They surrounded me right after the breakup.

Lee Myung-bak sat in a leather chair in the Universal Music office, with several cigarette butts stuck in the ashtray in front of him.

He made a voice call to Ji Bochang.

"Brother Li!"

"Don't call this number again."

Ji Bochang paused, then asked, "What do you mean?"

"Literally, delete what you need to delete."

"Brother Li, didn't you tell me to post this? You said to fan the flames before Jiang Han could react and let public opinion ruin his reputation."

Lee Myung-bak stubbed out his cigarette with force.

"I was telling you to use Shen Qingning's chat logs as evidence, but instead, you drove her to quit the entertainment industry."

"The entire internet is now speaking out for her, what more do you want to do?"

Ji Bochang hurriedly defended himself: "I didn't expect her to delete her Weibo account!"

"That's enough," Lee Myung-bak interrupted him.

"Someone at Global Times is investigating my previous accounts at Star Moon. Don't cause me any more trouble."

"Then what should I do?"

"What's it to me!"

Lee Myung-bak hung up the phone, blacklisted Ji Baek-chang's number, and deleted him from WeChat.

Outside the window is the skyline of Jingzhou CBD. This office of Universal Music is much smaller than the one he had at Star Moon Media, but at least it's still there.

When Jiang Guangyao spoke with him last time, his attitude was ambiguous; he neither praised nor criticized him.

He knew he was safe for the time being, provided he had no further involvement with Ji Bochang.

He opened the drawer, and inside lay the calligraphy and painting that Ji Bochang had given him.

I took it out and looked at it, then stuffed it into the pile of waste paper next to the shredder.

The living room at the Jade Garden has returned to quiet.

Xia Yutong stood up from the sofa, picked up her bag, and said, "I'm going back to the law firm first. There are still a few documents to sign."

Qiu Siyao nodded: "Yutong, thank you for your hard work! You've been so helpful to us lately!"

Xia Yutong walked to the door and glanced back in Shen Qingning's direction.

She was packing her things quickly and efficiently, a stark contrast to the silent woman who had huddled on the sofa last night.

After half an hour.

Shen Qingning dragged two suitcases out of the dressing room.

In-season clothes are hung in dust bags, and out-of-season clothes are folded into storage boxes, all neatly arranged.

At the very bottom of the wardrobe are old photo frames, photos from several years ago.

Jiang Han stood next to her, grinning like a fool, while she stared blankly at the camera.

Shen Qingning gently wiped the dust off the photo frame, wrapped it in a soft cloth, and put it into the side pocket of her suitcase.

When she got to the dressing table, she opened the bottom drawer.

There were no cosmetics inside, only a dozen or so neatly folded black stockings, which Jiang Han liked and insisted on bringing along.

After packing, Shen Qingning dragged her suitcase to the living room.

"Finished cleaning up?" Lin Yaoyao asked, glancing at the items.

"That's about it, we'll get the rest later."

"Let's go." Lin Yaoyao picked up the car keys from the coffee table.

The three of them left one after the other, with Shen Qingning walking at the very back.

She glanced back at the Jade Garden one last time.

She and Jiang Han lived here for two years, and the scenes of their past life were still vivid in her mind.

This time, she won't lose Jianghan again.

The car engine started, and Lin Yaoyao's red sports car turned out of the manor gate.

Shen Qingning sat in Qiu Siyao's Audi and followed behind.

In the autumn evening of Jingzhou, the sky was ablaze with a fiery orange-red sunset.

Before long, they arrived at Yunqi Mountain Villa.

Moving in openly and honestly, versus sneaking over at night, brought Shen Qingning two completely different feelings.

She stood in the entryway, looking at the crystal chandelier in the living room that illuminated the entire space.

It was brighter and warmer than when she last came.

"The second room on the west side." Lin Yaoyao changed her shoes and walked to the stairwell.

"Siyao tidied it up for you. The master bedroom is at the far east end, and your room is separated from the master bedroom by a guest bedroom."

"By the way, don't wear our clothes and stockings casually anymore!"

Shen Qingning blushed and nodded shyly.

Shen Qingning walked through the corridor and stepped onto the light gray carpet, which felt soft and comfortable.

Her room wasn't large; it faced south, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the calm lake.

There was a vase on the bedside table with a few daisies in it.

Shen Qingning placed her suitcase against the wall and stood by the window for a while.

She could smell a very faint wisp of smoke, which she could recognize even with her eyes closed.

That's the taste of the Jianghan Plain.

Shen Qingning took a deep breath, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved up.

Jiang Han went to Xingyue Media and wasn't home; only the three of them were in the villa.

Former best friends, now sisters.

They changed their ways and became true best friends.

Lin Yaoyao sat on the sofa and opened her six-person group chat with her best friends.

"Shen Qingning has moved in."

After sending the message, Liu Meng replied "okay" after about ten seconds.

Xiao Xiao immediately chimed in: "How is she now?"

"I'm tidying up the house now."

There were no more questions like "What right does she have?" "How dare she?" or "Are you all crazy?"

Shen Qingning earned respect and recognition through her actions.

Liu Meng smiled with relief; the group of women were finally back to normal for the time being.

That evening, Shen Qingning carefully washed every inch of her skin to wash away the fatigue of the past few days.

After drying her hair, she leaned against the headboard and looked around the room that belonged to her.

Qiu Siyao pushed open the door and stood in the doorway without coming in: "Tell me if you need anything."

"Okay, sure."

At 10:30, Shen Qingning turned off the main light, leaving only the small nightlight by the bedside.

She lay down and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Occasionally, there were footsteps in the corridor, followed by the sound of doors closing.

The nights at Yunqi Mountain Villa are quieter than those at Bicui Manor.

Shen Qingning's phone lit up briefly beside her pillow.

She turned to look at the screen, and there were only two simple words: "Come here."

Shen Qingning's heart skipped a beat.

She got out of bed, tidied her hair in front of the vanity mirror, and then tugged at the neckline of her pajamas.

She applied bright lipstick to her lips and sprayed a light perfume on her body.

Shen Qingning's hand lingered on the doorknob for a moment, then she took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The master bedroom is at the far east end, the door is ajar, and warm yellow light shines through.

She gently pushed open the door and saw Jiang Han half-lying on the bed, a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers.

Seeing her come in, he raised his chin, gesturing for her to close the door.

"Lock it up."

Shen Qingning did as she was told; she understood the meaning behind the words.

Tonight, she is the bride in the house.

The door closed, and only the hum of the air conditioner remained in the master bedroom.

Jiang Han stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the bedside table and patted the spot next to him.

Shen Qingning walked over and lay down next to him.

At first, she was a little reserved, with her hands folded over her stomach.

Jiang Han reached out and pulled her closer to him.

Shen Qingning leaned in with the force, her face pressed against his chest.

The cotton fabric brushed against her cheek, carrying a faint scent of laundry detergent and tobacco.

Shen Qingning buried her head in Jiang Han's arms and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Its warm touch makes you feel at ease.

She could feel the strength of Jiang Han's hand as it slid down her back to her waist.

Shen Qingning lay down, and was greeted with a passionate kiss.

Equally brutal, equally unreasonable.

She will remember this moment of happiness for the rest of her life.