In the booth, the two sat intimately close together, Bai Feifei seemingly drunk, with her face flushed as she dozed off on Ye Mubei's chest...
A handsome man and a beautiful woman, truly a feast for the eyes...
Ye Mubei had been with Bai Feifei all night, so why did he still ask her to wait for him?
To avoid overthinking, Shen Ruoxi simply turned off her phone.
The next afternoon.
Shen Ruoxi went to the president's office to retrieve a document that had been approved the day before.
This time, she stood from afar.
Yet she inevitably faced Ye Mubei's fury.
"Why didn't you come last night?"
Shen Ruoxi lowered her gaze, not daring to look directly into the man's piercing falcon-like eyes.
"My period came."
The man snorted coldly, his voice chilling to the extreme, "You've been with me for ten years—do you think I don't know when your period is?"
Hearing his words, Shen Ruoxi's thoughts became somewhat hazy.
It was as if he knew her very well...
That's right, Ye Mubei from six years ago truly knew her well, he paid great attention to everything about her. He would remember which bakery she liked, and would travel across half the city to buy her pastries when she was in a bad mood; he would remember the dates of her period, preparing sweet ginger tea for her in advance, along with his broad and warm embrace...
In the past, when her menstrual cramps were severe, Ye Mubei would help her rub her belly with a gentle yet strong massaging touch, lulling her to sleep, and then she would doze off on his chest...
All those memories were sweet.
But now, recalling them, there was only embarrassment and humiliation.
Shen Ruoxi blinked, preventing her tears from falling.
Yet when she spoke again, her voice took on a slight rasp.
"I caught a cold, so it came early."
The man's expression was cool and detached as he asked, "When does it end?"
"...In a week."
"Hmm, be obedient and wait for me at the villa after it's over."
As he spoke, the man handed her the document she needed.
Shen Ruoxi reached out to take it, her fingertips brushing against the man's icy ones.
Her heart shuddered, and she couldn't help but blurt out, "You have a fiancee now, why don't you go to her to satisfy your needs?"
"Could it be... that you only like me?"
The man's face darkened, and he slammed the table.
"Like you? Do you even deserve it?"
The rejection came almost without a moment's hesitation...
Shen Ruoxi's cheeks burned with pain.
She was being delusional.
Biting her lip, she said no more and left with the document.
That afternoon, Ye Mubei left on a business trip to country F.
Strangely, the usual milk tea afternoon tea benefit had been replaced by red date and ginger tea...
For a whole week, Shen Ruoxi left work on time every day and headed home.
Shen Ruoxi could clearly sense that her mother's mood had improved a lot.
She really wished things could remain this peaceful.
But just as she thought...
On Saturday evening, just after Shen Ruoxi had wheeled her mother back from their walk, she received a message from Ye Mubei.
He had sent her a picture of Star Moon Bay, with the text, "Come over after ten."
Ye Mubei's business trip had ended...
But she wouldn't go anymore.
For the sake of her dignity and her mother's health.
Shen Ruoxi turned off her phone and went to bed.
…
The next day, close to noon, Ye Mubei had not yet come to trouble Shen Ruoxi.
Shen Ruoxi quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as she was packing up her things to go downstairs for lunch, Bai Feifei rushed in, dragging her into a taxi.
She said she needed Shen Ruoxi's company for an errand outside.
Being her superior, Bai Feifei's work-related demands were something Shen Ruoxi couldn't refuse.
Shen Ruoxi forced her attention outside the window to avoid thinking about Bai Feifei and Ye Mubei's affairs.
But Bai Feifei, chirpy as a songbird, kept talking to her.
She shared how her and Ye Mubei's blind date was arranged by their families, how Ye Mubei fell for her at first sight, and how they got engaged after only two meetings.
Looking at her, lost in her sweet romance, Shen Ruoxi couldn't help but think of her past self.
It turns out that love doesn't disappear, it just gets transferred to another person.
Soon, the car stopped.
Shen Ruoxi looked up and realized they were at a bridal shop.
Bai Feifei smiled innocently and said, "Actually, I wanted you to come with me to pick out a wedding dress. I didn't tell you in advance; you don't mind, do you?"
Shen Ruoxi's expression froze for a moment, her heart torn, but she could only say, "I don't mind."
Then, she followed Bai Feifei into the store.
The store was devoid of any other customers; it must have been booked out.
In the central resting area sat a man with a noble stature and graceful demeanor.
Black suit, black tie, stern and abstinent.
As soon as the man saw Bai Feifei, his cold, sharp eyes softened somewhat.
It was Ye Mubei.
"Mubei, I'm here. Have you been waiting long?"
"Not long."
"Ha, that's good then."
Bai Feifei, with Ye Mubei in tow and the assistance of the staff, picked several wedding dresses and tried them on for Ye Mubei to see.
Watching the sweet scene between the two, Shen Ruoxi felt especially superfluous.
Bai Feifei already had Ye Mubei by her side; why did she still need her to accompany them?
In the end, Bai Feifei opted for a pink wedding dress, and Ye Mubei actually took the initiative to say he would wear a tie of the same color at the wedding.
Ye Mubei, the perpetual ice mountain, was actually willing to wear pink.