Sheng Xiangwan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing down at the bustling city, listening to the disconnected tone on her phone, and slowly closed her eyes.

For her, it was a simple case of love at first sight with Jiang Wang, her adrenaline surging the moment she saw him. At that time, she approached him without a second thought. The response she received was quite cold; in her memory, he merely acknowledged her with a sound, but she didn’t mind.

After all, he was the school heartthrob of No. 1 High School. Boys like him inevitably had their personalities. It was normal.

Until she witnessed Jiang Wang’s attitude toward Shi Niannian—completely different. Those eyes, usually cold and hard, were tinged with smiles. His entire demeanor relaxed and languid, every glance up or down increasingly alluring.

After seeing how differently Jiang Wang treated Shi Niannian, a seed was planted in her heart. But she didn’t pursue further—she was proud, so she gracefully gave up, dating several people throughout high school and university.

Until after graduation, when she returned to work at her father’s company and encountered Jiang Wang again. The boy had grown into an even more attractive man. She quickly learned about what happened to Shi Niannian years ago and began pursuing Jiang Wang anew.

Jiang Wang remained cold toward her, but she didn’t care.

Compared to other women, she had one advantage—she was the only one who had seen what that handsome face looked like when consumed by emotion.

This became her obsession from then on.

She also wanted to see that expression appear on Jiang Wang’s face again, because of her.

She waited patiently, advancing step by step in her carefully planned strategy, constantly moving closer to Jiang Wang—but then Shi Niannian returned.

That person only needed to stand before Jiang Wang to instantly render all her years of effort meaningless. Or rather, her years of effort had never occupied even a corner of Jiang Wang’s heart.

That night, she watched as Jiang Wang so humbly held the woman in his arms, so humbly wept silently, while the seemingly mocking gazes of others around almost pierced through her.

“Niannian!”

Shi Niannian had just arrived at the airport when she heard Jiang Ling call out. Immediately afterward, she ran over with quick steps and gave her a bear hug, causing her suitcase to roll far away.

“Being alone abroad is miserable. How did you endure staying there for so many years?” Jiang Ling hugged her while lamenting.

Shi Niannian smiled and looked behind her: “Teacher Xu didn’t come back with you?”

“You should stop calling him Teacher Xu. It sounds awkward. Just call him Xu Zhilin,” Jiang Ling said. “I’m just taking time off to come back for the New Year. He still has classes and can’t come back.”

Shi Niannian remarked with feeling: “You ended up with the person you liked in high school.”

She cursed once, then said with a laugh: “If I had known Xu Zhilin was such a scoundrel, I wouldn’t have been so shy and awkward for so long in high school.” After a pause, she added, “But you also ended up with the one you liked in high school.”

As the New Year approached, the streets became increasingly congested. Shi Niannian had taken leave from the hospital at noon and had lunch with Jiang Ling before they went their separate ways.

Today was the last day of her hospital internship. Everyone had already arranged to celebrate together with dinner afterward. Shi Niannian had initially wanted to decline, but couldn’t resist everyone’s enthusiasm, so she agreed to join.

At five in the afternoon, after changing out of her medical coat, Shi Niannian sent Jiang Wang a message saying she wouldn’t be home for dinner, then went with everyone to a hotpot restaurant.

The hotpot restaurant was crowded in winter. A group of people noisily surrounded a table, with Huang Yao among them. The two chatted occasionally while eating.

“Come on, let’s have a toast. Wishing everyone an early Happy New Year!” One of the men stood up with his wine glass.

Everyone shouted “Happy New Year,” raising their glasses and clinking them together with a crisp sound.

When they had almost finished eating, Shi Niannian even felt stuffed—everyone reluctantly got up.

Perhaps because they had finally completed a busy and fulfilling semester, everyone had relaxed from their high-pressure state and didn’t want to go back so early.

When someone suggested going to the music bar across the street, Shi Niannian was standing by the roadside sending a message to Jiang Wang.

Shi Niannian: The dinner is over. Are you home?

Jiang Wang: Still at the company. Send me your location and I’ll pick you up.

Before she could reply, a classmate came over and asked: “Niannian, will you come with us?”

Shi Niannian hadn’t been listening to their conversation: “What?”

The person pointed to a brightly lit establishment across the street: “There—it just opened a few days ago. I’ve seen my friends’ circle flooded with posts about it these past two days.”

Knowing that Jiang Wang was still working overtime at the company meant he was especially busy. Shi Niannian didn’t want him to make time to pick her up, so she said she would play with her classmates a bit longer, and he could pick her up after he finished.

It was a jazz bar that had just opened and had hired authentic jazz performances—trumpet, saxophone, piano, double bass—creating quite an exotic atmosphere.

The establishment had become popular on social media since opening. By this time, there were no private rooms available, so everyone got a circular booth and ordered a few low-alcohol drinks.

Throughout, Shi Niannian sat quietly in the corner. She sent another message to Jiang Wang asking if he had eaten dinner, and only put her phone away after receiving an affirmative answer.

