Chapter 39: Give Me a Bit More of a Challenge
By the time they returned, it was completely dark. The streetlights stretched the long, elongated shadows of the three men. Behind them, the massive mountains stood silent and quiet. Moving from far to near, their tall figures shifted from tiny dots to normal size, until their voices and expressions finally appeared right before her eyes.
It was a very romantic atmosphere—a sense of happiness growing from nothing.
If she had to think carefully about where this happiness came from, Shan Dai could only admit once again that deep down in her heart, she felt happy because two of these men were connected to her.
Shan Dai noticed that the smile on her father’s face had never been brighter in his entire life. Even when Lu Zhixing had visited six or seven times in the past, he had never gone out for a casual walk and chatted so happily with her father like this.
She grumbled internally, Pu Huaiyan is really good at coaxing people. He’s completely smoothing his path to promotion. By winning over his father-in-law first, everything else becomes smooth sailing. He really knows what he’s doing.
Waiting with a smile until the three of them reached her side, Shan Dai quietly asked Pu Huaiyan, who was walking at the rear, “What did you talk about with my dad?”
Pu Huaiyan replied, “I asked him if he minds me becoming his son-in-law.”
“…”
Shan Dai gave him a side-eye, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or joking. However, Pu Huaiyan simply turned his head away and pointed to the wind turbines on the mountaintop. “Uncle said we can drive up there. Next time, we’ll go up to take in the scenery.”
“…” He’s already planning the next visit. This man really knows how to make arrangements.
At nine o’clock that evening, the three of them finally embarked on their journey back.
On the way, Pu Huaiyan asked Shan Dai what good news she had wanted to tell him.
Shan Dai rested her chin on her hand and glanced at him. After exchanging gazes under the dim lights for a few seconds, she leaned closer and whispered, “My friend and I have settled things. Once I get back this time, I’ll start preparing for it. I’ll be able to move over very soon.”
Pu Huaiyan’s eyes lit up—becoming bright, exceedingly bright.
Shan Dai added, “And what I wanted to discuss with you is… if we really run into, well, Lu Zhixing in Beijing, what should we do? For instance, if we bump into him while out together, he’ll definitely overthink things in his heart.”
Pu Huaiyan placed his hand on the back of the seat, resting it lightly on her shoulder, and tapped gently. “On one hand, the probability of bumping into him isn’t high, and I can completely eliminate that potential issue. On the other hand, if he does see us together, even if he knows we’re together, he will only react with silence. Let him overthink all he wants; he won’t go around telling people that you’re his ex-wife.” He met her gaze. “Understand? He wouldn’t dare speak about something that isn’t exactly honorable.”
“But I’m worried he’ll look for me in private,” Shan Dai said, furrowing her brows. “I don’t want to talk about any of this with him at all. Strictly speaking, he has no right to meddle in my affairs anymore, but because it’s you, he’ll definitely come looking for me to ask questions.”
“If he looks for you, just tell me and let me handle the reply. I’ll take the opportunity to tell him that I was involved in this matter of yours, making him realize once and for all that my current relationship with you is not something he needs to obsess over. What he should be reflecting on is that he brought this upon himself.”
Shan Dai felt reassured and nodded.
Pu Huaiyan lifted his hand from her shoulder, gently stroked her head, and leaned in a bit closer to whisper, “This is indeed huge good news. Thank you, Madam.”
“…” Her eyes crinkled into curves as she silently turned her head away.
After driving for just over half an hour, they arrived in the urban area and checked into the same hotel as before.
The weather still hadn’t cleared up, and soon the fine, rustling sound of rain drifted in from outside. After taking a shower, Shan Dai had nothing to do, so she slowly ambled over to the floor-to-ceiling window to watch the rain.
Her room today was on a high floor, offering an overarching view of the crisscrossing layout of Jincheng’s urban area. The night rain drizzled lightly, stretching long and threadlike from near to far, draping a subtle, elegant, and gentle curtain over the city that wasn’t overly prosperous to begin with.
