Zhan Bei Jue had originally come to huddle for warmth and seek comfort.
However, after listening to him talk for so long, he felt even more dejected, and his longing for Jiang Nan Fang intensified.
At five in the morning, Lu Ming Zhe, tired, finally fell into a deep sleep, clutching the wine bottle.
He had no sleepiness, worried about Jiang Nan Fang's health. After much deliberation, he drove his car to her apartment building under the cover of night.
It was already mid-October, and the autumn mornings were quite cool.
He stood in the morning breeze wearing only a shirt, watching the windows upstairs, smoking one cigarette after another until dawn broke and the quiet residential area gradually became lively.
Four children, wearing identical school uniforms and carrying identical schoolbags, finally ran out of the building, bouncing and skipping.
Jiang Nan Fang planned to visit Grei Electric today.
To hide her fatigue, she applied a little light makeup, styled her hair meticulously, and wore an autumn business suit.
As she followed the children out of the residential area, she unexpectedly saw Zhan Bei Jue at first glance.
"Daddy!"
The children, who had sworn to punish him just the day before and refused to speak to him, were surprised to see him at the entrance so early and rushed towards him.
It was worth Zhan Bei Jue's long wait; he broke into a smile and crouched down to hug them.
Everyone hugged his arms, clung to his neck.
They surrounded him, chattering incessantly.
"Daddy, why did you come so early? Have you eaten?"
"You're wearing so little, it's windy this morning, aren't you cold?"
"Daddy's hands are so cold, have you been waiting here long? Why didn't you go upstairs?"
"You smoked again, didn't you? Didn't we say no smoking?"
"Daddy didn't sleep well last night, did you? You have dark circles under your eyes."
Jiang Nan Fang stopped behind the children and instinctively looked over.
His white shirt was a little wrinkled, suggesting he hadn't slept at home last night and hadn't changed his clothes.
A stubble was growing on his chin, and there were faint bruises under his eyes, making him look tired.
As the children said, he seemed to have smoked a lot and not slept well.
Noticing Jiang Nan Fang looking at him, Zhan Bei Jue also turned his gaze towards her.
Their eyes met briefly in the air, but before Jiang Nan Fang could decipher the meaning, she looked away.
Zhan Bei Jue answered a few questions from the children, patted their heads, and told them to wait aside first.
He walked towards Jiang Nan Fang.
Fortunately, she seemed to be in good spirits.
Her features were still delicate and beautiful; she probably hadn't drunk too much yesterday.
"I heard you moved here, so I came to check out the place."
He deliberated for a moment and came up with this excuse.
Jiang Nan Fang found it ironic.
Was it necessary to come to his ex-wife's door so early in the morning?
However, she didn't want to argue with him first thing in the morning and ruin her mood.
Besides, the children were watching, and she didn't want to make them unhappy.
"Yes. You've seen it now, and the children have greeted you. Can we go? We're going to be late for school."
Zhan Bei Jue instinctively said, "I'll take you."
Only after saying it did he realize it was inappropriate.
As expected, a sarcastic expression appeared on Jiang Nan Fang's face.
"There's no need. We're divorced. I have my own car."
Before they came down, Zhan Bei Jue had reminded himself several times that he had to keep his distance from them recently, lest the children be targeted.
But he just couldn't help himself.
He missed Jiang Nan Fang so much.
Even hearing snippets about her from A Cheng and the children made him lose control.
If Jiang Nan Fang ever got into trouble, it would be his fault.
"Alright then, I won't take you. I need to discuss something with you."
What else was there to discuss?
Jiang Nan Fang genuinely didn't understand. He clearly had a beautiful woman outside now, and he was free.
He should be carefree and in the midst of a passionate romance with that woman, so why was he making himself look so haggard?
And why was he facing his ex-wife with such a devoted tone? What was his motive?
"Please speak. Time is short, get to the point."
Zhan Bei Jue glanced at his wrist and saw that there wasn't much time.
"I hope you will leave Grei Electric."
Her ears buzzed for several seconds before Jiang Nan Fang could hear the world again.
She tried her best to keep her expression neutral and her voice steady.
"Was it her request? Afraid I'd be too involved with you, leading to property disputes later?"
Zhan Bei Jue remained silent, implicitly confirming her guess.
Jiang Nan Fang felt that the tears she shed last night were entirely due to too much alcohol clouding her judgment.
It was so not worth it for such a scumbag.
"Tell her, she doesn't need to overthink it. I, Jiang Nan Fang, am not someone who lacks money, and even if I did, I wouldn't stoop to fighting with trash."
"As for Grei, even if you begged me, I wasn't planning to stay anyway. I'll go get my things now."
"Also, from now on, the children will be fine with A Cheng and his brothers. You don't need to come here anymore."
After saying that, she strode away with the children and got into the car.
Soothing music played in the car. All the way, she tried her best to chat with the children, appearing optimistic and cheerful.
Only she knew how much hatred she harbored inside.
After dropping off the children, without a moment's delay, she drove towards Grei.
Upon arriving at the company, it was the usual rush hour for work. Many people greeted her, as they hadn't seen her for a while.
"Good morning, President Jiang!"
"President Jiang is back, long time no see!"
"President Jiang looks so beautiful today, and her complexion is great."
Jiang Nan Fang smiled and greeted everyone all the way to the technical department.
The familiar old hands were mostly there, gathered together eating breakfast and gossiping.
Catching sight of her from the corner of his eye, Foreman Zhang jumped up.
"Oh my, I was wondering why I felt so good when I woke up this morning. It turns out our great beauty is returning!"
"Quick, quick, stop eating. Everyone get up and form a welcoming line. Engineer Jiang is back!"
Everyone put down their breakfast, stood up, lined up, and applauded Jiang Nan Fang.
Foreman Zhang led the cheer: "Welcome back, Engineer Jiang! Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!"
Everyone echoed: "Welcome back, Engineer Jiang! A warm welcome!"
To be honest, Jiang Nan Fang would truly miss these lively and interesting colleagues if she had to leave them.
Although Vice President Gao was older, he was serious and responsible in his work.
These people had gone through several projects with her; they were like brothers who had shared life and death.
Leaving here, she would have to fight alone again, starting from scratch.
But, all good things must come to an end.
"No need to welcome me, I'm here to bid you farewell."
"Ah?"
Everyone was startled, and after a moment, Foreman Zhang reacted first.
"Are you pregnant and going home for maternity leave?"
Although she had fallen out with Zhan Bei Jue, she still had to maintain appearances.
Jiang Nan Fang had no intention of making her private matters public.
"Yes, I'm going home for maternity leave. I'll be staying home to take care of my family, and I might never return."
"But you can still consult me if you have any problems. Goodbye, everyone."