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On the 68th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center, Suning stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, adjusting his tie.

The dark gray three-piece suit is well-tailored, and the silk fabric gleams like pearls in the sunlight.

There's no prominent logo, but those in the know can tell from the imperfections of the lapel that this outfit is worth at least an entry-level Porsche.

"Mr. Su, Mr. Li would like to invite you in." The secretary's gaze lingered on his waist for a moment.

There was an antique pocket watch pinned there, with a Victorian-era bracelet.

The office of General Manager Li was filled with the scent of sandalwood.

Behind the large mahogany desk, the woman put down her jade cigarette holder, her eyes flashing with amazement: "Xiao Su, you look even better today than last time."

“Sister Li, this signing ceremony was specially prepared for you.” Su Ning smiled, opened her briefcase, and took out a gold-embossed contract. “According to the plan we discussed last time, the annual premium is 200 million, plus global emergency rescue services.”

As the pen scratched across the paper, Mr. Li's fingertips "casually" brushed against his wrist: "There's a cocktail party tonight, and I'm short a male companion..."

"I'm sorry, I have to celebrate my mother's birthday today." Su Ning put on an embarrassed and guilty expression and took out a velvet box from her inner bag. "This is a small gift that my mother asked me to bring to you. Thank you for your continued care."

Inside the box was a cloisonné enamel brooch, which perfectly matched the Xiangyun yarn cheongsam that President Li was wearing today.

This old-fashioned approach momentarily stunned the wealthy woman, who was used to flattery, before she wrote an extra check: "A birthday gift for your mother."

"Thank you."

As I walked out of the building, my phone kept vibrating.

Liu Na sent a message with three exclamation marks: 【President Li's secretary said it's signed!!!】

This was followed by a string of emojis depicting firecrackers.

Suning transferred 4 yuan to Liu Na's account with the message: "Happy cooperation".

Five minutes later, Liu Na replied with a message: "Suning, you are a trustworthy partner."

"Sister Na, thank you for your help! I wasn't kicked out after three months."

Under the crystal chandelier in the lobby of Lanyang Insurance, the news spread like wildfire.

When Suning entered the office area, the previously noisy Sales Area 2 suddenly fell silent, and then burst into enthusiastic applause.

Zhao Zhiqiang, the leader of the Eagle Team, personally brought coffee, which is quite a spectacle in an insurance company with a strong wolf-like culture.

"Good lad!" Zhao Zhiqiang's punch on the shoulder was three-tenths lighter than usual. "Monthly premiums have exceeded five million, a newcomer's record in the company's ten years!"

Liu Na pushed through the crowd and shoved her phone screen in front of Su Ning's face: "Su Ning, look at your email! Headquarters has granted you early promotion, and your base salary has been increased to 8000!"

Her eyes shone with genuine joy; any earlier jealousy had long since vanished.

On the other side of the glass partition, Hu Manli's red high heels suddenly stopped.

She peered through the gap in the shutters at the young people being surrounded, her nails, painted with crimson nail polish, unconsciously digging into her palms.

Twenty years ago, she was also surrounded by admirers.

Back then, Ding Zhiyuan would wait at the company gate after get off work, holding steaming hot roasted chestnuts in his hands.

"Manager Hu?" Chunlu whispered a reminder, "President Jin is waiting for your final review materials for Nanyang Star..."

Hu Manli suddenly came to her senses.

At that moment, she glanced at Suning one last time. The young man had indeed kept his promise and shared the profits with Liu Na, which was simply unbelievable in the insurance industry where backstabbing incidents were commonplace.

……

As dusk fell, Hu Manli stood in front of the dressing mirror and changed into black lace lingerie.

This is a limited edition Victoria's Secret item. Last Christmas, Ding Zhiyuan stuffed it deep into his closet without even unpacking it.

She sprayed on the long-forgotten "Midnight Flight" perfume, and sweet memories of the past suddenly flooded back.

Candlelight flickered on the table, and filet mignon was served with a vintage Mouton Rothschild from 1992.

Ding Zhiyuan's favorite simple meals, but he has to book his rare wines three months in advance.

As the door lock turned, Hu Manli quickly wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes and struck a languid pose that she had practiced for a long time.