She thought back to the scene of her father, Pu Huaiyan, and Assistant Li walking back together from the foot of the mountain that evening. It was truly beautiful—a kind of beauty imbued with hope.
A man like Pu Huaiyan, with his net worth and personality combined, always managed to give people a sense of hope. At the dinner table, everyone had discussed how once the road was connected, the development of the entire area would open up.
She understood this truth deeply, so looking at the city of Jincheng under the night sky at this moment, she couldn’t help but wonder: What will Tong’an look like in three to five years? It will definitely be many, many times better than it is now.
After these three consecutive car rides over yesterday and today, she already knew she could no longer maintain a high-and-mighty stance to decline the gesture. Traveling this road truly wore one down to the bone. If it were repaved, it would save at least half the time and wouldn’t be nearly as exhausting—her shoulders were practically aching from all the jolting.
She wouldn’t live in the south for her entire life, nor would she stay in remote Tong’an County forever, but she would always remember that night she spent in an internet cafe during her college years.
It was a winter night, bitterly cold, three degrees below zero. Rain mixed with frost hung on the windproof door curtains of the internet cafe. Very few people were logged on, and she was the only girl lying there motionless for a long, long time. The internet cafe manager thought she had fallen asleep and even softened his footsteps as he walked by. In reality, she wasn’t sleeping at all—it was so cold that she couldn’t sleep whatsoever.
Many years later today, things hadn’t improved much. If the road conditions had been decent, the driver wouldn’t have kept a sullen, silent face the entire time when she took a taxi back by herself this time.
So at this very moment, Shan Dai felt that Pu Huaiyan might truly be capable of accepting the possibility of not getting her. She could feel that he genuinely loved her.
He simply knew how difficult this road was to travel, and he knew that if he didn’t accompany her back in the future, driving by herself wouldn’t work—it wouldn’t work at all. So even if there was no happy ending in the future, he still wanted her life to be easier. Ever since they met, she had been living so passively, even suffering grievances and obstacles during her divorce.
Therefore, he must have considered whether to continue this investment if nothing came of it, and the answer was that he still wanted to proceed…
Thus, he loved her even more than she had imagined.
Although she might truly return less and less frequently in the future, her original dream had been to buy a house in Lan City once her career stabilized in a few years and bring her aging parents over. Now, that dream remained the same, except perhaps she would bring them to Beijing instead. But they wouldn’t stay in Jincheng for a lifetime. It was too remote here. Even if it developed in the future, the journey to Lan City was still so distant, and she would eventually have to take her parents away.
Still, this was her hometown after all, and she needed to let her parents live here for at least a few more years.
Earlier, she had forgotten to ask Pu Huaiyan why he told the government officials that she was the one contributing money to this road, but at this moment, Shan Dai suddenly realized the reason behind it.
He simply wanted people to remember her kindness. If a company from Lan City invested in Tong’an, the locals wouldn’t know or permanently remember his company’s name, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be of much use since he didn’t need government support. But if a native of Tong’an County invested, that meant investing in her own hometown. The government officials would remember her forever, and if she wanted to get anything done around here in the future, it would be much easier, as people would grant her conveniences.
He had truly considered so much for her.
As her thoughts drifted, Pu Huaiyan arrived.
It had become a habit for him to check her hotel room whenever they stayed at one to see if there were any issues or water leaks.
Seeing him, Shan Dai couldn’t help but secretly ask him about that evening based on what she had just been pondering: “Did you really say those words to my dad?”
He merely smiled without saying a word.
Shan Dai understood instantly and gave him a gentle punch. “Liar.”
“Where did I lie? Your father asked me if I was married, and I said no, but I have someone in my heart.”
Shan Dai gasped lightly. “Really?”
“Really.”
“And then?”
“He said that anyone Mr. Pu fancies must be exceptional. I said yes, very exceptional, just like Miss Shan.”
