Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
Wen Di stared at the email, then deleted it.
Faint sounds of fireworks could be heard from outside.
“What are you spacing out about?” Wen Qizhen brought over a fruit platter.
She pointed to her niece’s phone and said, “You’ve been staring at it for ten minutes. I thought you were waiting to grab a red packet, but I haven’t seen your fingers move.”
“How could it be ten minutes?”
“Pretty close, seven or eight minutes, anyway.”
Wen Di put down her phone and forked a prune into her mouth.
Wen Qizhen sat next to her niece, accompanying her while eating fruit.
The lively atmosphere of the house didn’t concern the two of them.
Wen Qizhen confided in her niece, and inevitably, the conversation turned to Qi Mingche. She asked her niece, “Did you break up, or did he?”
“Neither did. And both did.” Remember the website https://www.google.com/search?q=m.xswang.com
“Don’t play word games with me.”
“I’m not.”
Wen Di was just telling the truth. Neither she nor Qi Mingche said the words “break up” until the moment they separated, but they had an unspoken understanding that they wouldn’t continue together.
This was probably the only time she and he were on the same wavelength.
“He was very tired when he was with me, without any space for himself. I told him not to make me his whole life, to have his own life, to be as carefree as he used to be, and not to change anything for me. Then he started reflecting, wondering if he had annoyed me and I didn’t want to see him.”
Saying that, Wen Di sighed softly.
During that time, she didn’t know what to do either. She could only try her best to make him a little more relaxed and happy, spending more time with him, preparing some gifts for him, which ended up making him more anxious. He would then treat her even better, trying every way to create surprises for her, making himself more and more exhausted.
Wen Qizhen said, “He’s full of anxieties about gains and losses; the weaker party in a relationship is always like that.”
“Perhaps my relationship with Yan Heyu put too much pressure on him.” She found almost no flaws in Qi Mingche, but they only made it halfway.
Wen Di paused, “Next time I date, I won’t look for someone like Qi Mingche.”
“Because he’s too good?”
Wen Di nodded.
Too good, so he was easily hurt.
Wen Qizhen told her niece to eat fruit, “Your uncle isn’t that bad, actually. Oh, never mind. Let’s talk about something happy on the first day of the new year. What are your plans after the New Year? Are you going on a trip?”
Wen Di wanted to visit London, but she’d wait until the weather got warmer.
“How many times have you been to London? Haven’t you had enough fun yet?”
“I didn’t go last year.”
This time, she planned to explore alone and stay there longer.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Fan Zhisen came to pay a New Year’s visit, bringing many gifts, most of which were prepared for Wen Di.
Grandpa Wen said it was too extravagant.
Fan Zhisen was beaming, laughing, “The third wave of funds arrived before the New Year.” With that, all the project funds were in place.
This New Year, he finally felt completely at ease.
These gifts weren’t prepared by him; they were all thoughtfully chosen by Yan Heyu for Wen Di. He was just borrowing flowers to offer to the Buddha.
He came to pay New Year’s respects to Old Master Wen every year and brought gifts every year, but never as many as this year.
No one found anything abnormal about the increased number. After all, his luck had been good these past two years. When one is happy, it’s only natural to buy more gifts.
“Niece, do you still want to eat at that restaurant? If you’re tired of it, we can try another.”
Wen Di quickly declined, “I’ll be out of Beijing most of the time after the New Year.”
Fan Zhisen was just being polite. Since she didn’t want to eat, he knew when to stop. If he kept insisting, it might arouse suspicion. “Alright then, tell me when you want to eat. Your aunt told me a few days ago that she found another good restaurant in Beijing and asked me to ask you if you’ve been there. If not, she wanted me to recommend it to you.”
He told Wen Di the name of the restaurant.
Wen Di hadn’t heard of it, so she naturally hadn’t been there.
Fan Zhisen sent her the relevant link for the restaurant, “Save it and try it when you have time.”
