Chapter 37: A Fatal Three-Choice Dilemma
At that moment, the resplendent city lights behind him faded into a mere backdrop. The smile and tenderness in Pu Huaiyan’s eyes were more dazzling than any neon hues, and his conviction surpassed even the forest of skyscrapers that filled the metropolis.
He was so utterly certain—about her.
Yet, Shan Dai couldn’t lump him together with men like Lu Zhixing. They were as different as heaven and earth; she couldn’t bear to draw such a comparison.
If a man like him could also turn into an ex, then there truly wouldn’t be anyone left on Earth worth loving.
She simply couldn’t help but turn her head away, pouting her lips in aggrieved protest. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
He let out a low chuckle, placing his hands on her shoulders to turn her back toward the floor-to-ceiling window. “Then let’s look at the view, alright? Consider it our first time admiring the view in our new home.”
“…” In our new home… Our… new home?
“Can I share a bit about myself with you?” Pu Huaiyan asked tentatively. “Are you interested in hearing it today? If not, we can save it for next time.”
Shan Dai didn’t know how to express herself.
Pu Huaiyan glanced at her reflection in the glass, watching her eyes blink flusteredly, and the corners of his lips curved upward. “How about I ask you a few questions first?”
“Mm.”
“Are you an only child?”
“Mm, yeah.” She nodded. “Just my dad, my mom, and me—a family of three. Our family is really poor.”
Pu Huaiyan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Shan Dai didn’t understand why he was laughing and emphasized, “We really are very poor.”
Pu Huaiyan replied, “I didn’t ask about that, so you don’t need to volunteer it.”
“…” She lowered her head and let out a soft huff.
The corners of Pu Huaiyan’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “Daidai.”
Shan Dai wasn’t used to him calling her that. She always felt it sounded overly intimate. Hearing it now, her entire body involuntarily leaned against the glass, seeking a bit of support.
Pu Huaiyan said, “In my family, I have an older sister who is ten years older than me.”
“Mm.” Xiaoci had mentioned at his birthday banquet that his eldest sister used to scold him, and he himself had mentioned that his sister managed the family affairs.
Pu Huaiyan continued, “My parents divorced when I was very young, and both of them remarried and formed their own families. I have a few half-brothers on my father’s side, but none on my mother’s.”
“Mm.” She reflexively fixed her gaze on his tall reflection in the glass. Whenever these topics came up, she couldn’t help but feel that his figure carried a trace of loneliness. In her mind, Pu Huaiyan’s life should have been—and ought to remain forever—a path strewn with blooming flowers.
Pu Huaiyan added, “As for family affairs, the one calling the shots used to be the Matriarch—my grandmother. But as she got older over the years, she gradually stepped back and handed everything over to my sister.”
“Mm.”
“Most of the family resides in North America, spread across cities like New York, Chicago, Toronto, and Vancouver. I was born in Toronto. After my parents separated, I lived with my youngest uncle’s family until I went to the US for college. The house belonged to my parents, so I didn’t live there.”
“Mhm, mhm.”
“It’s a big family, but because past marriage outcomes in the family have been rather average, I don’t believe there will be any obstacles to us being together. Especially with my eldest brother setting a precedent—his wife is also from the Jiangnan region, Licheng, which seems to be just a small city as well.”
Shan Dai suddenly turned around. “Really? He’s married?”
“He got married back in 2009.”
A weight suddenly lifted from Shan Dai’s heart. But the moment her eyes met his, she immediately turned back away, feeling self-conscious.
Pu Huaiyan’s gaze remained firmly glued to the girl’s snow-white profile. “Can I ask you just one question?”
“Mm,” she replied, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.
Pu Huaiyan asked, “Am I in your heart?”
Shan Dai’s breathing instantly went haywire. She lowered her head, far too embarrassed to make a sound.
Pu Huaiyan said, “Just give me a single word. Let me know that it’s not just my own unrequited wish.”
Shan Dai was completely speechless, but his gaze was scorching hot. In this lush dusk, it felt like the blazing midday sun, threatening to melt her away.
In the end, she faltered hesitantly, “President Pu should already be able to guess… seven or eight out of ten.”
“Seven or eight isn’t enough.”
