Within a few days, the wound on Xu Miyu’s foot had healed, forming a scab that felt slightly itchy. She resisted the urge to scratch it, and gradually, the itchiness didn’t seem like much—it passed with a little patience.
Just like the lingering itch in her heart—if she left it untouched and endured it, it would eventually fade away.
She still remembered what she had said to Xue Rui that day: "I will find someone who matches me and live an ordinary life with him."
In truth, these words felt more like a warning to herself. She was reminding herself of the kind of person she should look for and the kind of life she should lead.
So when her old classmate, Qiang Ge, called her after work to say he wanted to introduce her to a potential partner, she thought it over and didn’t refuse.
Qiang Ge told her over the phone, "That night we drank together on the second day of the Lunar New Year, I mentioned I’d keep an eye out for a suitable match for you. I wasn’t just saying that—I’ve been taking it seriously! After searching for so long, I’ve finally found someone I think is a great fit for you."
Xu Miyu quickly thanked Qiang Ge. She was both grateful and touched that he had taken a casual remark from that night so seriously and acted on it.
Qiang Ge replied, "No need to be so polite with us. Back in the day, you were the class favorite—you just didn’t realize it."
Then he briefly introduced the potential partner: "His name is Quan Zhibin. He’s in his early thirties, never been married, works in trade, and is already a regional manager—so I’m confident about his financial stability. He definitely won’t let you go hungry in the future. As for looks, he’s not as handsome as your ex-husband, and he’s quite a bit behind that colleague of yours, the one named Ji. But he’s decent-looking. For everyday life, as long as he’s presentable, that’s enough. Someone like your colleague Ji is almost too good-looking, which can be a bit unsettling."
Xu Miyu had been listening calmly to Qiang Ge’s words. But when he mentioned Ji Feng twice, the calm surface of her heart felt as if two stones had been thrown into it, sending ripples spreading outward.
These ripples crashed against her chest, carrying a faint, almost despairing sensation.
Over the phone, Qiang Ge continued, "Miyu, I showed Quan Zhibin your photo from our gathering that day. He was very pleased. I also mentioned that you’ve been divorced, and he said it doesn’t matter—as long as you’re a good person, he doesn’t mind. So, think it over. Would you like to meet him?"
Suppressing the ripples stirring in her chest, Xu Miyu told Qiang Ge, "Then let’s meet."
Over the past two weeks, whenever Ji Feng passed through the lobby, he couldn’t help but notice subtle changes in Xu Miyu.
He couldn’t quite pinpoint what exactly had changed, but he could sense that Xu Miyu seemed to have developed some other plans or even aspirations for her life. She was actively trying to immerse herself in those aspirations.
Her gaze toward him had also grown more distant, as if her eyes automatically erected a barrier between them the moment they met his.
He often wanted to ask if the wound on her foot had fully healed, but with that barrier in place, he never managed to ask.
Eventually, he grew a little frustrated. It felt as if he were the one desperately trying to do something. So, he simply stopped asking.Yet seeing Xu Miyu striving diligently every day toward her new life—a life filled with aspirations that clearly had nothing to do with him—his heart grew restless again, gradually simmering with anger.
That woman had been held in his arms like a princess, yet she never bothered to ask him what it meant.
Even if she had asked, he would have insisted it meant nothing and warned her not to read too much into such a fleeting moment of intimacy. But her utter silence, as if the incident had never occurred, left him so unsettled that it felt like a weight dangling in his heart, refusing to settle.
In a daze, he seemed to see himself reaching out to tuck the stray strands of hair behind her ear. The sensation of her smooth cheek and soft earlobe against his fingertips lingered vividly.
Snapping back to reality, he clenched his fist tightly, trying to crush the persistent memory on his fingertips. His heart thumped heavily, stirring an inexplicable irritation.
He struggled to push thoughts of that woman from his mind, but she haunted him like a lingering spirit. The image of her in the lounge next to the conference room—trapped between his arm and chest, perched on the edge of the table, arching her back to create distance, lips pressed and eyes wide—kept resurfacing: that delicate yet stubborn expression.
Finally unable to resist, he asked Xue Rui irritably, "What has Xu Miyu been up to lately?"
Xue Rui’s eyes widened immediately. "Boss, have you noticed Mi Yu seems different recently? Like she’s glowing with happiness?"