Wen Di clicked on the link, which showed the restaurant’s reviews.
She frequented that area, in the alley opposite the used bookstore. She often passed by but hadn’t seen this restaurant.
“Just opened?”
Fan Zhisen paused, “I’m not sure. Your aunt went on a business trip and ate there with friends. She knows your taste and said you’d probably like it.”
Wen Di saved it, planning to try it when she had time.
After staying at home until the Lantern Festival, Wen Di returned to Beijing.
The festive atmosphere slowly faded, and everyone seemed to become busy.
Wen Di immersed herself in scriptwriting. She couldn’t write sweet love stories, but in terms of human nature, she gained a deeper understanding, and writing came easily to her.
She was busy until May, when the locust trees bloomed, and Wen Di finally remembered the restaurant Fan Zhisen had recommended to her.
Coincidentally, Shen Tang called her that day, inviting her out for dinner.
She said, “The locust trees are blooming this year, I’ll celebrate with you.”
Actually, she no longer cared about celebrating or not.
Shen Tang now lived in the same complex as her, but in a different building, and they often visited each other. Shen Tang had already retired from the entertainment industry, or more accurately, she no longer acted herself, becoming the boss of a film and television company.
Wen Di was also one of the shareholders of the film and television company. She invested some money when the company was founded.
A small part of the new year passed in a blink of an eye, and Jiang Chengyu was still pursuing Shen Tang. After pursuing her for so long, Shen Tang had half-forgiven him. He had also contributed a lot to the establishment of the film and television company.
She and Shen Tang agreed to meet downstairs. Today, she was driving.
Shen Tang got in the car and complimented her, “I told you this dress suits you. You look like a fairy.”
“Of course, it depends on who bought it.”
The two flattered each other.
Shen Tang smiled.
This dress was a gift from her to Wen Di.
Shen Tang remembered Wen Di’s travel plans. It was almost late May, and she asked Wen Di if she still wanted to go out.
Wen Di thought for a moment, “The day after tomorrow.”
She hadn’t booked a flight or packed her luggage yet.
Shen Tang suggested she ride the London Eye. Even a bad mood would improve, as she loved overlooking the Thames River from up there.
Wen Di said, “I’ll definitely ride it this time.”
In the past, every time she went to London, she didn’t ride it because she didn’t want to queue.
She had ridden it when she was little, when her grandfather took her on a business trip to London, but she was too young then to have a strong impression and couldn’t remember what scenery she saw.
While chatting, the two arrived near the restaurant.
After finally finding a parking spot, they parked the car and walked to the restaurant.
Shen Tang remembered this place, “Isn’t this where you often come to buy books?” She had come with Wen Di once and vaguely remembered it.
Wen Di: “The restaurant is not far ahead.”
The restaurant was bustling with business. Wen Di had reserved a table online in advance, but when they arrived, their turn hadn’t come yet. The waiter said it would be about a twenty-five-minute wait.
There were many people in the waiting area at the entrance, so the two went to the opposite side.
“Hey, look who that is.” From a second-floor window, Yan Heyan gestured to his brother to look under the locust tree across the street.
Yan Heyu put away his phone and, following Yan Heyan’s gesture, saw Wen Di and Shen Tang.
Yan Heyan scrutinized his brother, “You had someone tell Wen Di that this restaurant has food she likes?”
“Mm.”
No wonder, otherwise, the two of them wouldn’t have specifically come over.
Yan Heyan had discovered this restaurant while looking for food, and after telling his brother, his brother probably found Fan Zhisen for help.
He didn’t mind the trouble just to satisfy Wen Di’s appetite.
She poured two glasses of iced lemonade and handed one to her brother.
“Congratulations in advance.”
She clinked her glass against his.
Yan Heyu was still looking out the window, nonchalantly saying, “Congratulations on what?”
“Having the chance to pursue her.”
Yan Heyu didn’t say anything, and after a moment, he withdrew his gaze.
