Chapter 4
Mu Wanyan had warned herself a thousand times not to go looking for Su Xingwei, but in the end, she still went.
On the way there, everything that had happened between them flashed through Mu Wanyan’s mind like a reel running backward. Four years of college side by side; after graduation, she had gone straight into Xingsheng Group and spent two years as Su Xingwei’s assistant.
During those two years, Su Xingwei had been forced to take over the company after her parents died in a sudden accident. She had to deal with her watchful uncles on one side and guard against a cousin who coveted the chairman’s seat on the other; every step had been difficult. Mu Wanyan did her best to shoulder the endless chores and paperwork for her, but the words buried in her heart never found a chance to come out. Then that sudden car accident came and crushed everything to pieces.
The rain still hadn’t stopped. Mu Wanyan held a black umbrella and walked slowly along the stone path in the cemetery, her gaze catching on a figure in the distance.
Su Xingwei stood before a tombstone, motionless.
Mu Wanyan didn’t go closer; she only looked at her through the curtain of rain. Then she glanced aside, and the words engraved on the tombstone came clearly into view.
The Tomb of Gu Xi.
Those four words were painfully eye-catching. Mu Wanyan instinctively pressed a hand to her chest as a sharp stab of pain tore through her heart.
Today was Gu Xi’s memorial day.
Mu Wanyan closed her eyes and forced her breathing to steady.
She had long since found out where this cemetery was, but she had put off coming for so long because she had never dared set foot here, afraid she wouldn’t have the courage to face that tombstone. But now she was here, only to keep company with someone who refused to leave, standing alone in the storm.
The rain slanted harder, falling more densely, yet Su Xingwei still showed no sign of moving. Mu Wanyan tightened her grip on the umbrella handle and finally stepped forward.
A shadow fell over Su Xingwei’s head; the rain was blocked outside the umbrella. Su Xingwei slowly turned around, her eyes red, the sorrow in them still lingering. The once-bright, willful woman now looked only tired.
“Who told you to come?”
Her voice was slightly hoarse.
Mu Wanyan didn’t dare meet those eyes for long. She did her best to keep her voice calm. “Manager Zhang from the branch office brought an important set of documents that need your review. I couldn’t get through to you on the phone.”
Su Xingwei was silent for a moment before looking back at the tombstone.
“How did you know I was here?”
Mu Wanyan lowered her eyes and suppressed the turmoil surging in her chest. “I saw the mark on the calendar at your desk, and I asked some colleagues at the company. I knew today was a special day.”
She had prepared this excuse before coming. If it were the usual Su Xingwei, it probably wouldn’t have been so easy to fool her. But right now, this person likely had no energy left to care about such details.
Mu Wanyan held the umbrella steady over Su Xingwei’s head. Gradually, the umbrella tilted; her shirt was already wet on one side, but she didn’t seem to notice at all.
She stood quietly beside Su Xingwei, silently keeping her company as she mourned the self that had already “died.”
No one knew how long had passed before Mu Wanyan could no longer hold back.
“The dead are gone,” she said.
Her voice was blurred by the rain. “She definitely wouldn’t want to see you hurting like this because of her.”
Su Xingwei whipped her head around, her gaze sharp. “What right do you have to say that?”
Mu Wanyan’s heart tightened, and she hurriedly lowered her head.
“Sorry, Young Miss. I spoke out of turn again.”
After a pause, she added, “But you still have an important meeting at three this afternoon.”
Su Xingwei stared at her for a few seconds. In the end, she just turned and walked back. Mu Wanyan followed quickly, still holding the umbrella.
On the way, Su Xingwei didn’t say a word; the air in the car seemed frozen.
Mu Wanyan looked out the window and spoke softly. “The person Young Miss is missing must be very important to you. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have disturbed you on my own.”
After a moment of silence, Su Xingwei’s gaze brushed over Mu Wanyan’s half-wet clothes out of the corner of her eye.
“Sorry.”
She suddenly spoke, her voice much calmer than before. “I’m in a bad mood today. It’s not aimed at you.”
Mu Wanyan turned to look at her, then gave a faint smile, her eyes full of gentleness and tolerance.
“You don’t need to apologize, Young Miss,” she said softly. “I understand how you feel.”
Su Xingwei didn’t respond; her hand on the steering wheel tightened quietly.
The afternoon board meeting lasted nearly two hours. Su Xingwei was sharp and relentless throughout, refusing to give an inch on the proposals put forward by her uncles. Mu Wanyan sat in the corner taking minutes, watching her maneuver among those old foxes; she couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart.
As soon as the meeting ended, Mu Wanyan received notice from Su Xingwei that there would be a last-minute dinner engagement that night.
Seated in the passenger seat, Mu Wanyan found her gaze drifting left without realizing it. The way Su Xingwei drove was easy and composed; her nose was elegantly straight, her eyelashes long and fine, and her side profile was almost perfect.
She was staring a little too intently when Su Xingwei suddenly spoke.
“Do I look good?”
Her tone carried a hint of teasing, as if she had caught Mu Wanyan doing something wrong.
Mu Wanyan quickly looked away, her cheeks warming.
She wanted to say something to ease the awkwardness, but her mind had gone blank.
“Good-looking.”
The voice was soft, but honest.
Su Xingwei froze for a moment, apparently not expecting such a straightforward answer. She didn’t continue the topic.
The dinner was held in a private room at a high-end restaurant in the city center. The other party was the head of a partner company, a man in his thirties with a remarkable tolerance for alcohol. At the table, glasses were raised and refilled again and again. Su Xingwei had always known her limits, but tonight she drank far more heavily than usual; after a few rounds, she was already somewhat drunk.
By the end, Su Xingwei needed someone to support her just to stand steadily. She leaned against Mu Wanyan’s shoulder, the smell of alcohol heavy on her, her steps unsteady, eyelids half-lowered, as if she might fall asleep at any moment.
Mu Wanyan helped her outside. “Young Miss, I’ll take you home.”
Su Xingwei gave a muffled response; no one could tell what she had said, and she practically put all her weight on Mu Wanyan.
By the time the car reached the villa district where Su Xingwei lived, it was nearly eleven. The rain had stopped long ago, but the ground was still wet. Mu Wanyan parked the car and helped Su Xingwei toward the door. Before she could even ring the bell, the door opened from inside.
The butler came out and helped her carry Su Xingwei upstairs to the bedroom. When Su Xingwei was set onto the bed, she mumbled a few more indistinct words.
The butler went to the bathroom, wrung out a hot towel, and came back to wipe Su Xingwei’s face and hands. Then she helped remove her coat and shoes and covered her with a quilt.
“Thank you for your trouble, Assistant Mu,” she said to Mu Wanyan. “You should head back first. I’ll take care of things here.”
Mu Wanyan nodded and had just taken one step when a warm hand suddenly closed around her wrist.
Su Xingwei didn’t know when she had opened her eyes. Those usually sharp and capable eyes were now blurred with drunkenness, but they still stared stubbornly at her.
“Don’t go.”
Her voice was soft, almost like she was pouting.