“…” Red-faced, Shan Dai gave him a push and lowered her voice, “Pu Huaiyan!”
The man laughed. “You’ve hit me and pushed me tonight. How are you going to compensate me?”
“…” Shan Dai turned her head away. “Go to sleep, you. You brought this upon yourself and you still want compensation?”
“Can I fall asleep without a little bit of compensation?”
“…”
Pu Huaiyan suddenly leaned in close.
Shan Dai startled, her eyes widening.
Looking at him up close, he was so perfect that it was almost indescribable. His flawless skin gave off a soft radiance, and beneath his long eyelashes, his peach-blossom eyes seemed to have petals fluttering within them. With a single blink, Shan Dai felt as if she could see her own blushing face reflected in his pupils.
She said aggrievedly, “You were the one talking nonsense first.”
“Which sentence of mine was nonsense?”
“You shouldn’t have mentioned me.”
“If I get together with you later, my future father-in-law would think I’m half-hearted. If I say it like this, when he looks back on it later, he’ll think, ‘Ah, the person he mentioned back then was you. Not bad, this Pu Huaiyan is faithful from start to finish and makes a decent son-in-law.’“
“…” Shan Dai covered her face with her hands.
Pu Huaiyan chuckled, seizing the opportunity to ruffle her hair. “Alright, time to sleep. Good night.”
“Good night~”
A heavy rain poured all night and didn’t stop until morning, preventing them from setting off in the morning. They didn’t leave until the afternoon when the weather cleared up slightly.
The road conditions today were clearly even worse. Their car took the highway right after leaving Jincheng’s urban area, but a four-hour trip was going to take at least six hours today. Therefore, after dark, they stopped at a highway service station in Chongzhou to eat and rest.
The service area was packed at this hour, and the boxed meals were mostly sold out. While there was enough food to eat, Pu Huaiyan announced that he wasn’t hungry and wouldn’t be eating the moment he walked through the door.
Shan Dai immediately turned her head to look at him. “What’s wrong? Do you have no appetite?”
“Just smelling it makes me lose my appetite.”
“…” She felt helpless. “Ah, the pampered President Pu is finally willing to show his noble side in this remote backcountry.”
“…” He burst out laughing and raised his chin to signal her to go eat. “Don’t mind me. Go find something to eat with Li Zhou, and come back when you’re done.”
He called Li Zhou to take her to buy food, as he really couldn’t stand the smell of those dishes. Pointing to the rest area, he added, “Come find me after you finish.”
“Got it,” Li Zhou agreed.
Seeing the big boss actually walk away, Shan Dai went with Li Zhou to buy boxed meals. She thought it was decent enough; the beef rice had quite a generous portion of ingredients, though it was very expensive.
Li Zhou pulled out a hundred yuan of his own money to buy two of the most expensive boxed meals and carried them over to a dining table. Sitting on opposite sides, the two began eating quietly.
Worried that Pu Huaiyan’s stomach might hurt later if he didn’t eat, Shan Dai asked Li Zhou, “Does President Pu carry stomach medicine when he travels?”
“He should have some.”
Shan Dai nodded, though she couldn’t help but remain worried. As she ate, she turned her head to look at the man in the distance, who was leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed and his eyes closed, resting his mind.
Earlier, after leaving Jincheng’s urban area and entering another city, the rain had been too heavy. He was the one who drove that stretch because Li Zhou couldn’t manage it.
Having driven for over two hours, he had expended a lot of energy. Going without a single bite tonight would definitely trigger a stomachache.
After eating most of her boxed meal, Shan Dai couldn’t finish the rest. Looking at the supermarket in the service area from a distance, she pondered buying something for Pu Huaiyan to line his stomach.
“Assistant Li, take your time eating. I’m going to the supermarket to buy some things. Wait for me here.”
“Alright, Miss Shan.”
