[Like a tireless, painless spinning top.]

Tuscany is a region in central Italy, with Florence as its capital. The climate varies significantly from the mountainous areas to the Tyrrhenian coast, making it suitable for cultivating a wide variety of grape species. Countless vineyards dot the landscape here. There are also many prominent wine-producing areas, such as Bolgheri, Carmignano, and Gaiole in Chianti, comparable to Bordeaux in France.

Many of the wineries here are family-run, with histories spanning over a hundred years. Due to their low production and high quality, the prices of their wines are naturally steep. The region’s top-tier D.O.C.G. wines are frequent stars at major auctions.

Pielno purchased several estates here more than two decades ago. Today, they have achieved industrial-scale production, reducing the cost of winemaking while maintaining quality and expanding output. This has given them a significant competitive advantage in the industry.

Driving through the hilly highlands, vast vineyards stretch out like dark gemstones embedded in Tuscany’s expansive, verdant greenery. Spring seems more vibrant here than in Rome or Beijing. When the breeze brushes against your face and sunlight brightens the view, it’s easy to recall scenes from romantic films.

Yet, even this picturesque scenery failed to capture Zhou Leqi’s attention. By the time they arrived at the winery, her mind remained deeply distracted. Her thoughts were entirely consumed by the blurry figure she had seen on the streets of Rome the night before, leaving no room for anything else.

She was normally a clear-headed person, especially when it came to her career. She detested bringing personal emotions into her work. But when one is in pain, self-control often slips away. The calm facade she had forcefully maintained was completely shattered by that sudden apparition in Chinatown, exposing the tattered fragments within her. A slight gust of wind could scatter them everywhere.

In truth, Zhou Leqi herself was astonished. She hadn’t expected that after seven years, that person still wielded such immense influence over her. This influence hadn’t diminished with time; instead, it had inexplicably grown stronger, like an absurd stock in the market—no matter how the market fluctuated, it kept rising limitlessly.

The chaos of emotions was only one aspect of the problem. Another complication arose because she had further offended Zeng Ruihong. After running out of the small restaurant the previous night, she had been so preoccupied with searching for him that she completely forgot about delivering his dinner. She wandered around Chinatown until 2 a.m., returning to find that Zeng Ruihong had already angrily ordered pasta from the hotel and gone to bed, cursing her even in his dreams.

He cursed Pei Qiming too.

Zeng Ruihong believed Zhou Leqi dared to treat him with such disrespect because she had Pei Qiming backing her. How could a rookie fresh out of university be so arrogant? Where did that leave his dignity? He vowed to make her understand that he, Zeng Ruihong, was not someone she could trifle with. Offending him would mean trouble, no matter who was protecting her!

Thus, over the next few days, Zhou Leqi began to suffer.

Zeng Ruihong dumped all the tasks of human communication, material collection, and review on her. He claimed he needed to “conduct field inspections” at the estate but was actually just taking leisurely walks outdoors. Zhou Leqi tried to find him several times but couldn’t. When she called, he didn’t answer.

No company fully cooperates with an investment bank’s investigation, especially when it comes to sensitive information. The previously affable and talkative Rardo now wore a different face, becoming much less approachable. He pushed SWD’s team back and forth between departments, forcing Zhou Leqi to coordinate with each department individually and communicate with every relevant supervisor.

But she was far too young and lacked seniority. Who would really take a junior analyst seriously? Those supervisors smiled kindly but were uncooperative during discussions, repeatedly and politely implying that the materials Zhou Leqi requested weren’t necessary to disclose. If SWD insisted on reviewing these documents, higher-level negotiations would be required to grant access.

In other words, Zeng Ruihong needed to step in and negotiate with people like Rardo.

One time, Zhou Leqi finally managed to track down Zeng Ruihong and explained the situation, hoping he would organize the workflow. To her dismay, he still refused to take responsibility. Basking in the Tuscan sun, he glanced at her dismissively and said, “Lucky, the workplace is meant to train people. Newcomers need to grow and shouldn’t always rely on others. If every issue requires upper management to intervene, why would the company bother hiring people for basic tasks?”

Zhou Leqi furrowed her brow.

“The way I treat subordinates is different from Pei’s. I’m not as soft-hearted as him,” he sneered, his eyes brimming with malicious speculation and palpable disdain. “But I’m confident that my methods of grooming subordinates will ultimately yield greater benefits for them.”

After a brief pause, he gave Zhou Leqi a once-over, his gaze lingering subtly on her slender ankles and the pale skin at her neckline for a few extra seconds. His expression then took on a veiled mockery and condescension as he continued in a suggestive tone, “Or perhaps you could consider… sharing with me some of what you give to Director Pei?”

...An intolerably vulgar remark.

Zhou Leqi had endured enough. She made a phone call to Pei Qiming.

It wasn’t personal grievances that drove her to seek his support or assistance. Rather, she simply didn’t want any delays in the progress of her work. If the project faltered, the company’s evaluation of her would drop, directly impacting her bonus and even her entire career trajectory—something she absolutely couldn’t tolerate.

