Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
He stopped with the pointless talk. “I’ll send you all the data. After you’ve seen it, go apologize to Wen Di! The car she drove that day wasn’t mine!”
Ten minutes later, Qi Mingche received his father’s so-called evidence.
He wasn’t interested in the slightest. How credible could evidence be that his father sent to clear his own name?
Qi Mingche turned off his phone and went to a seafood barbecue stall by the beach for dinner. He asked the owner for two cans of beer and casually ordered a few seafood dishes.
“Boss, do you have seats upstairs?”
“There are two left,” the owner informed him of the price.
The second-floor rooftop had a large terrace with a direct sea view, and the price for such a scenic seat was quite considerable.
Qi Mingche asked for a seat on the terrace. After paying, he followed the waiter upstairs.
There weren’t many customers upstairs; many seats were empty, yet the owner had said there were only two left.
The seat he chose was right next to the railing, with the boundless sea stretching before him.
“Did Ming Jianjun and his youngest son apologize to you?”
Qi Mingche was opening a beer when he suddenly heard his father’s name, and then his own name was called. His hand paused. Following that unfamiliar, low voice, he looked to his left.
A tall man in a white shirt, one hand in his pocket, stood by the railing, gazing at the tourists coming and going downstairs. The man’s aura was not something that could be accumulated just with money.
The man turned his head. Qi Mingche looked closely and recognized him, incredibly astonished that Yan He Yu would actually appear in Haitang Village.
No wonder there were so many empty seats nearby; Yan He Yu must have booked them all.
The empty seat he was sitting in now must have been occupied by a customer earlier, and Yan He Yu hadn’t asked the owner to clear the area.
Qi Mingche knew Yan He Yu. He had encountered him a few times in the club lobby, and his friends had told him that he was “that one from the Yan family.”
His father had said on the phone that Wen Di’s boyfriend was someone even he couldn’t afford to offend.
He opened his email. One of the surveillance videos his father sent him.
It turned out he had misunderstood Wen Di that day. Wen Di had indeed driven Yan He Yu’s Bentley, not his father’s. It was just such a coincidence that it didn’t feel like one.
Qi Mingche found it interesting. He had investigated for so long, only to find out it was a misunderstanding. How then were those pieces of evidence, showing Wen Di and Ming Jianjun checking into the same hotel, to be explained?
It seemed he had been misled, and his father was just incredibly lucky.
Downing a can of beer in one go, Qi Mingche didn’t linger. He didn’t even eat the barbecue. He went downstairs and left.
In the crowd, he glimpsed Wen Di walking up from the beach, holding her phone to her ear. She was probably talking to Yan He Yu.
Wen Di had been fuming, but after Yan He Yu talked to her on the phone for more than ten minutes, half of her anger dissipated.
“Aren’t you busy tonight?” she asked Yan He Yu.
Yan He Yu answered evasively, “Where are you looking?”
“Huh?”
“If you walk further, you’ll hit a begonia tree.”
Wen Di immediately looked up. Less than a meter ahead was a begonia tree. She realized belatedly, “When did you get here?” She looked around for him but couldn’t see him.
Yan He Yu reminded her, “Don’t you know to look up?”
Wen Di looked up and found him on the scenic terrace of the barbecue restaurant ahead. He was standing by the railing, surrounded by neon lights and wisps of smoke rising from the barbecue stalls, making him appear somewhat ethereal.
His physical presence here brought her more joy than him sending her soup and food via private jet from a thousand miles away.
Across the lights, the night, and the noisy crowd and waves, she looked at him and said, “Husband, can I get more surprises like this every year?”
After a moment of silence, Yan He Yu didn’t answer, only saying, “Come up.” He hung up the phone.
Wen Di took it as a yes.
Yan He Yu still stood by the railing, watching Wen Di walk towards him, watching her go upstairs and rush to him.
There were no other customers on the terrace, yet Wen Di chose to sit at a different table.
She rested her chin on her hand, seemingly admiring the sea view, but in fact, she was watching Yan He Yu.
Yan He Yu gestured to her, “Come and sit here.”
“You come over.” She extended her hand to him.
