"Yueyue, it won't hurt."
The land was a stretch of pure white, immaculate, and snowflakes like catkins, like cotton, like goose feathers drifted down from the sky.
Chinese New Year was just around the corner, and the entire street was alive with festivity and excitement.
"Yueyue, where are you now?"
Snowflakes fell one by one, and when she reached out to catch them, the warmth instantly melted them.
Shen Yue propped her chin on her hand, gazing at the snow outside, her lips pursed.
"Where are you?"
"Do I have to report everything I do to you? Wei Jingzhou, you're so annoying, do you know that?"
"...It's snowing outside. I want to pick you up."
"No, I don't need you to!" Shen Yue's tone was impatient, "It's not like I don't know the way home. Do I need you to pick me up?"
"Yueyue!" Wei Jingzhou suppressed his anger, tugged at his tie, his brows dark, his tone as gentle as he could manage, "It's snowing heavily outside. I'm worried."
There was a long silence from the other end of the phone. Wei Jingzhou paused, realizing something, and quickly pulled the phone away from his ear to look at it.
She had already hung up.
He closed his eyes and endured it, a vein throbbing on his forehead. He couldn't suppress the surging rage. He flung his phone fiercely, smashing it onto the ground, its parts scattering.
But the knot in his chest remained. He swept the files off his desk, scattering them everywhere. The unbound papers flew in all directions.
The vast white sheets of paper could not mask the man's violent, gloomy gaze.
He was like a mad dog that had lost its mind, a red mist descending before his eyes. Only by venting his fury could he quell the terrifying anger.
"Damn it."
When he regained a sliver of reason, the office was already in ruins.
He took a breath and paced back and forth like a restless, intractable beast.
His steps were hurried, echoing on the cold floor.
When the secretary entered, she froze, thinking she had walked into the wrong office.
It was only when she saw the man sitting on the sofa that she realized she hadn't.
Wei Jingzhou's face, half-hidden in the shadows, was as dark and dead as stagnant water, his aura of gloom so palpable it was almost tangible.
The secretary tiptoed over, her head bowed. She spotted a component on the floor and the shattered remains of a phone lying nearby, scattered pitifully.
Her head bowed even lower, almost to her chest, her body trembling violently like a sieve.
It was the first time she had ever seen the CEO lose his temper so badly, smashing up the office. As she thought this, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Finally, she braced herself and spoke.
"Mr. President, the meeting is about to begin. Shall we proceed to the conference hall?"
The man sat on the sofa, leaning back, his head tilted back, one hand covering his eyes.
In this suffocating atmosphere, cold sweat beaded on the secretary's forehead.
Just as the secretary thought Wei Jingzhou had fallen asleep, he spoke.
"Cancel all the meetings."
"Yes, Mr. President."
The secretary breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out.
Silence descended upon the office once more.
Wei Jingzhou sat down at his desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a photo frame.
The frame was clean, clearly polished often.
He had even hesitated to place it on his desk.
His phone contained many photos of the girl, most of them taken without her knowledge. There were few pictures of them together.
This particular photo had been taken in the snow. Shen Yue had said she wanted to build a snowman, and they had clumsily built an ugly, misshapen one.
The girl had one arm linked through his, her other hand making a 'V' shape on her cheek. Her eyes were curved, her dimples shallow, and she was very beautiful.
Beside her, he maintained a stern demeanor, his handsome face set, but the depths of his eyes held a flicker of tenderness.
Wei Jingzhou gently wiped away the invisible dust with his sleeve, his fingertips lingering on the girl's face, his fingers trembling uncontrollably.
Shen Yue sat in a corner of the coffee shop, facing Tang Zhe.
She had lost a lot of weight these past few days. Her eyes were downcast as she stirred her coffee, but she hadn't taken a single sip.
Tang Zhe stammered out several disjointed sentences opposite her. Shen Yue kept her head down, and it was unclear if she was listening.
Finally, he revealed his ultimate purpose.
"Today is my birthday." He emphasized how important this birthday was to him, adding earnestly, "My twentieth birthday!"
Shen Yue put down her spoon and looked up at the young man opposite her, who was showing signs of nervousness. She suddenly asked, "Do you know anything about Zhuang Wan'er?"
Tang Zhe's face instantly fell. He wasn't interested in Zhuang Wan'er and didn't want to discuss such matters. He muttered irritably, "How would I know..."
Shen Yue observed the boy's expression closely. There was indeed nothing unusual about it.
Therefore, Zhuang Wan'er's matter probably had nothing to do with Tang Zhe.
Then who could it be?
What kind of hatred, what kind of grievance, would drive someone to such extremes?
Seeing that Shen Yue was ignoring him again, Tang Zhe's heart stirred, and he blurted out everything, "Can't you see? I, I, I'm inviting you to my birthday party."
After saying that, he stared intently at Shen Yue's face again, wanting to see her reaction.
Shen Yue was taken aback. She didn't think she was that close to Tang Zhe, nor did she expect him to personally invite her.
However, even so, Shen Yue showed no sign of agreeing.
Seeing Shen Yue's complete lack of reaction, Tang Zhe felt utterly wronged. He had personally come to invite her, so why was Shen Yue being so cold?
The more this happened, the more Tang Zhe wanted Shen Yue to come. He had never failed to get what he wanted since he was a child.
Rack his brain for a way to coax Shen Yue over, a sudden idea struck him. He coughed twice, trying to attract Shen Yue's attention. However, Shen Yue was still staring at her coffee, which made him feel displeased.
"Shen Yue!"
Seeing that Shen Yue finally looked at him, he blinked unnaturally, his gaze shifting slightly, "You, you want to know about Zhuang Wan'er, right? As long as you agree to come to my birthday party, I'll send someone to investigate and tell you everything, word for word."
Shen Yue hesitated for two seconds, then agreed.
Tang Zhe sat in the driver's seat, and the girl sat beside him, visible whenever he turned his head.
Seeing the girl's fair and graceful profile, just a side view made his chest tingle with joy.
He had already figured it out. So what if Shen Yue had a boyfriend? She wasn't married yet. Even if she was married, she could get divorced. So none of that was the point.