The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

Fang Shuning stood next to the emcee, her champagne-colored satin dress accentuating her slender figure, and the exquisite diamond necklace at her collarbone gleamed with a cold light as she moved slightly.

As the emcee finished speaking with heartfelt blessings, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, and the spotlight shone precisely on the beautiful couple in the center of the venue.

Meng Jiangyu's eyes and brows revealed his tenderness and doting affection. He leaned down slightly, put his arm around Shen Qingyao's waist, and kissed her lips.

The kiss was gentle yet solemn, carrying expectations for the future. It fell into everyone's eyes, into the blessings of the crowd, and into Fang Shuning's eyes.

She watched the two people embracing and kissing below the stage, saw the happiness and shyness in Shen Qingyao's eyes, and watched Meng Jiangyu's completely devoted appearance. She felt envious but not jealous.

Fang Shuning's gaze involuntarily drifted away from the happy couple on the stage and began to wander aimlessly through the banquet hall, searching.

Her reason was frantically reminding her not to look, not to search, and not to let herself get caught up in it again.

But bodily instincts are more honest than reason.

Her gaze swept over familiar and unfamiliar faces, again and again, carrying an urgency and panic that she herself was unaware of.

She was looking for Lu Linchuan.

The man who once promised to give her a home and be with her for life turned around and married the man her family had arranged for her to marry, becoming someone else's husband.

She thought she had let go, that time could heal all wounds, and that seeing others happy would allow her to offer her sincere blessings without any ripples in her heart.

But only now, standing amidst this scene of happiness, does she realize that eight years of deep affection are not something that can be forgotten so easily.

Those habits etched into her daily life, those longings ingrained in her very bones, all surged up at this moment, overwhelming her.

She just couldn't stop wanting to find him.

I want to know if he came, I want to know if seeing this scene will remind him of the scenes they once planned, and I want to know if he is doing well now.

Even if he is already someone else's husband, even if there are thousands of miles between them, an insurmountable chasm.

The banquet hall was filled with melodious music, the laughter of guests, and the bubbles of champagne rising and bursting in the glasses—everything was noisy and lively.

But Fang Shuning's world fell silent the moment her gaze settled on the corner of the banquet hall.

Time was paused; all sounds, all light, all colors faded away in that moment, leaving only her and the man not far away.

Lu Linchuan stood there.

He leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, the neon lights flashing, but none could match the radiance emanating from him.

He was wearing a black suit, well-tailored, which made him look tall and straight. His features were still the same as she remembered, deep, three-dimensional, and well-defined.

He held a glass of untouched whiskey in his hand, the ice in the glass slowly melting.

His gaze, from some point onward, had been fixed on her and never left her.

The moment Fang Shuning's gaze fell upon him, their eyes met.

The air was completely still.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely, each second becoming incredibly long.

Fang Shuning's breath hitched. The polite smile that had been on her face froze on her lips, and the panic and helplessness in her eyes could no longer be hidden.

She wanted to look away, to pretend she hadn't seen it, but her gaze was fixed on the spot, unable to move.

Lu Linchuan's eyes were deep, filled with too many complex emotions: longing, guilt, heartache, helplessness, and a trace of obsession that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

He just watched her quietly, watching her stand on the stage, subconsciously searching for his own image.

He saw it all.

From the moment she stepped onto the stage, his gaze never left her.

Eight years, a full eight years. He watched her grow from a little girl with a bright smile into the graceful and gentle woman she is today, and he also watched her hide all her vulnerability and sadness beneath a strong exterior.

He hated his own powerlessness, hated his family's obstruction, and hated even more that he ultimately chose to compromise, marrying someone he didn't love and pushing away the person he cherished most in his life.

He thought that as long as he didn't see her or think about her, he could gradually let go and start a new life.

But the moment he saw her in the banquet hall, all his pretense and restraint crumbled.

They stood facing each other across the entire banquet hall.

There were no words, no movements, not even the slightest change in expression, yet an undercurrent that only the two of them could understand surged in the air, shutting out all the noise and leaving only the eight years of love and hate entanglement between them, and the unspeakable regrets and longing.

The surrounding guests continued their conversation and laughter, and no one noticed the silent exchange of glances.

Fang Shuning's eyes welled up slightly, and her nose stung. She blinked hard, forcing back the tears that were about to spill.

She cannot cry, here, at this grand wedding banquet.

Lu Linchuan is someone else's husband, someone she can only watch from afar and never touch in this lifetime.

Lu Linchuan's fingertips tightened slightly, the glass of wine became cold from his grip, and his knuckles turned white.

Looking at the barely suppressed grievance in her eyes, and at her feigned strength, he felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly, causing him unbearable pain.

He longed to walk through the crowd to her side, to embrace her as he had done countless times before, to wipe away the grievances in her eyes, and to tell her that he still loved her, and that his love for her had never changed.

But he can't.

He carried the responsibilities of his family, the contract of marriage, and far too many things beyond his control.

He no longer even had the right to get close to her.

The eye contact continued, and in the quiet air, too many unspoken words and too many irreparable regrets were hidden.

The air from the central air conditioning ruffled the stray hairs on Fang Shuning's forehead, and also stirred the desolation in Lu Linchuan's heart.

The happiness on stage remains dazzling, while regrets quietly grow offstage.

Fang Shuning looked at the man in front of her and slowly looked away.

She turned her gaze back to the still happy couple on the stage, her face once again displaying that polite and gentle smile, as if that brief moment of eye contact had never happened.

It was as if she had never loved, never felt pain, and never searched.

Only she knew that her already battered heart shattered once more the moment they met eyes.

Lu Linchuan remained in the same position, his gaze fixed on her back, not looking away for a long time.

Amidst the bustling scene, all are but passersby.

Only you are the one I keep hidden in my heart, the one I dare not speak of, the one I will regret for the rest of my life.