He didn’t drink the iced lemonade, picking up the glass of plain water by his hand.
Yan Heyan looked at his brother, “Your stomach should be better by now, why are you still drinking hot water?”
Yan Heyu asked in return, “Who told you it’s better?”
Is there even a need to tell?
Wen Di and Qi Mingche broke up, she had just found out. She heard they had been broken up for a long time, it just wasn’t public.
This news was more effective than any stomach medicine.
Yan Heyu urged her to eat quickly. He finished the water in his cup.
Hearing about Wen Di’s breakup, he wasn’t unhappy, but he wasn’t as happy as he had imagined. Her breaking up didn’t mean she would return to his side.
Yan Heyan had almost finished eating. He put down his chopsticks and reminded his brother, “Go home early the day after tomorrow, Mom is cooking for your birthday.”
“Tell Mom not to bother, I’m on a business trip tomorrow.”
“Where to?”
“London.”
Before his business trip to London, Yan Heyu visited Jiang Chengyu’s company to discuss the details of the London negotiations.
Unexpectedly, he was met with a cold shoulder.
Jiang Chengyu’s secretary looked troubled, “Mr. Yan, I’m sorry.”
Yan Heyu: “What, is someone in his office?”
“No.”
The secretary subtly said, “Mr. Yan, our CEO Jiang finally has a chance to reconcile with Shen Tang. Can you please be considerate of him?”
This meant that Jiang Chengyu wanted to draw a clear line with him and side with Shen Tang and Wen Di.
To put it more bluntly, he had been ruthlessly abandoned by his childhood friend.
Yan Heyu had no intention of making things difficult for a secretary and calmly said, “I’m here to see him about a project.”
The secretary still wouldn’t let him pass, “CEO Jiang said there’s nothing that can’t be communicated via video call.”
Yan Heyu was annoyed and messaged Jiang Chengyu to question him: [When I helped you, did you forget?]
Jiang Chengyu: [I have some impression, but I don’t remember it well.]
Yan Heyu: “...”
He calmed himself slightly: [You’re mixing personal and professional now!]
Jiang Chengyu wasn’t mixing personal and professional; he was afraid that Yan Heyu would abuse his position, using the project discussion as an excuse, and then nine out of ten sentences would be about extracting information about Wen Di.
To be safe, it was better not to meet.
[I’m not helping you now for your own good. We can’t have Wen Di hating me and Qin Xing too. Who will speak for you at a critical moment?]
Yan Heyu: [You’re making fence-sitting sound so pure and refined.]
He called his driver to pick him up.
________________________________________
Not just Jiang Chengyu, Qin Xing also temporarily distanced himself from Yan Heyu.
He expressed his loyalty to Wen Di, “Don’t worry, no matter what, I’m unconditionally on your side.”
On the day Wen Di left for London, Qin Xing drove her to the airport.
Qin Xing was now the Executive President of the film and television company. Relationship maintenance and social engagements were all handled by Qin Xing, saving Shen Tang a lot of worry.
Qin Xing’s willingness to join the film and television company was thanks to Jiang Chengyu.
“When do you plan to announce your breakup with Qi Mingche?” Qin Xing asked her on the way to the airport.
Wen Di hadn’t contacted Qi Mingche since their breakup, which was over four months ago. “I’ll ask him.”
Qin Xing said, “It’s best if both companies discuss how to announce it to the public and post a joint statement on Weibo.”
“Okay, I’ll trouble you with that then.”
“Don’t mention it, it’s part of my job.” Ever since Qu Pei retired and went abroad for recuperation, he had become Wen Di’s unofficial manager.
Although he and Wen Di were both shareholders of the film and television company, Wen Di also participated in some commercial activities, which he oversaw, and he was the one who negotiated contracts with the other parties.
Wen Di had always had a good impression of Qin Xing. Perhaps it was due to a filter, but she was always grateful for his two times showing concern for her when she received Tian Qinglu’s call and couldn’t drive.
