She dared not take anything lightly now.
Especially matters between men and women, she was even more cautious and careful.
Even though she understood that Huo Jingtang in front of her might not have ill intentions, she was a woman with no future, hence she dared not fantasize about one.
Their accidental entanglement had already derailed her from her original trajectory in life, now she was simply putting on the brakes, aiming to return to her rightful place.
The fiery heat from moments ago had instantly cooled down, leaving only cold ashes behind.
His face expressionless, he let go of her hand, and as soon as she gained her freedom, she didn't stay any longer but turned and walked away.
"You can't catch a cab at this time, and aren't you afraid of being robbed or worse on your way out?" Huo Jingtang watched her straight back and kindly reminded her.
She now understood, the more handsome the man, the more irresistible he was, and one could easily get poisoned accidentally, leaving no trace behind, and he could lead one to utter ruin.
She now dared not easily trust any man, even if that man had no ill intentions.
Huo Jingtang stood up from the sofa, regarding her slim figure, "You've already been here for most of the night, a few more hours won't make a difference. Wait till it's light out before you go. Maintaining distance, right? What I say, I do."
He turned off the only other floor lamp that was on in the living room. He lay back down on the sofa, turning inwards.
Huo Jingtang didn't hear her footsteps, "Still standing there like a statue? Go to sleep."
Facing his natural demeanor, Qin Yucen felt countless indescribable emotions welling up inside her, tangling and trapping her until she felt she might suffocate.
Maybe it was Huo Jingtang's words that scared her, she never found the courage to leave, and instead went back to her room and lay down, but sleep completely eluded her. Wasn't this what she had imagined? Becoming themselves again?
The next day dawned clear and the sunlight was just right.
After Qin Yucen got up, she didn't see Huo Jingtang, but as soon as she left the house, she ran into his assistant, Xu Rui.
Xu Rui had just parked his car and got out to greet Qin Yucen, "Miss Qin, good morning."
"Assistant Xu... good morning." Qin Yucen's heart was in turmoil, not knowing how to selfishly explain why she was at Huo Jingtang's house so early.
However, Xu Rui spoke first, "Miss Qin, did you come early to discuss the contract with the president? He's already gone to the airport. I came to fetch some documents. You didn't bring a car, did you want me to give you a lift?"
"He is on a business trip..." Qin Yucen was startled.
He works even on weekends?
He owned more than she could have imagined, yet he still strived so hard, while she... what right did she have to stop her progress?
"Wait for me a moment," Xu Rui quickly went into the villa, came back out with a document bag, and soon came out.
Qin Yucen did not refuse Xu Rui's kind offer further, and at the city center, she thanked him and alighted from the car.
Xu Rui watched her hail a cab and leave before pulling out his phone and dialing a number to report, "President, I've done as you instructed and dropped Miss Qin at the city center, and watched her get into a cab. President, doing this..."
"Xu Rui, you talk too much," Huo Jingtang's voice was cold.
Xu Rui knew he had overstepped, it wasn't his place to speak to the president in such a manner, "Xu Rui was wrong."
"I'll be away for a few days, just relax. I'll contact you when I get back," Huo Jingtang actually understood that Xu Rui cared for him, and having remained loyal to him, he did not wish to reprimand him further.
As the cab carrying Qin Yucen drove away, she looked out at the scenery and directed the driver to a new destination, "To Lin County."
Lin County was a coastal county of Jinggang City, more an island than a city, because it required a ferry ride to reach her native home.
Ever since she was discreetly engaged to Guan Haoyang at eighteen, she moved from the Qin family to the Guan family, just as she started university in Jinghong City. They considered the convenience of her studies and wanted her to get familiar with the Guan family early, accustomed to her soon-to-be role as a wife.
Her father and grandmother told her that the Guan family would be her home from then on, and being a daughter-in-law of the Guans, she should prioritize the Guan family, especially Guan Haoyang.
She knew it wasn't that her father and grandmother didn't like her returning, but rather they didn't want to affect her. After all, the Qin family was too ordinary, and the family was struggling, while the Guan family was a wealthy and well-known clan, fearful that too much interaction with the Qin family would embarrass her.
She realized it had been a long time since she last visited the Qin family.
After an hour's drive, she reached the seaside, then caught the last ferry back to Lin Island.
Her home was in a small fishing village on the island surrounded by the sea. The villagers lived on the sea and relied on fishing, their disposition simple and kind.
Qin Yucen grew up here, her skin not roughened by the sea breeze, and she blossomed into a beauty like the southern girls, arguably the prettiest girl on the island, with more boys admiring her than there were fish in the sea.
Her beauty was largely inherited from her mother, yet she had never heard her father or grandmother speak of her, nor had she seen a single photo. When she was younger and asked about her mother, her father remained silent and her grandmother just sighed; eventually, she stopped asking.
Standing in front of her long-missed home, her eyes became sore and warm, wetness welling up.
Qin Yucen steeled her emotions inside her eyes, smiled with a tip of her lips, and gently pushed open the partially closed door, only to see her grandmother and brother gutting fish in the courtyard.
She stepped forward, heels clicking, casting a shadow in front of them, "Grandma, Yuxuan, let me help."
The busy grandmother and grandson, hearing the familiar yet unexpected voice, looked up at her.
"Cencen is back..." Grandma seemed to doubt her own eyes, wiping them with her apron before clearing her sight.
Qin Yuxuan was also in disbelief that the person standing before him was his sister Cencen, whom he hadn't seen for years, and it took him a moment to call out, "Sister—"
He was exceptionally handsome and clean, his black hair and white clothes making him look like a beautiful young man from a Japanese or Korean manga.
"You're a man now, no crying," Qin Yucen felt her own eyes warming, fearing that she might be the first to cry.