Ji Feng frowned at the words.
Glowing with happiness?
"What’s she been busy with?" he pressed, his voice taut like a stretched rubber band.
Xue Rui countered, "Do you remember that night on the second day of the Lunar New Year, among Mi Yu’s classmates drinking with us, there was one called Qiang Ge?"
Hearing the name, Ji Feng felt a phantom ache in his shoulder—the man who couldn’t speak without slapping backs.
"I remember," he replied stiffly.
Xue Rui explained, "A couple of days ago, he reached out through Qiqi... Li Qiaoqi to confirm with me whether Mi Yu had any connection with the colleague who joined us that night." He added, glancing at Ji Feng, "He was referring to you."
Ji Feng said expressionlessly, "I understood. No need for Manager Xue to elaborate." After the sarcastic remark, he asked, "How did you respond?"
Xue Rui answered, "Of course I said there was nothing between you. Right after that, Qiang Ge started setting Mi Yu up with someone."
As Xue Rui finished, Ji Feng’s expression froze for a moment. Then he sneered, "What a busybody, for a grown man."
Xue Rui observed him as if oblivious to the subtle, sour leakage from some unseen crack in his composure. With a casual, almost excited tone, he continued, "You have to admit, Qiang Ge works fast. Right after we moved the second half of the monthly meeting to the Sway Hotel, he matched Mi Yu with a pretty decent guy. They’ve been seeing each other for about two weeks now."
Ji Feng’s brow furrowed so tightly it seemed capable of sucking the entire world into a vacuum.
Nearly two weeks? Starting right after the monthly meeting?In other words, after he had carried her in his arms like a princess, after he had gently tucked away the stray hairs by her temples, after he had told her that her life might not be as worthless as she thought—she had turned around and gone on a blind date with another man? And it wasn’t just a casual meeting; they had already been steadily seeing each other for two whole weeks?
Ji Feng’s hands had unconsciously clenched into fists.
Waves of anger surged within him, a rage so intense he felt like tearing someone apart.
It was the kind of fury that came from feeling as though something that belonged to him had been coveted and stolen by someone else.
Gritting his teeth, he asked Xue Rui, “And then? How far has their relationship progressed?” Only after he spoke did he realize his voice had grown hoarse.
It was like the low, guttural growl of a beast preparing to pounce on its prey.
Xue Rui noticed the visible change in Ji Feng but continued as if he hadn’t detected anything, casually sharing the juicy gossip with an air of mystery and excitement. “Boss, if you’re asking about this, then I’m wide awake now! If I tell you how far they’ve gotten, I bet you won’t be able to sleep either!”
After building up the suspense, he revealed to Ji Feng, “Qiqi told me that the man is quite satisfied with Mi Yu. You can tell he really likes her and doesn’t mind at all that she’s been divorced. What’s more, he’s got a considerate and romantic side to him. For instance, I got some fresh intel from Lu Xiaoyan, Li Kunlun, and that Ke Wenxue—they’re like the hotel’s gossip squad. Tonight, Mi Yu is on night duty, and the guy wanted to spend more time with her. Guess what he did? Rumor has it he specifically booked a business suite on the executive level tonight!”
He looked at Ji Feng with a suggestive wink. “This guy really knows how to play it, doesn’t he? He’s staying here overnight, supposedly to keep Mi Yu company a little longer, but there’s definitely some ulterior motive—like, what if Mi Yu is so moved by his romance and thoughtfulness that she ends up going to his room to rest with him… and then something more intimate happens? It’s not impossible. When you think about it, this guy is really smooth at going with the flow!” Unlike a certain someone here, who’s so straightforward he’d probably push the boat against the current even if the water was flowing the right way.
As soon as he finished speaking, just as he had anticipated, he saw Ji Feng’s expression darken instantly.
Ji Feng was colder and more out of control than he had ever been on any other day or at any other moment.
He could no longer contain his emotions.
From the depths of his eyes surged disbelief, concern, rage, and jealousy—
Ji Feng’s mind flashed back to the image of Xu Miyu lying before him that night.
Her half-closed eyes glistened with a dazed moisture, her slightly parted lips releasing soft, shallow breaths, her slender waist like flawless, pure white jade, and her dark hair spread across the white sheets, creating a strikingly alluring contrast between black and white.
