Because her mood had been in a delicate state and she’d been indulging her appetite, combined with the huge box of her favorite chocolate that Ye Zhen had bought her, Jiang Xiaoyi let her guard down and ended up eating too much.

By the time she registered it again, it was already the night before the gala—though she hadn’t gained much weight, the bright red evening gown Ye Zhen had prepared for her had grown just slightly tight because of her recent overeating.

Overall it didn’t affect the look, but Jiang Xiaoyi felt her chest was pulled just a touch tighter—not enough to burst, but because the dress’s neckline was already quite open to begin with, Jiang Xiaoyi couldn’t help feeling like the view at her chest seemed just a tiny bit more pronounced now.

Still, Jiang Xiaoyi took a deep breath, pulled in her stomach, and immediately felt like it was back to how it had been before.

The gala’s location was a bit far. The next afternoon, Jiang Xiaoyi asked Li You’ai for time off, went back to the dormitory to change into the dress, and waited in her room for Ye Zhen to pick her up.

Ye Zhen arrived right on time. But the moment Jiang Xiaoyi got into his car, he handed her a box that looked expensive at a glance. When Jiang Xiaoyi opened it, she found a Bvlgari necklace and matching bracelet set inside.

Jiang Xiaoyi froze for a moment.

Ye Zhen’s voice, though, was unruffled. He didn’t even look at Jiang Xiaoyi, keeping his eyes straight ahead as he said, quite naturally: “Put it on.”

Only after saying this did the man glance at Jiang Xiaoyi, then quickly look away again: “Your dress’s neckline is too bare—it needs some jewelry to set it off, it’ll look even better.”

That was true enough, but…

“But this set is way too expensive.” Jiang Xiaoyi knew the price range of Bvlgari jewelry, and the set Ye Zhen had handed her was clearly a new release. “Did you rent this from the brand? I’m going to be dancing later, and if, say—I mean just hypothetically—if I’m not careful and scratch the necklace or bracelet, wouldn’t that be…”

“It’s not rented.” Ye Zhen pressed his lips together. “I don’t rent things to use. I bought this. It’s yours.”

But this was still far too extravagant!

“No, that won’t do! It’s too valuable, I really can’t accept it.”

“I already gave it to you, so don’t give it back.” Ye Zhen looked a bit displeased. He glared at Jiang Xiaoyi fiercely for a few seconds, then, as if suppressing some emotion, finally spoke. “Besides, aren’t we good friends? It’s perfectly normal for good friends to give each other gifts. This necklace and bracelet set doesn’t really cost me much—when I give gifts to friends, this is the value range I normally give at, otherwise it wouldn’t reflect how much I value the friendship.”

The man glanced at Jiang Xiaoyi: “If you don’t accept it, that means you don’t respect me, that you don’t truly consider me a real friend.”

“……”

Jiang Xiaoyi now realized she really was no match for Ye Zhen in an argument. But this jewelry set—she felt she didn’t deserve it, and decided to hold off for now; once the gala was over, no matter what, she would return it to Ye Zhen.

**

Jiang Lin’s gala had a lot in common with the one from the parallel timeline, but there were some differences too—here, besides the delicious cream puffs, there was even more good food…

Jiang Xiaoyi really wanted to eat, but this time she’d come as someone’s dance partner, not as “President Jiang.” The confidence that identity had once lent her had receded, and on top of that, she worried her behavior might reflect poorly on Ye Zhen’s image, plus the dress was a little tight—so she could only watch those tempting desserts longingly and hold back.

Jiang Xiaoyi thought she was disguising herself quite well, looking suitably dignified, fitting the image of Ye Zhen’s dance partner. But while she was maintaining her poised, aloof, glamorous persona, Ye Zhen speared a piece of dessert and held it up in front of Jiang Xiaoyi.

“?”

“Eat it.” Ye Zhen kept holding the dessert out to feed her, responding calmly to the confusion in Jiang Xiaoyi’s eyes. He cleared his throat. “My arm’s getting tired from holding this up, and people are already watching me. If you don’t eat it, even more people will be watching us.”

Time and space had shifted, and the two of them had swapped roles once again—now even their behavior seemed to have flipped in some cosmic way.

