My heart is tied to that sky

The early spring sunlight barely penetrated the clouds, casting only a few weak rays.

On the top floor of Shanghai's CBD, a chill lingered in the gaps of the glass curtain wall, refusing to dissipate.

The air was like solidified gel, with only the low hum of the central air conditioning echoing through the room.

At one end of the long table, the edges of the document, which had been repeatedly turned over, were slightly curled, as if it held an unfinished story.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the skyline of the Eastern metropolis is faintly visible under the hazy sky, reflecting a cold light.

After saying goodbye to September and returning from Europe, it's already early spring of 2018. Before we knew it, a long winter had passed.

The annual strategic conference of Qingyang Group is underway, an unprecedented gathering of all employees.

On both sides of the long table sat the core members of Qingyang.

The senior management team at Zhejiang Water Group's headquarters—the four directors of finance, legal affairs, marketing, and human resources—looked solemn, with the due diligence reports of "Tianlang Jewelry" piled up in front of them, like a military order before battle.

Beside them stood the heads of Qingyang Industrial's nine branches: Tang Jianguo, Peng Jiahui, Hao Haining, Pan Xingwang, Fu Dayi, Tang Pingsheng, Qin Fendou, and Zhou Zhengqi.

What's even more eye-catching is that Tang Muyang's brother-in-law Jiang Dashu, sister Tang Xiuying, and sister-in-law Huang Huifang are also prominently featured.

As the host, Tang Jianguo and his wife Yang Liu sat side by side, close to the head of the table, in charge of overall coordination.

Tang Muyang sat solemnly in the main seat, with Su Man, the group's female president, on his left and Zhang Haoting, a shareholder and veteran, on his right.

Zhu Xiaohui laid out the acquisition plan for "Tianlang Jewelry" on the table, like a bomb with its fuse already lit.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the waters of Shanghai are unfathomable."

His voice wasn't loud, but it drowned out the faint sounds of traffic outside the window.

Tang Jianguo and Yang Liu exchanged glances and nodded slightly. As the heads of the Shanghai branch, they had made thorough preparations.

Tang Muyang's gaze swept across everyone present like lightning.

Whether they are strategists at headquarters or generals at branch offices, everyone's breath carries the silent smoke of battle.

This is the highest-level gathering in the history of Qingyang Industrial, with half of its business concentrated in Shanghai, all for this one battle.

Ye Zhiqi, the CFO of headquarters, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, tapping his fingertips on the thick due diligence report, his voice as cold and hard as iron:

"Chairman Tang, Tianlang Jewelry's cash flow won't last until next month. The window for banks to withdraw loans is next Monday, and that's their Achilles' heel."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Zhi Qiu subconsciously looked up.

Gu Zhixing, who was sitting next to her, turned to the side.

The noisy conference room seemed to freeze for a moment, and Gu Zhixing's gaze was no longer as distant and indifferent as usual.

Instead, he looked at her with a subtle tenderness and indulgence.

Ye Zhi Qiu's heart skipped a beat, his originally cold and hard fingertips curled slightly, and a very faint blush appeared on his ears.

Gu Zhixing seemed to notice her loss of composure, leaned slightly towards her, and subtly covered her hands resting on her knees with his large palm.

He then looked away, his fingers gently stroking the rim of the teacup, his voice calm and rational.

"I investigated Gao Tianlang's background in Kyoto. His family's influence is deeply rooted in Lingnan. If we confront them head-on, we might not come out on top."

This scene was witnessed by Tang Jianguo, who was sitting to one side of the main seat.

He casually stroked the pen in his hand, his gaze sweeping between the two men.

He chuckled to himself: Good heavens, this isn't a meeting, they're flirting all over each other, it's practically a "publicly funded romance" written all over their faces.

The uncontrollable tension between the two was so strong it could probably pierce even the bulletproof glass of this conference room.

Although he was inwardly watching the spectacle, his smile instantly vanished, replaced by a solemn expression.

