RITM - 36

And so, time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a year and four months had passed.

On November 1st, the Gongzhou jewelry auction market set a new record for the annual jewelry auction rankings with a sale price of $620 million. The next morning, a photo of the Helios Gold Black Pearl Necklace appeared on the new owner’s first Weibo post, accompanied by an extremely sweet caption: “Thank you, my king.”

Within just fifteen minutes of this Weibo being posted, it had already garnered over 44,000 retweets. The comments below were filled with playful teasing like, “Queen, you’re rich and任性 (reckless)!” “Queen, if you’ve got the guts, humiliate me with your money!” and “I heard you slept with my husband, you wretch—don’t run after school!” Upon seeing this post, Xie Xinqi nearly fainted from anger because she had long set her sights on this necklace, vowing to buy it even if she had to sell her blood—though, of course, her blood wasn’t worth much. She couldn’t compete with King in the bidding; the final price was five times her budget! However, like everyone else, she didn’t know the true identity of “Queen,” nor would she have guessed that it was someone she once disliked.

Only those close to He Yingze knew that Queen was Ni Lei, the type of socialite who epitomized what it meant to be a “lady.” She was always saying “thank you,” “sorry,” or “excuse me,” speaking more gently than Lin Zhiling. In short, she was the type of woman Xie Xinqi disliked the most. Xie Xinqi had always believed that such women put on an act for men. But men at the top of the pyramid were like this—they preferred docile, unassuming women over those who stood out too much. King was no exception. Ni Lei’s luck was unnaturally good; she broke his rule of never dating and became his official girlfriend.

At this moment, Ni Lei was happily riding in a car, stopping in front of a Tudor-style building. She made her way to Mélanie Green Studio inside. Inside, a vibrant artistic scene unfolded: sewing machines, baskets filled with scissors and measuring tapes, mannequins draped with half-finished garments, design sketches illuminated by minimalist metal pendant lights, and rolls of fabric everywhere… Ni Lei bypassed all the busy workers and entered the adjacent jewelry design studio, which felt like stepping through a time machine into an ancient world. The room was small, with plain, worn wooden cabinets, floral photos pinned to the whiteboard, and a desk cluttered as if a cat had just walked across it. At the desk, a female designer was writing furiously. Across from her sat a slender woman with shoulder-length hair, wearing a British-style plaid shirt, a navy-blue long skirt, and combat boots, flipping through a fashion magazine. Her demeanor was refined, her face pale and clean, making her look more like a high school student than a jewelry designer. Ni Lei joyfully waved at her softly: “Luo Wei!” Though she was practically bursting with excitement, her voice remained light and gentle, as if afraid of startling a magpie perched on a branch outside the window.

Hearing her voice, Luo Wei first turned her eyes toward her, revealing a mischievous smile before slowly raising her head: “The way you dragged out that ‘Wei’ tells me something good must have happened. Come on, tell me so I can envy you.”

“It really is something good!” Ni Lei quickly approached her, touching the Helios Gold Black Pearl Necklace around her neck. “Look at this—what do you think? Isn’t it beautiful?”

“I knew you’d come to show this off—I already saw it on Weibo. It’s absolutely stunning.” Luo Wei stood up, leaned down, and sniffed the necklace a few times. “Smell it—it reeks of teenage love, sour and stinky.”

After being sniffed like that, Ni Lei’s delicate little face turned red: “Ah, stop talking about me! When are you going to get a boyfriend? Staying cooped up in the studio every day isn’t a solution.”

“I don’t want to be this tired either, but it’s all because of your King’s orders. If you have time to persuade him to ease up, I’ll have time to date.”

Ni Lei whipped out her phone, quickly pressing a shortcut key, and winked at Luo Wei: “I’ll take you to see him right now.”

“Wait, I can’t…”

Before Luo Wei could finish, Ni Lei had already dialed her boyfriend’s number. His “hello” came through the line, smooth and tender, sending shivers down Luo Wei’s spine. However, except for conference calls, He Yingze rarely spoke to anyone for more than five minutes. This time, the call lasted less than twenty seconds before he unilaterally hung up. But Ni Lei was used to his ways and wasn’t upset at all. Instead, she dropped a bombshell on Luo Wei: “King will be here in a bit.”

Luo Wei wasn’t someone who wore her emotions on her sleeve, but even smiling too much could make her feel tired. Just then, the autumn weather had turned cooler, and the wind swept through the tree-lined avenue covered in red maple leaves, brushing a few dry ones onto the windowsill. She turned around to close the window.

The air was saturated with the scent of decaying plants—a season of both decline and harvest. Even looking out the window through the glass, watching the wind silently sway the yellowing branches, she felt a chill creep in, triggering a sharp pain in the wound on her right ribcage. That was where she had been shot a year and four months ago. The wound had healed, but some lingering effects remained—it would ache and itch whenever the weather changed. She didn’t want to recall how she had survived—waking up in a private hospital, overwhelmed with grief, unable to reach her parents by phone. It turned out that He Yingze had saved her, but he refused to tell her why she couldn’t contact them until she saw the news of the gas explosion online.