Recalling these details, Ji Feng’s breath caught in his throat, sending a tingling sensation straight to his heart.
But immediately, the thought that her captivating appearance might very well be seen and savored by that blind date guy tonight made his heart feel as if something were stuck in it.
Outwardly, aside from appearing colder and more solemn, there was nothing particularly unusual about him.Yet in his heart, something scorching and suffocating had already surged up. It battered and corroded his insides, making him restless and inexplicably furious.
His temper seemed to have deteriorated to an unprecedented degree. He sharply rebuked Xue Rui, "What does it matter to me whether they book a room or what they plan to do at night? Why are you telling me this? Isn't it disgusting? Get out."
He practically shoved Xue Rui out in a fit of rage.
Standing in the corridor outside the penthouse suite, Xue Rui felt no resentment after being scolded. Instead, he secretly smiled outside the door.
He had always known that no matter how strict the man inside was with his principles for choosing a partner, they couldn't overpower his true feelings.
Having followed him every day, Xue Rui, as his assistant, could clearly see what he was thinking, whom he disliked, whom he despised, and for whom he had developed feelings.
That aloof and hard-to-read boss inside was clearly deeply drawn to Xu Miyu, yet he stubbornly insisted that she wasn't a suitable match, denying his own emotions. As a result, he tormented himself and everyone around him, even dragging a whole group of executives halfway across the city during a perfectly normal meeting.
As his personal assistant, Xue Rui couldn't stand it any longer. If things continued at this pace, Xu Miyu would likely end up marrying her blind date and stepping into a second marriage.
Just before lunch, Xue Rui brought Ji Feng a piece of news: "I just went downstairs and chatted with the front desk staff. I didn't see Mi Yu. When I asked, I found out that her blind date had arrived and was having lunch with her at the Chinese restaurant on the second floor."
Ji Feng lifted his eyes and shot a cold glare at Xue Rui. His voice, like an icy whip, lashed out with piercing sharpness: "What do you mean by telling me this? Did I say I wanted to know?"
Xue Rui shrugged and patted his mouth, signaling an apology for his nosiness.
Inwardly, however, he scoffed, thinking, Well, if you're so tough, why don't you just eat in your room and make sure you don't find any excuse to go to the Chinese restaurant on the second floor?
"Boss, it's almost lunchtime. Should I have the catering department bring your meal up?" Xue Rui asked routinely, as usual.
Ji Feng nodded with a darkened expression.
Xue Rui began counting down in his head: Three, two, one...
Suddenly, Ji Feng waved a hand at him. "Forget it. Don't have them bring it up." He abruptly rose from the sofa, put on his suit jacket, fastened the buttons, adjusted his cuffs, and meticulously straightened his shirt collar, ensuring his appearance was impeccable. Then, turning to Xue Rui, he said, "I feel like trying the rib soup from the Chinese restaurant today."
Xue Rui mentally snapped his fingers. Just as I expected.
His face remained expressionless, even respectful, but his words deliberately exposed Ji Feng's excuse: "Boss, the Chinese restaurant isn't serving rib soup today. It'll be available tomorrow. Since it's not on the menu today, perhaps it's better not to go down. Should we have Li Kunlun bring your meal up as usual?"
Ji Feng gritted his teeth and glared at Xue Rui, stubbornly insisting, "I'm the boss here. Do I need to wait for a specific day if I want rib soup? If it's not on the menu, have them make a bowl for me right now."
With that, he stormed out in a huff.
Xue Rui stifled a laugh behind his back.
—Wasn't it obvious that he just wanted to see what kind of person Mi Yu's blind date was? Why couldn't he just admit it?Ji Feng stood at the entrance of the Chinese restaurant, quietly observing the scene inside.
By the window in the main dining area, a table was occupied by none other than Xu Miyu and a man.
The man appeared steady and reliable, with well-proportioned features that could be considered handsome.
He was the picture of chivalry, smiling as he served dishes to Xu Miyu, poured her water, and handed her napkins, taking care of her attentively. Xu Miyu, in turn, smiled back at him and repeatedly thanked him.
With each of her smiles, the man’s eyes seemed to light up, his fondness for her spilling over without restraint.