"Their Achilles' heel is often also their business opportunity. As long as we cut off their supply chain, Gao Tianlang will have no choice but to surrender."

"President Tang's words are still too conservative." Peng Jiahui leaned forward, a ruthless smile spreading across his fat face, and spoke before anyone else could.

"To deal with a scholar like Gao Tianlang, you have to use dirty tricks. Expose his shady account books, and let's see if he still has any shame left!"

These words were blunt and revealed a ruthless determination to stop at nothing, causing the eyes of the people present to flicker slightly.

Peng Jiahui caught a glimpse of Tang Jianguo's pretentious serious face out of the corner of his eye and couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly.

He thought to himself: Come on, Tang Jianguo, you're just putting on an act! That smile on your face just now almost reached your ears.

You just keep it to yourself. I'll see you tear down this secret in front of Gu Zhixing at the banquet later!

"What's there to be afraid of!" Qin Fendou sneered, slamming his fist heavily on the table, making the water glass jump.

"I've dealt with endless yellow sand in Gansu without being afraid, why would I be afraid of some stone-selling kid?"

"Don't be impulsive." Ye Zhi Qiu came to her senses, forcibly suppressing the pounding in her heart, and quickly interrupted.

"Although Gao Tianlang's capital chain broke, he still holds prime retail spaces in three top shopping malls in Shanghai, which are hard assets."

As Tang Muyang listened to the debate between his brothers and the headquarters' strategists, his gaze slowly swept across every face present.

He saw the sharp edge of the branch office's generals, and also the caution of the headquarters' strategists.

They also saw the eager anticipation in the eyes of their relatives from their hometown of Xiaoxiang, Tang Pingsheng and Jiang Dashu.

He picked up his pen and drew a heavy circle on the merger and acquisition intention document.

The voice wasn't loud, but it drowned out all the noise: "But this ship must dock."

After the meeting ended and night fell, a grand welcome banquet followed.

Inside the clubhouse of Hutanjiang, a property under the Qingyang Group, the private rooms were brightly lit, and a celebratory banquet was underway.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere reached its peak.

Tang Jianguo stood up, holding a wine glass, his face flushed; he was clearly the focus of the evening.

He pointed to Gu Zhixing and Ye Zhiqi, who were sitting somewhat reserved in the corner, and, emboldened by the alcohol, loudly teased them:

"You two should have gotten together a long time ago! I saw it coming a long time ago. Gu Zhixing, he knew what he was doing and acted on it; Ye Zhi Qiu, Ye Luo Zhi Qiu definitely couldn't resist! You two are a match made in heaven!"

Upon hearing this, the entire table burst into laughter.

Gu Zhixing and Ye Zhiqi blushed with embarrassment, but they couldn't refute it and could only lower their heads to hide their awkwardness.

Peng Jiahui, holding a wine glass, jokingly said with a mischievous grin:

"Jianguo's mouth is blessed! I could tell during the meeting just now; you're probably secretly thrilled!"

Qin Fendou smiled憨厚ly, while Zhou Zhengqi's hand trembled as he pushed up his glasses.

Encouraged by the crowd, Gu Zhixing stopped dodging.

He raised his head, his gaze fixed intently on Ye Zhi Qiu beside him, and quietly took her slightly cool hand under the table.

Ye Zhi Qiu trembled, looked up and met Gu Zhi Xing's gentle yet firm eyes, her cheeks flushed even more, but she did not pull her hand away.

Seeing this, Tang Muyang led the applause, which thundered.

"Good! Well done!" Su Man, dressed in a smart business suit, smiled with unusual charm.

As the group's president, she was usually very authoritative, but at this moment she took the lead in making a fuss, slamming her fist on the table.

"President Gu, Director Ye, this is a joyous occasion for Qingyang Industry! I've already reserved this celebratory drink!"

