Qin Yuxi leaned against her vanity table, phone pressed to her ear, her voice sweet and soft.
"A'hao...," she drawled, her tone laced with spoiled affection. "You've been so busy lately, I barely hear from you. Do you even miss me?"
On the other side, Zhou Shunhao's voice was low, clipped. "I'm in the middle of something important. Let's talk later."
Qin Yuxi pouted, deliberately letting annoyance slip into her voice. "You always say that. If you don't care, then fine, I won't call you anymore!"
Normally, this was when he would laugh, coax her, maybe even promise to take her shopping or to dinner to soothe her temper. But this time, there was nothing. Just silence, heavy and cold.
Then his voice again, flat. "Xixi, be good. We'll talk later."
The line clicked. He'd hung up.
Qin Yuxi stared at her screen, dumbfounded. He never cut her off first. Never.
And then—just as the call ended—something slipped through. A faint voice, high and lilting, carried by the background.
"Hao-ge... should I book the table now?"
The words were casual, teasing, intimate. The kind no colleague would dare use.
Her heart gave a sharp jolt.
She blinked hard, shaking her head. "No… I must've misheard. Just background noise… it has to be."
But her fingers clenched around the phone, knuckles white.
She had been ready for his usual pampering, expecting him to miss her just as much as she missed him. Instead, she was left with a silence colder than the empty room around her—and that unfamiliar, sticky-sweet voice echoing in her ear.
Forcing a smile at her reflection in the vanity mirror, she muttered under her breath, "Zhou Shunhao… you'd better not be hidding anything."
For now, she tossed her phone on the bed, forcing a smile in the mirror. She refused to look like a jealous wife.
But deep inside, that little uneasiness stayed, quietly growing roots.
---
Stacks of folders buried Qin Yichen's desk, the neat lines of his pen slowly starting to blur as the hours dragged on. Afternoon sunlight filtered through the tall windows of his office, but he barely noticed. For the past two days, he had been swamped with back-to-back meetings, reports, and endless signatures.
Just as he reached for another file, his phone buzzed. He almost ignored it—until he saw the name flashing.
"Boss!" the voice on the other side was practically vibrating. "We got him. The deal's ready. Cao Zhiyu agreed to sign. All that's left is your signature."
Qin Yichen leaned back in his chair, pen still between his fingers. For the first time all day, his expression cracked—just a fraction, but enough.
"…Where?"
"Azure Veil Club. Private lounge. Everyone's waiting."
His eyes narrowed, then lit up, quiet fire flickering in their depths. The corners of his lips curved into the rarest of smiles.
He didn't waste words. "I'll be there."
The call ended. Silence returned.
For a moment, Qin Yichen sat still, tapping the pen against his desk. He glanced at the mountain of folders. Numbers, reports, contracts—everything that chained him to the Qin family. Yet none of it made his pulse race the way that call had.
He pressed the intercom. "Du Minghao."
The door opened within seconds. His secretary, neat and efficient, appeared. "Young Master Qin?"
"Clear my afternoon schedule. We're going to Azure Veil Club."
Secretary Du blinked, startled. "Now?"
"Yes. We leave in ten minutes." Qin Yichen's tone brooked no argument, but there was a spark in his eyes, something his secretary hadn't seen in a while.
"Yes, sir." Secretary Du didn't question him further. He simply bowed his head and hurried off to make the arrangements.
Within minutes, Qin Yichen was out of the office, the weight of paperwork left behind. His pulse quickened with anticipation.
Even though Qin Yichen had given up on becoming the top racer, building his team… that was a dream he would never abandon. And as he stepped into the city lights, he knew tonight was just the beginning.