“So carefree?” Song Yunyi stared at him. “Then why are you crying?”
Feng Qiyue froze. He touched his face, his fingertips coming away wet with tears.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. He lowered his head and said nothing.
“Still going to lie to me and push me away?”
Feng Qiyue’s voice was choked with emotion. “It’s best if you don’t get involved with me.”
With that, he turned and ran off. Song Yunyi instinctively chased after him, but he was like a loach in a pond—the moment she failed to grab hold, he slipped away without a trace.
Just then, Lin Yan drove the car over.
He rolled down the window and asked in confusion, “Where’s that little white-haired kid?”
“He left.” Song Yunyi watched the direction he had disappeared in, her brows tightly furrowed.
Only after the car had driven away did Feng Qiyue step out from the alley. He touched the jade pendant with lingering affection and murmured softly, “This outcome is probably for the best for you…”
After packing a few changes of clothes at home, Song Yunyi checked into a hotel. Wense’s call came through at that moment—Aurora must have told her about the trip to the police station.
“You insisted on coming back to China, so stubborn. It’s not like I couldn’t have paved the way for you in England. You’ve barely been back and you’re already in this kind of trouble—how am I supposed to feel at ease?” Wense’s tone was urgent.
Song Yunyi explained for a long time before Wense’s mood settled. She offered a few more words of reassurance before hanging up.
After washing up, she lay in bed. The moment she closed her eyes, she saw Feng Qiyue’s sorrowful gaze.
She was exhausted, but she couldn’t fall asleep.
She tossed and turned in bed, then irritably pulled the blanket up over her face.
Who exactly was he?
Why did he look at her with such sadness?
The next morning, Song Yunyi was woken by her alarm. She yawned through her morning routine, squeezed onto the subway, and arrived at the law firm just in time.
“Morning, Yunyi.”
Her colleague Chai Qin walked out of the break room holding a freshly brewed coffee. After sitting down at the desk next to hers, she rolled her chair over and leaned in. “Oh, you poor thing, those dark circles are terrible. Haven’t gotten over the jet lag yet?”
Song Yunyi blinked and nodded.
“Here, new coffee beans—I’ll let you have it.” Chai Qin clicked her tongue and shook her head as she handed over the cup. “You’re working way too hard. Coming to work before you’ve even adjusted to the time difference—you really are a model worker.”
Seeing how sincere the other woman was, Song Yunyi hesitated for a moment before accepting the coffee with both hands and saying earnestly, “Thank you.”
“Yunyi, be a good girl and come here so I can give you a kiss.” Chai Qin’s eyes lit up as she leaned in.
She absolutely adored this new colleague. She wasn’t competitive, didn’t talk much, and kept her distance from others—but her looks were simply endearing. Even when she wore a cold expression, she somehow came across as adorable.
Before she could get her kiss, a sarcastic voice came from the opposite desk: “Did Xiao Liu change the office flowers? Why do I smell something like a lily?”
“Someone’s got a pretty strong queer vibe when they talk. Speaking of which, I’ve been smelling that cologne that’s all the rage in the gay scene on you for a while now. Tsk tsk tsk, it’s practically soaked into your skin. Looks like someone’s been well taken care of.” Chai Qin had a fiery temper and shot back without hesitation.
“Chai Qin, what nonsense are you spouting?!” Ren Jian glared at her while lowering his head to sniff his clothes.
Chai Qin burst out laughing, leaning back in her chair. “Look at you, acting like you’ve been caught red-handed. Don’t tell me you really are gay. Don’t worry, I don’t discriminate against that community—no need to panic.”
Ren Jian stared coldly at Chai Qin. “Only a fool like you would be so chummy with her. She’s only been back in the country for a short while and she’s already at Mingju. Who knows how many shady things she did behind the scenes to get this opportunity. Mingju has no shortage of overseas returnees. Why should she get in so easily? Think it through yourself, Chai Qin. Don’t end up sold out and dragged off to meet some sugar daddy!”