With the combined support of the chairman and president, the atmosphere in the room instantly reached its peak.

The executives raised their glasses, and cheers and whistles filled the private room.

"Congratulations, Mr. Gu! Congratulations, Director Ye!"

"This is the culmination of the 'best minds' at Qingyang Industrial!"

"We've witnessed history! We've witnessed history!"

Amidst the deafening cheers, Gu Zhixing held Ye Zhiqiu's hand tightly and nodded slightly to the crowd.

He knew that this was not only a breakthrough in brotherhood, but also the establishment and flourishing of Qingyang's industrial culture.

As the banquet ended and the noise subsided, relatives and executives gradually left.

Tang Muyang refused the driver's offer to pick him up and wanted to walk around the newly developed city on his own.

The rain started falling again, turning the city's neon lights into a blurry patch of light.

He pushed open the door of a corner café, and the sound of wind chimes shattered on the floor.

I had just found a seat by the window when my gaze fell on a familiar figure in the corner.

Xie Xiaotong.

She was here too, with a cold Americano in front of her, staring blankly at the rain outside the window.

The moment their eyes met, time seemed to freeze.

She was wearing a beige trench coat, and her hair was shorter than I remembered, shoulder-length, and slightly curled.

She was no longer the naive young girl she once was, but a serene woman who had matured with the passage of time, and a reunion after a long and winding journey of fate.

"Long time no see," she said, her voice soft and gentle, characteristic of women from Hunan, yet with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor.

"Long time no see." Tang Muyang sat down opposite her, his latte already cold.

The sycamore leaves outside the window were wet with rain and stuck to the ground, much like some indelible past.

"You..." The two spoke at the same time, then stopped at the same time.

Xie Xiaotong smiled slightly, a smile tinged with bitterness and helplessness: "You go first."

Tang Muyang picked up the now-cold coffee and took a sip. The icy liquid slid down his throat, making him a little more awake and giving him the courage to look her in the eye.

"The conference just ended, and they... have all gone back." He was referring to the key personnel of the branch office and Xiaoxiang's relatives.

"I'm just around here, taking a stroll."

"I'm also running errands nearby," Xie Xiaotong said softly, her fingers gently stroking the rim of her glass.

"I just passed by Hengxin's old office building in Shanghai and, for some inexplicable reason, went inside for a look. But everything had changed, and I felt a tightness in my chest, so I sat here for a while."

Another long silence followed.

The jazz music in the café changed one song after another, while the rain outside the window grew heavier and heavier, as if trying to wash away the dust that had accumulated over the years.

"Xiaotong," Tang Muyang suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse, as if it had been sanded by sandpaper.

"How have you been all these years?"

Xie Xiaotong did not answer immediately.

She lowered her head, looking at the black liquid in the glass that had long since lost its temperature, as if examining her past self.

After a long silence, she spoke softly, her tone carrying a calm acceptance of her fate: "You... sent me to Zhushi. I stayed there for half a year and then left. I couldn't find you after that."

She raised her eyes, her eyes slightly red, and looked at Tang Muyang: "It's not that I wanted to leave, it's because of the rumors. Some people say that my relationship with you is ambiguous and that I can't stay in Hezhou at all, so I have no choice but to leave."

Tang Muyang's hand, which was under the table, clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white: "Later, I was transferred to Kyoto, and in fact, I was given an important position... But I never expected that my departure back then would result in you bearing the blame."

"Then..." He opened his mouth, his throat dry and sore, "And then?"

Xie Xiaotong gave a bitter smile, the tear tracks at the corners of her eyes glistening under the light: "I stayed there for several years in a cold and desolate place, until the Hengxin Rightists fell, and I finally made my way to Shanghai."

She paused, her gaze fixed on the table, her voice so low it was almost inaudible, yet every word pierced the heart: "I will always remember the day you gave it to me."

"We...bought a ticket to Zhushi, but you only plan to see us off at the station."