Standing at the entrance, Ji Feng unconsciously clenched his hands into fists at his sides.
An unfamiliar feeling surged in his chest—part anger, part a sour, swelling ache.
Before he could even figure out how to rid himself of this uncomfortable, distressing sensation, his legs had already carried him toward their table—
Xue Rui felt that when Ji Feng entered the Chinese restaurant today, his demeanor and stride were so exceptionally elegant and handsome that it was as if he were strolling down a red carpet at a grand event. The female staff in the dining department were mesmerized, watching him with rapt attention all the way.
He walked through the restaurant, passing Xu Miyu’s table without so much as a glance, as if he hadn’t seen her at all.
Then he took a seat at a table not far from theirs, diagonally across.
Xue Rui sat opposite him, called over a server, and placed an order for Ji Feng. When he asked what Ji Feng wanted to eat, Ji Feng distractedly mentioned pork rib soup and left the rest of the ordering to Xue Rui, urging him to hurry. All Ji Feng wanted was to quickly get the server—who happened to be blocking his line of sight—out of the way.
But once the server had left and his view was unobstructed, he continued to pretend not to look sideways, deliberately resisting the urge to glance in Xu Miyu’s direction.
He held back again and again, until finally, as if unable to bear it any longer, he abruptly asked Xue Rui, “Did she see me?”
Xue Rui, who was drinking water at the time, nearly choked and spat it out.
So much for claiming not to care about Xu Miyu. He’d be a fool to believe that.
Wiping his mouth, Xue Rui replied to Ji Feng, “She saw you when you passed her table, but only for a moment.”
“And now? Has she looked over?”
“No.”
“…Take a closer look.”
“…Really, she hasn’t!”
Unable to resist any longer, Ji Feng cast a sidelong glance. At the table not far away, Xu Miyu indeed wasn’t looking in his direction.
Not only that—the man across from her was asking her something with concern, even raising his hand to press the back of it against her forehead.
She immediately blushed, leaning back slightly as she shook her head and said something. Her eyes, like scattered starlight, reflected a flustered shyness—as if she had more to say but held back, as if she wanted to refuse but couldn’t bring herself to.
His hand, resting on the table, clenched into a fist once more.
The first dish arrived promptly. Ji Feng glanced down at it, frowned, and asked Xue Rui, “What is this? Did I order it?”
Xue Rui sighed inwardly. How could the man not remember he had only ordered pork rib soup? Just how distracted was he…
He answered Ji Feng seriously, “I ordered it—vinegar-glazed bitter melon. It’s appetizing and helps reduce internal heat.” I specifically ordered it for you, my irritable boss.
And so, Ji Feng elegantly picked up pieces of vinegar-glazed bitter melon with his chopsticks while stealing occasional glances at the nearby table. He appeared to be eating with relish and composure, but in reality, the meal tasted not only like chewing wax but was also filled with a mouthful of sourness and bitterness.
*Xu Miyu and her blind date Quan Zhifeng had been seeing each other for two weeks.
She thought Quan Zhifeng was a wonderful man—gentlemanly and considerate—who had shown clear interest in her.
Over the past two weeks, he had taken her out for meals, movies, and concerts. Overall, they got along quite well.
Occasionally, Quan Zhifeng tried to get closer to her, like attempting to hold her hand in the cinema or putting his arm around her waist while strolling down the street after a Western dinner.
Each time, she would involuntarily flinch slightly, unsure whether it was from surprise or simply unfamiliarity.
Quan Zhifeng never took offense. He was very accommodating of her instinctive resistance, even blaming himself for being too abrupt.
Xu Miyu knew that for a divorced woman like her, meeting such a tolerant and gentlemanly man was nothing short of a stroke of luck.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, she had never once felt her heart race when she was with Quan Zhifeng.
She didn’t understand what was wrong with her. When Quan Zhifeng thoughtfully served her dishes or attended to her needs, the ripples in her heart were not even as strong as when that person’s figure suddenly passed by.
Just moments ago, when she realized it was Ji Feng walking past her table, her chopsticks nearly slipped from her grasp.
Even though her interactions with Quan Zhifeng were perfectly proper, she inexplicably felt the awkwardness of being caught in an affair. The sensation left her alternating between chills and feverishness, and she could barely eat, as if the food was stuck in her throat.