The items most abundant in a highway service area supermarket were instant noodles and bread. Shan Dai felt that Pu Huaiyan was the type of person who would rather die than eat instant noodles, plus his stomach wasn’t suited for greasy food. As for bread, well, she felt President Pu wouldn’t even spare it a single glance either.
However, besides those, there really wasn’t anything else suitable for padding one’s stomach.
She picked and chose in the bakery section, carefully searching for a few non-sweet, cream-free cakes. From those, she selected one with very clean ingredients, bought three bottles of water, and took them to check out.
Li Zhou had just finished eating, so they returned to the rest area together.
Presumably seeing that Shan Dai was holding food meant for Pu Huaiyan, Li Zhou worried that his presence might be inconvenient. He said to Pu Huaiyan, “President Pu, I’ll go check on our car. The chassis got bumped earlier.”
“Mm.”
Li Zhou nodded to Shan Dai, picked up a bottle of mineral water, and walked off.
Shan Dai placed two bottles of water on the chair next to Pu Huaiyan and handed him a piece of cake wrapped in a cardboard box. “Eat a little.”
Pu Huaiyan took a look and shook his head.
Shan Dai: “…”
She asked, “You don’t want to eat cake, or do you think it doesn’t taste good?”
“Both.”
“…”
Shan Dai sighed, sat down, opened the cardboard box, and peeled back the protective glutinous rice paper film. “Look, a burst of aroma right away. There’s no cream, and it’s not sweet—it just tastes like plain cake.” She handed it to him. “Take a few bites and try it. I’m worried your stomach will hurt.”
“It won’t.”
“…”
Their eyes met. Shan Dai pouted, tore off a piece of cake herself, and popped it into her mouth. After finishing it, she leaned close to him. “It really tastes quite good. Big Boss, I’ve already tested it for poison for you.”
He burst into laughter, shaking his head with a smile.
Shan Dai pinched his sleeve and shook it gently. “Eat it quickly, come on. Just eating a third of it is fine.”
“How about you feed me a bite? I really don’t feel like moving.”
“…” Ahhh! Shan Dai’s face turned red. “Are you a seagull? Needing someone to hold up their hand to feed you.”
Yet the man actually nodded. “Seagull it is then. You can change my contact note to ‘Seagull.’ It’s better than that ‘Pu Huaiyan’ note of yours, which looks like a contract signature.”
“…” How did he know her WeChat note for him was ‘Pu Huaiyan’? Oh wait, she hadn’t changed his contact note. “That’s not it. Your display name was originally Pu Huaiyan, and I just haven’t changed it to this day.”
Pu Huaiyan looked at her sideways. “Oh, so I overestimated Madam’s conscience after all. You haven’t made a single move.”
“…” She said bashfully, “Why are you calling me Madam again?”
“I feel like calling you that.”
“…” He really is so hard to please.
She pulled out her phone and changed his contact note on the spot to “Seagull,” adding a prefix: “Noble Seagull.”
Pu Huaiyan watched and criticized, “No title or status. Sounds like a stray seagull.”
“…” Shan Dai said, “It’s already a ‘Noble Seagull,’ and it still has no title or status?”
“Then whose family does it belong to? Tell me, the sea’s?”
“…”
Shan Dai was about to put her phone away and ignore him, but at the last second, Pu Huaiyan snatched her phone away. He then personally changed his contact note to “My Seagull.”
Shan Dai: “…”
Shan Dai took back the phone he handed over. The more she looked at it, the more she felt it was burning her hand. What if someone accidentally saw this? Although the probability of others seeing it was low, she still felt embarrassed.
Thinking it over, she looked at those four characters hesitantly. In the end, she deleted “My” and then deleted “Seagull” as well.
Pu Huaiyan thought her edit had reverted back to square one.
However, Shan Dai slowly typed in new characters—two words. Not Pu Huaiyan, but—Sir1.
Not Mr. Pu, but simply and purely, Sir.
Pu Huaiyan’s eyes quietly lit up.
