She stopped, turned to look at Jiang Ningchu, fire burning in her eyes. "What is he doing, building himself a chastity memorial? What a son of a bitch."
"…"
Jiang Ningchu had been watching her quietly all along.
The corners of her lips curved slightly, her voice soft. "It's all in the past. We've already broken up. He can say whatever he wants—it doesn't matter anymore."
"I really do want to curse him out."
Lin Wei sank back onto the sofa as if deflated, grabbed a throw pillow, hugged it tightly to her chest, and punched it a couple of times:
"He didn't know how to cherish you when you were together. Three whole years of Platonic, and only after the breakup does he come crawling back. And from what he said, he clearly knew—knew you cared about this. Now suddenly he knows to take you traveling? With an ocean-view room, no less?"
"Oh, so he 'couldn't accept premarital sex,' 'respected women,' 'was thinking of you'—but after the breakup he's suddenly all eager to book hotel rooms? What kind of pure-gold idiot is this? How did he even get a PhD? I can't stand it."
Just as she was talking, Jiang Ningchu's phone vibrated.
She picked it up, stepped aside to answer, and after a moment turned back with a smile. "Ada's confirmed for this afternoon. I'm going to freshen up downstairs, then head with her to the government office to go over the contract terms."
"Go, go."
Lin Wei waved her off, as if worn out from cursing, and leaned forward to pick up a glass of water from the coffee table, taking a sip to calm herself. "When you get back, we'll keep cursing him."
Jiang Ningchu walked over to Lin Wei with a grin and touched her cheek. "Don't be angry. He's not worth it."
Lin Wei looked at her, her lips turning down with heartache, and gave a soft, grudging little sound of agreement.
By the time they finished reviewing the terms and returned to the office, it was already past quitting time.
Lin Wei leaned against the side of Jiang Ningchu's desk, waving her phone. "Let's go, it's time."
"Okay." The afternoon meeting had gone surprisingly smoothly, and there was a lightness in Jiang Ningchu's voice. "Dinner together? What do you feel like eating? My treat."
"Did the sun rise in the west?"
Seeing her brows relaxed and her eyes bright, the heavy weight of worry in Lin Wei's heart finally lifted a little. She smiled. "Shame, though—I've got a client tonight. I'll drop you home first, then I have to rush off."
Jiang Ningchu packed up her bag and walked out alongside her. "You don't need to drop me off. I can just take a taxi home."
"I'm driving you." Lin Wei stepped into the elevator first and turned to look at her. "The sky's looking awfully dark—it might rain. Don't you dare get out halfway and walk home by yourself again."
The two of them walked out of the elevator, chatting and laughing, then their footsteps stopped at the same moment.
Beyond the revolving glass doors, Zhou Yichi stood rigid and straight, cradling an enormous bouquet of red roses, peering inside.
The twilight stretched his figure long and thin, lending him a stubborn kind of desolation.
"Tch." Lin Wei's face darkened, and she lifted her foot to charge forward. "When will he ever stop? Today he's walked right into the line of fire—I'm absolutely cursing him out!"
Jiang Ningchu felt Lin Wei's anger and quickly grabbed her, pressing the elevator's down button. "Don't go. No need to ruin your mood."
With that, Jiang Ningchu turned and stepped into the elevator, pressing B1.
"All that for nothing."
Lin Wei leaned against the elevator wall, suppressing her fury. "Don't reply to his messages, and don't tell him you've left. I want to see how long he's willing to wait."
She paused, tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Maybe he'll leave once quitting time passes. Just putting on a show of devotion."
Jiang Ningchu gave a soft "mm" in agreement.
Before the words had even faded, her phone buzzed in her bag.
Lin Wei instinctively reached out, assuming it was Zhou Yichi again. The impatience in her expression hadn't fully formed when she glimpsed the name "Jiang Heng" on the screen, and her hand froze midair.
The bit of bravado from moments before quietly dissolved.
She withdrew her hand, even taking half a step back, signaling with her eyes for Jiang Ningchu to answer quickly.
Jiang Ningchu picked up the call, exchanged a few brief words, then hung up and looked at Lin Wei, a hint of apology in her voice. "My brother just got off work. He's giving me a ride home."
"Go on, then." Lin Wei walked with her toward the emergency exit. "My car's parked by the road up ahead. See you at the office tomorrow."
The two came out through a side entrance, where a black Maybach sat quietly beneath the eaves.
Lin Wei patted her lightly on the shoulder and turned to walk toward the roadside.
Jiang Ningchu opened the car door and slid into the passenger seat.
The car was filled with a familiar scent of cedar—faint and clean.