Sitting across from her, Quan Zhifeng noticed her discomfort and asked considerately, “Miyu, what’s wrong? You look a bit pale. Did you catch a chill earlier?”
As he spoke, he reached out to touch her forehead with the back of his hand, checking if she had a fever.
Xu Miyu instinctively leaned back immediately.
Feeling a gaze from the side, she didn’t know whether it was because of that look or Quan Zhifeng’s touch, but her face flushed instantly. She quickly shook her head and said, “I’m fine. I might just be a bit tired from being so busy this morning.”
Quan Zhifeng immediately asked with concern, “Will you still be able to work the night shift tonight? How about swapping shifts and resting tonight?”
Xu Miyu hurriedly replied, “It’s alright. The afternoon should be much more relaxed, so I’ll have time to recover.”
Quan Zhifeng smiled at her and said, “Alright then, take care of yourself. I’ve booked a suite on the executive level. I’ll come over after I finish work tonight. Since you’re on duty here, I’ll keep you company. When your night shift ends, you can come straight to the suite to rest.” He paused and added with a smile, “The suite has two rooms—an inner and an outer one. I’ll stay in the outer room, so you can rest assured in the inner one.”
Xu Miyu felt Quan Zhifeng’s thoughtfulness and the weight of the gaze from the side, a surge of bitterness welling up inside her.
She felt that continuing like this without clarity would be unfair to the man across from her. She decided to clarify some things with him that evening.
So, she said to Quan Zhifeng quite seriously, “Alright, I’ll come find you before my night shift starts.”
Returning from the Chinese restaurant at noon, Ji Feng felt as if his chest was filled with pent-up anger. He was so furious that he couldn’t even recall how he had finished his lunch or what he had eaten. All he knew was that, thanks to the vinegar-glazed bitter melon, his mouth was still filled with bitterness and sourness.Returning to the penthouse, he tossed his suit jacket onto the sofa, tugged open his shirt collar with restless movements, and strode to the window to stare outside with hands on his hips.
Suddenly he slammed a palm against the glass—a sharp crack that forced the air from his chest in a violent release.
He couldn't understand how that woman could accept his intimate advances one day, then turn around and go on a blind date the next.
He, Ji Feng, hadn't even started looking for new marriage prospects yet, still struggling in the aftermath of that night's uncontrollable passion, yet Xu Miyu had already been dating some random blind date guy for two weeks!
Fine. Just fine.
Ji Feng gritted his teeth and told himself that if he kept thinking about her or getting emotional because of her, he'd be a madman, a fool.
By afternoon, he thought he had calmed down. His expression, voice, and attitude had all returned to normal.
Except he kept choking on water whenever he drank, until finally, annoyed by the constant choking, he simply smashed the cup.
Except when reading documents, he actually held them upside down. Strangely enough, he kept reading them upside down for quite a while. Being fooled by a document was an indignity he couldn't bear, so he ended up throwing them on the floor and stomping on them a couple of times in frustration.
Then he calmly decided to harvest crops and plant seeds in his farming game. But today the tablet's facial recognition was acting like an idiot, refusing to unlock no matter how he positioned his face. Xue Rui, standing nearby, suggested, "Boss, maybe try not frowning?" He snapped back, "When am I frowning? What do I have to frown about?" Then he tossed the stupid tablet aside, not wanting to look at the dumb thing anymore.
Then he peacefully thought, maybe he should review some urgent contracts. He told Xue Rui to bring several folders from the study, planning to review them at the coffee table in the living room.
Xue Rui brought all the contracts over, neatly organized and arranged on the coffee table. He opened the first one and noticed an incorrect description in the contract, so he picked up a pen to make corrections.
But today even the pen was against him!
The pen tip refused to leave smooth, continuous marks on the paper.
He pressed harder, hoping the pen would get the hint and start flowing ink consistently. But the pen tip remained defiant—this time not only failing to produce ink but also tearing a hole in the paper.
Ji Feng froze, pen in hand. His entire body froze. The very air in the room seemed to freeze along with him.
The next second, Ji Feng suddenly swept his arm across the table, sending all the contracts flying to the floor. He threw the pen down violently and kicked the coffee table, which screeched painfully as it slid across the marble floor.