The space between their seats was separated by flowers and a fence, but it didn’t hinder their conversation.
She remained seated. Yan He Yu had no choice but to go over, circling the fence.
“Where are you staying tonight?” she asked.
Yan He Yu said, “Returning to the city center.”
He had no intention of staying overnight in Haitang Village; he had only come to see her.
Wen Di asked him, “Is your luggage in the car?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Can’t you stay with me for one more night?”
“Didn’t you say you’d be staying with the production team to record material?”
“Filming starts tomorrow.”
Yan He Yu called Assistant Kang, asking him to book a room at Shen Tang’s family guesthouse.
Wen Di emphasized, “That’s not her family’s own; someone else rented her house.” Shen Tang’s family owned quite a few houses by the sea, and Grandpa Shen couldn’t live in all of them, so two of them were rented out, one to a villager to run as a guesthouse.
Whether it was run by Shen Tang’s family made no difference to Yan He Yu. He told Wen Di, “Come find me after you’ve eaten barbecue.”
“You’re not eating?”
“I’ve already had dinner.” He left first; he still had a video conference to attend.
Wen Di messaged the director of Like a Shadow, Following, fabricating a story that she would be staying at Shen Tang’s house tonight. The house where Shen Tang and Grandpa Shen lived shared a courtyard with the guesthouse, so there was no difference between going to Shen Tang’s house and going to the guesthouse.
Director: [We’ll gather at 6:30 AM tomorrow. Don’t be late.]
Wen Di left a message for Shen Tang: [I’m using you as an excuse for a date tonight (smirk)]
After eating barbecue, she enjoyed the sea view for a while longer.
Until Yan He Yu messaged her: [If you haven’t finished eating, pack it up and bring it back. The room card is at the front desk.] He had finished his video conference and still hadn’t seen her.
Wen Di replied: [On my way.]
She went straight to the guesthouse next to Shen Tang’s house and picked up the room card at the front desk.
The third floor of the guesthouse was a large suite, offering strong privacy.
Wen Di opened the door. There was no one in the living room. She heard “splashing” sounds from the bathroom.
“Husband.” She knocked on the bathroom door.
Yan He Yu asked her, “Did you bring clothes?”
“No.” Wen Di had come directly from the barbecue stall, too lazy to go back to the guesthouse where the production team was staying to retrieve her luggage.
Yan He Yu: “Then put your dress outside.”
Wen Di thought the same thing. If her dress accidentally got dirty, she wouldn’t have anything to wear tomorrow morning. The conditions here were not like hotels in the city center; there was no place to dry clean dresses.
She took off her long dress and hung it in the closet, right next to his clean shirts.
She found a black hair tie in her bag and casually tied up her long hair.
Yan He Yu saw her faint silhouette through the glass door and walked over to open it for her.
She was barefoot, wrapped in his discarded shirt.
The sound of the waves swallowed all other noises.
Yan He Yu closed the door, lowered his head to find her lips, and gently bit them.
He pulled the shirt off her body and casually tossed it onto the shelf.
Wen Di reached back and turned off the bathroom light with a click.
The fishing lights from the sea outside filtered through the window, illuminating her body with a soft, lustrous white. The weak fishing lights seemed dim in comparison.
Yan He Yu pulled her up and hugged her close, kissing her.
The bathroom tiles were incomparable to those at home; Wen Di found them cold.
Yan He Yu picked her up, “Then let’s go to the bed.”
Wen Di was carried back to the bedroom. Seeing the familiar bedsheets on the bed, she asked doubtfully, “Are these the bed linens provided by the guesthouse?”
“No,” Yan He Yu told her to lie down and leaned down to kiss her.
Wen Di’s attention was still on the bedding, and she pressed for an answer: “Is this the set I prepared for you when I packed your luggage before?”
“Mm.”
Yan He Yu got up and walked towards the bathroom.
Wen Di looked at his back: “What are you doing?”
He said, “There’s only one set of bedsheets.”
If they got wet, there wouldn’t be another set to change into.
Wen Di turned her head sideways. The pillowcase had her familiar scent.