Shan Dai glanced sideways at him. “Is this okay? It matches ‘Madam’ quite symmetrically, doesn’t it?”
His smile couldn’t have been brighter.
At least, ever since Shan Dai had met him, she had never seen his emotions expressed so openly—as if he had just closed a multi-billion-dollar business deal in a split second.
In fact, she felt that Pu Huaiyan, who held the vast assets of the Yanxin Times family, wouldn’t even care about a single business deal enough to make him this happy. Not in the slightest.
A subtle pang touched her heart, but she composedly put away her phone.
It was getting darker and darker outside. They didn’t plan to rest for too long, as they intended to stay in Lan City tonight. They couldn’t spend the night in this middle-of-nowhere service station after all. So, Shan Dai tore off a small piece of cake again and held it to Pu Huaiyan’s lips.
He raised his eyelids.
Shan Dai said, “Dear pet seagull, please enjoy your meal.”
“…” He lost his composure and burst out laughing, tilting his head back.
Shan Dai teased, “So you can feel embarrassed too? Honestly, there’s no need. I’m a caring person—since I adopted you, I’ll feed you. Eat, eat.”
Pu Huaiyan took the piece of cake from her hand and ate it.
Shan Dai paid attention to his expression—it was calm and neutral. She handed him the cake box in her hands. “Tear off pieces and eat it yourself. You don’t need to get both hands dirty, so you can keep them clean.”
A certain seagull threw a tantrum again at this moment. “You tear it.”
“…” I’m really helpless with him. Shan Dai could only tear off another piece and hand it to him.
He took it and ate it.
This process repeated over and over until he had eaten two-thirds of the cake. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, “I really can’t eat any more. If I eat more, I’ll throw up.”
“…” Shan Dai instantly felt bad for him. “Is it not good?”
“I’m not used to it,” he explained. “I’ve never eaten store-bought ones before; it’s a bit coarse.”
So whenever he eats cake, it’s custom-made by the house chef, right? Sigh, alright. A ten-yuan cake at a service station was considered expensive in this era, costing nowhere near that much outside. She had thought the quality would be decent.
She put it away, not intending to torture President Pu’s fragile and noble stomach any further.
She handed him the water.
Pu Huaiyan unscrewed it and held it to her lips.
Shan Dai paused for a moment, took it, and took two sips. From the corner of her eye, she saw the man also unscrew a bottle of water and gulp down more than half of it in one or two swigs.
It was clear that this meal had truly been a struggle for him.
Fortunately, thanks to this half piece of cake, even though it rained heavily on the way back and took a long time to arrive, Pu Huaiyan showed no signs of stomachache throughout the trip, and his spirits remained quite good.
Li Zhou drove the remainder of the journey. Pu Huaiyan sat in the back row, loosely draping an arm around Shan Dai’s shoulders, chatting with her about this and that. It was mostly President Pu explaining the Lan City market to her.
It was a very pleasant evening. Downpours cascaded like waterfalls while the three of them hid comfortably inside the car, creeping forward like turtles.
By the time they reached Lan City, the rain was so heavy that it was almost impossible to move an inch.
Pu Huaiyan asked Shan Dai, “Why don’t you stay at the hotel with us? That apartment of yours isn’t soundproof; it’ll be noisy tonight.”
Shan Dai didn’t have much objection to this proposal; she was used to doing whatever was most convenient. “Then where are you staying?”
“In the CBD. It’s quiet at night.”
Indeed, that area was a luxury residential and office zone. Leaving aside the fact that work was over for the night, it was very quiet even during the day. The hotel was located on high floors, so you couldn’t hear any cars passing below.
In this kind of weather, staying near Ziming’s place would be better anyway, so Shan Dai had no objections and followed them to the hotel.
The only slight flaw was that the front desk clerk said apologetically, “We are fully booked tonight.”