"But the moment the car started moving, I got on," Tang Muyang said softly, his voice trembling.

"I looked back out the car window and saw you chasing after the train until you couldn't see it anymore..." Xie Xiaotong's tears finally welled up.

Tang Muyang handed over a tissue, but his hand trembled slightly in mid-air: "I squeezed onto the train in the last carriage."

"Seeing you, I know what I want, but... I still have to leave." Xie Xiaotong sobbed, lowering her head, her shoulders shaking violently.

"You got off at a small station along the way, then lost control and turned back..."

Tang Muyang looked up and sighed softly, his eyes moist: "Through the car window, I saw the struggle in your eyes, as if two forces were tearing you apart."

"My reason tells me I should let you off the bus, but my emotions have driven me crazy," she said, choking back tears.

"I wish you could take me to the final stop, I... I want to see you one more time." She was already sobbing uncontrollably.

"I got on the train before the doors closed, because of the way you looked at me, my heart went with you." Tang Muyang's voice choked with emotion.

Xie Xiaotong wiped away her tears, looked up at Tang Muyang, her eyes filled with broken light: "Sure enough, you rushed into the car again."

"The train has finally arrived at its destination. For me, Zhushi is the final, slow torture." Tang Muyang looked back at her, his eyes filled with regret.

"At that moment, I... knew you regretted it." Xie Xiaotong cried uncontrollably, the pain of nineteen years completely collapsing at this moment.

Tang Muyang fell silent. The sound of the wheels hitting the rails that day seemed to pierce through time and space, each sound heavier and more desperate than the last.

It was like a verdict: "It's over, Tang Muyang. You've personally handed the person you love over to another man."

Xie Xiaotong was already in tears, and Tang Muyang sat stiffly, the sound of the green train's whistle still echoing in his ears.

The deafening sound of the rain outside the window couldn't drown out the sound of his heart breaking.

He finally understood that back then, she, like him, had experienced unbearable torment at that train station.

"I'm sorry..." Tang Muyang's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, filled with endless desolation, "It's my fault... I lost you."

Xie Xiaotong murmured the words, "It was me who lost you," and her body began to sway slightly.

That was the regret of their youth, and also the most powerless ending for many people in reality.

Sometimes, even when two people have tried their best and suffered a lot, fate plays a cruel joke on that train, leaving no turning back.

Tang Muyang's journey has been filled with both career setbacks and romantic entanglements.

Why was he so dedicated to his career but so restrained in his relationships?

For a long time, his youth was spent on that green train bound for Zhuhai, until Gong Yiqing appeared.

The most terrifying thing is a heart that has been moved, a heart that has fallen in love.

Tang Muyang forced back his tears, took a deep breath, and suppressed his surging emotions.

He knew that no matter how painful the memories were, he couldn't dwell on them.

He stood up, reached out to support the swaying Xie Xiaotong, his eyes regaining their firmness and tenderness: "Give me your WeChat, I'll take you home."

As night deepened, Tang Muyang returned to the hotel.

The bathroom was filled with steam, and the warm water washed away the fatigue from my body, along with the dampness and gloom brought by the rain outside the window.

He turned off the tap, looked at the clear-headed and determined man in the mirror, and took a long breath.

On the same rainy night, the riverside of the Shanghai Bund was crowded with people.

The neon lights reflected on the wet ground, adding another bright spot to this Oriental city that never sleeps.

The female demon is facing off against the main force.

Su Man stood at the entrance of Qingyang Industrial, wrapped her trench coat tighter around herself, and was about to instruct the driver to prepare the car.

Suddenly, a steady, powerful sound of footsteps, even carrying a hint of military training instructors, came from behind.

"Mr. Su, please wait a moment."

Su Man turned around and saw Zhou Zhengqi from the Lingnan branch striding towards her.

He was wearing a slightly old-fashioned dark gray suit, a dark red tie, his hair was neatly combed, and he wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses on his nose.

