Five years after my wife's death, she came back!

Meng Shuyan's voice faded into the distance, and only then did Shi Ying cautiously peek out from his embrace and glance towards the door.

"She's gone, hasn't she?"

"Yes, I'm leaving. I won't be coming back."

Shang Chenyan looked down at her. She was probably a little dazed from being startled and didn't seem to realize that she was still in his arms. A few soft little hairs on her head were rubbing against his chin, making him feel unbearably itchy.

Shi Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief. She turned around and immediately met the man's gentle, smiling eyes.

From her angle, she could also see his long, distinct eyelashes, and her own reflection in his eyes.

The two were too close, too intimate.

Shi Ying suddenly realized what was happening and stood up abruptly, her lower back hitting the table, making her wince in pain.

"Be careful." Shang Chenyan leaned back in his chair, relaxing. "No one else will come in and see you. I just didn't want her to recognize you, so you wouldn't get into trouble."

"I didn't mean to take advantage of you."

Shi Ying felt the air in the office was a bit thin, so she hurriedly took a few steps back before taking a deep breath.

The warmth of his fingertips still lingered on the back of my neck, burning hot.

"It's...it's okay." Shi Ying touched her slightly burning earlobe and glanced at him hesitantly.

Shang Chenyan's voice was unhurried: "Is there anything you want to ask?"

Shi Ying stared at her toes and asked, "That Miss Meng just said you terminated all cooperation with her family. Was it because of what happened on Saturday? Because she bumped into me?"

Shang Chenyan's fingers caressed the teacup, his gaze softening as he looked at her, and he explained softly, "Yes and no."

Shi Ying: "What do you mean?"

"You are a guest invited by Niannian and me, and I should have treated you well, but I feel very guilty that you were wronged and hurt your hand."

"More importantly, that villa is my private residence. Meng Shuyan, as an outsider, broke in without permission by using my mother's name and offended my guest. I am very angry."

"No matter who I invited that day, her actions were enough to infuriate me."

Shi Ying understood that the accident was just the trigger; what really angered Shang Chenyan was Meng Shuyan's uninvited arrival and arrogant behavior.

With that thought, she immediately felt no burden at all.

Although Shi Ying wasn't that ungrateful, she was just an ordinary person. Bankruptcy and closure were too far removed from her life. She had only ever seen those two words in textbooks and the news. If someone in real life suffered because of her, she would feel uncomfortable.

Watching her shifting gaze, Shang Chenyan picked up his teacup and took a small sip, the rising steam obscuring the emotions in his eyes.

*

Shi Ying spent the entire morning in Shang Chenyan's office. She had only been working there for a short time and didn't have anything important to do, except occasionally run errands for him to deliver documents.

Shi Ying was playing Minesweeper on the computer with a serious expression, and he was getting incredibly bored.

Outside, I can still talk to Jiang Mingxue and the others, but here I can only see the boss's profile as he focuses on his work.

After losing another game, Shi Ying was about to start another when she saw Shang Chenyan leaning back in his chair and rubbing his temples.

"Shiying".

A deep voice sounded, and Shi Ying hurriedly relaxed the mouse and sat up straight, almost thinking that he had been caught slacking off.

To everyone's surprise, Shang Chenyan simply stood up, picked up his coat draped over the side, and tapped his knuckles on the table: "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Shi Ying hurriedly closed the game and stood up blankly.

Shang Chenyan glanced at his watch: "It's twelve o'clock. Let's go have lunch."

Having lunch with the boss?

Shi Ying wailed.

But Shang Chenyan had already strode out, so she could only resignedly grab her coat and chase after him.

Shi Ying originally thought that someone of Shang Chenyan's status would go to a five-star hotel for dinner, but after driving for more than ten minutes, she realized that this place looked like a university.

"Mr. Shang, where is this?" Shi Ying asked curiously, peering out the car window.

Shang Chenyan turned the steering wheel and drove into a narrow alley: "Jiangcheng University".

"Jiangcheng University? Did Mr. Shang graduate from here?"

"Um."

Shi Ying understood. Occasionally, she would go back to her alma mater to eat at the nearby snacks, something she often did in the real world as well.

The car stopped by the roadside, and Shi Ying followed behind Shang Chenyan, looking around at the surroundings. Sure enough, every university had a snack street outside, and it was lunchtime, with many energetic students coming and going.

Shang Chenyan, dressed in a suit, looked somewhat out of place here.

In addition to his outstanding appearance and physique, many people were secretly observing him.

The street was lined with a dazzling array of snacks, and Shang Chenyan eventually walked into a stir-fry restaurant.

The store wasn't very big, and there weren't many people. The proprietress was leisurely sitting in front of the cashier, playing on her phone.

"Have a seat." Shang Chenyan found a table by the window and pulled out a chair for Shi Ying.

Shi Ying sat down, flattered, and asked curiously, "Is this a place where President Shang used to eat often?"

"Um."

"It must have been delicious to make you crave it so much."

Shang Chenyan didn't say anything, but simply handed her the menu.

Shi Ying ordered a stir-fried beef tenderloin and shredded pork with garlic sauce. When the proprietress came to get the menu, she squinted at her for a while, then smiled and said, "After all these years, you still like to eat these dishes."

"What?"

Shi Ying muttered something under her breath, but the proprietress had already walked away with the menu. She looked at Shang Chenyan in confusion: "What did she just say? She still likes these dishes. What does that mean?"

This is her first time here.

Shang Chenyan poured her a glass of water: "It's probably because I also like these two dishes. I've been eating here for many years." After she left, he often came here alone, so much so that the proprietress still remembered her.

Shi Ying responded with an "oh".

While waiting for the food to be served, Shi Ying suddenly heard a surprised voice: "Uncle?"

Shang Chenyan and she looked up together and saw Shang Yu walk in.

"Uncle, what brings you to school?" Shang Yu pulled up a chair and sat down as if they were old friends. "I knew I wasn't mistaken, I saw your car parked nearby just now."

Shang Chenyan glanced at Shi Ying subconsciously, and his eyes instantly darkened.

Shi Ying couldn't hide her excitement.

"Who told you to sit here?" Shang Chenyan's voice was cold.

Shang Yu poured himself a glass of water: "Uncle, don't be so stingy. What's wrong with letting me mooch a meal?"

When the proprietress saw that more people had joined, she came over and asked, "Would you like to order anything else?"

Shi Ying remembered what she had written in her memo and added, "Add a fish, steamed."

Shang Yu looked at her with surprise: "How did you know I like to eat fish?"

With a "smack," Shang Chenyan placed the cup in his hand on the table.

Knowing that Shang Chenyan was there, Shi Ying felt a little uncomfortable and offered a small explanation: "It was my own idea to eat."

Shang Yu was very talkative and kept talking to Shi Ying during the meal. Shi Ying was also immersed in the joy of finally hooking up with her mission target, completely ignoring Shang Chenyan, whose aura was so low it was almost freezing.

After finishing a bowl of rice, Shi Ying had just put down her chopsticks when Shang Chenyan stood up and said, "Let's go."

Is it that fast?

Shi Ying glanced at the food he had barely touched and guessed that something urgent had happened at the company, so she quickly followed him.