Under Ye Zhen’s gaze, Jiang Xiaoyi felt her heartbeat quicken for a moment. She didn’t need Ye Zhen to point it out—she could sense the faint, lingering glances around them on her own.

Or more precisely, ever since Ye Zhen had brought her in, curious gazes had started circling around Jiang Xiaoyi. There was no denying that while Ye Zhen came across as rather cold toward others, his appeal was hardly small—from the moment they’d entered, women of all types had tried to strike up conversation with him. But every single time, Ye Zhen had politely declined—

“Sorry, I have a companion with me tonight. This is her first time here, and I need to help her get familiar with the environment.”

……

And now this man, who moments ago had been coolly rebuffing everyone, was holding up a dessert in front of Jiang Xiaoyi.

Though his tone urged Jiang Xiaoyi to hurry up and eat, there was no impatience in Ye Zhen’s voice.

Jiang Xiaoyi knew she should just take the little fork from Ye Zhen’s hand and feed herself the dessert, but just as she opened her mouth to say something, the dessert was already placed into her mouth by Ye Zhen.

Jiang Xiaoyi finished a coconut milk pudding this way, and what followed into her mouth next was the mango mousse she’d glanced at a couple extra times, and then her usual favorite—a cream puff ball.

By the time Jiang Xiaoyi had finished everything Ye Zhen gave her, she realized the entire venue was casting knowing, amused glances at her and Ye Zhen. If she wasn’t mistaken, someone in the corner had even secretly taken a photo of Ye Zhen feeding her…

Jiang Xiaoyi’s heart was a tangled mix of nervousness and unease—she felt it pounding fiercely, and chalked the reaction up to simple embarrassment: “Didn’t you say something like this would lower your standing? Wasn’t the whole point that classy people don’t stuff their faces here—and now you’re the one reverting to your true self? If this got photographed, won’t it really hurt your image?”

Ye Zhen, however, didn’t seem to mind at all: “Didn’t you teach me that? Between class and the body’s needs, you obviously choose the body. You didn’t eat anything this afternoon, did you.” The man looked away, appearing quite composed. “I’m just returning the favor—after all, you were pretty into me before, too.”

Ye Zhen looked like he still had something more to say, but before long, Jiang Lin’s voice cut him off—

“Ye Zhen, you’re here and you didn’t even say hi to me? What are you doing standing here alone?”

“We see each other all the time—is it really necessary to greet each other every single time?” Upon seeing Jiang Lin, Ye Zhen cleared his throat, pressed his lips together, and smiled slightly. “And what do you mean, what am I doing standing here alone—I’m not alone, I brought a companion.”

That remark greatly piqued Jiang Lin’s curiosity. He looked past Ye Zhen and then spotted Jiang Xiaoyi.

Jiang Xiaoyi felt a bit nervous, but still gave Jiang Lin a smile. In this timeline, this was actually the first time she was meeting Jiang Lin.

“Wow!” Jiang Lin looked Jiang Xiaoyi over, then turned to Ye Zhen with a teasing expression. “Is this your girlfriend? Your taste isn’t bad at all.”

Ye Zhen looked rather displeased, but still answered Jiang Lin: “No.” He pressed his lips together, his tone clearly unhappy. “She’s a good, friend.”

Jiang Lin gave an “Oh,” then quickly dropped his teasing look: “By the way, about last time’s collaboration, I wanted to go over the details with you again—do you have time to come over? I just brought in a new investor and wanted to introduce you two.”

This was official business now. Ye Zhen glanced at Jiang Xiaoyi, then lowered his voice: “Don’t wander off on your own. Wait here for me, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

The man seemed to want to say something more, but held it back, and after taking only a few steps, Ye Zhen apparently couldn’t hold back after all and walked back to Jiang Xiaoyi’s side: “There are all sorts of people at Jiang Lin’s gala. If any sketchy men try to hit on you, stay on guard and don’t talk to them much—you never know what kind of background they have, or whether they’re just trying to pry information about Ruiyi out of you.”

Once Jiang Xiaoyi obediently nodded, Ye Zhen finally walked off, like an overprotective father.