At this thought, she sniffled and mustered all her strength to control her emotions, refusing to let herself cry again. Crying wouldn’t solve anything—she had learned that deeply over the past year. She poured Ni Lei a cup of tea and brought out some snacks. After chatting for more than twenty minutes, they heard footsteps at the door. Ni Lei smiled and walked behind her. Luo Wei took a deep breath, composed herself, and turned around. Ni Lei was tall and beautiful, wearing a cobalt blue lace dress with hints of turquoise and white, making her look like a model. But the way she gazed at He Yingze was unmistakably delicate and feminine. In Luo Wei’s eyes, they actually made a somewhat fitting pair. He glanced at his watch: “Ni Lei, wait for me in the car. I have something to discuss with Luo Wei.”

“Alright. But can we invite Luo Wei to dinner later?”

“She has work to do.”

It was clear that Ni Lei wanted to persuade him but was too afraid to push. She sighed softly, shook her head at Luo Wei, and quietly followed the bodyguards out. The designer also tactfully excused herself. Soon, only Luo Wei and He Yingze remained in the room. He casually walked over and sat down on the sofa: “How’s the jewelry design coming along?”

Every time they were alone together, Luo Wei felt uneasy, but she never let it show: “We might consider switching to a different approach. The first batch of jewelry will be bracelets instead, targeting a slightly lower-end market.”

“No rings?”

Luo Wei picked up the fashion magazine and placed it in front of him: “Look, two months ago, Xie Xinqi started advertising the next season’s Cici rings and necklace collections. If they also go high-end, it’ll put us at a disadvantage. Mélanie Green isn’t a top-tier brand, so for our first foray into the jewelry market, we should play it safe and avoid clashing with Xie Xinqi’s releases.”

After two accidents occurred in such a short span last year, she knew full well that her parents’ deaths were no coincidence, but she lacked the means to uncover who the enemy was. After the incidents, she grew to despise the organization responsible and was determined to uncover the truth behind her parents’ deaths. He Yingze had promised to help her, on the condition that she remain low-profile to avoid drawing attention again. At the same time, she was to work for him, helping to grow the brand she loved, Mélanie Green, especially in the jewelry sector. Thus, after leaving the hospital, she had practically stayed here, working alongside Mélanie Green’s in-house jewelry designer.

“Fine. You’re now the largest shareholder of Mélanie Green in Gongzhou. Make your own decisions.”

“Mm.”

He had always been a man of few words, and she had grown similarly taciturn. The air was filled with an awkward silence.

This past year had been agonizing. She couldn’t forget her years-long feelings for him, nor could she forget that he had saved her life or how he had helped her navigate the grief of losing her parents. He had arranged the best private doctors for her, housed her in the most comfortable residence, ensured her daily needs were met, and provided her with the high-paying job she desired… True to his word, if he couldn’t marry her as promised, he would treat her like a wife. No, it wasn’t quite the treatment of a wife—it was more like raising her like a daughter. What other girl could receive such treatment from King? She was genuinely grateful to him. Because of his care, she had come to love herself more and matured significantly. She no longer idly scrolled through social media or baked desserts for herself. She no longer indulged in snacks, even when trying to lose weight. She maintained a regular schedule, read extensively, ate healthy low-calorie meals, and ran for an hour every day… Now, she lived a slow but steadily improving life. These changes were partly due to her experiences over the past year, but a larger part stemmed from He Yingze’s sense of responsibility.

And yet, she still couldn’t find happiness.

Because even one percent of his love, he begrudged giving her. His care for Ni Lei paled in comparison to what he gave her, yet Ni Lei possessed what she wanted most.

More than a year had passed, and she still hadn’t fully accepted the fact that He Yingze and Ni Lei were together—even though she herself admitted they made a good match.

She sat upright before him, just like any subordinate, waiting for his instructions. He took a sip of tea and placed the cup back: “I’m leaving. Remember to stay indoors as much as possible. If you must go out, inform Chang Feng so he can send someone with you. Don’t wander around alone.”

“Understood. I’ll report any new progress to you.”

She rose to see him out, but after taking a couple of steps, he stopped and turned his back to her: “Are you feeling better?”

“Much better. Thank you for your concern, Mr. He.” She flashed a smile uniquely hers—a smile that anyone who saw it would feel compelled to befriend her. Ni Lei had fallen for it too. But he glanced back at her indifferently, seeing through her ploy, and flicked her forehead lightly, just as he used to do when she was a child. Without saying a word, he turned and walked out the door.

She hunched her shoulders, listening to his footsteps gradually fade away until they disappeared entirely. Only then did she slowly relax her shoulders and gently touch her forehead. Over the past year, their meetings had been few and far between. Yet, why did each parting leave her with a tinge of sadness… She looked at her open palm, where nail marks had formed deep crescent shapes. They no longer hurt—only numbness remained.

To hope for more would be ungrateful. It was time to sincerely wish them happiness.