It wasn’t until she stepped out of the café that Qin Nuan’s tears finally broke free and spilled down her cheeks.
Just now, she had forced herself to hold it together, refusing to break down in front of that scumbag.
Four years of a relationship.
The man who had once promised to cherish her for the rest of his life had sold her out just like that.
An adult’s breakdown happens in a single instant. After a good, hard cry, Qin Nuan wiped her face and hailed a cab home.
The first thing she did when she walked through the door was run the bath.
The moment the hot water submerged her body, Qin Nuan finally began to relax. But when she accidentally caught sight of herself in the mirror, she couldn’t help blushing fiercely.
Her neck, shoulders, and chest were covered in mottled red marks, even down her thighs.
They were the traces left behind from last night, made even more vivid by the steam from the hot water.
She had sensitive skin since childhood, bruising or marking at the slightest pressure, and that man last night had been practically uninhibited.
What was even more mortifying was that she remembered vaguely leaning into him of her own accord when she was half-conscious.
Fortunately, it was just a wild, one-night mistake, and they probably wouldn’t ever cross paths again.
Fortunately, too, the other man had used protection.
She’d seen the things tossed on the floor when she picked up her clothes that morning.
A full four of them, just casually scattered on the ground.
Qin Nuan’s face burned hotly, and she didn’t dare dwell any further on last night’s madness.
Come to think of it, although Lin Qingyang had practically pushed her into a fire pit…
Through a twist of fate, she had walked into the wrong room, at least sparing her from a wretched, sleazy creep like Chen Limin.
As for that man…
He was so ridiculously handsome. Come to think of it, she hadn’t gotten the short end of the stick after all…
Qin Nuan covered her burning face, cutting off these chaotic, stray thoughts.
She made up her mind.
Starting today, she would pretend this whole thing had never happened.
After her shower, exhaustion washed over her.
She ate a couple of quick bites and crashed straight into bed.
She slept straight through until past eight in the evening.
Qin Nuan was woken up by hunger—along with a distinct, aching soreness in a certain part of her body.
After a full sleep, she actually felt even more uncomfortable.
She went back to the bathroom to check and, sure enough, discovered she was actually sore and injured.
She had no choice but to go out and buy medicine.
When she paid at the pharmacy, she was dying of embarrassment and specifically asked the clerk for a black plastic bag to hide it in.
After leaving the pharmacy, she stopped by a nearby convenience store to heat up a rice ball.
While waiting, her gaze inadvertently swept across the street corner and suddenly froze.
Parked at the far end of the street was a black Maybach.
Why on earth would a Maybach be parked in a rundown old neighborhood like this?
Qin Nuan gave it a couple of extra glances without paying it much mind.
Maybe they were here on business.
Yet, as luck would have it, not long after Qin Nuan stepped out of the convenience store, that very Maybach suddenly started moving.
As it glided past her, the rear window slowly rolled up.
Qin Nuan glanced over casually, and her heart skipped a beat.
The contour of that face…
Why did it look a little bit like the guy from this morning?
When she wanted to look closer, the car had already rounded the street corner and completely vanished from sight.
No way…
Qin Nuan froze for a second, then quickly shook her head.
What are the odds of something like that? She must have seen things.
Yet, whether out of a guilty conscience or not, long after that glimpse, her heart rate still hadn’t slowed down.
When she applied the ointment at home, the cooling salve touched her tender skin, and scenes from last night unbiddenly rushed back into her mind.
By the time she finished, her face was completely flushed, and a thin layer of sweat dampened her back.
The next day was Monday.
Working dogs didn’t deserve holidays. When her alarm went off, Qin Nuan got up, washed up, changed into work clothes, and headed to the office.
The Empire Group Headquarters.
This was the most core district in all of Capital City, and Empire Group actually owned an entire building here. Their strength, financial power, and status spoke for themselves.
The screening process for employees was notoriously strict.
Qin Nuan was a graduate student from Capital University, and her resume was undeniably stellar, but even so, it barely scraped by at Empire Group.
Right now, she was just an ordinary employee in the group’s business department, having only passed her probationary period shortly before.
Qin Nuan cherished this job dearly.
Romance was gone, the scumbag was dumped, and only this salary could solidly and reliably support her.
She had bought a small apartment in the Fourth Ring. Though it wasn’t ready for move-in yet, she was already paying the mortgage every month.
Qin Nuan was a very punctual person and arrived exceptionally early today.
While waiting for the elevator, she ran into Zhao Meihua from her same department.
Qin Nuan greeted her with a smile: “Morning, Sister Zhao.”
“Little Qin is so early today, too.” Zhao Meihua had always had a good impression of her—she was diligent, capable at her job, and had a gentle, graceful personality.
The elevator hadn’t arrived yet, so the two chatted for a bit.
Qin Nuan asked, “Why are you so early today, Sister Zhao?”
Hearing this, Zhao Meihua looked surprised: “Don’t you remember? Didn’t Manager Jiang mention it last week?”
“The new group president is coming today. President Lin might take him on a tour of all the departments this morning, so they asked us to get in early.”
That finally jogged Qin Nuan’s memory.
Ah, right. Manager Jiang did mention it last week.
Word had it that this newly appointed president came with quite an impressive background.
Empire Group was the top elite family in Capital City—a Shen family enterprise.
And the newly appointed president was none other than the Shen family’s eldest direct grandson—Shen Shiyan.
Rumor had it that Elder Shen had always held this grandson in high regard, personally grooming him by his side since childhood, and sent him abroad after he turned fifteen, where he graduated from top institutions straight down the line.
When the Shen family ran into a scandal at age twenty-five that threatened their entire family business, it was Shen Shiyan who single-handedly resurrected several of the family’s near-abandoned projects, making a name for himself in a single battle.
He was practically a legendary figure.
Zhao Meihua teased with a smile: “I heard our crown prince isn’t just formidable—he’s also drop-dead gorgeous and single. Since I’m already married, that’s that, but young girls like you might just stand a chance.”
Qin Nuan just smiled and didn’t reply.
As for someone standing at the absolute apex of the pyramid, she felt, at most, a sliver of curiosity, but nothing more.
Shen Shiyan’s world was far too distant from hers. Previously, she had only heard tales of the man; she hadn’t even seen a photograph of him.
Realistically, she probably wouldn’t even cross paths with him a few times in the company anyway.
The elevator arrived, and the two stepped inside.
Just as the elevator doors were closing, Qin Nuan heard someone outside call out, “Hold the door, please.”
So, Qin Nuan reached out and pressed the open-door button.
A voice of thanks rang out.
Immediately afterward, a man in a tailored suit walked in, taking over Qin Nuan’s spot. One hand held the open-door button while the other blocked the closing doors.
Qin Nuan instinctively took a step back.
Then, she heard the man say: “President Shen, the president’s private elevator had some technical issues last night and is currently under maintenance. It’s temporarily unusable and expected to be fixed before eight-thirty. Could you please take the employee elevator for now?”
President Shen? The president’s elevator?
Qin Nuan and Zhao Meihua froze in unison.
That newly appointed president?
Before either of them could say anything, a tall, slender figure slowly stepped inside from the outside.
Following closely behind, a clean, crisp, cold woody fragrance slowly drifted through the air.
He had an aloof and handsome face with deep, distinct features, yet his brows carried an air of cold detachment and indifference.
Qin Nuan stared at that face and completely froze, her eyes filled with utter shock.
Him?!
How could it be him?!
Her one-night stand… was actually the group’s newly appointed president, Shen Shiyan?!