Chapter 06

Wu Tianqi had been to Stay several times and was quite familiar with the place.

The car drove straight to the entrance of Stay. The door was opened from the outside, and Shu Shiran stepped out.

“Take it slow, Sister Ran.”

Shu Shiran turned around and said, “You drive slower on rainy days.”

Wu Tianqi nodded and waved at her from inside the car with Yuanyuan.

“Have fun, Sister Ran.”

Coming here after work, Wu Tianqi naturally assumed Shu Shiran was here to have fun, that there was a gathering tonight.

Shu Shiran said nothing more.

Entering Stay, she glanced at her phone.

Yan Yi still hadn’t returned her calls. She messaged him asking where he was, but he didn’t reply.

Uncertain if Yan Yi was still here, Shu Shiran directly told the club staff she wanted to see the manager.

The manager arrived quickly.

Managers here were all sharp individuals, able to remember people from several circles in the southern city.

Shu Shiran had only been here once before, but he recognized her immediately and greeted her politely, “Miss Shu, are you here to have fun tonight?”

Shu Shiran replied, “I’m here to find someone.”

The manager acted swiftly and soon confirmed that Yan Yi was indeed here.

“Mr. Yan and company are in room 8302. It seems like a reunion of some classmates.”

Shu Shiran murmured in acknowledgment.

The manager offered to escort her upstairs, but she said, “I can go by myself.”

“Alright. After you exit the elevator, turn left, walk to the end, then turn right—you’ll see 8302.”

From the third floor, private rooms began.

Shu Shiran took the elevator to the third floor and turned left upon exiting.

The corridor was quiet, carpeted, and even footsteps sounded soft.

Before reaching the end, she heard a faint woman’s sobbing.

A few steps further, a young man’s voice came through.

“Don’t cry, let’s not argue, okay?” His tone was gentle yet helpless.

Shu Shiran’s footsteps halted.

That voice sounded somewhat like Yan Yi’s.

“Yiyi, although I’ve always hated you for leaving without a word, I was truly happy to see you again in the northern city.”

Shu Shiran’s heart sank.

It was indeed Yan Yi’s voice, but the passionate, emotional tone was unfamiliar.

In her memory, he was always a gentle man; she never imagined he had this other side.

Taking a deep breath, she softened her footsteps and moved closer.

At the corridor’s end, a large potted plant over a meter tall stood by the corner.

Through the greenery, she witnessed a scene that froze her entire body.

Yan Yi lowered his head, wiping tears from a woman’s face.

They rarely showed such intimacy.

Since it was a class reunion, this must be a female classmate.

Shu Shiran stared blankly at them, not hiding herself, yet they didn’t notice her.

So that was why he ignored her calls and messages—because he was indulging in a tender reunion with someone else.

While she was anxiously trying to reach him, he was comforting another woman.

The frustration of being unreachable surged to its peak, mingled with anger, flooding her eyes with stinging tears.

She couldn’t understand how Yan Yi could have asked about her grandmother’s health on the phone just days ago, promising to visit her with her next time, yet here he was, openly courting another woman.

And so blatantly, right outside the private room for the reunion, unwilling to find a more private place.

“But I heard you already have a girlfriend. Why are you still entangled with me?” the woman’s accusatory voice rang out.

Shu Shiran was eager to hear Yan Yi’s reply.

Where did he place her in his heart?

“Yiyi, I have never forgotten you. I only came here because I heard you were attending. Let’s start over, alright?”

Yet in Yan Yi’s words, there was no mention of Shu Shiran.

She felt ridiculous, a chill running from head to toe.

When Yan Yi tenderly embraced the woman, resting his chin on her head, she could no longer bear to watch.

***

The rain continued to fall.

Shu Shiran took a few steps before realizing she hadn’t brought an umbrella and had walked straight into the rain.

The droplets soaked her clothes, touched her skin, but she felt nothing.

“Miss Shu!”

Someone called her from behind; the voice was faint, muffled by the rain.

Footsteps approached, and a black umbrella was opened over Shu Shiran’s head.

“Miss Shu.”

It was a staff member from the club.

Her hand hung by her side, fingers twitching slightly, releasing the grip that had left nail marks spreading pain.

She calmly took the umbrella. “Thank you.”

The staff member was momentarily stunned by her pale, rain-soaked face and blushed slightly.

Afraid of being caught staring, he quickly averted his eyes. “Miss Shu, are you alright?”

Witnessing such a scene, he felt it would be an imposition to look any longer.

“Shall I call a car to take you?”

Shu Shiran shook her head. “No, thank you.”

The staff member added quickly, “Please be careful then.”

“Okay.”

Shu Shiran chose not to confront Yan Yi directly.

Whether to ask why he was cheating or who that woman was would be pointless and wouldn’t change anything. It would only invite ridicule.

She didn’t want anyone to witness a messy breakup.

They didn’t mind being ashamed; she did.

The club staff would let Yan Yi know she had come.

Holding the black umbrella, Shu Shiran walked slowly along the roadside.