His mind was filled with images from noon: the man pressing the back of his hand against Xu Miyu's forehead, Xu Miyu blushing and shaking her head shyly, the man inviting her to his room that night and her nodding in agreement.
Breathing heavily, he checked his watch. It was already time for their scheduled rendezvous in the suite.
Right now, he truly couldn't sit still any longer pretending to be calm and unaffected.
Someone was about to be in a room downstairs with another man, doing who knows what.
When he looked up again, bloodshot veins were visible in his eyes.
Traces of his internal struggle with himself.
He looked at Xue Rui and asked a question, his voice low and hoarse, barely recognizable as his own.
"Tell me, which room on the executive level are they in?"
Xue Rui had been standing there stunned; he'd never seen Ji Feng so emotionally out of control before.For a moment, he even regretted deliberately provoking Ji Feng.
It wasn't until he heard Ji Feng ask for the room number that he snapped out of his daze and blurted out a number.
Before his voice had even faded, Ji Feng had brushed past him like a cold wind, exited the door, and strode directly into the elevator.
Standing inside the elevator, Ji Feng felt rage still surging from the depths of his chest.
He was angry at Xu Miyu, angry at that blind date guy, and angry at himself for ultimately failing to restrain himself and taking the elevator down.
When the elevator reached the executive level, he stepped out, his footsteps heavy as he walked along the corridor.
His eyes scanned for the room number he was clenching between his teeth, his steps swift and unceasing as he passed by.
Finally reaching the end, the number on the door matched the one between his teeth. He stopped.
Standing before the door, he raised his hand and pressed the bell forcefully.
No one came to open the door promptly.
His heart instantly twisted into a knot, and unsettling images began to unfold in his mind.
Could it be that the people inside were busy putting on clothes, hence the delay? When the door opened, would he be faced with two people wrapped in bathrobes? Was he still in time?
At this thought, his fingertips nearly trembled, and his heart raced as if he were enduring torture.
In that moment, he felt an unbearable sorrow at his own assumptions. He finally understood his own heart: he couldn't bear the thought of that wretched woman Xu Miyu abandoning him, ignoring him, and turning to someone else.
With trembling fingertips, he continued to press the doorbell.
Finally, the door was opened from the inside.
He held his breath before daring to look up.
Seeing the woman who had opened the door, her clothes neat and her hair undisturbed, he almost breathed a sigh of relief with gratitude.
He grabbed her wrist, pulled her over, and tugged her behind him. To the man who had followed her out of the room, he said directly, "She can't date you!"
The man in the room, upon hearing this, showed no anger or surprise. Instead, he remained calm and retorted, "Why can't I date her?"
Ji Feng looked at him, and in that moment, he clearly understood his own heart. So he enunciated each word clearly: "Because I like her too, and she probably likes me as well."
Xu Miyu stood behind Ji Feng, her wrist still held by him. Hearing him say this to Quan Zhifeng, she looked up in shock, her eyes instantly welling up with a thin layer of tears.
Quan Zhifeng laughed, looking at them and said, "The matter between the three of us should be discussed inside the room."
Inside the room, everything was tidy. Especially the bed—the sheets didn't even have a single crease from someone lying on them.
Seeing this, Ji Feng felt a wave of relief. Xu Miyu and the blind date guy hadn't progressed further, which meant he still had a chance.
He still held Xu Miyu's wrist, unwilling to let go, as if afraid she might run away. Xu Miyu didn't struggle either, her eyes slightly red and her head half-lowered, allowing him to hold her.
Quan Zhifeng closed the room door, and as he turned around, he shook his head and smiled at the sight of their intertwined hands and wrists.
"Actually, I saw you during lunch," Quan Zhifeng said, tilting his head slightly to look at Ji Feng, who was a bit taller than him. "I also noticed that as soon as you entered the restaurant, Miyu started acting strangely. My intuition told me that you weren't just a guest at this hotel—there must be some connection between you and Miyu."
"Sure enough, just now Miyu came and told me that you two do know each other."His gaze towards Xu Miyu was exceedingly gentle. That look pricked at Ji Feng, who pulled Xu Miyu behind him, shielding her from Quan Zhifeng's view.
Quan Zhifeng watched Ji Feng's actions and asked with a smile, "Do you know what Miyu just told me?"