But Ye Zhen’s worry was somewhat unnecessary—Jiang Xiaoyi had absolutely no mood to chat with strangers.

Though she truly wasn’t Ye Zhen’s girlfriend, the way Ye Zhen had so quickly and firmly denied it when Jiang Lin asked still left Jiang Xiaoyi feeling a bit hurt, especially given the clearly displeased expression on Ye Zhen’s face as he denied it.

Strictly speaking, Jiang Xiaoyi had no grounds to feel hurt—to Ye Zhen, she truly was nothing. Even the “good friend” label might just be her own one-sided assumption; at most, thanks to that strange parallel-timeline experience giving them more chances to interact, they could be considered friends. But being denied so quickly and sharply like that by Ye Zhen still stung.

Perhaps for someone of Ye Zhen’s status and standing, being mistaken for his girlfriend was itself an intolerable humiliation.

Even if his good upbringing meant he stayed polite toward her, deep down, he probably didn’t feel she was worthy of being his equal. That was surely why he’d denied it so urgently, with such a poor expression on his face.

Just thinking about all this made Jiang Xiaoyi feel like she’d swallowed a rotten orange—bitter and sour, an unbearable tightness in her chest. People, it seemed, could never quite control their own greed—even knowing full well they shouldn’t hope for something, knowing it would never belong to them, they still couldn’t help fantasizing anyway.

This was a small interlude. There was still plenty of delicious food in front of her, but Jiang Xiaoyi no longer felt like eating anything at all.

**

Ye Zhen came back half an hour later. Apparently satisfied that Jiang Xiaoyi had kept her confidentiality obligations well, seeing that no one was around her, he seemed quite pleased—and Jiang Xiaoyi, having already composed herself, looked up and gave Ye Zhen a smile.

It was right at that moment that the music started up—the highlight of Jiang Lin’s gala had finally arrived: the dancing.

Ye Zhen looked into Jiang Xiaoyi’s eyes and, like a gentleman, extended his hand to her.

Though this man had just recently and urgently denied she was his girlfriend, Jiang Xiaoyi now found that, looking at Ye Zhen, whose eyes held only her in this moment, she still couldn’t help feeling nervous, disappointingly so.

That bad orange from before seemed to have fermented into orange soda—still carrying a hint of bitterness, but now fizzing inside her chest, keeping her emotions in constant, restless motion, and inevitably making her lose focus during the ballroom dance.

Yet, whether it was the chemistry built up from their earlier practice sessions, or Ye Zhen’s tremendous patience and accommodation, even with Jiang Xiaoyi’s mind wandering, the dance turned out flawlessly.

Ye Zhen danced earnestly and with total focus, his eyes fixed on his dance partner, Jiang Xiaoyi, the entire time.

His stage presence was outstanding—every gesture and movement radiated charisma.

He truly was handsome—the fluid steps and posture seemed to magnify his good looks a hundredfold. Dancing inevitably involved physical contact, and though Jiang Xiaoyi tried to restrain herself, her heart still pounded out of rhythm; every point of contact with Ye Zhen’s skin seemed to send a spark through her.

Jiang Xiaoyi had heard before that when your dance partner dances exceptionally well, under the influence of the music, atmosphere, and their attentive gaze, it’s very easy to develop feelings of deep affection—some people dance as if fully immersed in a role, their intensity powerful enough to make their partner forget it’s just a dance.

The way Ye Zhen looked at Jiang Xiaoyi seemed like he was looking at his own beloved—intense and utterly genuine.

Jiang Xiaoyi could barely withstand a gaze like that; her cheeks couldn’t help but burn scarlet.

One dance, because of Ye Zhen, forced Jiang Xiaoyi to go from distracted to fully immersed.

Ye Zhen seemed to possess this kind of power—he extended his hand to her like a gentleman, and Jiang Xiaoyi couldn’t help but genuinely hand over her trust to him, letting him lead her into the role.

A dance lasted only a few minutes—this was also the time Jiang Xiaoyi allowed herself to dream a little.

When the music ended, Ye Zhen did indeed look away, walking off to a spot not far away. Not until he’d finished a cocktail, seemingly having finally adjusted his emotions and stepped out of the role, did he return to his restrained, courteous self—only then did he walk back over toward Jiang Xiaoyi.