Li Zhou was stunned for a moment, thinking: Should all three of us switch hotels then? Since none of them had checked in yet, it would just mean sacrificing the room fee at most. It was already past the latest cancellation deadline, but President Pu didn’t lack this bit of money.
Unexpectedly, Pu Huaiyan said to the girl beside him, “Assistant Li booked a presidential suite for me and an executive suite for himself. Swap with him and stay with me, and you can stay in Assistant Li’s room, alright?”
Shan Dai felt a bit embarrassed, but making everyone switch hotels felt even worse. Looking at Li Zhou, who signaled that this arrangement was perfectly fine, she nodded. “Then I’ll trouble Assistant Li.”
“Ah, Miss Shan, don’t mention it.” The presidential suite had two rooms, both identical.
He took everyone’s identification documents to register, and soon they went upstairs together.
The elevator was large. Li Zhou stood in front while Shan Dai stood at the back with Pu Huaiyan beside her. Li Zhou carried his and Pu Huaiyan’s suitcases, while Shan Dai’s suitcase was carried by Pu Huaiyan.
It was heavy, packed with a bunch of food.
After assigning the rooms, everyone went down to the hotel restaurant together for a simple late-night snack.
Afterward, they returned to their respective rooms. Boringly passing the time before going to sleep, Shan Dai couldn’t fall asleep, so she opened her suitcase, took out the fruit her mother had packed for her, washed a portion for herself, and took another portion over to Pu Huaiyan’s room.
He was in the living room without a sign of Assistant Li—he had probably gone to wash up.
Before coming out, Shan Dai had thrown a trench coat over her bathrobe, so she wasn’t afraid of being seen by others.
She sat down on the living room sofa and noticed Pu Huaiyan’s shattered phone tossed on the coffee table. “Ah, the weather is bad, otherwise we could go out and buy a new phone.”
“It’s fine.”
Shan Dai teased, “President Pu seems quite capable of enduring hardship right now. You don’t even care about a phone that’s shattered like that.”
He glanced at her with a smile, saying nothing.
Shan Dai handed him a blueberry. He took it, and in that split second, Shan Dai suddenly saw a red cut on his thumb.
Her heart skipped a beat. Looking at the phone, it must have been cut by the screen.
She picked up the phone to look.
Pu Huaiyan said, “Be careful.”
“Mm.”
A moment later, Assistant Li came out. Shan Dai feigned being a bit sleepy and said to Pu Huaiyan, “Don’t stay up too late you two, I’m going back to sleep.”
“Mm, okay.”
Shan Dai stood up, pointed to the fruit platter on the table, and told Li Zhou to eat. She then left amidst his thanks.
As she walked, Shan Dai searched for nearby repair shops on her phone’s navigation map.
There was one located five hundred meters away from the hotel. Shan Dai went back, grabbed an umbrella, and went downstairs to hail a taxi.
Her company was just up ahead, and Shan Dai was extremely familiar with the area, so she wasn’t afraid of coming out alone late at night. The taxis in Lan City were also quite regulated.
Actually, two years ago they weren’t very regulated either; occasionally, drivers wouldn’t turn on the meter and would rip off passengers. Shan Dai and her roommate had been ripped off before, but things had improved over the past year or two, likely due to government rectifications.
In the blink of an eye, she arrived at the repair shop. The boss was just about to close up, but seeing a customer arrive, his drooping eyelids finally regained a bit of energy.
Shan Dai handed the phone over. “Replace the screen.”
The boss took a look and said, “Come pick it up tomorrow afternoon.”
Shan Dai was surprised. “No way, it’s needed right now. Can’t you repair it now?”
The boss frowned. “Can’t do it. I’m about to close.”
Shan Dai reached out to take it back. “Then never mind, I’ll try another shop.”
Seeing this, the boss hesitated for a few seconds before pulling his hand back and beginning to disassemble it. “It’ll cost ten yuan extra.”
“…” Shan Dai said, “I’ll add twenty, just be a bit faster.”