“Don’t let me cause any unpleasantness between you and Yan Heyu.”
“No, we’ve had a relationship of fighting since childhood, it won’t break down over such a small matter.” Saying that, Qin Xing glanced at Wen Di, “Do you mind if I talk about Sister Qinglu?”
“I don’t mind.”
“About her, well, apart from being muddled-headed when it came to liking Brother Yan, she’s a good person otherwise. She’s dating now, a boyfriend introduced by Ding Yi. I’ve met him twice, he’s a good guy.” Qin Xing’s main point was, “Sister Qinglu said you probably didn’t want to see her, so she asked me to apologize to you. She said she was a bit blunt at the time, and she despises herself for it.”
As for how blunt she was at the time, Qin Xing didn’t know, but Wen Di surely understood.
Wen Di smiled and said, “It’s in the past.”
Qin Xing didn’t say anything more about Tian Qinglu afterwards, and talked about the script she had just finished.
Wen Di arrived in London at around 2 PM local time. She booked the same hotel she used to stay at and didn’t arrange for anyone to pick her up.
After checking in, she planned to explore the nearby area and take a ride on the London Eye.
She didn’t call a taxi and walked there.
As she left the hotel and crossed the crosswalk, two cars drove up, stopping almost simultaneously. Wen Di quickly crossed the road.
“Mr. Yan, it’s Miss Wen.”
“Mr. Xiao, it’s Wen Di.”
In the black car, Assistant Kang saw Wen Di and turned to report to Yan Heyu in the back seat.
In the silver-grey car, the secretary turned to tell Xiao Donghan.
Yan Heyu watched Wen Di cross to the other side of the road.
Xiao Donghan merely glanced at Wen Di, then looked at his secretary, “Is this necessary to tell me?”
The secretary: “...No need.”
He just felt it was miraculous that out of so many intersections in London, they happened to meet on the same road. And within a year, they had met two or three times.
Coupled with the impending cooperation with Wen Changyun, he naturally paid a little more attention to Wen Changyun’s daughter.
The secretary’s phone rang. It was a message from Kang Bo. He relayed Kang Bo’s message to Xiao Donghan: “Mr. Xiao, Mr. Yan said we don’t need to entertain him tonight, he has some private matters to handle.”
Xiao Donghan hummed in acknowledgment.
He had a project meeting with Yan Heyu today, which had been going on since the morning.
Xiao Ning Group and Jingyue Group had overlapping areas of cooperation. The cooperation wasn’t his original intention; it was his grandfather’s decision, so during the cooperation process, there was a deadlock over who would listen to whom.
He disdained Yan Heyu’s suggestions.
He looked down on some of Yan Heyu’s proposals.
Fortunately, Yan Heyu had private matters tonight, otherwise, both would have bloated stomachs after dinner.
Wen Di walked straight along the roadside, unaware that the people in the two cars behind her were watching her.
She listened to the jazz music Shen Tang recommended to her, and walked all the way to the London Eye.
She bought a ticket and stood at the end of the queue.
Her phone rang; it was Qi Mingche.
It had been over four months since they broke up, and this was their first contact.
Wen Di answered.
He asked, “Where are you?”
“Under the London Eye.”
“Are you alone?”
“Yeah, it’s not my turn yet.” She asked, “What about you?” She heard the whistling wind and occasional laughter on his end.
He said, “On a yacht.”
Suddenly thinking of her, he called her.
He had returned to his old life, wandering the world, with no fixed abode.
“Thank you for not making our breakup public for my studio’s sake.”
Wen Di: “Anyway, I’m single, so it doesn’t matter if it’s public sooner or later.”
Qi Mingche didn’t want to exploit her, but at that time, his family affairs were a mess, and he was a bit overwhelmed. The studio wasn’t just his alone, so they didn’t go public immediately.
“Let’s find a suitable time and release a joint statement.”
“Okay, then have your people contact Qin Xing.”