Ding Zhiyuan froze on the spot the moment he pushed the door open.

His suit was wrinkled, and raindrops clung to his gold-rimmed glasses, making him look like a stray cat that had been soaked.

"Happy wedding anniversary." Hu Manli raised her glass, her voice sickeningly sweet.

She deliberately let the straps slip off her shoulders, revealing the mole on her collarbone, which Ding Zhiyuan had said twenty years ago was a star left behind by Venus.

Ding Zhiyuan took a half step back as if he had seen a venomous snake: "I...I just came back to get a change of clothes."

"Let's eat first." Hu Manli got up and pulled him.

I smelled an unfamiliar sandalwood scent on the other person's collar; it was Qiu Lisu's scent.

She fought back nausea, her fingers sliding down her husband's arm. "Dar went to my dad's house. It's just the two of us tonight..."

Ding Zhiyuan shook her off as if he'd been electrocuted: "Manli, let's talk."

"Let's talk after dinner!" she suddenly raised her voice, then immediately softened it again. "I made your favorite dish..."

"Qiu Lisu and I aren't what you think." Ding Zhiyuan took off his glasses and wiped them, a habitual gesture when he lied. "Twenty years ago at Fudan University, we..."

The wine glass shattered on the wall, like a pool of blood flowing down the oil painting.

Hu Manli's nails dug deeply into her husband's arm: "She paid for the book club sponsorship? She wrote those love letters? You two slept together, didn't you!"

Ding Zhiyuan silently turned and walked towards the study; this action was more cruel than any answer.

Hu Manli grabbed a steak knife and chased after him, but stumbled at the doorway.

She stepped on the silk nightgown that Ding Zhiyuan had given her for her birthday last year...

In the study, Ding Zhiyuan was taking out his passport from a hidden compartment.

Hu Manli's pupils suddenly contracted: it was the leather passport holder they bought in Venice during their honeymoon, with a photo of them together under the Bridge of Sighs still tucked inside.

"Zhiyuan, where are you going?" She heard her own voice distorted.

“Manli, we have no feelings for each other anymore.” Ding Zhiyuan’s voice was utterly exhausted. “You investigated my students, publicly humiliated me, and now…”

Hu Manli suddenly lunged at him and tore at his shirt; the sound of buttons popping off was like the sound of gunshots.

When she saw the lipstick stain on the inside of the collar she had personally ironed, the insurance queen's last shred of sanity crumbled.

The bookshelf was completely overturned, and the complete works of Heidegger crashed heavily to the floor. Countless photos floated out from between the yellowed pages, all of them photos of her and Ding Zhiyuan during their passionate love affair.

"Look!" She grabbed the photo and threw it at her husband's face. "Look how good we were back then! You said you'd take me to Bolivia to see the Salar de Uyuni, you said..."

"When was that?" Ding Zhiyuan suddenly looked up, his eyes colder than she had ever seen before. "Was it when you were working overtime until the early hours of the morning for three consecutive months? Or when you even skipped your son's parent-teacher conference for Nanyang Star?"

Hu Manli was struck dumb.

She watched as her husband picked up a photograph. In the hospital delivery room, she was on an IV drip while answering a client's call, and the newborn was crying heartbreakingly in the cradle next to her.

“Qiu Lisu remembers that I have to take stomach medicine with my antidepressants.” Ding Zhiyuan gently put down the photo. “And you? You don’t even know what color our bedroom pillows are, do you? All you talk about every day is money and houses. I’m really annoyed by you.”

Hu Manli's lips trembled, and she suddenly knelt down and hugged her husband's legs: "I'll change! I'll change, okay? How about we take Dar on a round-the-world trip? Just like you've always wanted..."

"Enough! I'm completely disappointed in you. We're from completely different worlds. We can't even have anything to say to each other. I really can't stand this anymore."

When Ding Zhiyuan broke free, her fingernails left four bloody marks on his calf.

The door closed softly, yet it caused all the smart lights in the apartment to dim for a moment.

The smart home system gently reminds you: "Unusual noise has been detected. Should we alert the system?"

Hu Manli slumped down amidst the mess on the floor and mechanically reached for her phone.

The screensaver is a family photo from last year's company annual meeting, with Ding Zhiyuan forcing a smile and her hand still resting on the constantly vibrating business phone.