She had a habit of bringing her own bedsheets and duvet covers, and even pillowcases, whenever she traveled for business. The familiar scent made it easier for her to fall asleep.
She had packed Yan He Yu’s luggage a few times for business trips and habitually put a set of bedding in his suitcase. Unlike her, Yan He Yu didn’t rely on scents to sleep, and he had never used it. However, he always carried this bedding storage bag with him, in case they were on a business trip in the same city, making it convenient to use.
Yan He Yu brought the shirt he had taken off from the bathroom and placed it under her.
Wen Di reached out to hug him. He leaned over, and she leaned into his lips. He returned her kiss.
In between, Wen Di reminded him: this wasn’t their bed at home; it couldn’t withstand his rough handling.
________________________________________
Wen Di didn’t know Yan He Yu would specifically turn back to look for her before getting into the car. She took a small path back to the guesthouse where the production team was staying.
Today’s filming required everyone to wear matching white T-shirts and jeans. She put on light makeup and went downstairs for the gathering, coincidentally running into Qi Mingche on the stairs.
After yesterday’s misunderstanding, he hadn’t contacted her, but Ming Jianjun had called to apologize.
She gave him a faint glance, then casually looked away.
Qi Mingche said nothing, walking behind her.
He couldn’t bring himself to apologize to Wen Di.
Over the next few days of filming, Wen Di clearly felt that Qi Mingche no longer picked fights and cooperated as needed during the game segments.
After finishing the second season of Like a Shadow, Following, she flew directly to Jiangcheng to go home for the New Year.
The day she returned coincided with her family’s company signing a formal contract with a subsidiary of Jingyue. Her parents were both on a business trip in Shanghai.
After getting off the plane, she called to congratulate her father.
But she didn’t mention that the owner of Jingyue was her boyfriend.
Wen Changyun chuckled, “I’ll give you a big red envelope this year.”
Wen Di ended the call with her father and then messaged Yan He Yu to let him know she had arrived safely.
Yan He Yu replied: [If you’re bored at home, I’ll watch TV with you tonight.]
Wen Di: [My parents aren’t home. I’m going to Grandpa’s house; I have books to read.]
He and books held equal weight in Wen Di’s heart; anyone would do to keep her company.
Wen Di went directly to her grandpa’s house from the airport. Grandpa was in the study, and Grandma and the household helper were busy preparing for Chinese New Year. She couldn’t help in the kitchen, so she went upstairs to the study to find Grandpa.
“Grandpa, come see what treasure I’ve brought.” She had picked a few of Grandpa’s favorite books from the precious old books Yan He Yu had given her and brought them back.
Old Mr. Wen put on his glasses, saw the titles and publication dates, and said, “These are rare. It must have taken a lot of effort to find these books, right?”
Wen Di sat on the rug beside Grandpa. She said honestly, “They were gifts someone gave me. I’m merely presenting borrowed flowers to Buddha.”
Old Mr. Wen chuckled, “The young man is good, he pays attention to you.”
Wen Di’s hand rested on Grandpa’s knee. “Are you so sure? Maybe my best friend gave them to me.”
Old Mr. Wen immediately saw through her: “If Shen Tang gave you the books, you would directly tell me it was Tangtang, not ‘someone’.”
Wen Di just smiled and said nothing.
On Lunar New Year’s Eve, Wen Di received a call from Yan He Yu at midnight.
“Husband, Happy New Year.”
“Mm, make a wish.”
“Then I wish for you to love me forever.” Wen Di said, “You make one too.”
A few seconds later, Yan He Yu said, “The same as yours.”
During the Chinese New Year, Wen Di spent mornings strolling through the streets and alleys with her grandparents. In the afternoons, she stayed in Grandpa’s 200-square-meter study, looking for books to read. All the bookshelves in the study reached the ceiling, and she often had to use a ladder to find books.
When she got tired of reading, she sat by the French window and petted the cat. Throughout the holiday, she lived a leisurely and comfortable life.
Wen Di returned to Beijing four days earlier than planned. On the morning of the sixth, she took the high-speed train back and arrived at Yan He Yu’s villa at 11:30 AM. Only the housekeeper was home.
