Although she was a bit displeased at being rejected at first, the words “let’s get married” greatly pleased Tang Yining.
She stopped dwelling on the matter and casually picked up the woman’s ring to try it on her finger.
Qi Yanzhi lowered his gaze, coldly removing the ring and handing it to the attendant to pack away, then slid a card over.
The attendant took the card and quietly drew in a breath.
Somehow, this couple gave her a very unusual feeling.
Although the man was gently coaxing the woman, she always felt that the gentleness didn’t reach his eyes.
A false impression, perhaps.
Maybe their dynamic was just naturally like that—after all, she’d already misjudged earlier.
She really should change her bad habit of overanalyzing other people’s thoughts.
The attendant shook off the thoughts in her head, quickly swiped the card, packed up the ring, and handed it to Qi Yanzhi.
They exited the shop.
Qi Yanzhi suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking at Tang Yining with a very apologetic expression. “Ningning, I…”
“I know, work is important. Go on, go on.” Tang Yining pouted and complained softly, “I shouldn’t have let you join the company back then…”
Qi Yanzhi’s eyes sank heavily, a flash of gloom quickly passing through them.
But within two seconds, a smile crept onto his face as he helplessly stroked her cheek. “Don’t be angry. I’m doing all this for our future. After I marry you, I want you to live even better than you do now.”
His eyes held a smile—anyone looking at him would see nothing but a doting expression. Who could possibly detect any other intentions?
Tang Yining sighed, still accepting his explanation. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed the corner of his lips. “Then you have to spend more time with me afterward.”
“Okay.” He nodded gently.
Watching Tang Yining leave, he raised his hand and wiped the spot she’d kissed using his sleeve, his eyes filled with an unfathomable frost.
Qi Yanzhi didn’t go to the company as he’d said. Instead, he turned and headed to Tang Wei’s apartment.
Although he could confirm that the figure he’d seen at the mall wasn’t Tang Wei, he still wanted to check for himself—otherwise, he felt his heart would remain restless.
Earlier, while accompanying Tang Yining to pick out rings, he hadn’t had a single thought to spare. If not for the company matter as an excuse, he was afraid Tang Yining might have noticed something.
Qi Yanzhi rang the doorbell for a long time, but there was no movement from inside.
He pulled out his phone, only to remember that Tang Wei had already blocked him.
His face darkened, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. He glanced at the apartment once before turning and leaving.
At the villa.
Tang Wei was sitting on the sofa chatting with Luo Ran. She told Luo Ran the news about reopening her studio, and Luo Ran was so happy she was both crying and laughing.
Tang Wei had to comfort her thoroughly before she calmed down.
The two talked for a while, agreed to meet tomorrow, and reluctantly ended the video call.
Just as she set down her phone, the ringtone sounded again.
It was an unfamiliar number with no contact name.
Tang Wei glanced at it, then swiped to answer.
“Weiwei, where are you? Why aren’t you home?”
On the other end was Qi Yanzhi’s familiar voice, which sounded faintly anxious, carrying a questioning tone that couldn’t be ignored.
He’d gone to her place to look for her?
Tang Wei was briefly stunned. Not hearing a response, Qi Yanzhi lowered his voice and asked again, gently, “Weiwei, did you hear me? You…”
She tapped her finger and decisively hung up.
After a moment’s thought, she dragged the number into her blocklist as well.
A minute later, the ringtone rang again.
Another unfamiliar number with no contact name.
“Wei…”
The moment the sound came out, Tang Wei smoothly hung up and blocked him in one fluid motion.
She’d already made things perfectly clear yesterday, and he was still calling from all these different numbers.
She frowned, then finally opened her phone settings and enabled the option to reject calls from unknown numbers.
On the other end, Qi Yanzhi, who couldn’t get a call through no matter how many times he tried, had a face as dark as the bottom of a pot—so gloomy it was terrifying.
He stared at the number on his phone screen, a number he knew by heart, and the panic in his chest grew heavier and heavier.
It felt like something he treasured as precious was slipping away bit by bit.
Just then, his assistant’s call came in—something about the company’s new project.
On that matter, he hadn’t lied to Tang Yining. The project was extremely important to him. Although he’d already made a name for himself within the group, it wasn’t nearly enough.
To take over the Tang Group, this was only the beginning.
But he needed to speed things up.
If he didn’t hurry, he might truly lose Weiwei in the end.
Qi Yanzhi rubbed his brow and forced himself to set aside the matter of Tang Wei for now.
Suppressing the restless feeling that was disturbing his peace of mind, he turned and headed to the company.
Lu Jinshi placed the washed fruit on the table in front of Tang Wei. Seeing the content on her computer and the slight furrow of her brow, he spoke up. “Found anyone to hire?”
Having already decided to reopen her studio, Tang Wei had posted recruitment listings online as soon as she got back.
“Talked to one person, but they weren’t quite suitable.” Tang Wei put down her phone and redirected her attention to the computer.
“Take your time. No need to rush.”
Tang Wei let out an “ah” sound. “I’m not in a rush.”
She’d only just posted the recruitment notice not long ago. Even if she wanted to reopen her studio, she wouldn’t be that hasty.
As the saying goes, haste makes waste—being able to open a studio was already good enough. As for everything else, taking things slow didn’t matter at all.
Lu Jinshi looked over her face once more. The faint irritation that had been there was gone, as if what he’d seen moments ago had merely been an illusion.
He raised an eyebrow, acting as if nothing had happened, and nodded. “Let me know if you need any help.”
Tang Wei smiled slightly. “Sure.”
…
Night fell, stars scattered across the sky, and the sun and moon had successfully switched shifts.
In the silent study, Tang Yining glanced at the time on her phone, her red lips pressed tightly into a straight line.
She leaned against the desk, her gaze suddenly drifting to a book nearby.
A book—one that didn’t seem like something Qi Yanzhi would read.
Besides, she’d been to the study several times before and was familiar with everything in it. She was certain she’d never seen this one.
She reached out and picked up the book, her sharp, probing gaze sweeping over the characters of the title one by one. Just as she flipped open the cover and saw the writing inside, her fingers suddenly clenched tight.
On the blank space of the page, a woman’s elegant, neat handwriting left a single line:
The world has its own breeze; I have my own bright moon.
There was no signature, but there was no need to guess—it was clearly Tang Wei’s handwriting.
Hah!
A cold sneer curled at the corner of Tang Yining’s lips. The words “bright moon” seared into her gaze.
To Tang Yining, this was a blatant provocation, a constant reminder that Qi Yanzhi and Tang Wei had a history together.
She closed the book and slammed it onto the desk with a sharp thud.
“What are you doing here?” The loud noise reached the ears of Qi Yanzhi, who had just walked in.
Hearing the sound, he stepped into the study. He wasn’t surprised to see Tang Yining, merely reaching up to loosen his tie as he asked.
Tang Yining froze for a moment, masking the disgust and disdain in her heart, then smiled lightly and walked toward him. As she drew close, she caught the faint scent of alcohol on him.