She had never been to the kind of music-blasting club-like bars, but she was familiar with this type of music bar. When studying abroad, there was a folk music bar next to her school with a quiet and comfortable atmosphere. They had discussed and planned a research project there every day, so she didn’t feel uncomfortable in this environment now.

Huang Yao was different, though. Sitting next to Shi Niannian, she was completely unfamiliar with such an environment and even pulled Shi Niannian to the restroom with her at one point.

The restroom was also dimly lit, matching the overall ambiance of the bar, with small musical note-shaped colored lights hanging from the ceiling.

After washing her hands, Shi Niannian suddenly heard boisterous laughter from the entrance. As she and Huang Yao were about to walk out, they ran into several elegantly dressed, beautiful women. The one in the middle was Sheng Xiangwan.

Shi Niannian paused. Sheng Xiangwan had seen her too, raising an eyebrow and looking away with a laugh: “What a coincidence.”

She wore a black spaghetti-strap dress with a thin outer shirt, paired with black stilettos, regardless of the season. Her makeup was exquisite, and she was indeed beautiful—a striking person who commanded attention.

Shi Niannian nodded slightly, politely: “Quite a coincidence.”

Huang Yao, who had once shared gossip about Sheng Xiangwan and Jiang Wang with Shi Niannian, hadn’t yet processed the situation before her.

“Would you like to sit at our table?” Sheng Xiangwan asked, arms crossed, eyebrow raised.

“No, thanks. I came with my classmates,” Shi Niannian replied.

“Don’t be like that. Everyone is very interested in you. They’ve all been wondering what kind of girl caught Jiang Wang’s eye,” Sheng Xiangwan said with a smile, linking her arm with Shi Niannian’s.

When she smiled, her features seemed even more strikingly beautiful, unlike how Shi Niannian remembered her from high school.

Her red lips curved. “After all, everyone knows Jiang Wang. Given your current relationship with him, you surely wouldn’t refuse us this courtesy.”

The people around joined in persuading her. The situation began to feel somewhat coercive. Shi Niannian wasn’t adept at handling such scenarios. Seeing Huang Yao looking awkward on the side, she told her to go back first.

Huang Yao didn’t fully understand the situation—they seemed somewhat familiar with each other. She advised Shi Niannian to return soon and left.

Shi Niannian wasn’t completely naive. This kind of jazz bar was quite safe. Given Jiang Wang’s current status, they wouldn’t dare do anything to her.

In the private room were several young men who looked like spoiled rich kids, probably all wealthy heirs. They all looked up when Shi Niannian entered.

Someone said, “Isn’t this Jiang Wang’s girlfriend?” and everyone finally recognized her.

Shi Niannian was pushed to sit at the side, while Sheng Xiangwan poured a glass of wine and set it on the glass table in front of her.

“Speaking of which, Jiang Wang is probably the most successful among us second-generation rich kids, right? But then again, he never mixed in our circle from the beginning.”

“His methods are ruthless. Back then, because of that department manager at Blue Elephant, he went up against such a big company. He’s quite a formidable character.”

“So many people were interested in him, so many climbed into his bed. Jiang Wang has had exceptional luck with women.”

This person spoke in a lowered voice, his words suggestively vague. He looked Shi Niannian up and down, then smiled, “I never expected he’d end up liking this type.”

Sheng Xiangwan sat to the side, smiling as she drank her wine, showing no intention of intervening.

Shi Niannian understood now—they couldn’t really do anything to her; they just purely wanted to make her uncomfortable.

She looked up, her expression unchanged, staring directly back at the man who had just spoken.

He didn’t mind, shrugging with a smile, lifting his wine glass toward Shi Niannian: “Well then, future Mrs. Jiang, have a drink with us.”

Shi Niannian didn’t move. Just as she was about to get up and leave, the door behind her opened. A man entered with a cold face, reached out to grab the wine glass in front of Shi Niannian, and slammed it directly onto the marble surface. The wine flowed down the tabletop.

He pulled Shi Niannian behind him: “Who do you think you are to ask her to drink with you?”

His words were harsh. Everyone here was accustomed to being arrogant and domineering, so their expressions immediately turned very unpleasant. But they were still wary of Jiang Wang and didn’t dare do anything.

He glanced at Sheng Xiangwan sitting in the center, his meaning unclear. He didn’t say anything, yet it made the air feel stagnant.

Shi Niannian was pulled down to the second floor, hurriedly returning to her seat to grab her bag. Huang Yao held her hand and cautiously glanced at Jiang Wang standing outside, asking in a low voice: “I was worried something might happen, so I asked Jiang Ling for Jiang Wang’s number. Are you two… okay?”

“We’re fine,” Shi Niannian smiled at her, thanked her in a low voice, then said goodbye to everyone before hurriedly leaving.

Jiang Wang had parked his car across the street, not even having time to turn around before rushing to find her.

Shi Niannian sat in the passenger seat, fastening her seatbelt. Jiang Wang remained silent, his expression still unrelaxed when viewed from the side—the look of him being angry.

Shi Niannian paused, also realizing how stupid her behavior of following Sheng Xiangwan had been. She reached out to place her hand on the back of his, with a placating intention: “Are you angry?”

