Chapter 14: Miss Shan Is the First.
When Pu Huaiyan set out to fire Shen Jiani, she was staunch and unyielding at first, claiming she didn’t care and asserting that she was resigning of her own accord, not being fired. But the moment she saw Pu Huaiyan pull out his phone to call Li Zhou and heard the name of that homemewrecker mentioned during the call, she suddenly snapped back to reality, as though a bucket of freezing rain had been dumped over her head… If she went back to New York, there would be no more fun gossip to follow! Her oldest brother, Pu Huaixin, was already married, and her sister-in-law was also a Jiangnan local. They were madly in love, so going back meant she could only be a third wheel, unable to witness any exciting progress in their love life!
It was over. She felt her pride had completely blinded her earlier; compared to New York, China was far more suitable for her vacation.
Seeing President Pu hang up the phone, she let out an awkward laugh and whimpered in a tiny voice, “Gege, I don’t want to go back anymore.”
“Get out of my face.”
“…”
Pu Huaiyan stood up to head home. As he walked around the executive desk, his Secretary Shen grabbed onto his arm with a face full of utter piety: “Gege, I was wrong. Please don’t fire me, I was wrong.”
He pryed her fingers off one by one and said with a cold face, “Go back to your New York or Toronto. If I see you again, I’ll beat you to death.”
“…”
Shen Jiani flopped straight onto her knees while holding his arm, her tear-stained eyes looking endlessly pitiful like pear blossoms in the rain1: “Waaah, Gege, I’m not leaving! Don’t drive me away, waaah!”
“…”
Pu Huaiyan looked up at the sky and slowly closed his eyes… How could such a shameless creature exist on this earth?
He walked away directly.
Shen Jiani scrambled up and scrambled after him in a frantic rush.
Upon reaching the garage, Pu Huaiyan was about to leave and refused to let her get into the car. She threw herself onto the hood of the Bentley, looking immensely wronged: “Gege, just run me over and kill me then! You can just ship my corpse back to Toronto!”
“…”
Pu Huaiyan stood in a deadlock with her for five minutes before that little demon finally managed to climb into the vehicle.
Shen Jiani giggled mischievously, not daring to utter a single word the entire ride back.
In truth, they didn’t have a home here; while in Lan City, they stayed at a hotel. Thus, the moment they arrived at the hotel, Pu Huaiyan ignored her completely, shutting the door firmly as if he didn’t even know her.
When her oldest brother, Pu Huaixin, woke up during the day, he sent her a message explaining: “Xiaoci, don’t talk recklessly in front of your Second Brother in the future. ‘Homewrecker’ doesn’t mean what you think it means. A ‘homewrecker’ refers to a male third party. The person you were talking about was having an affair, not acting as a homewrecker.”
“WHAT???!”
“Yes. Also, um, you should actually tell your Second Brother to pace himself. It’s best to start his pursuit only after she is completely divorced. Otherwise, if things aren’t handled properly, he might end up becoming that very ‘homewrecker.’”
“?????? No wonder he was so angry!! He wanted to fire me, and he only forgave me after I knelt on the floor for an hour!”
“…”
Pu Huaixin immediately sent another message: “Knelt for an hour? Then forget it, don’t say a word. Don’t end up getting beaten to death by your Second Brother; I’ll talk to him myself.”
“…”
That night in Lan City, the sky was clear and the moon shone brightly. The late-night city felt as if someone had pressed a noise-canceling button, so quiet that one’s breath was audible.
Pu Huaiyan sat on the hotel terrace smoking, facing a shimmering infinity pool in front of him. The reflection of the water danced across the shore, casting rippling waves onto his black bathrobe.
The man stared blankly at the quiet neon lights of the city, pondering how to advance his quest to win back his wife…
Forcing Lu Zhixing to get a divorce would be as easy as flipping a hand, but Shan Dai would never agree to it. He also respected her gratitude toward the past and was unwilling to manipulate this matter selfishly.
Yet if she couldn’t get a divorce, her heart would remain occupied by this ordeal, never freeing up space to accommodate someone else—morally forbidden, and spatially impossible.
Furthermore, once they returned to Beijing, half of China would separate the two cities, leaving virtually zero opportunities to speak with her…
Pu Huaiyan tapped the ash into the ashtray, his brow furrowing slightly.
His oldest brother’s phone call crashed into Pu Huaiyan’s tangled thoughts right at this moment. He casually picked up the phone and held it to his ear.
Pu Huaixin first asked how his work had been lately and whether he planned to focus his development domestically, before steering the conversation toward asking how he could make Xiaoci kneel for an hour, prompting Pu Huaiyan to let out a short laugh.
“Do you believe she knelt for an hour, or do you believe I’m Pangu2?”
“…”
The man took a drag of his cigarette and narrowed his eyes at the dim, fading lights of the city, feeling immensely reluctant to leave.
Pu Huaixin let out a dry laugh over the line before changing the topic again. “Huaiyan, do you really like someone who’s on her second marriage?”
The man murmured low, “First marriage.”