Boss: “…”
Shan Dai sat in the shop, playing on her phone while watching the rain outside. About half an hour later, a message popped up on her phone.
“Miss Shan, this is Li Zhou. President Pu asked if you saw where his phone was placed just now? We can’t find it anywhere.”
“…” Shan Dai suppressed a laugh and replied: “It seems I accidentally shoved it into my pocket and brought it back. I’ll send it back to you guys in a bit. I have something to attend to right now, sorry.”
“Oh, alright.”
They definitely didn’t know what she was busy with, but no further messages came.
After another ten minutes, the boss said it was fixed.
Shan Dai paid the money and took the completely transformed phone to hail a taxi back.
When she knocked on the door of Pu Huaiyan’s room, Li Zhou opened it. He said, “President Pu went to work; he’s in the study. I’ll go call him.”
“It’s fine, just give the phone to him.” Shan Dai handed over the phone.
Li Zhou didn’t immediately remember that Pu Huaiyan’s phone had been shattered into pieces, and the one he was holding right now was in perfect condition. So, he simply watched Shan Dai leave before carrying the phone back to the study.
“President Pu, your phone.” He opened the door and brought it over.
Pu Huaiyan took one look—just one look—and his eyes froze. He took it and looked it over from side to side.
“Is something wrong? Isn’t this your phone?” He remembered Pu Huaiyan’s phone was black, which matched this one.
Pu Huaiyan stood up. “You host the meeting; I’m going out for a moment.”
“Oh.”
Shan Dai had only been back for a short while when she heard a knock at the door.
She went to open the door calmly and composedly, bursting into a smile the moment she saw him. “My dear Sir is here.”
In that instant, Pu Huaiyan suddenly found himself unable to speak. Her bright and radiant appearance clearly showed she knew he would come looking for her.
However, before Shan Dai could say anything more, she suddenly noticed that the man in the gray bathrobe wasn’t just holding a phone—he was also holding a bouquet of flowers: pink Accordion Roses.
On a rainy night, a sudden bouquet of flowers left one feeling dazed.
He raised his hand and handed the bouquet to her.
Shan Dai’s hands and feet felt a bit awkward as she stiffly accepted such a large armful of flowers. The fragrance of roses rushed to her nose as she asked him, “Why are you giving me flowers all of a sudden?”
“I won’t have time to accompany you later.”
Shan Dai’s heart throbbed slightly.
Composing herself, she smiled. “Thank you.” She realized she truly loved these roses, and he felt the same as her.
Their gazes met intently. Leaning against the doorframe, she took the initiative to come clean about the phone: “That was too dangerous. There’s a repair shop downstairs, so this way, President Pu can hold out until you return to Beijing to buy a new phone.”
“There’s one downstairs? How come I didn’t see it?”
“Um, five hundred meters away.”
“…” His expression changed. “You walked there?”
“Took a taxi.”
His expression darkened even further, turning completely cold. “In such heavy rain, a young girl taking a taxi late at night.”
“I’m very familiar with the neighborhood; nothing will go wrong.” Shan Dai wrapped her arms around his arm. “Aiya, it’s already fixed. Hurry back now.”
Pu Huaiyan looked down at the soft, delicate hand resting against his skin, feeling as though his heart was what had been grabbed.
He stared straight at her.
Shan Dai: “Wasn’t your hand cut? I just thought you could hold out for two more days until you return to Beijing to buy a new one.”
Pu Huaiyan: “I won’t buy a new one.”
“Huh?”
“Madam gave it to me, so I won’t buy another. I won’t waste Madam’s money.”
“…”
This sentence seemed beyond expectation, yet completely reasonable.
Yet for some reason, these words made Shan Dai feel Pu Huaiyan’s affection for her more firmly than any sweet words of love ever could.
She smiled, not knowing what to say, and finally left him with: “Suit yourself.”
“Mm.”
Pu Huaiyan didn’t leave.
Seeing this, Shan Dai opened the door wider and turned to walk inside.