"Brother." She asked as she buckled her seatbelt, "What a coincidence today?"
Lately, she had been timing her departures to hitch rides with Jiang Heng. Su Wanqing simply assumed she was going to Jiang Corporation to "learn the ropes" and had never been suspicious.
If they could occasionally go home together too, it would be absolutely seamless.
"It's no coincidence."
Jiang Heng started the car, his gaze sweeping past the vaguely recognizable figure holding flowers at the main entrance ahead. The corner of his lips lifted slightly. "I just got a call from Director Wang. He said you'd finished your talks."
"You know Director Wang?"
Jiang Ningchu was slightly surprised, then nodded to herself. "I suppose that makes sense. Jiang Corporation's screen is the biggest in Nancheng. Besides using it ourselves, we cooperate with government publicity campaigns, so of course you'd know him."
"Mm."
Jiang Heng switched on the turn signal and merged into traffic.
In the rearview mirror, the somewhat forlorn figure gradually shrank into a tiny dot.
Only then did he finish his sentence at an unhurried pace: "Director Wang complimented your professionalism."
Jiang Ningchu turned to look at him, disbelief written plainly in her eyes.
"This afternoon I barely said a word. The whole time I was trailing after Ada, toiling away over contract clauses with my laptop."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, a trace of indignation at being teased in her voice. "Director Wang probably didn't even remember who I was. How could he compliment me?"
"Oh, really?" The corner of Jiang Heng's lips curved faintly. "Next time, you can ask him yourself."
"No, no, no!" Jiang Ningchu waved her hands frantically. "Absolutely not."
She'd been running around after Ada all this time, and had finally, through the Urban Interaction Project, begun to grasp the basics of Marketing and Promotion. She'd only just started to feel a small sense of accomplishment…
If she got "special treatment" now, forget about continuing to learn.
Jiang Heng caught a glimpse of her flustered state in the rearview mirror and let out a soft chuckle, changing the subject: "I have to go abroad for a few days."
"Okay." Jiang Ningchu nodded.
Ever since Song Aoxue returned to the country, Jiang Heng had been very busy, and she hadn't seen him at home for several days. "Have a safe trip."
The car fell silent for a moment.
"Your graduation party," Jiang Heng paused for a few seconds, then said in a low voice, "I might not make it back in time."
Jiang Ningchu froze, only then realizing why he had suddenly brought up his schedule.
She wasn't one to care much about ceremonies, but Su Wanqing took these milestones very seriously.
Growing up, whether it was entering middle school, turning ten, graduating high school, or her coming-of-age ceremony, Su Wanqing would always plan carefully around different themes, celebrating every important day of hers with care.
Just a few days after her graduation ceremony, Su Wanqing had already started arranging a graduation party for her.
Grand as it sounded, it was really quite simple—just a gathering of relatives and friends they saw often, a bit of liveliness and fun.
Jiang Ningchu cherished the care behind that liveliness, yet often felt a faint unease at receiving so much.
She just hadn't expected Jiang Heng to remember it so deliberately, and to tell her so earnestly.
"The graduation ceremony is already over."
She loosened the fingers that had been unconsciously digging into her palm and said with forced casualness, "It's just everyone getting together for a meal. Whether you come or not, it doesn't matter."
Jiang Heng's hand on the steering wheel tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Mm," he replied.
The city interaction project was progressing steadily.
Ever since they'd exchanged WeChat contacts at the industry cocktail party, Pei Yi had casually sent Lin Wei a proposal for a beer festival—a small project to get things started.
Amid her busy schedule, Jiang Ningchu received the first paycheck of her life.
4,832 yuan.
The categories on her pay slip were clearly laid out: perfect attendance bonus, transportation allowance, overtime pay, project bonus…
Item by item, they all added up to one simple number.
She stared at the string of digits on the screen for a long time.
It wasn't much, but she had earned it herself. An unfamiliar sense of solidity and pride quietly welled up in her heart.
She couldn't help but start planning: first she'd pick out a gift for Su Wanqing, then treat Lin Wei to a nice meal, and also…
Her fingers paused on the screen. She opened her chat with Jiang Heng and typed out a message.
[Jiangjiang: Big brother, I got my first paycheck. When are you coming back? I'll treat you to dinner.]
The message sat unanswered for a long while.
She read it over again, thought her tone might not have been enthusiastic enough, and after a moment's consideration, added a sticker of a kitten counting money.
A plump little cat sat crouched, waving its chubby paws, earnestly counting the few bills in its hands like a little miser, its jade-green eyes sparkling, with four small characters bouncing beside it: "Got a little money."
Looking at it, the corners of her mouth lifted involuntarily.