“Huh? Didn’t Xiaoci say…”
“They haven’t divorced yet. Whether she remarries or not is an unknown variable, so how does that count as a second marriage?”
“…” Pu Huaixin couldn’t help laughing. “It seems you truly like her. Alright, I just wanted to tell you something useful. Xiaoci said that girl is a Jiangnan local?”
“Mm.”
“Where in Jiangnan? Your sister-in-law is from Jiangnan too.”
“I don’t know yet.”
“You chased after her without even knowing that, and even explicitly demanded her from her husband.”
Pu Huaiyan sneered, “I don’t want to explain; translating Chinese to Chinese is exhausting. I can only say that if you trust that little demon’s Chinese fluency and her ability to turn black into white, she won’t make it very far in life.”
“…”
Pu Huaixin chuckled for a moment before defending his youngest sister, “The child felt wronged, so she just babbled a bit. Our Xiaoci is a good kid, not a demon.”
The call lasted for an hour. Pu Huaixin stopped bringing up Shen Jiani—who was infuriating enough to drive anyone crazy—and instead spoke of his own romance history, which was the only reason the call sustained itself for so long.
Back in 2007, Pu Huaixin’s wife was an employee at Taiheng Group. Later, unable to survive due to Taiheng Group’s corruption, she moved to work in the United States. Upon Pu Huaixin’s invitation, she joined his company in America.
In 2009, they registered their marriage.
Pu Huaiyan took mental note of every single turning point, cause, and condition in this story.
…
Shan Dai hadn’t expected that three days after that dinner ended, Pu Huaiyan still hadn’t returned to Beijing. Instead, he had Secretary Shen contact her, stating he wanted to meet and discuss something with her.
Shan Dai intuitively knew it had to do with Lu Zhixing.
It was a Friday night. Pu Huaiyan likely knew she didn’t have to work on Saturday, which was why he arranged to meet her late at night. He still brought Secretary Shen along, fearing that meeting her alone might tarnish her reputation.
Receiving the message late at night, she put on an autumn trench coat, slipped into a pair of flats, and headed out without a stroke of makeup.
The party of three went to the riverside in Lan City, right by the river near Xieshaan. It was nearly midnight; the subway had long closed, and the landmark city lights across the river had extinguished one by one. The sprawling expanse of glitz and glamour lost its color, turning into a concrete forest materialized straight out of a book. Thus, even for a first-tier metropolis, the riverside at this hour was exceedingly quiet, with hardly a soul in sight.
Upon arrival, Secretary Shen didn’t get out of the car. Pu Huaiyan stepped out, and seeing this, Shan Dai followed him down.
They strolled leisurely against the night breeze toward the riverbank. After a few steps, Pu Huaiyan stopped beside a section of railings, both hands shoved in his pockets.
Shan Dai stood quietly without speaking either. She knew she didn’t need to bring up topics tonight, and Pu Huaiyan was a true gentleman who wouldn’t put a woman in a difficult position.
After a moment, the man indeed turned his head toward her and said, “Because the company has made new arrangements regarding the career paths of Lu Zhixing and that manager, I had a conversation with Lu Zhixing while I was at it. I’m sorry, my persuasion didn’t get him to agree to a divorce.”
Shan Dai turned her head to meet his eyes, offering a faint smile: “It’s alright. This wasn’t President Pu’s responsibility to begin with, so his thoughts aren’t President Pu’s fault.”
Pu Huaiyan: “However, there is something I would like to remind Ms. Shan about.”
“Mm?”
“He said his father is critically ill and requires surgery, which is why he submitted his resignation. But as far as I know, his father’s condition isn’t a major issue—far from as severe as he claimed. So he will likely use this excuse to keep stalling and avoid a divorce.”
Shan Dai pressed her lips together in silence. A sudden gust of river breeze blew up her jet-black, silky long hair, causing the strands to unfurl like fine silk. The wind tonight was strong, making even the hem of Pu Huaiyan’s suit coat struggle to lay flat, constantly fluttering up and down.
Pu Huaiyan: “Furthermore, he submitted his resignation claiming it was for his family’s sake, but I happen to know he has already onboarded at a new company. So I suspect he left Yanxin because many people here know you, making it inconvenient for him to interact with others.”
Shan Dai let out a bitter laugh, slowly shaking her head with a smile as her gaze scattered over the river water. “After all these years, I find myself admiring this person once again.”
Pu Huaiyan let out a gentle sigh, suppressing the dense, aching pain surging in his heart. “His new company is also located in Lan City, right within the commercial district, so… you might bump into people you’d rather not see.”
“It’s fine,” she said lightly. “A minor issue like this isn’t on my mind.”
“You don’t want me to handle this through forceful means, do you? If you want, I have plenty of ways to make him nod and agree to a divorce, immediately.”
“No need,” she shook her head. “I don’t want to trouble President Pu any further.” After a brief pause, she turned her head to look at him, smiling, “Does President Pu know? At this moment, it’s actually not that I don’t want to trouble you, but rather that I feel it’s no longer worth it. It’s already a matter not worth expending mental energy on, and a person not worth expending mental energy for—just like you told me, don’t feel sad or heartbroken over him.”