The man behind her took the hint, followed her inside, and closed the door.
In the past, whenever he entered her room, he would never close the door, maintaining utmost restraint and politeness. Now, he closed it.
Shan Dai walked through the living room to the window, wanting to draw open the curtains; otherwise, it was too quiet, making the atmosphere feel overly ambiguous.
Outside the five-star hotel in Lan City were the colorful, splendid lights of Xieshaan. The heavy traffic had long ceased to affect the lives of high-rise onlookers, serving merely as scenery.
Shan Dai recalled the last time she went out for dinner with Pu Huaiyan and CiCi. She hadn’t thought of Lu Zhixing at all—her mind was filled entirely with moments of Pu Huaiyan.
Life would ultimately be replaced by good things, and Pu Huaiyan had always been teaching her to look forward.
She just hadn’t expected Pu Huaiyan to follow her over. After her two seconds of internal sentimentality ended, she turned around wanting to walk back, but he pulled her into an embrace.
Shan Dai’s back pressed against the floor-to-ceiling window, and she gasped softly.
Pu Huaiyan lowered his head, his gaze locking directly with her fox-like eyes. Wearing a gray silk bathrobe made him appear even gentler, while the neon lights of the entire city outside were reflected in his pupils, making the scene vivid and captivating.
Shan Dai realized that Pu Huaiyan was witty and vibrant only when facing her; usually, he was quiet and dignified.
He said, “I’m going back tomorrow.”
Shan Dai pursed her lips. “So… soon…” The joy in her heart, which had been like light bubbles, suddenly felt as heavy as the night rain.
“Wait for me to come back for you, alright? I’ll be back within a week.”
“Mm. What choice do I have? It’s not like I have the power to ground President Pu’s flight.”
He burst into laughter.
Shan Dai bashfully lowered her head.
Pu Huaiyan: “If you were my girlfriend, you’d have the right to ground my flight. You can’t control the airlines, but you can control me.”
Shan Dai went silent—completely speechless. She hung her head, too embarrassed to meet his eyes.
Pu Huaiyan stopped teasing her and continued with serious business: “As for the company affairs, you can start making arrangements. Plan things out first, and when I return, I’ll settle all the issues for you.”
“Mm.”
“You don’t have to choose Yanxin Tower, but I suggest somewhere nearby.”
“Why?”
“It’s convenient to see Madam.”
“…” Shan Dai smiled helplessly. “If I fail to pursue you in the future, wouldn’t I have to move?”
“Haven’t you already given me a contact note that matches symmetrically with ‘Madam’? Do I still lack a chance of winning?”
“Aiya.” Shan Dai’s face flushed red, and she tried to step forward.
A pair of hands caught her from behind, and she tumbled into his arms.
Shan Dai’s breathing grew erratic.
Pu Huaiyan approached from behind, his chin slowly resting on her delicate, slender shoulder. Smelling the body wash on her that matched his own, his voice turned husky. “This contact note makes me feel like my chances are huge, Madam.”
“…”
“Give me a bit more of a challenge. I still have so many gifts I haven’t sent.”
“…” Shan Dai was driven crazy. She turned her head around and tugged at his bathrobe.
Pu Huaiyan’s eyes were filled with light—a fresh, happy light.
Shan Dai looked up at him crossly and said, “If you send things recklessly again, I won’t go to Beijing, my dear President Pu! You can stay there as a bachelor for the rest of your life!”
“Sending myself without sending gifts lacks sincerity,” he said, feigning difficulty. “Dai’dai.”
“Then don’t send either.”
His expression shifted. “Madam, negotiations aren’t conducted like this. What we want is mutual benefit and a win-win outcome, not mutual destruction.”
“…” She broke character and burst out laughing, pushing him away. “Pu Huaiyan, you’re terrible.”
Translator’s note
- 先生, can mean ‘Mr.’, ‘husband’, or ‘sir’ ↩︎