Next morning, Yang capital.
Li Lian stepped into the office, dressed neatly and professionally in a black skirt and a tailored blazer. Her nerves buzzed under her composed appearance, but she kept her chin high.
"Good morning, sir," she greeted politely as she approached the man already seated at the desk. She took the seat next to him.
"Good morning," the man replied warmly. "From now on, I'll be your senior. Nice to meet you, I'm Zhang Wei."
He extended his hand with a professional smile.
Clumsily and a little nervous, Lian reached out and shook it.
"…Hmm, for today, try creating a summary research on Zhaoyi Holdings. This might just be a test of your knowledge, but Young Master Yang could call on you to present it," Zhang Wei said, eyes fixed on his screen as he typed.
"…Okay, sir." Li Lian nodded and turned to her computer, letting out a small breath once his attention was off her. Then she began typing.
She stayed at her desk for two straight hours—reading, analyzing, typing—her brows furrowed in concentration. Eventually, she stood and stretched, then made her way to the vending machine for a drink.
On her way back, she bumped into a young woman about her age.
"Oh, sorry!" the girl apologized quickly, crouching down to gather the scattered files. Li Lian simply nodded and watched her rush off before returning to her own seat.
When lunch hour came, most of the staff made their way to the cafeteria. Lian, preferring to stay to herself, quietly chose an empty table.
A few minutes later, the same girl from earlier approached and sat across from her.
"…Hi," the girl said hesitantly.
"Hi," Li Lian responded softly.
And then, silence settled between them once more.
"…Can I know your name?"
"Li Lian. Yours?"
"Wang Yixi."
"Nice."
"Thank you. Can I have your WeChat?"
"Oh… sure, sure."
They exchanged phones with a small smile, the awkwardness slowly fading.
"Which department do you work in?" Yixi asked.
"Investment research assistant. You?" Li Lian replied, scooping food into her mouth.
"Administrative assistant."
"Oh."
They continued chatting casually until lunch ended and everyone returned to work.
Lian organized her summary, printed it out, and submitted it to her senior, who then asked her to help shred some papers. Evening eventually came, and it was time to go home.
Lian packed her bag and exited the building, only to spot Wang Yixi outside again.
Yixi smiled brightly before calling out to the man in the sleek Maybach parked nearby. "Brother Liwei, can we give her a ride? She's my friend."
The man turned his head, his sharp gaze scanning Lian from head to toe with cool calculation before giving a small nod, signaling for her to take the passenger seat. Yixi climbed into the back beside her brother, and soon the driver pulled away from the curb.
The ride remained quiet, save for the few light exchanges between Lian and Yixi. Despite the conversation, Lian could feel Wang Liwei's piercing gaze fixed on the back of her head, making her slightly uneasy until the car finally stopped.
"T-thank you, sir," she said politely as she stepped out. He gave a curt nod, and the car pulled away.
Lian let out a slow breath and began walking toward her brother's apartment, muttering under her breath, "Are all rich men always this intense?"
"…Whatever." She shook her head and entered the door code. The lock clicked, and she slipped inside, shutting the door behind her. "I'm home, brother."
"Hmm. How was your first day?" Wenbo called from the living room.
"It was good, I made a friend," she answered with a bright smile, slipping out of her heels and into a pair of home slippers.
Her brother returned the smile. "Freshen up and come down for dinner," he said warmly before heading back to the kitchen.
Meanwhile.
Yifan sat reclined in the backseat of his Maybach, eyes closed, fingers gently massaging his temples as the car glided smoothly through the evening streets, en route to Zhaoyue Pavilion.
Once home, he dismissed the maids with a simple wave of his hand, retreating into the quiet of his minimalist kitchen to prepare a modest meal. After eating in silence, he headed upstairs and entered his dimly lit bedroom, the walls soaked in shadows and stillness.
Crossing to his drawer, he opened it and carefully pulled out a photo frame. Inside was a picture of young Li Lian, her innocent smile frozen in time.
He stared at it, heart clenching. The image offered strange comfort—but also reopened old wounds.
"…Lian Lian… I'm sorry… I'm sorry," he whispered, voice heavy with guilt as his fingers tightened around the frame. "I can't keep living like this," he said through gritted teeth—not in anger, but in helpless frustration.
He had all the power in the world, yet still felt completely incapable where it mattered most.
Yifan placed the frame back gently, almost reverently, and shut the drawer. Without sparing another glance, he headed straight into the bathroom for a cold shower, hoping the icy water would numb the weight pressing on his chest.
Times like these made him miss Yufan's presence more than ever—his reckless honesty, his annoying yet grounding company. That very thought lingered in his mind when, as if summoned by it, the door to his room burst open just as Yifan stepped out of the bathroom, water still dripping from his hair.
Yifan didn't even flinch. "What are you doing here again?" he asked flatly, toweling his hair and pulling on his pajamas like Yufan's appearance was nothing new.
Yufan flopped onto the bed without permission, arms behind his head. "Stop acting all cold. And besides, we're supposed to talk about things, remember?"
Yifan gave him a sidelong glance. "What things?"
"The ones you keep pretending aren't eating you alive," Yufan replied, his tone light but gaze sharp.
Yifan said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes.
Yufan smirked. "See? I knew you missed me."
Yifan sat on the edge of the bed, elbows resting on his knees, fingers loosely interlocked. A long silence stretched between them before he finally broke it.
"How is she?"
Yufan glanced at him, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Geez, is she all you think about these days? She's got you wrapped around her finger and doesn't even know it." He shrugged, tone softening. "She's doing good."
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly as the mood shifted. "What about the investigation? Have you reopened it? I don't know why we didn't think to dig deeper earlier, but the Li empire didn't fall without a reason. Uncle Li was too competent for that. There has to be something behind it. What do you think happened?"
Yifan exhaled slowly. "I don't know either. And we can't just guess our way through it. But… any credible information I receive, I'll share it with you immediately."
Yufan studied him for a moment, then leaned back on the bed. "Would you visit my office tomorrow? Who knows, you might just bump into her."
Yifan said nothing, his silence lingering like a wall neither of them wanted to tear down.
Yufan chuckled faintly. "That's not a no. Anyway, I'll be testing her tomorrow. I told her senior to give her a research assessment on Zhaoyi Holdings, let's see how she does." He grinned over his shoulder. "And no, I won't be going easy on her just because of you."
Without waiting for a response, Yufan made his way to the bathroom, casually tossing off his shirt as he walked. A moment later, the sound of the shower running filled the room.
Yifan shook his head with a tired sigh.
Moments later, Yufan emerged from the steam, toweling his hair, now dressed in one of Yifan's pajamas—again.
Yifan gave him a dry, unamused scowl. "Are you ever going to stop stealing my clothes?"
Yufan smirked. "Nope. Yours fit better."
Yifan rolled his eyes. "You're impossible."
"And yet, here I am. Your favorite nuisance," Yufan said, flopping down onto the other side of the bed with zero shame.