The housekeeper was even more surprised to see her than the last time.
“Happy New Year,” the housekeeper swallowed all his confusion.
After exchanging greetings, Wen Di casually asked, “Have the house staff not started working yet?”
The housekeeper could only lie: “Yes, that’s right.”
Today was Yan He Yu’s engagement, and the house staff were helping out at the hotel. He had just finished his tasks at home and was about to head over there.
“What would you like for lunch? I’ll order for you.”
Wen Di waved her hand. Her period had just started today, and her lower abdomen felt bloated and slightly painful. She rarely experienced menstrual cramps, so she didn’t know why it was happening this time.
After the housekeeper left, she drank a large glass of hot water, but it didn’t help.
Wen Di messaged Yan He Yu: [Husband, are you busy now?]
When Yan He Yu’s phone vibrated, his sister was mocking him. Yan He Yan deliberately stared at his ring finger and said, “Hey, where’s your little golden hoop?”
Only Tian Qinglu was wearing a ring today.
But the engagement was set; what did a ring matter anyway?
Yan He Yu glanced at his sister. “If you have nothing to do, go make a toast.”
“It’s not my engagement; what kind of toast would I make?” Yan He Yan folded her arms, her thin high heels swaying precariously close to his instep several times.
If she stomped down hard, would Tian Qinglu come and fight her?
Yan He Yu didn’t notice his sister’s subtle movements. He was staring at the message on his phone.
Just as Yan He Yan was about to open her mouth to taunt him, he turned and walked away.
“Hey, where are you going?”
Yan He Yu ignored his sister and walked directly towards the banquet hall entrance. Stepping out of the main hall, he walked along the corridor for more than ten meters. The noisy sounds from the banquet hall gradually faded away.
He called Wen Di back: “Didn’t go visit relatives today for New Year’s?”
Wen Di: “No. Guess where I am now?”
No need to guess. Yan He Yu held the stemmed glass, full of wine, originally intended for toasting elders.
“Still haven’t guessed?” Wen Di’s voice pulled his thoughts back.
He said, “On the sofa in our living room.”
Wen Di chuckled and asked, “Are you at the company?”
“At the hotel.”
“My lower belly hurts a bit. Could you bring a box of pain relievers when you come back tonight?”
Yan He Yu opened the mini-program on his phone. Her period was three days late this month. “Did your routine get completely messed up over the New Year? Drink more hot water.”
“I did,” Wen Di rubbed her lower abdomen, defending herself, “I only stayed up all night once. I’ve pulled all-nighters before and never had menstrual cramps.”
Yan He Yu said, “I’ll have the driver send you some medicine.”
“No need, I can still bear it. I’m asking you to buy medicine in case it hurts too much at night to sleep, then I can take one.” Wen Di thought he was at the hotel for social engagements and urged him, “Hurry and go into the private room, don’t keep people waiting for you.”
Yan He Yu paused, “It’s not a social engagement.”
He didn’t say more.
After hanging up, he stood by the window without moving, downing the wine in his glass in one gulp.
“Yan He Yu!” Ye Minqiong came looking for her son. She still had the men’s ring in her bag. She had tried to give it to Yan He Yu downstairs earlier, but he didn’t take it. In front of so many people, she couldn’t make a scene.
Yan He Yu swirled his wine glass and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ye Minqiong walked closer, lowering her voice as she lectured her son: “An engagement is a ceremony. What’s the meaning of not wearing a ring?”
Yan He Yu was indifferent. “If a divorce is inevitable, it wouldn’t matter if ten fingers were adorned with rings.”
“You’re just arguing!” Ye Minqiong had no choice but to try another approach: “Today, your father is rarely home. Put it on and make him happy.”
With that, she took the ring box out of her bag and handed it to her son.
Yan He Yu put his left hand in his pocket and held his wine glass in his right, clearly deliberately not freeing his hand to take the ring. He said, “It’s rare for me to see my dad. Can’t he make me happy?”
Ye Minqiong: “...”
He was still being self-righteous.
If it weren’t for his engagement today, with so many relatives and friends present, she would have thrown the ring in his face, telling him to wear it or not.