“…”
“As a person, I strive for perfection, and what’s between us deserves to be completely perfect.”
Shan Dai’s heart thumped frantically a few times. Outside, the starry sky was breathtakingly beautiful. The crisscrossing avenues of Lan City woven together the vibrant tapestry of a thriving metropolis. Looking down from the high-rise felt just like Pu Huaiyan peering right into her soul at this moment—he saw through everything clearly. He simply wanted a definitive answer. As a big boss, he understood that everything had to be finalized to count; a mere hunch didn’t mean anything.
“You… you can do whatever you want to do. I’ve never rejected you, President Pu,” Shan Dai whispered, keeping her head lowered. No matter how stunning the starry night sky was, she could no longer bring herself to look at it.
Pu Huaiyan chuckled softly. “Thank you. Daidai, I promise, I swear, I will win you over.”
The subtext behind those words was: I promise, I swear, I will never let you down in this lifetime.
An unexpected sting hit the corners of Shan Dai’s eyes. Suddenly, the city’s glory felt lonely and colorless, completely losing its power to captivate her.
Suddenly, she turned around, reached her arms around the man’s waist, and buried her cheek into the crook of his shoulder.
Pu Huaiyan’s body stiffened for a fraction of a second before he swiftly wrapped his arms around her in response. One hand caressed the back of her head while the other pressed against her slender back.
“Daidai.”
She nuzzled against his shoulder, murmuring softly right beside his chest, “Actually… I should be grateful. Grateful that during the most wretched time of my life, you always thought I was the best.”
“You were already the best to begin with; you don’t need my validation.” His voice by her ear was magnetic and gentle, like a night breeze. “My words of affirmation are just my greedy wish to possess you. When I want something, I naturally can’t stay silent.”
Shan Dai’s voice grew even rasper. “Except for you, no one else would say these things to me.” Truth be told, even though she was clearly smitten with him, why couldn’t she remain calm whenever she faced Lu Zhixing? Why was she still weighed down by sorrow? It was because she used to naively believe her life was complete and happy, only for him to deal her a devastating blow.
She had never been able to let it go.
In this ordinary, mortal life, it was hard for anyone to be so confident and serene as to firmly believe they were a standout among the rest of the world.
It was extraordinarily difficult.
As if understanding the helplessness in her heart, Pu Huaiyan said, “Then I’ll say it. Starting today, until the end of this lifetime, I will keep telling you—you are the best, completely beyond compare.”
Shan Dai sniffled, holding him tightly, reluctant to let go.
It didn’t matter who owned the city’s gorgeous night view or the warm lights filling this apartment. If Pu Huaiyan belonged to her, none of those things were worth fussing over.
All she knew was that everything before her eyes would become the backdrop to her urban night dream, serving as a resplendent prelude to this evening.
And Pu Huaiyan was the person who, even without an official title, could give her the deepest, warmest embrace.
This embrace lasted a long time. The feeling of their heartbeats comforting each other was utterly intoxicating.
Later, Pu Huaiyan held her hand and showed her around the layout of the apartment.
Only then did Shan Dai realize that ever since she mentioned wanting to buy a flat back in Beijing, Pu Huaiyan had already started looking at properties in Lan City. This was a sprawling flat of nearly five hundred square meters on the thirty-third floor. It occupied the entire floor with private elevator access. Not only was the view absolutely breathtaking, but it was also impeccably quiet. Most importantly, it was situated right across from the CBD. Even during peak traffic, driving to her company would only take a few traffic lights—no more than fifteen minutes. If she took a leisurely stroll, she could get there in ten minutes.
Working here, she would never have to leave home half an hour early again.
When they headed back later that evening, Pu Huaiyan drove her to the entrance of Silver Apartments.
This time, instead of stopping at the main gate, Pu Huaiyan drove right inside and dropped her off directly beneath her building. Standing amid the swaying shadows of the trees, he watched her enter the elevator.
It wasn’t until she sent him a message saying she was safely inside her apartment that he finally left, reassured.
After taking a shower, Shan Dai sat in her room with her laptop, diligently working until almost midnight. Only then did she send a message to Ziming asking if she was free.
Ziming replied: [Just finished dinner with Bentley Bro after getting off the plane.]