Jiang Wang leaned back, glancing at her sideways, making an “mm” sound: “I’ll deal with you in a bit. Did they say anything to you just now?”

Shi Niannian thought for a moment, mumbling: “They said something about many people climbing into your bed and you having exceptional luck with women.”

“Do you believe it?”

“No.”

Jiang Wang’s index finger touched her earlobe: “Not too stupid after all.”

Unfairly called stupid, Shi Niannian avoided his finger unhappily: “They also mentioned something about Blue Elephant, but I didn’t understand.”

Jiang Wang frowned slightly. Shi Niannian caught it and asked, “What is that?”

“It’s Gao Sheng,” he said.

Shi Niannian suddenly felt a chill down her spine. Gao Sheng—the one Jiang Wang had stabbed before going to prison. She hadn’t heard Jiang Wang mention him again, assuming he had disappeared from Jiang Wang’s life afterward.

“It’s nothing major. He was a department manager at Blue Elephant at that time. I made him leave there.”

Shi Niannian had seen Gao Sheng deliberately provoke Jiang Wang, trying to send him back to prison, and felt the matter wasn’t so simple. Just as she was about to ask further, Jiang Wang flicked her forehead with his finger.

“Now let’s talk about your situation.”

She covered her forehead: “Hmm?”

“Do you know who those people were just now? How could you enter a private room with people you don’t even recognize?”

Shi Niannian hung her head, humbly listening to the reprimand, explaining with a good attitude: “I met Sheng Xiangwan in the restroom. She said everyone knew you, and if I didn’t go, it would be disrespectful to them.”

The little girl’s voice was soft, her tone curling and winding, tugging at one’s heartstrings, effortlessly wearing down one’s anger.

Jiang Wang leaned forward, kissed her lips, and said softly as their breaths intermingled: “Since you’ve married me, in the future, go to such events if you want to, and don’t go if you don’t want to. You don’t need to give face to anyone. Just do what makes you happy.”

Shi Niannian pursed her lips with a smile, unusually taking the initiative to hook her arms around his neck, lifting her chin to kiss him again.

Shi Niannian officially started her winter break, a rare leisure time. The next day at noon, she packed the meal prepared by their housekeeper in a lunch box and went to the company to find Jiang Wang.

The winter smog was heavy, and she wore a mask. She didn’t take it off when entering the elevator. Since she rarely came to the company, the others in the elevator didn’t recognize her.

“Has our company’s cooperation with Sheng Corporation been completely stopped?”

“Yes, Secretary Zhao just received the notice from the big boss this morning. I don’t know what happened. It was very sudden. Even the cooperation signed just a few days ago has been halted.”

“Doesn’t that mean we have to pay a lot of liquidated damages?”

“Sheng Corporation probably won’t ask our company for liquidated damages. Sheng Corporation’s development has been quite stagnant these years; they can’t afford to sour relations with Jiang Corporation. I suspect there’s some inside story.”

“Isn’t the Sheng family’s daughter Sheng Xiangwan? The one who was frantically pursuing our CEO before? Could it be related to our CEO’s wife?”

When one person said this, it immediately drew agreement from those around.

“I think it’s possible! The Sheng family’s daughter deliberately made things difficult for our Bao Si, and then our ‘King You of Jiang’ threw away a fortune, lighting the beacon towers just to make his beauty smile?”

“…”

Standing in the corner of the elevator, the mentioned “Bao Si” Shi Niannian became increasingly afraid to make a sound as she listened, fearing she might attract their attention.

The elevator stopped at the 12th floor, and everyone got off, leaving only Shi Niannian. She continued to the 19th floor where Jiang Wang’s office was located.

Secretary Zhao, seeing that it was her, simply said: “Mr. Jiang is inside,” without even announcing her.

When she pushed the door open, Jiang Wang was looking down at something. Only when she placed the lunch box on the desk did he look up. Seeing it was her, he smiled, pulling her to sit on his lap: “You have a rare chance to rest, and yet you came here?”

Shi Niannian said, “It’s because I have a rare chance to rest that I could come.”

She took out the small dishes from the lunchbox one by one. After eating for a while, she recalled what people were saying in the elevator: “I just heard your company staff saying you’ve terminated the contract with Sheng Corporation?”

“Mm.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t Sheng Xiangwan upset you yesterday?”

So it was because of her…

It was what those people said about “Bao Si” and “King You of Jiang.”

Shi Niannian hadn’t expected Jiang Wang to do this. In her impression, Jiang Wang should be calm and collected in his work.

She bit her chopsticks and said seriously, “You can’t terminate a contract with such a large company over something like this.”

Jiang Wang looked up: “Hmm?”

“Your employees will think you’re a foolish ruler.”

Foolish ruler.

Jiang Wang narrowed his eyes: “What exactly did you hear people saying?”

“They said you’re ‘King You of Jiang,’ throwing away a fortune and lighting the beacon towers just for me.”

Jiang Wang laughed softly: “Isn’t that exactly right?”

Shi Niannian looked at him.

Jiang Wang reached out, lifting her chin slightly: “I’ve already thrown away a fortune, so why isn’t this beauty smiling yet?”