Li Weiyi stood dazed for a moment before pushing the door to leave. Outside, the second secretary sat looking worried, while the chief secretary sneakily pointed her in the right direction.

Soon, Li Weiyi found Zhang Jingchan sitting alone in the fire escape stairwell.

Outside the glass window, sunlight slanted in, shining on his black suit. His back was broad yet still appeared thin, slightly hunched. In this life, a man worth tens of billions, a 27-year-old CEO, yet at this moment he seemed like some young hothead who’d been driven out of his own office with nowhere to go, sitting on the floor. Though clearly suppressing towering rage, his back also conveyed a sense of pitifulness.

Watching this scene, Li Weiyi felt that all the chaotic emotions in her heart suddenly didn’t seem so important. She laughed with a “pfft.”

Zhang Jingchan’s back moved slightly.

Li Weiyi walked over and sat down beside him, resting her hands on her knees, gazing out at the blue sky and white clouds through the window. She said, “Give me some time to think this through clearly. I really never thought about it before.”

He said nothing, but Li Weiyi strangely sensed that his aura, which had been frozen like ice all over, was slightly thawing and crumbling.

Li Weiyi’s mood relaxed accordingly, and she continued, “Hey, I’m doing this for your sake too, also giving you time. Think clearly whether you really… want to be with me, or if it’s just a momentary impulse.”

Zhang Jingchan snorted coldly, bracing his hands on the steps behind him, and said, “I’m not like you. About major life matters, I think very clearly.”

Li Weiyi thought to herself, how did this escalate to the level of major life matters again?

She didn’t dare respond carelessly and instead looked at him with particular sincerity, asking, “Actually, I really want to ask you—why? What exactly do you see in me? Honestly, I’m not insecure, but I have self-awareness. Me? I’m barely a refined lady at best, essentially just an ordinary person. But you, sir—you were already accustomed to full banquet spreads in college, and now even more so. With your physique, looks, wealth, and abilities, what kind of woman couldn’t you pursue? How did your taste change like this? Compared to you, I’m really far behind.”

Zhang Jingchan was finally coaxed into showing a slight smile. He turned to look at her: “That’s exactly why.”

“Huh?”

He said lightly, “During the time I’ve been with you, I’ve smiled more than in the past twenty-seven years combined.”

Li Weiyi was skeptical: “So your purpose in finding a girlfriend is just to find someone to cheer you up? Then why don’t you find a crosstalk comedian? They’d be more professional than me.”

He smiled again, stood up, and said, “Different strokes for different folks—there’s nothing to explain about that. Li Weiyi, I’ll give you time to consider, but I have one requirement: before we travel back, you’re not allowed to see him again.”

Li Weiyi also stood up: “That… might be a bit difficult.” Xu Yi was such a shrewd person, and he watched her so closely—she was afraid she couldn’t refuse him.

Zhang Jingchan’s smile faded. He slipped both hands back into his pants pockets and said, “This is non-negotiable. This is my bottom line.”

Li Weiyi fell silent.

He said coldly, “Li Weiyi, on my timeline, clearly… every minute, every second, you were with me. He’s the one who suddenly appeared as the third party. But that’s fine. Someone like me who can shoulder ten billion in debt—could a cooked duck really fly away? Much less have a girlfriend stolen. If you… still have even half a heart for me, during these days, don’t meet with him again.”

Li Weiyi’s chest felt sour and churning. After a moment of silence, she nodded and said, “Alright, I promise you. I won’t actively meet with him during these days. Also, you’re the duck!”

Afterward, the two seemed to have reached an understanding—they no longer mentioned feelings and had no intimate or ambiguous gestures toward each other. They seemed to have returned to the beginning, purely a partnership relationship. After a stiff discussion, they decided to first return to Chen City to investigate the deaths of Zhang Moyun and Ding Chenmo from back then.

——

To Xu Yi, the eighteen-year-old girl Li Weiyi from eight years ago was like a small orange lantern—pale yellow, clear, warm—shining on his weary, muddy heart.

That was exactly when Fu Ming faced life or death. As the chairman’s special assistant, he directly faced all internal and external pressures. Every day he was exhausted from busyness, often waking suddenly in the middle of the night, looking around in confusion. After all, he was only twenty-five or twenty-six at the time, struggling and suppressed, not knowing if his choices were right or wrong, nor whether he still had a bright future ahead.

She appeared at this time.

A mysterious girl who fell from the sky, yet her smile was purer and warmer than anyone he’d ever met, her heart and eyes full of nothing but happiness and love.

Later, Xu Yi thought that the reason he was so easily attracted to Li Weiyi was probably because people with increasingly complex and dark thoughts yearn all the more for simplicity and beauty.

The first confession came not long after they met. Coincidentally, that evening there was heavy rain. After working overtime, Xu Yi was driving home when he spotted a small figure by the roadside in the distance, holding an umbrella, braving the wind and rain, struggling forward.

Xu Yi stopped his car beside her and honked once.

The lost little kitten raised her head—first confused, then delighted—waving at him. He rolled down the window and heard that sweet, syrupy “Brother Xu Yi.” In that moment, Xu Yi felt he must truly have a problem—one “brother” from an underage girl could make his heart restless and itch with hidden hunger.

He told her to get in the car. She hesitated slightly but didn’t refuse.

“Not afraid your brother will kidnap you?” he asked, half-joking, half-serious.

Li Weiyi thought for a moment and answered, “No, you’re a high-level talent at a big corporation. You’re very busy and don’t have time for that.”

Xu Yi laughed heartily.

After laughing, he coughed a bit. Li Weiyi looked at this big brother with concern and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xu Yi couldn’t stop coughing. After a while, he finally recovered and answered, “Pulled a few all-nighters, caught a cold. My throat’s a bit uncomfortable. It’s nothing.”

Li Weiyi gently patted his shoulder. He turned his head to see a piece of candy lying in the young girl’s fair, delicate palm.

“Monk fruit candy with mint inside—cool and refreshing, very soothing. My throat’s been dry lately too. Here, take it.”

Xu Yi said, “It’s not convenient while driving. Help me unwrap it.”

Li Weiyi peeled off the candy wrapper. Xu Yi reached out to take the candy and popped it into his mouth. It really was as she said—cool and moisturizing. The pain and itch in his throat were immediately relieved.

Xu Yi smiled again. How many years had it been since he’d eaten candy?

Actually, even as a child, he’d never eaten much.

“Have you been in contact with Achan recently?” he asked.

Li Weiyi froze for a moment and lowered her eyelids: “No. He won’t even see me anymore, so why would I still contact him? There’s really nothing between him and me.”

“Then you…” Xu Yi gazed at the blurred curtain of rain ahead. “Don’t plan to help him and Fu Ming anymore either?”

Li Weiyi said strangely, “I’m a high school student—what could I help him with? Help him solve functions or help him memorize modern history?”

Xu Yi laughed aloud again.

He didn’t mention Zhang Jingchan anymore and turned to casual conversation. He was a smooth operator in the business world who could easily get the young girl talking excitedly, maintaining a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere throughout.