Guessing that Bentley Bro would definitely pick her up at the airport, Shan Dai hadn’t sent a message earlier.
Before she could even ask about Ziming’s situation, Shan Dai couldn’t help thinking about Pu Huaiyan. Next time she flew to Beijing, he would probably come to pick her up at the airport too, right?
Ziming didn’t even take the time to share her own updates before frantically probing: [How did it go? How did it feel meeting President Pu? Bentley Bro just drove past the Yanxin Times area, and I saw their company’s two office towers. Sky, at that moment I couldn’t help but sigh that President Pu is truly worth it—he’s ridiculously rich!]
“…” Shan Dai smiled and replied: [He confessed.]
[AHHHHHHH!!! President Pu really couldn’t hold back at all!]
[He asked if he could pursue me, not if we could be together.]
[OH MY GOD!!!!! What a gentleman! As expected of someone who came back from North America, wwww my heart is fluttering for you!]
[He gave me a house. We just went to check it out.]
[???????]
[It’s right across from our company, Houyuan.]
[OH MY GOD!] Ziming gritted her teeth in awe. [Gifting a car and a house all in a single day—he’s number one in the whole wide world! I can’t even bring myself to buy a place there for myself. I’m completely sold on President Pu; he is SO worth it!]
Shan Dai smiled faintly: [I couldn’t refuse it, so now…]
[Now just sit back and enjoy President Pu’s pursuit!] Ziming was thrilled. [An open, above-board pursuit is the absolute most charming thing ever, ahhhh! Enjoy it to the fullest, Daidai. Just thinking about it is wonderful!]
Shan Dai didn’t know why she had stayed up so late waiting for Ziming, nor were the few things they discussed particularly critical. Yet, after chatting, her floating heart seemed to settle down peacefully. She felt happy, and the corners of her mouth curled upward uncontrollably.
With someone supporting her, she could always move forward with greater confidence.
After catching up a bit on Ziming and Bentley Bro’s progress, Shan Dai went to sleep. They had to leave for Jincheng at nine tomorrow morning, so she couldn’t sleep in until noon.
Just as she laid her phone down, it chimed with the familiar WeChat notification sound.
The name “Pu Huaiyan” floated to the top of her chat list.
[Good night.]
Shan Dai buried her face in the covers, muttering bashfully to herself in a quiet voice, “Oh dear, is President Pu going to check in daily with these two words? Why is he being so serious?”
Despite her words, she picked up her phone and quickly replied: [Good night, President Pu ~]
The person on the other end would probably have the corners of his mouth turned way up right now, wouldn’t he? Mm, hopefully.
In the middle of the night, a misty rain fell over Lan City once again. Though it was the height of summer, there was a subtle hint of autumn in the air, wonderfully cool and refreshing.
When she woke up early in the morning, the entire city was damp with moisture.
After having breakfast at home, Pu Huaiyan and Li Zhou had already arrived at the entrance of the Silver Apartments complex. Shan Dai jogged out and climbed into the back seat.
Li Zhou was at the wheel. She greeted him, “Assistant Li, good morning! I’m really sorry to trouble you with driving to such a distant place again. I’ll treat you to a meal when we get back.”
Li Zhou smiled. “Good morning, Miss Shan. Please don’t be so polite. I treat this as a little trip anyway—it’s great, much more fun than staying in the office all day.”
Shan Dai stole a glance at the man sitting beside her. He was looking right at her. When she returned his gaze, the two of them just stared at each other, neither willing to look away first.
After a long moment, the dear President Pu finally couldn’t hold back anymore and took the initiative to speak. “Why aren’t you greeting me?”
“…” Shan Dai chuckled. “Good morning, President Pu. There was a huge clap of thunder last night; did you sleep well?”
“The air quality in Lan City isn’t as good as Jincheng’s.”
“…” Suppressing a laugh, Shan Dai turned her head away, completely helpless. This man was truly too skilled at spouting nonsense with a straight face.
Li Zhou was entirely in the dark about what had transpired during those brief few hours yesterday after returning. He assumed their relationship was still the same as before—neither too close nor too distant, basically friends, just with a touch more closeness than ordinary friends.
There wasn’t much chatting on the trip today. Shan Dai felt a bit sleepy and slept for two hours.