He exuded an aura of upright character and integrity, as if he were about to start a Party committee meeting.

Zhou Zhengqi walked up to Su Man, but unlike the others, he didn't have a big smile on his face.

Instead, he gave a rather formal salute with a serious expression, even a hint of restraint.

"Mr. Su, it seems you didn't arrange a car tonight? I'm Zhou Zhengqi, and I'd like to offer to be your temporary driver for tonight, taking you back to your hotel to ensure everything goes smoothly!"

Looking at the man in front of her, whose tie clip was even fastened neatly, Su Man's nerves, which had been tired from socializing, inexplicably relaxed.

She crossed her arms, looking him over with a half-smile, her high heels lightly tapping on the marble floor.

"Manager Zhou, this is a business dinner, not flood control or disaster relief. Why are you making such a fuss?"

Zhou Zhengqi pushed up his glasses and answered seriously, his voice loud and clear as if he were giving a work report.

"President Su, discipline is combat effectiveness."

"Moreover...moreover, I also want to share in the joy of President Gu and Director Ye's happy occasion and do my part."

Seeing his face, which was flushed red but still trying to maintain a "righteous" expression, Su Man couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"That's upright! Well done, Zhou Zhengqi."

Su Man opened the car door and got into his gleaming car, which even had a lucky charm hanging on it.

"I, the CEO, accept this 'meager contribution' tonight."

Inside the car, the radio was playing a serious news broadcast, with clear and distinct pronunciation.

Zhou Zhengqi stared straight ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. His posture was even more upright than when he was taking an exam, and even his gear shifting exuded a sense of meticulousness.

Su Man leaned back in her chair, watching the street scene recede outside the window, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Perhaps the "righteousness" of this Lingnan branch can really tame the "bandit-like" air about this domineering female CEO.

As night deepened, the rain continued to fall in Shanghai.

Tang Muyang made a video call to Gong Yiqing.

On the other end of the screen, his wife's gentle face showed a hint of weariness.

The background is illuminated by warm yellow lights from inside the house, creating a particularly peaceful atmosphere.

Tang Muyang made no attempt to conceal anything, calmly recounting his chance encounter with Xie Xiaotong at the coffee shop on a rainy night, as if he were reporting on a job.

There was no embellishment, no avoidance of the important issues.

"She... was a colleague of Hengxin's in 1999." Tang Muyang looked into his wife's eyes on the screen, his tone gentle and steady.

"Back in the Hengxin Group, those elderly people who were ostracized and suppressed by the rightists for refusing to compromise their principles, I want to gradually integrate them into our Qingyang system."

He paused, his eyes revealing an undeniable determination: "Xie Xiaotong is the first, and the one who must be settled."

"She shielded me from a lot of trouble back then. This loyalty is a matter of public and private matters. I can't watch my former comrade struggle in the mire."

After listening, Gong Yiqing remained silent for a moment, then smiled.

There was no jealousy in that smile, only understanding and concern: "It's raining heavily in Shanghai, remember to wear more clothes."

She paused, her voice gentle yet firm: "Husband, I believe you."

"What's past is past. Since it's beneficial to the company and something you can do with a clear conscience, go ahead and do it."

Just then, a voice message from Tang Jianguo came through the phone:

"Hey! Muyang! These pig's blood sausages are a New Year's treat your sister-in-law specially saved for you. She hasn't eaten any of them! You have to eat them when you get back! Finish up your business in Shanghai and get back here right away!"

This lighthearted moment instantly dispelled the heaviness of the previous situation.

Tang Muyang looked at his wife's gentle smile on the screen and listened to his brother's rough yet heartwarming urging, his eyes welling up with tears.

He knew more clearly than ever that this was home.

The rain was still falling in Shanghai, but Tang Muyang's heart had already cleared up.

He slept exceptionally well that night.

Tomorrow, there's another tough battle to fight; Gao Tianlang's signature will be due after dawn.