……

The whole gala felt as beautiful as a dream.

But midnight’s bell would inevitably come, and even the red dress, necklace, and bracelet on Jiang Xiaoyi’s body weren’t truly, in any real sense, things she deserved in her own life.

Just thinking about all this made Jiang Xiaoyi feel very sad.

She even found herself thinking spitefully—if only there’d never been this accident of the parallel timeline. If none of this had happened, she wouldn’t have grown close to Ye Zhen, wouldn’t have known that beneath the sharp tongue and bad temper and difficult personality, he also had genuine managerial talent and ability, and she wouldn’t have discovered Ye Zhen’s childish yet endearing side either—and then she wouldn’t have developed these other feelings toward him.

If he were still just the boss she used to curse behind his back, that would be so much better.

Because then, Jiang Xiaoyi felt, she wouldn’t be feeling this hurt the way she was now.

**

As a seasoned working professional, Jiang Xiaoyi considered herself quite skilled at managing her emotions—she just hadn’t expected that, no sooner had she chased away that ill-timed sadness, life would deal her another heavy blow.

The morning after the gala, Jiang Xiaoyi changed back into her ordinary everyday work outfit, and the moment she clocked in and entered the Incubation Department, she found all her coworkers away from their desks, huddled together, discussing something.

Jiang Xiaoyi looked closer and saw that even Li Gonggong, who never usually mingled, was crowded in among them, chatting animatedly with everyone.

“What are you all looking at? Did some especially promising new project just come in?”

Wang Yani waved her hand mysteriously, making a “shh” gesture: “Forget projects! Come quick and see our Director Ye’s girlfriend!”

For a moment, Jiang Xiaoyi didn’t quite process it. Ye Zhen’s girlfriend? Since when did Ye Zhen have a girlfriend?

Wang Yani didn’t give Jiang Xiaoyi time to think, gossiping away with sparkling eyes: “Our Director Ye is really something—he actually landed Xu Mengting! You know how insanely high her starting point was, right? She hit her peak the moment she debuted—after all, her own father is a media conglomerate tycoon, with amazing resources behind her, Best Actor and Best Actress winners acting as her supporting cast.”

“And she’s got the looks and the skill to back it up herself—she got into her performing arts program with the top score in her class, has a high-fashion face, super versatile, can look pure or seductive, and her figure is off the charts too—those long legs, I’m openly jealous. Her acting is natural and moving too.”

Xu Mengting was a red-hot newcomer lately, an heiress from an entertainment company family, and had a blockbuster film currently in theaters with unprecedented buzz and acclaim. Even Jiang Xiaoyi, who didn’t pay much attention to entertainment news, was quite familiar with her name.

Gossip, as it turned out, really was a universal human pastime—the rest of her coworkers couldn’t help chiming in too—

“I actually really like Xu Mengting. If Director Ye ends up marrying her and she becomes our boss’s wife, do you think we’d get a chance to see her at Ruiyi? Might I even get to ask her for an autograph and a photo together?”

“They’re really a match made in heaven, and Xu Mengting isn’t just some minor celebrity either—she’s from a big, powerful family, a perfect match for Director Ye. I heard Xu Mengting is fluent in Chinese and English, and can also converse fluently in Spanish and French, and she’s got so many hobbies too—ballet, piano, cello, nothing she’s not good at. She’s had an aristocratic upbringing since childhood—she’s basically single-handedly raising the overall caliber of our country’s entertainment industry professionals.”

One male colleague was clearly quite invested in Xu Mengting: “I have a friend who works at a TV station—before, to help promote her movie, Xu Mengting appeared on a variety show at my friend’s station. Even though she was very polite, she’s the type who’s very aloof—or maybe ‘aloof’ isn’t even quite the right word, more like she just carries this air of nobility that makes you feel like she’s from a completely different world than you. But look, in this leaked photo, Xu Mengting is smiling so sweetly at our Director Ye—she clearly looks like a girl in love.”