……

Meanwhile, Suning was celebrating with his team at a restaurant on the Bund.

The champagne tower reflected the lights of the Huangpu River as Liu Na, tipsy, slung over his shoulder: "Seriously... where did you get all those haute couture suits? Mr. Li asked me today if you were some kind of hidden tycoon..."

Su Ning smiled without answering, her gaze sweeping over the corner of the restaurant—Xue Xiaozhou was talking quietly with a woman in a dark green cheongsam.

Although her back was turned, there was no doubt that the jade earring belonged to Qiu Lisu.

When the waiter came to refill his drink, he asked, seemingly casually, "Does that lady come here often?"

“Ms. Qiu? She’s a shareholder.” The waiter lowered his voice. “She just acquired 20% of our group’s shares last week.” “What? Someone we know?”

"No! I've only seen it once or twice."

"These are all high-quality resources!"

"Sister Na, thank you for your guidance."

"Want to come over to my sister's for coffee tonight?"

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate? We're colleagues. If we have coffee together, it'll be awkward when we meet again."

"Don't worry about it! I'm not a woman who can't take a joke, I promise I won't bother you."

"I've been looking for a place to live these past few days! Once I find one, I'll invite you over for coffee."

Okay! I'll wait for your call.

This world is very dangerous, with countless hidden cameras, whether in hotels or unfamiliar places.

Therefore, Suning still prefers to have its own space, at least to ensure that no uncontrollable factors will occur.

……

The lights in the corridor of the inpatient department of Huadong Hospital were as white as paper.

Xue Xiaozhou carried a thermos and walked quickly toward ward 712. The thermos contained cordyceps and old duck soup that had been simmering for four hours. Wu Ya said that this was the most nourishing soup for patients after chemotherapy.

"Mom, how are you feeling today?" He gently pushed open the door.

The woman in the hospital bed was even thinner than last week, and her hands were covered with needle marks.

However, the mother, who was already in a vegetative state, did not respond, so what Xue Xiaozhou said was merely a self-answered question.

At that moment, Xue Xiaozhou's phone vibrated in his pocket.

It was a message from his girlfriend, Wu Ya.

As I left the hospital, a torrential downpour began.

Xue Xiaozhou stood in the rain for ten minutes before he was able to flag down a car. His white shirt revealed the outline of his ribs in the rearview mirror.

The driver casually asked, "Where to?"

"Lanyang Insurance".

A notice posted on the bulletin board of the claims department's field team announced that Xue Xiaozhou would be transferred to the position of on-site surveyor, with a 30% reduction in basic salary but double the commission per case.

Director Chen Fang's comments were written in a flamboyant style: "It's good that young people are energetic, but they shouldn't learn from some salespeople who will do anything to achieve their goals."

Meanwhile, under the plane trees on Fudan University campus, Ding Zhiyuan stared blankly at the location on his phone screen—the Waibaidu Bridge viewing platform, the place where he knelt on one knee twenty years ago.

Hu Manli's last message included a bloody emoji: "Either come see her, or I'll be pulled out of the Huangpu River tomorrow."

It was very windy on the observation deck.

Hu Manli was unusually dressed today, not in a business suit, but in a white cotton-linen dress, looking just like the female college student who had just entered the industry.

Only the fine lines around her eyes and the champagne glass she was shaking violently in her hand betrayed her true age.

"Manli!" Ding Zhiyuan came running up, panting. "Are you crazy? There are too many people and too many eyes around here..."

"Afraid your old flame will see?" Hu Manli sneered, pointing to a spot not far away where Qiu Lisu was getting out of a red Porsche. Her dark green cheongsam looked like a moving lotus leaf in the sunset. "I asked her to come with me."

Ding Zhiyuan's face turned deathly pale instantly.

Hu Manli suddenly burst into laughter, "Ding Zhiyuan, do you want me or her?"

"Hu Manli, calm down." Qiu Lisu's high heels approached from afar, and she was actually holding a shawl in her hand. "Zhiyuan, you go back first. I want to talk to Hu Manli alone."

"What are you going to talk about?" Hu Manli suddenly grabbed Qiu Lisu's collar. "How did you seduce married men? Or how did your two ex-husbands die?"