Ren Jian was nearly forty, a graduate of a prestigious overseas university with over a decade in the industry, and had only joined Mingju the year before last.
Word had it that he’d sent no fewer than a hundred self-recommendation letters to Aurora’s email, and only the first one got a rejection—the rest all gathered dust.
But Ren Jian refused to give up. He asked around everywhere to learn Aurora’s schedule, and finally managed to move him, earning himself the position.
To put it nicely, Aurora was moved by his sincerity.
To put it bluntly, Aurora was so annoyed he had no choice.
So toward Song Yunyi, who had gotten into Mingju so easily, he harbored intense hostility.
He could find fault with Song Yunyi three hundred times a day.
Song Yunyi was still on probation and didn’t want to conflict with him, so she kept tolerating it.
Ren Jian took that as a sign of guilt, and his hostility turned into malice—starting with attacking her character, claiming her credentials were fake, insulting her looks, and finally resorting to spreading dirty rumors.
Chai Qin’s expression changed instantly. She shot up from her seat. “Your name suits you perfectly—Ren Jian, a real piece of trash. Everything you see is trash. I think you’re the biggest piece of garbage in this entire firm! The day before yesterday I saw you going into a nightclub with President Liu. Who knows how you actually got last month’s performance numbers.”
President Liu was a notorious old lecher throughout the capital, interested in both men and women, and had ruined who knows how many innocent people.
Ren Jian had been keeping close company with him lately.
Whether it was out of embarrassment or anger, Ren Jian slammed his hand on the table, the force of it making the tea splash out of the cup.
“Chai Qin, are you really going to stand up for her today? Fine, you’re tough. Believe me, I’ll make sure you’re carried out of the capital horizontally tomorrow!”
Chai Qin’s family was from the capital, but they could only be considered moderately well-off.
With Ren Jian now backed by President Liu, if it came down to a real confrontation, Chai Qin would definitely come out on the losing end.
Song Yunyi quickly stepped in front of Chai Qin, her delicate face cold. “Lawyer Ren, you keep saying I have a sugar daddy behind me, and now you’re provoking me with such blatant confidence—isn’t that contradictory? Besides, if I really did have a sugar daddy, you’d be the one who couldn’t survive in the capital. I suggest you watch your words.”
No one would doubt the truth of her statement.
With that kind of education and beauty, finding a sugar daddy would be far too easy.
Ren Jian clearly understood this logic too. His lips twitched, but he still couldn’t help cursing her: “You cheap bitch!”
Song Yunyi didn’t take his words to heart, only coldly saying, “If you dare touch Chai Qin, I guarantee you’ll regret being born.”
What was a mere “cheap bitch”?
The most vile words she’d ever heard in her life had come from the mouths of the people she’d once been closest to.
But she absolutely could not tolerate someone who treated her sincerely being humiliated.
This farce finally ended when a few senior employees stepped in to smooth things over.
Song Yunyi patted Chai Qin’s hand and said softly, “It’s nothing if he says a few things about me. Don’t sacrifice your future for my sake. I’m not worth it.”
Chai Qin turned and walked straight back to her desk.
Clearly, she was angry.
Song Yunyi felt a bit awkward, shuffling over and offering a piece of candy.
Chai Qin didn’t take it. “If you’re not worth it, then why are you giving me candy?”
Song Yunyi lowered her eyes and said nothing.
Chai Qin was about to die of frustration. “I really don’t understand why you’d feel so insecure when you look like this!”
She tried to explain, “I’m not…”
She really wasn’t insecure—she just instinctively felt that favors were hard to repay, and besides, she’d put herself down countless times to quickly resolve problems.
Chai Qin didn’t believe her.
“Enough, stop making excuses. After work, I’m taking you to see some male models to build up your confidence and show you how in demand you are!”
Song Yunyi quickly waved her hands. “I don’t need that.”
“No, sweetheart, you do!”