Qi Mingche listened to her voice, still missing her.
The last few months they were together were once depressing and painful, but very precious. Even if he were to go back to this time last year, knowing the later outcome, he would still confess to her, and still want to be with her.
“Wen Di, find someone to ride the London Eye with you. It’s so boring alone.”
“It’s alright, it’s quiet by myself.”
“By the way, did Xin Yuan ever bother you again?”
“No. She never bothered me at all.”
Qi Mingche relaxed.
Xin Yuan retired from the entertainment industry before the New Year. Her retirement statement said that she had found someone she loved and wanted to live her own life.
His parents hadn’t divorced yet, but they had been living separately for a long time.
His mother said that the company was unstable now, so the divorce was temporarily postponed. His mother regained control of the company, and most of the shares were transferred to his brother’s name and his own.
Yan Heyu also became a major shareholder of the company and joined the board of directors. His father had no chance of making a comeback.
His mother was also helpless and unwilling about Yan Heyu joining the board, but couldn’t find a more suitable way to handle it.
“Wen Di.”
“I’m listening.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“Okay. You too.”
“And don’t forget what you promised me.” Saying that, he smiled, for his own childishness.
Wen Di said, “I won’t forget.”
He hoped she wouldn’t forget him.
Facing the sea breeze, Qi Mingche hung up the phone.
Not long after the call ended, it was Wen Di’s turn.
As the capsule ascended, she looked at the familiar river and familiar buildings. Perhaps Qi Mingche was right; riding alone was a bit boring.
After getting off the capsule, Wen Di hadn’t walked far when she suddenly stopped.
Yan Heyu appeared in front of her, no more than five or six meters away.
It wasn’t dark, and she wasn’t hallucinating. It was him.
Her mood shifted from turbulence to calmness in a very short time.
Yan Heyu was wearing a black trench coat, seemingly the same one she had bought for him before.
He walked over and asked her, “Not cold?”
Wen Di was wearing a light trench coat and felt a bit cold.
She didn’t reply, instinctively pulling her coat closed.
“How did you know I was here?”
Yan Heyu walked beside her, “I saw you by the road and looked for over an hour.” He thought she wouldn’t ride the London Eye, but he still came to check.
He said, “I’ll walk with you for a while.”
He walked beside her, maintaining an appropriate distance.
Wen Di kept her hands in her pockets and didn’t look at him.
“Here for business?” she asked.
“Mm.”
There was a few seconds of silence in between.
“Yan Heyu, you actually know in your heart that we have no future.”
“What about you? Are you here for work or...?”
He continued talking about himself, ignoring her previous sentence.
Wen Di replied, “Here for vacation.”
She stopped by the roadside, “I’m going back to the hotel now. You don’t need to see me off. This is far enough.”
Yan Heyu nodded. As she was about to walk away, he said, “Let me hug you.”
Saying that, he took two steps forward, gently wrapped his arms around her back, and hugged her.
They had been separated for one year and three months.
“I know there’s no future, but I’m still fantasizing about it.”
Soon, he let go of her, and helped her put her earphones back on properly, “Try not to listen while walking.”
Yan Heyu watched her walk further and further away. Eventually, her khaki trench coat was just a blurry outline, and then he couldn’t see anything at all, not knowing which way she had turned.
He messaged Assistant Kang: [Have the bodyguards follow her these next few days. You don’t need to report her whereabouts to me, just ensure her safety.]
Assistant Kang: [Okay.]
Yan Heyu returned to the car. Kang Bo handed him his phone, “Mr. Yan, please take a look at these few photos I just snapped. If you think they’re good, I’ll send them to you.”
He took five or six photos in total, including pictures of him walking side-by-side with Wen Di, them standing face-to-face, and finally, the moment he hugged her.
“Not bad.”
“Then I’ll send them to your phone.”
This was the first time in a very long time that he had finally done something that pleased his boss.