Ji Feng tightened his grip on Xu Miyu's wrist and replied to Quan Zhifeng, "No matter what she said to you earlier, or whether she agreed to date you, now that I'm here, none of that counts anymore."
Quan Zhifeng shook his head with a smile and told Ji Feng, "If only Miyu had agreed to date me. She actually came to apologize to me. She said she was sorry, that she's sure she likes someone else, but that person doesn't like her. Even though she can't be with that person, she can't continue dating me either, as it wouldn't be fair to me. I told her it was okay, that I could wait for her to forget that person, but she said she might never be able to forget them."
Upon hearing this, Ji Feng was stunned, then his heart stirred intensely. He turned to look at Xu Miyu.
Xu Miyu lifted her head to meet his gaze, then quickly lowered it again. The shimmering light in her eyes seemed to carry a subtle force that made Ji Feng's heart ache with a faint sourness.
Involuntarily, he changed from holding her wrist to holding her hand. She didn't refuse him, softly allowing him to hold it. His heart instantly softened beyond measure, feeling as if his entire being was melting into a pool of water.
Quan Zhifeng coughed lightly, drawing Ji Feng's attention back. "Alright, now I know that person is you, and it's quite obvious that not only does Miyu like you, but you like her too. To be honest, I also like Miyu, but a gentleman knows when to step aside. Since you both like each other, I'm willing to withdraw. However," Quan Zhifeng paused here, looking seriously into Ji Feng's eyes as he warned him, "in the future, please treat Miyu well. Don't make me regret giving you this opportunity."
After saying this, he casually picked up his suit jacket from the coat rack by the door and said to Ji Feng and Xu Miyu, "Well, now that everything's clear, I'll take my leave. This room is all yours."
He bid farewell to Xu Miyu like a gentleman, nodded to Ji Feng, reminded him to treat the woman behind him with care, then turned, opened the door, and strode away.
Xu Miyu watched his retreating figure, her heart filled with gratitude.
Quan Zhifeng was truly a good man. She hoped he would find a woman better than herself, someone who would make him happy for the rest of his life.
Suddenly, her chin was pinched, turned, and lifted.
Her eyes met Ji Feng's.
Her heart raced uncontrollably, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She had never considered herself a crybaby, yet at this moment, she didn't know why, but it felt as if thousands of grievances were surging forth from her heart.
He stared at her without blinking. At first, she met his gaze through tear-blurred eyes, then lowered her head to avoid his look.
Ji Feng's heart clenched, watching her expression with both sourness and faint pain.
All these emotions rushed to the tip of his tongue, transforming into one urgent question after another: "What's wrong with you? One day you're in my arms, the next day you're going on blind dates? Are you that eager to go on dates and marry someone?"
Xu Miyu immediately lifted her head, looking at Ji Feng in shock.
She thought that with no outsiders present, he would speak gentle, heartfelt words to her. But what was he saying instead?
She felt both angry and wronged.After that night, he didn't come looking for her when she ran away. When she said she would cut ties with him, he simply agreed. Wasn't this clearly telling her that they were impossible, that she wasn't suitable for him, that she wasn't good enough for him?
So when she wanted to find someone suitable to marry and settle down, to no longer harbor inappropriate feelings and attachments for him, was that wrong too?
The more she thought about it, the angrier and more wronged she felt. Her emotions spiraled out of control, and the tears that had been welling in her eyes instantly burst forth, streaming down her cheeks in hot trails.
Tears flowed from her eyes, yet a bitter smile tugged at her lips. She looked at him, her voice trembling with anger as she asked, "Then tell me, what should I do? Am I not allowed to go on blind dates and marry someone? Should I, knowing full well there's no future with you, become your one-night stand instead? Should I, aware that you'll never be with me, let myself remain hopelessly attached to you without restraint? Is that what you want to see?"
Ji Feng felt his heart clench violently, the veins on his forehead throbbing.
Every word she spoke twisted his insides tighter.
How had he allowed her to suffer so much grievance?
Hearing her accusations and watching her tears fall, he felt both frantic and remorseful, yet utterly at a loss about what to do.
In his desperation, he pulled her firmly into his embrace.
With one arm wrapped around her back and the other supporting her head, he lowered his gaze, murmured an apology, and captured her lips in a fierce kiss.
OpenNovel