This ring, Ye Minqiong ultimately didn’t manage to give away.
Yan He Yan came to find her mother. She linked arms with her mother. “Mom, where’s my brother’s ring?”
Ye Minqiong retorted exasperatedly, “What do you want?”
Yan He Yan said, “My brother isn’t wearing it anyway; it’s a waste to keep it. I’ll take it and exchange it for earrings.”
Ye Minqiong slapped her daughter, telling her to go somewhere cool and stay there.
Back in the banquet hall, Yan He Yu didn’t go to make toasts. He sat down in his own seat.
Tian Qinglu sat next to him. Seeing his empty glass, she said, “Drink less.”
Yan He Yu didn’t respond, asking the waiter to refill his glass with red wine.
There was nothing on his ring finger. Tian Qinglu quietly and subtly asked, “Did you forget your ring at home?”
Yan He Yu took a sip of wine and said, “No need to wear it.”
Silence fell between them.
Tian Qinglu guessed the reason he didn’t want to wear the ring: he probably didn’t want Wen Di to see it.
That meant he and Wen Di hadn’t broken up yet.
As far as she knew, Yan He Yu had long prepared the compensation for their breakup. The shares he wanted to give Wen Di required the consent of other shareholders in the company; otherwise, he couldn’t transfer them to Wen Di. So, news of his impending breakup with Wen Di had already spread in their circle.
He had transferred shares from several companies under his name to Wen Di, an astronomical breakup fee.
Tian Qinglu simply asked him directly: “Have you broken up with Wen Di yet?”
Yan He Yu looked at her sideways. “What, just got engaged, and you’re already trying to control me?”
Tian Qinglu subconsciously defended herself: “I just want to maintain our two families’ dignity; I don’t want people talking behind our backs.”
“No need. When your family proposed this marriage alliance, you already knew I was with her.” Yan He Yu showed no mercy. “Whether we break up or not is my business. Even if we break up, I’ll be considering Wen Di, and it has nothing to do with your Tian family.”
Tian Qinglu’s face flushed hot, and she said nothing.
Yan He Yu laid it bare: “Qinglu, we both know why we’re engaged or will get married later. Only Wen Di can call me shameless, and only she can quarrel with me; you have no standing. As for marital responsibilities, bringing benefits to your family is my responsibility. You and your Tian family shouldn’t demand other standards from me; it won’t work with me. Similarly, as long as you bring benefits to our family, I won’t interfere with anything else you do.”
Tian Qinglu almost bit through her lip, yet she couldn’t righteously accuse him of being so arrogant and unreasonable.
“He Yu,” an elder called him.
Yan He Yu picked up his wine glass and went over.
After socializing with the elders for over an hour, the banquet was nearing its end. Yan He Yu put down his glass and left the table.
As the main character of the day, he was the first to leave, and everyone assumed he went to take a call. Only Yan He Yan knew that her troublesome brother had taken the elevator downstairs.
Ye Minqiong searched around but couldn’t find her son. She asked Tian Qinglu, “Where’s He Yu?”
Tian Qinglu shook her head. The seat beside her had been empty for a while; she hadn’t said anything when he left either.
Yan He Yan came out to smooth things over, dragging along Yan He Yu’s childhood friend to cover for him: “Jiang Chengyu called him, saying there was an urgent video conference, and he left in a hurry.”
They believed it. After all, Yan He Yan and Yan He Yu had been sworn enemies since childhood, so for Yan He Yan to explain for him, it had to be the truth, nothing else.
Tian Qinglu looked at Yan He Yan. Yan He Yan acted as if nothing had happened, taking a sip from her wine glass. There was no trace of a lie on her face.
________________________________________
In the hotel lobby on the first floor, Assistant Kang accompanied Yan He Yu, waiting for the driver to bring the car around.
Yan He Yu glanced at his wristwatch, and as he inadvertently turned his head, he caught sight of a familiar figure emerging from the direction of the elevator. He paused slightly.
Jiang Yunxing also hadn’t expected such a coincidence. Although they moved in the same circles, after their breakup, he had been with his beautiful screenwriter for the past few years, and she had her new relationship. They each had their own lives and rarely met.
