After a brief pause, he spoke gently, "It's getting late. I should take you home."
That night, Anna couldn't quite understand why Daniel had suddenly become so distant. His change in demeanor left her confused and a little disappointed.
Over the next few days, she mustered up the courage to send Daniel a few messages, but his replies were always brief, sometimes just simple emojis that felt dismissive. Gradually, Anna began to think that maybe all her previous feelings had been wrong. Perhaps Daniel had never been interested in her, and all the moments that had felt like sparks were just in her imagination.
Not long after, there was an industry gala that Anna attended as a representative for her jewelry company. She hadn't expected to see Daniel there as well.
Standing in a corner, Anna quietly observed him mingling with industry titans. He shone like a star, commanding the attention of everyone in the room, his presence untouchable for someone like her—just a regular employee.
She noticed a sophisticated, elegant woman standing next to Daniel, someone clearly from the upper echelons of business. They seemed to be conversing effortlessly. Anna tightened her grip on her wine glass, feeling a wave of unexplainable sadness wash over her.
"I've noticed you've been a little out of it lately," a voice suddenly said behind her. It was Xue, her colleague, who sighed softly. "You do know, don't you? Someone like him is out of your league. Reaching for something too high will only end up hurting you."
Anna didn't argue, her eyes stinging slightly. Deep down, she knew Xue was right.
Later that night, back at home, Anna scrolled through her phone for a long time before, with tears in her eyes, deleting Daniel from her contact list.
However, after she removed him from her contacts, she felt a hollow emptiness inside, as though something important was missing. Even though she told herself the connection had never meant anything, there was an inexplicable sense of loss that lingered.
One day, Anna was busy in the company lab, carefully examining a top-tier jade stone that was set to be auctioned. Its surface gleamed, and its internal structure was almost flawless. As she meticulously measured the refractive index and internal patterns of the stone, her phone buzzed, breaking her focus.
It was a message from a colleague.
"Anna, did you see today's jewelry news? There's a big project up for bids, and apparently Daniel's company is in the running."
Anna's heart skipped a beat. Daniel—that name had been buried in her memory for a while now. She instinctively opened the news link and froze when she saw the headline:
"Top Players in the Jewelry Industry Compete for High-End Project: Lu Corporation Expected to Win Billion-Dollar Mineral Supply Contract."
Anna stared at the screen in a daze, her heart pounding. She knew Daniel was a big name in the business world, but she hadn't realized his company had ventured into the jewelry industry as well.
How did he get involved in this field?
Throughout the rest of the day, Anna struggled to focus on her work, her thoughts repeatedly drifting back to Daniel.
After work, she ran into Tan, a friend she had met during a mining trip, and they decided to grab dinner together.
Tan worked as an analyst for a new mineral trading company. He often traveled to remote mining sites, and once, during a price negotiation, he was injured by a local gang. Anna had passed by and handed him a bottle of ointment for his wounds, saying, "This stuff really works."
"How do you even have something like this?" Tan had asked, surprised.
He was a typical sunny-looking guy—fair-skinned, tall, and athletic, dressed casually in a hoodie. His muscular arms were visible as he lounged comfortably.
Another time, after a shift at the mining site, Anna had been followed and cornered by some thugs. It was Tan who came to her rescue, chased them off, and called the police.
"Let's walk back together from now on. We live in the same area anyway," he had suggested.
Since then, they often walked home together after work.
That evening was no different. After grabbing some food from a nearby food truck, they strolled leisurely toward their neighborhood.
"You're so pretty. Why do you spend so much time in mining sites?" Tan asked, a teasing smile on his lips.
"And you're so good-looking. Why hasn't your company made you a model yet?" Anna shot back, playfully.
Tan chuckled, dimples appearing on his cheeks as he slung his backpack over one shoulder. He turned to look at her, his expression suddenly hesitant. "Anna, do you… have a boyfriend?"
"Huh?"
In the dim light, his face appeared a little uncertain.
Anna said, "I did."
Tan's expression froze for a moment before she added, "But we broke up."
Tan exhaled deeply, shaking his head. "You could give a guy a heart attack with that dramatic pause."
Anna giggled, sticking out her tongue. "What, are you trying to date me or something?"
Tan blushed lightly, staring at her with wide eyes.
Anna stopped walking, a bit surprised by his reaction.
She had meant it as a joke.
Just as the moment stretched out awkwardly, Tan's trembling hand moved toward her shoulder, but he hesitated, unsure of what to do next.
Suddenly, the glaring headlights of an approaching car pierced through the darkness, turning night into day.
A sleek black luxury car slowly pulled up beside them.
Anna squinted against the bright lights and instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.
Tan stepped aside, squinting as he tried to make out the car. "I've seen this car before, outside that big entertainment company," he muttered.
As the car passed by, the driver glanced nervously into the rearview mirror. "Mr. Lu, isn't that—"
Daniel, sitting in the back, stared straight ahead in silence for a few moments before quietly saying, "Drive."
The driver hesitated, looking back at Daniel. "Mr. Daniel…"
Daniel's voice turned cold. "I said, drive."