During the second half of the journey, Pu Huaiyan took over the wheel. She didn’t move to the front either, leaving the passenger seat to Li Zhou so the two of them could discuss work. When she woke up, she joined a remote meeting with her company staff, only to realize a suit jacket was draped over her.
It was Pu Huaiyan’s suit jacket, carrying his distinct and charming cedar fragrance.
They arrived in downtown Jincheng at one in the afternoon. After grabbing a bite to eat and resting for a bit, they didn’t head to her family home until three in the afternoon.
Truth be told, the road conditions today were even worse. After being washed over by the torrential rain two nights ago, those pothole-ridden roads had turned into oversized craters filled with loose stones and deep ruts.
To be honest, sitting in the car, Shan Dai felt her face burning slightly… Anyone would find it a bit embarrassing for their hometown to be like this, let alone with a wealthy man beside her who had lived in North America for over twenty years, only returning to the country two years ago to settle down in the capital.
Fortunately, the big boss didn’t show any sign of disdain. He knew the road was ruined, but with a wave of his hand, he was already donating tens of millions—whoosh, gone just like that.
She stole a glance at Pu Huaiyan.
Pu Huaiyan glanced back at her, seemingly knowing what she was scheming in her heart. He spoke up right away: “Look at this road, and you still don’t want it repaired?”
“…” She mumbled, “I didn’t say it shouldn’t be repaired.”
“Oh.”
“…”
Shan Dai lowered her head and ate some fruit—it was bought in the city at noon, bought specifically for her by President Pu.
This small place couldn’t provide the pretty little cakes she liked, so he could only buy her some fruit to snack on during the drive.
Pu Huaiyan was chuckling. Annoyed, she stuffed the fruit box into his arms. “Stop talking.”
“I wasn’t even talking. Madam is just falsely accusing me.”
“…”
When they arrived home, it was just before four o’clock. The people from the county government had been invited but hadn’t arrived yet. The moment Shan Dai entered the house, she went to the corner of the coffee table, picked up that framed family photo, walked to the front door, and tossed it straight into the trash can.
After going back inside to brew a pot of tea, she went to the kitchen to figure out dinner. Tonight, they would definitely be eating at home, unlike the situation two nights ago.
Pu Huaiyan witnessed her throwing away the photo frame the entire time, feeling an indescribably wonderful mood.
Shan Dai didn’t know why he was casually hanging around to keep her company instead of sitting outside. Outside, there was only Li Zhou sitting nervously on the sofa like he was the host, stealing glances at the two of them every now and then.
Shan Dai also stole glances at Pu Huaiyan. He stood with his hands tucked in his trousers pockets, casually looking around her family’s tiny kitchen of just a few square meters.
After Shan Dai looked one too many times, she was caught red-handed again. But she didn’t feel shy; instead, she started a proper conversation: “Let’s eat here tonight. Then, later, we can go to the city together to stay at a hotel and head back tomorrow.”
“We can eat here now?”
“The neighbor’s water pipe has been fixed.”
“…” He let out a silent laugh.
Shan Dai’s face flushed slightly, but she maintained a serious tone: “It’s true! I didn’t deliberately refuse to let you eat here two nights ago. My neighbor’s water pipe really was broken. I just saw that the pipe outside the door has been replaced with a new one, so they shouldn’t need to come over anymore.”
“I know.” He looked at her. “I wasn’t insisting on eating here that night either.”
“…” Shan Dai muttered under her breath, “Your face looked so terrible.”
Pu Huaiyan’s heart melted completely. He glanced outside, verifying that Li Zhou couldn’t see where Shan Dai was standing. Then he stepped over, standing right behind her as they looked at the ingredients in the fridge together. “Did my face really look that bad?”
“Mm.” She nodded solemnly.
“I’m sorry, Madam.”
A ticklish warmth brushed past Shan Dai’s ears, and her heart instantly panicked. She hurriedly turned her head and whispered an explanation, “I didn’t mean to blame you, really! President Pu, please don’t say that.”
A soft glow hovered in the corners of Pu Huaiyan’s eyes and brows, mingled with a hint of helplessness. “Can’t you call me something nicer? Even calling me by my name works. Why did it turn back into ‘President Pu’ again?”