Pu Huaiyan gazed into her sparkling, light-filled eyes. The lights along the river were dim and sparse, yet her eyes were as stunningly beautiful as stars.
She smiled faintly and turned her head back to look across the river.
Pu Huaiyan slowly snapped out of that captivating smile and nodded: “I respect Ms. Shan’s thoughts, but… would you consider changing locations yourself?”
Shan Dai turned back to look at him again, raising her brows, “Mm?”
Pu Huaiyan had never averted his eyes, and in the blink of an eye, he once again met a pair of eyes shimmering like water in the wind. “I’ve said before, you’re welcome to come to Beijing. This time, let me be specific: Ms. Shan is welcome to come to Beijing to develop your career and leave this place behind.”
Shan Dai paused, then let out a soft laugh, tilting her head to glance at the river surface.
The wind blew up her flowing long hair once more. The fishing lights cast a glow onto the side of her face turned toward the river, making Pu Huaiyan’s eyes completely lose their ability to blink…
Shan Dai: “It’s a good suggestion, but I can’t just leave like this without getting a divorce, right? It’s fine; I’ll find a way to get him to divorce.”
Pu Huaiyan: “Then come after the divorce.”
She turned back to look at him: “Thank you for your warm hospitality, President Pu. Given the chance, I will definitely go. But before going there to expand my career, an opportunity for a business trip might come much sooner. If I go, I still hope you’ll let me treat you to a meal.”
He nodded, “Alright, I’ll be waiting.”
Shan Dai shifted the topic: “Are you leaving tomorrow?”
“Mm.”
“No wonder it’s so late.” She said with guilt, “Sorry for troubling you and Secretary Shen. At this hour, it feels like we are the only three people left in the entire city.”
With both hands in his pockets, the man stood facing the river with an air of effortless nonchalance. “Lu Zhixing is truly a fool. He doesn’t realize that standing right here, I feel infinitely honored.”
Shan Dai froze, a subtle warmth creeping onto her cheeks in the chilly night breeze.
“How has President Pu’s hand been doing these past few days?”
“Much better. What about you? Has your fever cleared?”
“It has.”
The wind on the river surface was strong, so Pu Huaiyan began walking back.
When stepping down the stairs, he pulled his hand out of his pocket and extended it toward Shan Dai.
Without any hesitation, she rested her hand on his, holding onto him as they navigated a few wooden steps with poor visibility.
Inside the car, Shen Jiani rapidly took two photos of them holding hands, intending to use them later to negotiate for her job back, as Pu Huaiyan still hadn’t agreed to rehire her.
Stepping into the car cabin, the leather front passenger seat—which had been empty when Shan Dai left earlier—was now occupied by a bouquet of pink roses. The pink blossoms looked exceptionally vivid against the black seat, especially at such a midnight hour.
Shan Dai paused her movement to get in, looking at them with curiosity.
Pu Huaiyan was already seated in the driver’s seat. Looking over, he said to her, “I ruined Ms. Shan’s mood tonight, consider this compensation.”
She raised her eyes in surprise, staring blankly at him across the front cabin through the hazy lights, before slowly letting out a bitter smile. “President Pu, how can I possibly accept this? You came out in the middle of the night so selflessly for my sake.”
“Get in.” He didn’t pick up the topic, simply gesturing for her to step inside.
Shan Dai picked up the flowers. Shen Jiani giggled from the back: “Do you like them, Ms. Shan? I bought them~”
Shan Dai sat down, turning her head to give her a sweet smile: “I love them. Thank you, Secretary Shen, I love them very much.” She tilted her head to look at the man starting the car, “Thank you, President Pu.” She genuinely felt her mood hadn’t been affected much, even remarking with emotion, “I haven’t received flowers in months; it’s been a very happy evening.”
Pu Huaiyan nodded, the corners of his lips curving high.
Shan Dai took a sniff of the floral fragrance, suddenly murmuring, “Rather than going to Beijing, at this moment, I truly feel reluctant to part with Secretary Shen and President Pu. It’d be so nice if you two could stay a bit longer.”
Shen Jiani chimed in, “If not for this matter, would Ms. Shan still come out to have dinner and meet with us?”
“Of course,” she nodded earnestly.
Shen Jiani: “Then I’m super happy! Ms. Shan is such a wonderful friend. Do you consider President Pu a friend too?”
Shan Dai was suddenly so embarrassed she couldn’t speak. “President Pu, um…” She smiled faintly, “For an ordinary person like me, being friends with President Pu holds no real value, but having the opportunity to treat you two to dinner is my honor.”
Pu Huaiyan shot her a side glance, remaining silent.
Shan Dai felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze, stealing a peek at him, “President Pu… what’s wrong?”
Pu Huaiyan: “I indeed don’t have the habit of interacting excessively with women.”
Shan Dai became even more uneasy in an instant, letting out a dry laugh without speaking.
Pu Huaiyan: “Ms. Shan is the first.”
Translator’s note:
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