________________________________________
The news of Wen Di and Qi Mingche’s breakup was publicly announced in August. Both companies agreed on a time and released similar statements.
Netizens sighed with regret.
One netizen commented: [Alas, the most heartbroken must be the restaurant owners whose businesses you boosted.]
Qi Mingche replied to the netizen: [No, it’s fine. Di Di and I just broke up, we’re not going on a hunger strike. We’ll still go in the future, it won’t affect anything. If there are new restaurants, keep recommending them to me.]
The phrase #JustABreakupNotAHungerStrike# became a trending topic.
Their breakup hot search didn’t stay on the list for too long; Qin Xing found someone to remove it.
The next day, Wen Di and Shen Tang had dinner plans.
Months later, Shen Tang and Jiang Chengyu had reconciled, and they planned to get their marriage certificate soon.
Wen Di said, “I haven’t thought of what engagement gift to give you yet.”
Shen Tang: “No hurry, I’ll only get married after you’ve thought of something.”
Shen Tang asked her about her work plans for the second half of the year and if there was any progress on a new script.
“Yes, I’m writing something different. There’s a lot of preliminary work to do. It involves business warfare, so I’ll need to learn from my dad and spend some time at the company.”
“If you need to, you can also consult Jiang Chengyu. I’ll tell him.”
“I won’t be polite. If I don’t understand something, I’ll definitely ask you.”
The two ate and chatted.
“Tang Tang,” Wen Di gestured to her, “those two at that table keep looking at you.” She inadvertently turned her head and saw them seemingly staring at Shen Tang, just waiting for Shen Tang to notice.
Both were prime examples of men, and their features even resembled Shen Tang a little.
Shen Tang looked over, narrowed her eyes slightly, then clinked glasses with them from afar.
She looked back and said, “Xiao Dongkai and Xiao Donghan.”
Shen Tang’s eldest and second cousins from her maternal uncle’s side.
Wen Di asked, “The one with the gold-rimmed glasses is Xiao Donghan?”
“Mm. The one opposite is Xiao Dongkai.”
Wen Di always felt like she had seen Xiao Donghan somewhere, especially the lines of his jaw, which bore a strong resemblance to the man who helped her move her car before.
It was just that the man wore sunglasses at the time.
Xiao Donghan, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a white shirt, exuded both an ascetic aura and a refined villainy.
Like Yan Heyu, Xiao Donghan had many brilliant achievements in the capital market, turning things around with a flick of his hand. She had heard Shen Tang mention him, and her father and Uncle Fan had also chatted about him during the New Year.
He was ruthless and decisive.
Three years ago, a cross-border acquisition project he managed became a classic case study.
When she was writing this business warfare script, she had thought of using Xiao Donghan’s image and experiences as a prototype for one of the main characters, but authorization was an issue.
Shen Tang, upon hearing this, guaranteed, “I’ll sort it out for you.”
After returning, Shen Tang proactively contacted Xiao Donghan, explained the situation, and asked for his authorization.
Xiao Donghan found it fresh: [Does she really want authorization, or my contact information? Tell her I don’t have time for romance.]
Shen Tang: “...”
[You think she’s interested in you?]
Xiao Donghan didn’t reply.
Shen Tang understood that he was implying yes.
She reassured Xiao Donghan: [She’s not interested in you. Even if she were, if you didn’t pursue her, she wouldn’t actively seek you out.]
She immediately followed up with: [Don’t you know Yan Heyu? He’s Wen Di’s ex-ex-boyfriend. After Wen Di took an interest in him, it took him three months of hard work to finally win her over.]
Shen Tang emphasized: [It took him hard work to win her over, understand?!]
[Don’t be afraid of Wen Di being interested in you. Only if she’s interested will you have a chance to pursue her.]
Xiao Donghan: “...”
He wouldn’t be like Yan Heyu, so idle and foolish as to be interested and then have to give up and pursue someone for three months.
Google Sites
Report abuse