The jade earrings swayed between her fingers, like teardrops about to fall.

Onlookers began to raise their phones.

When Ding Zhiyuan tried to pull them apart, Hu Manli suddenly jumped over the railing: "Ding Zhiyuan, I want you to remember this moment forever!"

The sound of falling into the water was swallowed up by the ship's horn on the river.

Hu Manli opened her eyes in the murky river water and vaguely saw herself from twenty years ago.

At that time, she thought that as long as she worked hard enough, she could have both a career and love.

The searchlights of the lifeboat shattered the illusion.

When she was pulled ashore, she saw Ding Zhiyuan wiping his glasses with Qiu Lisu's shawl, and the two of them, their fingers intertwined, gradually disappeared into the crowd.

The neon lights on the Bund lit up one after another.

Hu Manli walked barefoot along Nanjing East Road, her feet bleeding from the rubble.

As she passed by the Lanyang Insurance Building, she looked up at the window of her office, which had once been her pride and joy.

At three o'clock in the morning, Hu Manli woke up in the bathtub.

The wet skirt clung to my body like a second skin.

She mechanically walked to the display case and began wiping the dusty trophies: 2003 Best Newcomer, 2008 Million Dollar Round Table, 2016 Asia Pacific Insurance Star...

With a "ding," an email from Jin Zhenhua popped up on my phone: "[The final appeal for Nanyang Star has been postponed to next week. Please provide complete claim materials for Ai Zhonghua's policy.]"

Almost simultaneously, Xue Xiaozhou was checking today's inspection records in his rented room.

The light from the computer screen illuminated the dark circles under his eyes...

A friend request suddenly popped up on WeChat: Hu Manli's profile picture was still a family photo. The attached message read: "Regarding the Ai Zhonghua case, we'll discuss it in person tomorrow morning. Here's a Sam's Club coupon for you."

Xue Xiaozhou coldly refused, replying, "Incomplete information prevents claims; it's company policy."

The other party immediately displayed "typing," followed by a 60-second voice message.

The next morning, Lanyang Insurance's claims department was in an uproar.

Hu Manli stormed into Chen Fang's office in her high heels, slamming the door so loudly it shook the entire floor.

Xue Xiaozhou discovered that Hu Manli's client, Ai Zhonghua, had submitted incomplete information and decided not to process the claim.

"Ai Zhonghua has been a client of our company for twenty years!" Her voice came through the glass wall. "Don't your new surveyors know the rules?"

Xue Xiaozhou stood in front of her workstation, but her face showed no tension or fear.

He took a deep breath, picked up the folder, and walked towards the center of the storm: "Manager Hu, this is the report on the suspicious points in Ai Zhonghua's case. It's missing a death certificate for his wife."

"Who do you think you are?" Hu Manli grabbed the folder and threw it at him.

The papers scattered like snowflakes, and one of the photos slid to Chen Fang's feet.

The air in the conference room froze instantly.

"Xue Xiaozhou, I'll give you one more chance to rephrase your words."

"No need." Xue Xiaozhou took a half step back. "If the information is true and complete, the company will not lose a single penny."

Hu Manli's smile froze on her face.

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number, her voice sickeningly sweet: "Mr. Ai, this is Xiao Hu. There's a small issue I need your cooperation on, requiring you to provide some additional materials..."

As she turned around, she bumped into Xue Xiaozhou's shoulder hard, the scent of her perfume so strong it was almost pungent.

During lunch break, Xue Xiaozhou spotted Hu Manli smoking quietly in the stairwell.

After removing her heavy makeup, two bluish-gray patches floated under her eyes, and the ring mark on her left ring finger was still fresh.

“Um…” Xue Xiaozhou stood awkwardly at the door, “Manager Hu, I wasn’t targeting you…”

“Do you know why I hate the claims department?” Hu Manli suddenly spoke up. “Twenty years ago, my first major client was in the late stages of stomach cancer and was waiting for the insurance payout to save his life. Your Director Chen’s predecessor dragged it out for three months, and only approved it after the client died.”

She stubbed out her cigarette. "From that moment on, I vowed never to make my clients wait even a day."

Xue Xiaozhou was stunned.

……

(End of this chapter)