She knew he was getting engaged to Tian Qinglu today. Approaching him, she smiled generously, “Congratulations.”
Yan He Yu nodded and asked, “Eating here?”
Jiang Yunxing: “Mm, it’s my second uncle’s fiftieth birthday.” The birthday banquet hadn’t ended yet, but she left early due to something important. Who knew she’d run into him in the lobby?
After exchanging greetings, there wasn’t much more to talk about.
“My car’s here,” she said, waving to Yan He Yu.
Yan He Yu still nodded, saying nothing else, and watched her walk out of the hotel lobby.
Jiang Yunxing’s ring finger bore a diamond ring, which even Assistant Kang noticed. Kang Bo didn’t know much about his boss’s past relationships, only that Jiang Yunxing had been with his boss before and was somewhat special to him.
The driver pulled the car up. Kang Bo quickly strode to the back seat to open the door.
After Yan He Yu got into the car, he instructed the driver, “Pull over at a pharmacy.”
Assistant Kang had never seen Yan He Yu drink so much. He thought Yan He Yu was going to the pharmacy to buy hangover medicine. “Mr. Yan, I have some hangover medicine here.”
Yan He Yu wasn’t drunk. “No need.”
Afterward, he leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes to rest.
The enclosed car soon filled with the smell of alcohol.
The car remained quiet all the way to the villa’s courtyard.
When he got out, Yan He Yu casually carried the pain relievers he bought for Wen Di from the pharmacy.
Assistant Kang handed a document bag to Yan He Yu: “All the gift and transfer agreements are inside.”
Yan He Yu “hmm”-ed, then added, “You two can go back now.”
He took a few steps before feeling cold. He had forgotten to put on his coat.
Assistant Kang quickly retrieved the coat from the car for him.
Entering the house, Yan He Yu took off his overcoat. Wen Di was lying sideways on the sofa. He asked concernedly, “Still hurting?”
“Mm.” Wen Di reached out, wanting him to hug her.
Yan He Yu saw her outstretched hand but ignored it, sitting down opposite her.
They were separated by a coffee table, which was covered with her belongings: her favorite snacks, fruits, a half-read magazine, and an unfinished novel.
Wen Di smelled the strong scent of alcohol. She frowned and said, “How much did you drink?”
Yan He Yu: “Not much.”
Wen Di hadn’t seen him in over ten days, and now her menstrual cramps were severe. She wanted to lean on him, so she gestured for him to come over, “Lean on me for a bit.”
Yan He Yu looked at her, still not moving.
Wen Di thought he had drunk too much and didn’t mind. She propped herself up on the sofa and sat up, facing him. She saw a medicine bag from a pharmacy in his hand.
He still remembered to buy her medicine, even after drinking so much.
She reached out again for a hug, “Husband, come here. I miss you.”
Yan He Yu had returned to talk to her about breaking up, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
They stared at each other for over half a minute. She maintained her spoiled posture throughout.
Suddenly, he didn’t want to talk about anything anymore.
Yan He Yu tossed the document bag aside, stood up, walked around the coffee table to her side, lowered his head, and kissed her lips forcefully.
He made up for the two times she asked for a hug, embracing her for a full two minutes.
Wen Di sniffed the red wine scent on him, “You must have drunk at least a bottle, right?”
Yan He Yu repeated, “Not much.”
He released her. “I’m going to take a shower and change into clean clothes.”
Wen Di didn’t have to wait too long. Twenty minutes later, Yan He Yu emerged from the bedroom dressed in a fresh shirt and trousers.
Wen Di was lying on the sofa, seemingly half-asleep.
He lifted her head and shoulders, helping her up, then sat down where she had been resting and placed her head on his lap.
He still carried a faint scent of alcohol, but more prominently, the crisp scent of shower gel.
Wen Di opened her eyes and looked at him, “I’d better use a pillow. If I fall asleep and you need to go out, you’ll have to wake me up.”
Yan He Yu took one of her hands and held it. “Sleep. I’m not leaving.”
Google Sites
Report abuse