The rain had been falling for hours since six o’clock. Small shallow puddles gathered in the slightly sunken spots on the ground, reflecting the warm yellow streetlights and dark pavement. As she passed, the damp, sleek hems of her pants swept through them.

The streetlight illuminated her reddened eyes.

She hadn’t cried just now; she had long since calmed, unable to shed any more tears.

Seeing that scene had left her both disappointed and angry.

She had always believed Yan Yi wanted the same things she did.

She wanted a stable life and a stable marriage.

If it weren’t for this, she wouldn’t have agreed to his pursuit earlier this year.

She still remembered her grandmother’s expression upon learning she was with Yan Yi.

It was her grandmother’s first genuine smile since her grandfather passed.

Her grandmother had been so happy, saying maybe she’d see her get married someday.

Now, that hope was shattered.

Her grandmother liked him so much and always had many things to say to him whenever they met. She often asked about him on the phone.

She had already included marriage in her plans.

Thinking of her grandfather’s regrets before passing and his worries about her, a wave of helplessness surged in Shu Shiran’s heart, and her eyes reddened further.

The long-handled umbrella in her hand swayed like a leaf on a plane tree branch by the roadside, trembling in the rain.

The black canopy tilted, shading most of her face beneath it.

A car approached from the rainy distance behind her, slowing as it neared the curb.

At first, Shu Shiran paid no attention, until the car stopped beside her.

Her eyes first caught sight of the tire.

***

Raising the umbrella slightly, she saw it was an unfamiliar black Cullinan.

Just as she was about to look away, the rear window rolled down, revealing a face shadowed in darkness.

It was Ji Xi.

Why was he here?

Their gazes met. Shu Shiran hastily lowered the umbrella, speaking lightly, “What a coincidence.”

Despite her attempt to mask her feelings, her heavy nasal tone betrayed her.

At a moment like this, she had no mood for pleasantries and was about to leave when Ji Xi’s voice came through the rain.

“You’re here looking for him because of Wan Leng?”

Wan Leng was the name of Shu Shiran’s uncle’s company.

“He” referred to Yan Yi.

So Ji Xi knew she came looking for Yan Yi, and he probably even knew what she had witnessed.

Shu Shiran gripped the umbrella tightly, knuckles whitening, feeling the rain pounding the canopy through the umbrella’s handle.

She didn’t want anyone to see her in such a state, especially someone like Ji Xi whom she knew but not well.

Why did he have to stop? If it were someone else, they might have just ignored her.

“Do you know about Wan Leng’s situation?”

She didn’t mention coming for Yan Yi.

Her umbrella remained low, revealing only the tip of her nose and chin, the black canopy highlighting her pale, proud features with an air of aloofness.

After a few seconds without a reply, Shu Shiran lifted the umbrella slightly and looked at him.

Ji Xi seemed startled, his eyes flickering as he glanced away.

“Wan Leng Group has been publicly marked twice in half a month. It’s hard not to notice if you follow the stock market.”

Shu Shiran asked, “Marked?”

Ji Xi explained, “According to securities law, when an investor holds five percent of a listed company’s shares, they must file a written report and announcement.”

Xue Sheng hadn’t gone into details on the phone, so Shu Shiran wasn’t clear on the specifics.

From Ji Xi’s words, she learned that the company had increased its holding in Wan Leng’s stock to ten percent within half a month.

“Moreover, the major shareholders of this company and another company that holds less than five percent of Wan Leng shares belong to the same faction. The other company is a wholly-owned subsidiary.”

Ji Xi added, “They will continue to increase their holdings of Wan Leng stocks through the secondary market.”

This wasn’t Shu Shiran’s area of expertise; the more she listened, the more powerless she felt.

Originally, she had come tonight to ask Yan Yi if there was any solution.

She thought again of what she had seen.

If there was no way, she would have to go home.

Ji Xi said, “Your uncle is looking for a white knight.”

Unfamiliar with the term, Shu Shiran instinctively looked up in confusion.

Ji Xi seemed to notice her doubt and smirked lazily.

It reminded Shu Shiran of how he had looked on the yacht’s upper deck last Saturday night—effortlessly at ease.

“I can help you.”

Shu Shiran stared at Ji Xi in surprise, the umbrella trembling slightly in her hand. Raindrops flew off its edges in arcs.

“Help me?” Her eyes still red, the sadness within vanished at that moment, replaced by astonishment and puzzlement, shining brightly under the streetlight.

She hadn’t expected him to offer assistance so proactively.

This was a matter involving billions—he wouldn’t offer help without reason. She didn’t miss his choice of words.

He said “can,” implying he could also refuse. His tone was purely that of negotiation.

Besides, he said he’d help her, not Wan Leng.

Standing there in the rain holding her umbrella, her posture straight yet disheveled, she resembled a swan drenched by the rain.

Such moments were rare for her.

Coincidentally, Ji Xi sat inside the warm, dry car looking noble and composed.

She tightened her grip on the umbrella, waiting for his terms.

Ji Xi said, “The condition is—you have to marry me.”