[Location: Xu Corporation HQ — Executive Floor | Time: 11:30 AM | Weather: Cloudy]
Xu Yichen stepped into his private office, the silence deeper than usual.
The divorce papers sat on his desk—signed. Final.
He picked them up and flipped through the pages without expression. His name, her name, both on the last line, severed cleanly. Exactly how he asked for it.
Exactly what he thought he wanted.
His gaze drifted to the framed city skyline outside his window. City A hadn't changed much. But something in him had fractured.
He closed the file slowly and placed it aside.
"Sir," his assistant Yuan Fei entered, tone careful. "The press conference arrangements are underway. Do you want to include the announcement of your reinstatement as CEO?"
"Yes," Xu Yichen replied. "But keep it minimal. No questions."
"And the Chen family?"
"Irrelevant."
But even as he said it, the image of Chen Yao's eyes—calm but wounded—flashed in his mind. The kind of goodbye that stayed quiet, but never left.
She didn't cry. She didn't beg.
She just let go.
He wasn't sure why that unsettled him more than any confrontation would have.
[Location: City A — Rooftop Lounge | Time: 1:00 PM]
Qin Lingxi leaned against the steel railing of a rooftop café nestled atop an art gallery. Her black coat flared slightly in the breeze, hair tied back in a sleek tail.
Across from her sat a woman in a smart navy suit—Lu Wan, discreet, efficient, and one of Xu Yichen's longest-serving legal investigators.
"You said you had something for me," Lingxi said without turning.
Lu Wan handed her a slim folder.
"Everything you requested. The Chen family's financial ties, hospital transactions… and Xu Yichen's itinerary since his return."
Lingxi flipped through the pages quickly. Her expression unreadable.
"And the photo?"
Lu Wan hesitated. Then pulled out a faded image.
It was the same one from Yichen's pocket—except this one was untouched. Clear.
Two people stood in it: a younger Yichen, and her.
"He kept the torn one," Lu Wan said softly.
Lingxi didn't respond. She tucked the photo away.
"Thank you."
"Do you want him to know you're back?"
"Not yet," Lingxi replied. "I want to see what kind of man he's become… before I decide."
She rose and walked away, her heels silent on the wood deck.
[Location: Chen Family Villa — Garden Balcony | Time: 4:45 PM]
Chen Yao sat in the hanging chair beneath the pergola, watching the rain bead along the railing. Her fingers twirled the edge of her sleeve—restless.
Her mother approached with a slight frown.
"You signed?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now stop lingering on someone who never looked back."
Chen Yao turned slightly.
"He did look back. Just not for me."
"Same difference."
Her mother walked off without another word.
Chen Yao took a deep breath. Her heart felt oddly… hollow. Not broken. Just empty.
I thought it would hurt more.
Maybe it did, just earlier.
Her phone buzzed. A message. No name. Just a number she hadn't seen in years.
[Unknown Number]:Do you think letting go is the same as forgetting?
She stared at it.
"Lingxi?" she whispered. Then quickly deleted the message.
[Location: Underground Parking — City A University Hospital | Time: 6:30 PM]
Qin Lingxi walked briskly to her car. She unlocked the door and slid in, her bag on the passenger seat.
Another message pinged on her phone.
[From: Unknown Contact]"He's been asking questions. About the past. About you."
Lingxi didn't move.
Then she replied:
"Let him. He won't like what he finds."
She tucked her phone into the console, adjusted the mirror, and started the engine.
Her eyes were calm—but the past was not.
[Location: Xu Corporation HQ — CEO Office | Time: 7:00 PM]
Xu Yichen sat alone again, the city lights flickering to life beyond the windows.
He pulled open the same drawer, retrieving the hairpin.
Delicate. Faded. Still intact.
He turned it slowly in his hand.
"The past isn't dead," he murmured. "It's just hiding."
A sudden buzz broke the silence.
Yuan Fei's voice came through the intercom.
"Sir, there's someone here asking for you."
"Name?"
"She wouldn't give one. But she left this."
The door opened slightly. A sealed envelope was slipped in.
Yichen opened it.
Inside: a single photo.
The same one he'd carried. Except this version had Chen Yao torn out—and Lingxi circled in red ink.
On the back, a note:
"She was never the only one watching you leave."
He stared at the handwriting. Familiar. Chilling.
For the first time in days, his expression shifted—confusion touched by something deeper.
Dread.
[End of Chapter]
📖 A/N - Author's Note
🔄 Chapter Release: Daily (1–2 per day)🗓️ Weekly Schedule: 11 chapters/week📌 Word Count: ~1,700 words (Editor standard)
💬 Liking the suspense? Leave a comment, vote, or add to library to support the story.💎 Power Stones help keep the story visible—every one counts!
🧠 Behind the Chapter:Not every goodbye is the end. Some are the beginning of something darker. Yichen's return isn't just stirring Chen Yao's world—but another woman's too.
— Daoinc™