She had imagined what their reunion would be like countless times.

Shi Runrun: "..."

She raised her head, looking at him in a daze, looking at the determination on his face, and the silver light shimmering in his eyes beneath the night. Inevitably, a profound sense of guilt surged within Shi Runrun's heart.

What on earth did she do to deserve this...

To have such a wonderful man, all this time, in the shadows, unswervingly loving her, protecting her, and cherishing her...

Shi Runrun thought to herself whether she and Qiao Yu were truly destined to cross paths in this lifetime without the fortune of a shared life, just as people often say.

Back when she first entered university, she had fallen in love with him at first sight. Yet, after she confessed her feelings, a twist of fate sent him abroad. By the time he returned and realized the true intentions of his heart, she had already become another man's wife...

In this lifetime, they were ultimately lacking in matrimonial fate after all...

Shi Runrun reached out to touch her aching heart, able only to murmur apologies in a low voice.

Qiao Yu smiled wryly, then smoothed his expression back to his usual calm demeanor, and said to her, "Alright, let's not dwell on this. While we have the moment, let's talk about business."

"For the next few days, our company has a project collaboration with the resort. We need to send someone over to negotiate the specific details and processes. I've thought it over and decided to have you go along with the marketing manager. What are your thoughts on this?"

Naturally, Shi Runrun had no objections to this arrangement.

Nominally, he was her boss, and since she drew a paycheck from him, she naturally took his word as command.

Looking at him, Shi Runrun replied earnestly, "Alright, no problem. Tomorrow I'll go to the office to arrange the tasks on hand, and then I'll immediately coordinate with the marketing manager."

With that said, she hesitated for a moment, ultimately choosing not to mention the sense of unease she had felt in her heart that afternoon to Qiao Yu.

Who exactly was the strange uncle Yan Yan had seen, and was it really him? To this day, she still had no way of knowing...

If it truly was him, then over the next few days in S City, she would have to exercise the utmost caution...

However, when all was said and done, this matter had nothing to do with Brother Qiao, and there was no need to drag him into it.

***

The next day, after dropping the three little ones off at kindergarten, Shi Runrun came to the office to work.

She handled the urgent matters at hand and handed over the less time-sensitive tasks to other colleagues in the secretariat.

In the afternoon, she went to the marketing department to discuss the resort cooperation project with the marketing manager.

You wouldn't know until you discussed it.

It turned out that this cooperation was a monumental opportunity for Hengsheng!

Because the profits involved in this partnership amounted to tens of billions, and the competing enterprises were numerous, successfully securing the resort project would mark yet another colossal milestone for Hengsheng.

Therefore, over these past few days, Shi Runrun kept the matter close to heart, taking it with exceptional seriousness. Not only that, but even after getting off work and returning home, she would study relevant materials, learn theoretical knowledge, and prepare herself thoroughly.

Finally, the day arrived for her and the marketing manager to visit the resort.

***

That morning, she dropped the three little ones off at kindergarten as usual, and then waited at home for the marketing manager to come pick her up.

At nine in the morning, she got into the marketing manager's car, and the two of them headed toward the resort together.

A one-hour drive was neither too far nor too close.

Along the way, the two of them discussed the project, ensuring they would secure it without a single flaw.

Yet when the car arrived and she stepped out, a familiar white Maserati abruptly pierced her vision.

Actually, neither the car model nor its color was the most crucial part.

The most crucial part was the license plate number.

Jing A88888.

Shi Runrun's figure came to an abrupt halt.

Panic and blankness instantly filled her eyes.

Dead memories rushed forward at this moment like a tidal wave, engulfing her and leaving her suffocating...

She would never forget this license plate number for the rest of her life.

Even if her flesh and blood were reduced to ashes, she would still remember it.

It was that man's beloved car.

Why were her memories of it so profound?!

Because on that night of the rupture four years ago—the night her grandfather passed away—she had forced him, wrested the keys to this car from his hands, and driven this car to escape the Xiao family villa.

Until the day she died, Shi Runrun would never forget...

She stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.

It wasn't until the marketing manager called out to her.

"Secretary Shi? Secretary Shi?"

Only then did Shi Runrun snap back to her senses. Concealing her expression of astonishment, she offered an awkward smile, "Um... I'm sorry, I was just spacing out."

"It's fine, let's go inside."

This project was of paramount importance to Hengsheng, and securing it would yield a bonus of over one hundred thousand.

With that, she would be able to provide a better life for her children.

Whether for her own sake, to repay Qiao Yu's kindness, or for the children, she had to strive and work hard.

Yet the worst-case scenario she had imagined did not happen.

At the project negotiation meeting, that man did not appear.

***

She scanned her surroundings, carefully looking over every person nearby. Finding no trace of that man's figure, Shi Runrun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

With her tense heart relaxed, she returned to normalcy, regaining the energy to negotiate the project cooperation with the persons in charge from the resort.

The exchange went exceptionally smoothly. Although they had not yet formally signed the cooperation agreement, Shi Runrun felt that this project was well within their grasp.

Walking out of the meeting room with the marketing manager, it was already noon.

As the two of them walked, the marketing manager suddenly said to her, "Secretary Shi, did you know that the rehabilitation department of a hospital near here is extremely famous? Since we've been worn out by this project these past few days and the afternoon meeting doesn't start until four, how about we go to that hospital to get a massage and unwind?"

Naturally, Shi Runrun had no objections. Smiling, she nodded and agreed.

Naturally, it was the marketing manager who drove her there.

Arriving at the hospital, they registered, paid the fees, and went to wait outside the rehabilitation department's consulting room.

This was the first time Shi Runrun learned that you could actually go to a hospital for massages.

She had always thought that only those kinds of clubs provided such services.

While waiting, a physiological need suddenly arose.

Shi Runrun said a word to the marketing manager, clutched the small bag hanging on her body, and headed for the restroom.

Following the signs through the hospital corridor, just as she was about to turn toward the restroom, a deep and magnetic male voice suddenly drifted out from a consultation room whose door was not fully closed and left a crack open, causing her footsteps to halt instantly...

Shi Runrun's ears rang abruptly, her entire body freezing as if struck by lightning.

The doctor inside asked, "Mr. Xiao, how long has it been since you last had that kind of intimate life?"

"Four years."

"Do you have urges of that nature? And do you experience physical reactions in the morning?"

"I do."

"Then, from my perspective, the reason you cannot resolve your physiological needs is because you harbor lingering psychological trauma in that regard."

Outside the door, a rigid Shi Runrun stood there, unable to stop herself from casting her gaze through the crack in the door into the consultation room.

What was it that she saw...

She saw that familiar, majestic back, along with the sharp, raven-haired head of a man that came into her view.

It was identical to the one in her memories...

At this very moment, Shi Runrun's heartbeat abruptly stopped.

She had imagined the scene of their reunion countless times, but she never expected that everything would come so quickly, and so melodramatically...