This sticker perfectly matched her mood at that very moment.
She gazed at it a while longer, then exited the chat with satisfaction, locked her screen, and went back to work.
The reply didn't arrive until late at night.
Just three characters: "Not sure."
Jiang Ningchu looked at that brief line, her brow furrowing slightly.
This reply… was very "Jiang Heng," but also not "Jiang Heng."
She thought it over and still felt something was off.
This was someone who had made a point of telling her he couldn't attend the party before leaving the country. Now she'd said she got paid and wanted to treat him to dinner…
Knowing his usual manner, he would at least have jeered: "Done drawing pies for me?"
Yet… not even a single quip?
Was he too busy to even find time to type, or…
Her fingertip hovered over the screen, hesitating.
All the things she wanted to ask were typed out and deleted in the chat box, until she finally gave up.
Forget it.
She locked her phone and slipped it under her pillow.
When he came back, she'd say it to his face.
Boston, third basement level of the Royal Club, boxing gym.
The high-ceilinged space, dozens of meters tall, was laid completely bare.
Rough, unfinished concrete walls offered no decoration, and the hard terrazzo floor reflected a cold light.
The entire venue was vast and brooding.
A standard boxing ring hung in the middle of the immense concrete expanse, its four corner posts strung with red and blue ropes, the canvas a deep, dark color.
Four industrial spotlights shone down from different angles, converging at the center of the ring.
On the ring, two figures moved swiftly through the white light—closing in, crossing, separating.
The white bandages on Jiang Heng's hands were already soaked through with sweat.
Without the protection of gloves, every exchange carried the dull thud of flesh and bone striking.
Evan lifted his eyes during a moment of defense, brow slightly furrowed.
Tonight's Jiang Heng was different.
Usually, his eyes were calm, his strikes precise, his targets clear.
Not right now.
His brutal force carried an undertone of obsession, and an inexplicable rage.
His offense didn't feel like a carefully considered strategy—it was more like some caged beast burning itself out.
As if he meant to exhaust some runaway force inside him through pure fatigue and pain.
Another round.
A hook from Evan grazed Jiang Heng's jaw.
Jiang Heng didn't dodge or evade—he took it head-on, and at the same time, drove a heavy right hook into Evan's ribs.
"Cough…"
Evan let out a muffled grunt, staggered back, pressed a hand to his side, and waved to stop.
"Silas." He panted heavily, sweat streaming past his eyes. "You're not boxing tonight. You're dismantling me."
Jiang Heng stopped, chest heaving violently.
He said nothing, only raised the back of his bandaged hand and wiped it across his mouth.
A thread of blood seeped out, blooming into a small, glaring patch of red on the white bandage.
"That's enough."
Evan straightened up, grabbed a towel from the chair at the edge of the ring, and tossed one over. "Keep this up and neither of us will make it to the auction tomorrow."
Jiang Heng caught the towel and only gave a low "mm."
Evan looked at him, opened his mouth, but in the end just shook his head with a smile and said nothing more.
Jiang Heng had been like this back in college—whatever was weighing on him, he kept it bottled up and soaked all night in the boxing gym until he'd driven himself to exhaustion.
"Take a breather, and remember to treat those wounds."
Evan wiped his sweat and headed toward the shower room, waving a hand behind his back. "I'm off. See you tomorrow!"
The vast underground space fell back into dead silence.
In the shadow beside the ring, Jiang Heng sat leaning against the cold corner post, unhurriedly unwinding the bandages from his hands.
The white cloth came loose loop by loop, revealing blood-seeping knuckles.
He clenched his fist unconsciously, then released it, the torn skin sending back a dull ache.
It felt better.
At the dinner engagement that evening, Pei Yi's urgent voice on the other end of the phone echoed uncontrollably in his mind:
"When exactly are you coming back? Little Jiang Jiang is about to get married off? Aren't you going to do something?"
"And that Dr. Zhou—he clearly knows what Zhuang Jingyi is after, yet he's arranging a proposal with her father as a witness. Was he kicked in the head by a donkey or what…"
"What do we do… Should I go talk to Little Jiang Jiang? Would that be sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong?"
"I asked her coworkers about it. They said Dr. Zhou sends her a bouquet of flowers every day now, and a few days ago he waited downstairs at her office building until midnight… Looks like our girl Jiang's heart has softened…"
"Ah, I always said our eldest young lady is an angel—she suffered such a grievance and still made up with him…"
…
Countless keywords circled and echoed in her ears like surround sound:
"Proposal," "marriage," "softened," "made up"…
Jiang Heng slammed his fist violently against the pillar beside him.
Bang—
The dull sound of impact echoed over and over.