“…” She explained once more, “Isn’t this… a respectful title?”
“My self-restraint is lacking, and now I seem to be unhappy again.”
“…” Shan Dai stopped mid-sentence. Under his playful gaze, she bit her lip, pondered for a moment, and murmured, “I’ve invited you to eat here tonight, and you’re still unhappy?”
“Mm. I’ll wait until after we finish this dinner.” He reached past her body to pat a tomato in the fridge. “In the future, my face will definitely look great, and I’ll be happy for the rest of my life.”
“…” She burst into laughter. How could someone be so thick-skinned?
Suddenly, a commotion sounded from outside. Startled, Shan Dai immediately pushed him. “Quick, quick, quick! People are here; go outside!”
However, President Pu’s legs seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, moving sluggishly. He even took the opportunity to lower his voice and whisper in her ear, “The person footing the bill never needs to rush. The ones bowing and scraping with submissive smiles aren’t us. Learn a thing or two, President Shan.”
“…” She gave him a gentle kick. “I don’t need your teaching! Learning from you for too long will turn me into a ruthless merchant.”
Pu Huaiyan’s eyes crinkled as he looked at her with a meaningful expression. “You don’t need to learn—you’re already a master at it. Lan City’s number one most arrogant female boss, treating me with this attitude.”
“…” Laughing, she pushed him away and turned back, unable to handle this man any longer.
After the polite exchange of pleasantries between the group outside and Li Zhou subsided, Pu Huaiyan finally slid open the kitchen door in a leisurely manner and walked toward the living room.
Li Zhou raised a hand to introduce the tall, young man strolling over to the three visitors: “This is Mr. Pu Huaiyan, the President of our Yanxin Times.”
With a rustle of clothing, the group immediately stood up.
“Hello, Mr. Pu! Hello!”
“Good day, Mr. Pu…”
“Please sit.” Acting like the host of the house, Pu Huaiyan walked over to the long sofa and raised his hand slightly, signaling that there was no need for formalities.
Shan Dai didn’t step out. In the living room, only Li Zhou was busy pouring tea. From her perspective, she could see Pu Huaiyan lounging lazily against the back of the sofa with his long legs crossed. The bright light streaming through the bay window behind him illuminated the living room, making the Charles-blue shirt he wore look stunningly sharp—it emphasized his lofty, untouchable air.
Shan Dai stayed in the kitchen eating fruit, nibbling on a strawberry while stealing glances at Pu Huaiyan. His expression remained calm and unruffled, like the clouds outside the window, as he quietly listened to the government officials explain the classification of that road and the subsequent plans.
The officials in the group all wore warm smiles, speaking in soft, gentle tones with a well-measured cadence. Whenever Pu Huaiyan shifted his posture slightly or picked up his teacup to take a sip, their speech would pause briefly. They would exchange glances, check his expression and demeanor, and then resume their explanation.
At this moment, Shan Dai completely understood what Pu Huaiyan meant when he said that the person footing the bill didn’t need to bow and scrape—he was the one in power.
The discussion didn’t take long. Since Pu Huaiyan had already decided to make the donation, there was no need for them to work hard to secure the funds. Thus, after roughly half an hour of covering the formal application, review, and implementation procedures, everyone stood up to take their leave.
They offered to treat Pu Huaiyan to dinner, but he politely declined, stating that he had matters to attend to and needed to leave Jincheng.
The group expressed their deep regret, shook hands, and prepared to leave, saying they wouldn’t keep him any longer.
Shan Dai finally stepped out of the kitchen because Li Zhou had suddenly sent her a text saying Pu Huaiyan wanted her to join him in seeing the guests off.
The three county government officials had probably assumed no one else was home, so when a woman suddenly emerged from the kitchen—wearing a satin dress with waist-length hair cascading down, completely makeup-free with skin as white as snow—the moment she turned to smile at them, the sunlight in the room seemed to dazzle a bit brighter.
The men were all stunned for a second.
Shan Dai nodded to them and walked alongside Pu Huaiyan to see them off.
“Alright, Mr. Pu and Madam, please stay inside; there’s no need to see us out. Thank you so much!” Once they reached the main gate outside the courtyard, a man in his thirties turned to say to the two of them.