Li Gonggong scoffed at this: “Of course. If Xu Mengting isn’t smiling at our Director Ye, who else would she be smiling at, you? Our Director Ye and Xu Mengting are obviously a match made in heaven—I hope they tie the knot soon. If they get married this year, that’d be a huge boon for Ruiyi—typically, following custom, every employee’s year-end bonus gets bumped up a bit for good luck.”

Li Gonggong’s expression grew more and more wistful as he went on: “In the old days, whenever something good happened, there’d be a general amnesty. I wonder if, when Director Ye gets married, my performance penalty for this year could get wiped clean too…”

……

While her coworkers were still deep in animated discussion, Jiang Xiaoyi’s inner feelings were indescribably complicated. She didn’t join the crowd to look at the computer screen, instead sitting back down at her own desk and quietly opening her phone.

She didn’t even need to search—#XuMengtingRumoredRomanceExposed# was already sitting right there on the trending topics list, pushed straight to her.

Biting her lip, feeling a mix of anxiety and distress, Jiang Xiaoyi clicked it open, and there was the photo.

In the photo, Xu Mengting’s face was shown straight-on, very clear—her eyes crinkled with her smile, completely unlike her usual cold, worldweary expression. She looked like a sweet young girl, her eyes seemingly full of starlight, gazing at the person across from her.

And following the direction of Xu Mengting’s gaze in the photo, one could see Ye Zhen’s side profile. Though his full expression wasn’t visible, the slight curl at the corner of his lips was unmistakable, and his eyes looked gentle too, gazing back along Xu Mengting’s line of sight.

In fact, the two of them had no intimate physical contact at all, yet the way they looked at each other was undeniably charged with an air of romance—no wonder it had been taken as Xu Mengting’s romance being exposed.

So… was Ye Zhen really in a relationship?

Jiang Xiaoyi stared at Xu Mengting’s face in the photo, and thinking of her family background, it really was, as her coworkers said, a match made in heaven.

Standing next to Ye Zhen, Xu Mengting truly was far more pleasing to the eye than Jiang Xiaoyi herself would be.

Sadly, Jiang Xiaoyi thought, even if she herself were photographed standing next to Ye Zhen, no one would ever mistake it for a romance being exposed—at most, people would think Ye Zhen was just out with his assistant…

She dug out the small mirror on her desk and looked at herself, discovering with dismay that the “President Jiang” of the parallel timeline felt like nothing more than a dream now. In her current life, she was back to being an ordinary working professional, the atmosphere around her once again that of an office worker.

But fortunately, if there was one thing a working professional never lacked, it was the ability to process and endure negative emotions.

Jiang Xiaoyi took a deep breath, and during her lunch break, went upstairs. Ye Zhen was still in the middle of an international conference call, so Jiang Xiaoyi repacked the Bvlgari necklace and bracelet Ye Zhen had given her at the gala and handed them to his new assistant—

“Please make sure to personally hand these to Director Ye.”

Having returned such valuable jewelry, she finally felt a sense of relief—only to be followed immediately by a hollow, empty feeling, as if she’d just personally severed the last connection she might have had with Ye Zhen.

From here on, she and Ye Zhen probably wouldn’t have much reason to cross paths anymore.

Especially now that he had a girlfriend…

As Jiang Xiaoyi rode the elevator down, lost in her scattered thoughts, Ye Zhen’s call came in just as she stepped out of the elevator and reached the department entrance.

The man’s voice sounded displeased: “Didn’t I say this was a gift for you? Why did you give it back?”

Jiang Xiaoyi held back her emotions and feigned nonchalance: “Because it’s too valuable. Even between friends, I can’t accept something this expensive.”

She paused, but in the end couldn’t quite hold herself back: “Besides, don’t you have a girlfriend now? Giving jewelry to a female friend like this—I’m worried she might misunderstand, and it wouldn’t be good for your relationship.”

Ye Zhen was visibly stunned for a moment: “You mean Xu Mengting? You saw the trending topic too? She and I…”

Although it seemed like Ye Zhen and Xu Mengting being together was practically a done deal, Jiang Xiaoyi still couldn’t bring herself to accept hearing this news directly from Ye Zhen’s own mouth. She cut him off almost before he could finish, then offered her congratulations in a cheerful, breezy tone: “You two really are a great match. I saw the public polls ranking the most attractive celebrity couples—you and her are way out in front, there are even shipper fan accounts for you two already.”