In her conversation with Pei Qiming, she didn’t mention Zeng Ruihong’s hostility or inappropriate behavior toward her personally, nor did she bring up his insinuations about their relationship. She only stated that there might be issues with Zeng Ruihong’s communication methods with Pielno’s Italian team, which was hindering the smooth progress of the work.

Pei Qiming took the matter very seriously and assured her that he would contact Zeng Ruihong as soon as possible.

At the end of the call, still concerned, he asked, “Lucky… are you okay? Do you need me to come over?”

He was a thoughtful and considerate friend, as well as a reassuring superior. The kindness he showed deeply moved Zhou Leqi. However, she also understood that Zeng Ruihong harbored more animosity toward Pei Qiming than toward her. His arrival might temporarily resolve the conflict but could also escalate tensions, presenting a risk.

“Thank you, but no,” she ultimately replied. “I can handle things here. You focus on meeting with MD.”

Pei Qiming was highly efficient. On the same day he received Zhou Leqi’s call, he sent an email to Zeng Ruihong, copying the head of SWD’s China operations. In the email, Pei expressed his emphasis on the Pielno project and his trust in the team members. He also stated that if they encountered difficulties during their work in Italy, he was available to provide assistance at any time.

This was clearly a seemingly gentle yet sharp reprimand—or, in Zeng Ruihong’s eyes, even a threat: If he didn’t cooperate with Zhou Leqi to complete the work in Italy, Pei Qiming could express dissatisfaction with his performance to upper management at any time, potentially replacing him.

Zeng Ruihong was livid, practically fuming with rage, nearly suffering a stroke. He inwardly cursed Pei Qiming and Zhou Leqi as despicable hypocrites. But being under someone else’s authority, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and continue working. He even responded politely to Pei Qiming’s email, claiming that the project was proceeding smoothly and promising to maintain more effective communication with the company regarding specific issues moving forward.

With that, everything finally got back on track.

Zeng Ruihong began working normally with Pielno’s Italian team. Though he harbored resentment, he occasionally gave Zhou Leqi a hard time, even publicly scolding her once over a fabricated pretext. However, these incidents were within her tolerance, and she didn’t argue with him.

She worked tirelessly, day and night. The enchanting scenery of Tuscany held no allure for her. As soon as she opened her eyes, she would go to the office or the document room to work, and at night, she would once again endure sleepless torment.

She began struggling with insomnia again, relying heavily on sertraline and melatonin to get through the days. The long nights in Tuscany weren’t any more comfortable than those seven years ago in City A. She knew clearly that she had been completely split into two versions of herself: one was Lucky, dressed in professional suits, rationally and competently handling reports and documents during the day; the other was Zhou Leqi, curled up in a corner of the bed at night, staring at the ceiling, lonely and disoriented, counting the hours until dawn.

A voice screamed loudly in her mind—an alarm from her body warning her that she needed to sleep immediately, or else she would face a total collapse of both her physical and mental health. She understood this, but she wasn’t sure if she truly desired sleep. Once, under the influence of medication, she managed to sleep for two hours, only to be immediately plagued by haunting dreams.

She dreamed of him.

That person.

The dream was hazy yet vivid, bringing many old images back to her in startling clarity, each frame as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. Amidst the confusion, the figure she had seen on Chinatown days earlier blended into the dream. Her imagination transformed that shadow into a living, breathing person—exactly like him—watching her across an immeasurable distance of time and space, his expression tender yet sorrowful.

She woke with a start, her heart aching so intensely she could barely breathe. Insomnia had begun to disrupt her heartbeat, yet the next day she still had to get up on time and continue working.

Like a tireless, painless spinning top.

The initial phase of material collection and personnel investigation lasted a month, and Zhou Leqi’s fragmented state persisted for that same month. The good news was that all the matters requiring confirmation in Italy had received appropriate responses, leaving many remaining issues to be discussed with Pielno’s China team.

Rardo was pleased that the business under his jurisdiction hadn’t revealed significant problems. Although there was a discrepancy of 200,000 euros in the income details and financial reports, this clearly wasn’t a major loophole. He could blame exchange rate fluctuations and have the finance department produce some pre-prepared justifications to cover it up.

He wanted to send the SWD team off as quickly as possible and even applied to the company for funds to take them sightseeing in Florence and Venice. Unfortunately, the Chinese visitors were distrustful of Europe’s pandemic prevention measures. They preferred to return to their home country, despite the mandatory 21-day quarantine period awaiting them.

Rardo didn’t try too hard to persuade the SWD team to stay—after all, he was eager for them to leave. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he personally accompanied Zeng Ruihong and Zhou Leqi back to Rome. After a short rest, they would depart from Fiumicino Airport to return to Beijing.

The hotel they booked was the same one they had stayed at a month earlier. The world-renowned Spanish Steps still drew admiration, but the April spring atmosphere was even more pronounced, adding charm, elegance, and warmth to Rome, making the city even more captivating.

Unfortunately, an unpleasant incident occurred that night.