Shan Dai: “…”
Just as she was at a loss for how to respond and was about to default to silence, Pu Huaiyan spoke up: “This lady’s surname is Shan; this is her home. She owns her own enterprise in Lan City, and she contributed a portion of the thirty million yuan in funding. So, you can remember her name—Shan Dai, Shan as in mountain, and Dai as in the green of distant mountains. There’s no need to address her as madam.”
The men were all greatly surprised and immediately stepped forward to shake hands with Shan Dai. “Hello, President Shan! Hello, President Shan! Thank you, thank you for your generosity in contributing to the construction of your hometown!”
Shan Dai gave a dry laugh, her face flushing red as she shook hands with each of them one by one before seeing them off.
Just as she turned back to enter the house, a middle-aged woman emerged from the neighboring yard and called out to her, “Daidai, you’re back!”
Shan Dai, Pu Huaiyan, and Li Zhou all turned to look back together.
It was her neighbor auntie. Shan Dai’s heart instantly skipped a beat, but she put on a smile and greeted her, “Auntie, yes, I’m back.”
“I noticed your house was quite lively today! Who are these two? They don’t look like your husband? Did relatives come over to visit?”
“…”
Shan Dai let out a series of dry laughs, stealing a glance at Pu Huaiyan. Facing the neighbor, the man managed to maintain a serene facade despite hearing such words.
She ought to take advantage of this excuse and claim they were relatives. But Shan Dai didn’t immediately follow up. She thought to herself: If… if the two of us really end up together in the future, we’ll eventually return to my hometown together. Pu Huaiyan always used the excuse that he would visit in the future as the sole reason he insisted on fixing the road.
So if he came back, he would eventually meet these neighbors. How would she explain it then? A relative suddenly turning into… a husband? She would have to waste so many words explaining her past embarrassment.
Even if that day never came, she didn’t want to reduce his status in front of Pu Huaiyan to an ordinary relative that anyone could be. He had just thrown down tens of millions of yuan purely for her—and nothing else.
Those tens of millions couldn’t just be spent without recognition. Besides, what he had given her was far more than tens of millions. As Ziming had put it, few men in the world could gift her a car and a house on the very first day of her divorce while keeping all her needs in mind.
Thus, knowing her own feelings, she couldn’t bring herself to do that to him.
“Auntie, this gentleman is the boss of a partner company working with mine. They came to inspect a project, but since there weren’t any suitable venues nearby, I invited them over to my place.”
“Oh,” Auntie nodded in sudden realization. “I was wondering! He didn’t look like your husband, but he sure is handsome.”
“…”
Auntie smiled and went back inside.
Shan Dai let out a sigh of relief and walked into the courtyard with Pu Huaiyan. She decided to wait until after dinner to discuss with him why he had told the government officials that she contributed part of the money. Right now, it was getting late.
“It’s already five-thirty. I’ll go cook. President Pu and Assistant Li can sit for a bit and discuss work; I’ll call you guys when it’s ready.” As soon as she finished speaking, her phone vibrated in her palm.
It was a call from her mother. Shan Dai answered and placed it to her ear. In just two seconds, her expression subtly changed, and her pretty pink lips pressed into a tight line.
Pu Huaiyan stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow in the courtyard as he took in her expression.
Shan Dai hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and looked at him. “I… my mom and dad are back.”
Pu Huaiyan asked, “They’re coming back tonight?”
“Right now… they’ve already reached the archway at the town entrance.”
The two stared at each other. Shan Dai’s face was red as fire as she quietly asked, “What should we do?”
Pu Huaiyan tucked his hands into his pockets, the corners of his mouth curving upward as he asked with curiosity, “What kind of answer are you hoping for?”
“…”
“Do you think I wouldn’t dare to eat this dinner? Or are you not planning to let me eat it?”
“…” In her anxiety, she looked up, took a deep breath, and opened her mouth to speak. But for the very first time, Pu Huaiyan interrupted her, preemptively taking the upper hand: “I’ll give you a few choices. Option A: I share dinner with your parents. Option B: You leave with me, and we have dinner together just the two of us. Option C: I skip dinner and slip away alone—as long as Madam’s conscience can bear it—but you’d better give me some compensation.”
“…”