Only, Jiang Xiaoyi hadn’t expected that her congratulations wouldn’t make Ye Zhen happy at all—he didn’t even remember to thank her. The man on the other end of the line fell silent for a long while, then, as if having made up his mind about something, pressed further: “Do you really think we’re a good match? You think it’d be good for her to be my girlfriend?”

“Mm.” Jiang Xiaoyi tried her best to keep her tone even. “Yes, you two are a great match.”

Whether it was to convince herself or someone else, Jiang Xiaoyi took a deep breath and put on a show of everything being fine: “Being well-matched really is quite important. You two must have a lot of common topics and interests to talk about. I hope you two get together soon—Li You’ai is still waiting for the ‘general amnesty’ bonus once you two get married.”

Ye Zhen stayed silent the whole time, and after a long wait—so long that Jiang Xiaoyi wondered if the call had dropped due to bad signal—she finally heard the man’s voice again—

“Jiang Xiaoyi, you think I should like a girl like Xu Mengting, is that it? Then what kind of guy do you like?”

Jiang Xiaoyi was taken aback. On the other end, Ye Zhen laughed softly, his voice sounding relaxed: “I know a lot of people—tell me the type you like, and if there’s someone suitable, I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

Ye Zhen really was being kind, but it only made Jiang Xiaoyi feel sadder.

It seemed he really had gotten out of singlehood, was enjoying the wonders of being in a relationship, and that’s why he was thinking of introducing her to someone reliable too.

“No need.” Jiang Xiaoyi forced a light tone. “I want to focus on my career for the next few years. There’s no room for romance right now. After all, now that you’ve overhauled the whole system at Ruiyi, it would be a waste not to make the most of this wave and work hard—it wouldn’t be fair to such a great work environment. Successful people like you can afford to date. Someone like me, just an ordinary working professional, still needs to focus on building myself up first.”

Ye Zhen seemed like his meeting hadn’t ended yet—he clearly didn’t want to end the call, but in the background, Jiang Xiaoyi could hear his new assistant urging him along.

Sure enough, Ye Zhen said nothing more in the end, bid Jiang Xiaoyi goodbye, and hung up.

What Jiang Xiaoyi didn’t know, though, was that the moment Ye Zhen hung up, his expression turned deeply unpleasant.

His new assistant stood off to the side, somewhat nervously: “Director Ye, the ten-minute tea break is up—should the meeting continue…”

This poor young assistant had no idea who his boss had just been on the phone with—it had sounded like something about his personal life, and the boss’s tone had been light and gentle throughout. But whoever was on the other end of that call would never know just how dark and displeased his boss’s expression had looked the whole time he was saying those words.

“Continue the meeting. But you don’t need to attend.”

The young assistant nearly started shaking—had he just been fired?

But quickly, Ye Zhen’s next words made the assistant breathe a sigh of relief—

“Go keep an eye on Jiang Xiaoyi.”

Confused, but that was far better than getting fired!

The assistant accepted the order: “Understood, Director Ye!”

Ye Zhen cleared his throat: “Not exactly ‘keep an eye on’—I just won’t need you for this meeting. I heard Jiang Xiaoyi has taken on several major projects over in the Incubation Department, and she might be quite busy. Go over and lend her a hand, and while you’re at it, keep tabs on the project’s progress for me and report back anytime.”

He glanced at the assistant, then added, with an air of conviction: “Since Jiang Xiaoyi is the lead and point of contact for several major projects, there could be meetings on those any time, and I might need certain information from her at any moment. So pay attention to Jiang Xiaoyi’s movements too.”

“Understood, Director Ye, no problem!”

Though young and still inexperienced in his career, the assistant was remarkably sharp when it came to picking up on subtle shifts in interpersonal dynamics.

There was no problem with him keeping an eye on Jiang Xiaoyi while doing his job—but clearly, there was something going on between Jiang Xiaoyi and his boss!

Either Jiang Xiaoyi had swindled Director Ye out of his money, or she’d trifled with Director Ye’s feelings!