Ch. 4.

I started my internship at the Pei Group with a heavy sense of unease. Once, catching a glimpse of Pei Hang walking into the main lobby surrounded by an entourage, his dazzling aura practically blinding, I instantly dove behind a massive potted plant just to hide.

One week passed, then two. Pei Hang was buried alive in a major new project, so much so that even interns like me had to stay late into the night pulling overtime. We occasionally squeezed in rushed meetings inside his car, where he would lower his voice and promise he’d “make it up to me,” but I could only offer a hollow smile in return.

A crack was forming deep inside my chest, named I’m simply not good enough. I lacked the confidence to accept everything he was so ready to pour out for me.

So, on a rare evening when he took me out for street-food skewers, I broke things off.

Pei Hang froze for a few long seconds, then turned eerily calm. He didn’t demand explanations or push back. He just let out a quiet sigh, drove me home, and wrapped me in a bone-crushing hug before walking away.

For the next month and a half, I buried my head in my work. I stopped bumping into him around the office, but rumors about him were everywhere.

Today, a photo of Pei Hang having dinner with the heiress of the Du Conglomerate made front-page news. My hand shook, spilling scalding coffee all over myself, and my eyes stung with hot tears. Right at that moment, a text popped up from Xiao Yu, finally popping her head out after weeks of being consumed by her own whirlwind romance to ask me out.

I texted back: I’m in.

I had no idea she’d pick Time Café, the exact spot where the two of us used to leave our silly wishes years ago. That familiar wave of anxiety crashed over me again. Was this just a coincidence, or was something else waiting for me there?

When I arrived, Xiao Yu was already outside, wearing a smile so sickly sweet it was downright suspicious. She grabbed my arm and dragged me inside, her grin stretching ear to ear. “Time to go check on our wishes!”

She started picking through the wall covered in colorful sticky notes, hunting for her old message. Seeing her busy, I instinctively traced my way through my own memories to find my paper.

There it was. But… I clearly remembered writing only a single line back then? Who the hell was cheap enough to piggyback on my sticky note instead of buying their own?!

Irritated, I pulled the note off the wall to get a better look. But the second my eyes landed on the handwriting, I went dead still. My mind went completely blank, my fingers crushing the paper into a ball.

That handwriting… was painfully, unmistakable familiar.

Beside me, Xiao Yu squealed in pure bliss, oblivious. “Wan Wan, look at this! Back then I wished for my crush to like me back, and now it actually came true! Isn’t that insane?!”

Her voice barely registered. While my best friend babbled on, I forced a deep breath and squeezed out a sweet, terrifying smile.

“Xiao Yu, you’re about to get a second auntie real soon.”

She blinked, utterly confused. “Huh? You mean that Du Group heiress? Oh, please. My uncle was strictly discussing business with her. Besides, she’s getting married tomorrow to someone else.”

“It’s not her.”

I spun on my heel and bolted out the door, leaving Xiao Yu standing there with a giant question mark over her head.

Pei Hang, you utter bastard!

It was never a coincidence. Every “accidental” encounter, every gentle moment, it was all him, quietly standing guard over me from the very beginning. I had to be the biggest idiot on the planet to think I could ever leave him.

I ran straight to the supermarket, determined to cook a proper dinner. Mature men liked surprises, didn’t they? Well, tonight, I was going to give him the biggest surprise of his life.

—

Pei Hang made it home exceptionally early. Seeing me searing steaks in the kitchen, he asked casually, “Wan Wan, did I forget what today is?”

He used that same unbothered tone, as if our breakup had never happened. Stepping up behind me, he wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin heavy on my shoulder, completely leaning into my space. “I don’t want to take a break anymore. We’ve wasted enough time.”

Dinner felt warm and comfortable, like we were an old married couple. I downed a couple of glasses of wine, staring at his dangerously handsome face, then pulled the flattened sticky note out from my phone case and set it on the table.

“Do you know… what I wrote back then?”

The calm facade in Pei Hang’s eyes finally shattered. I didn’t give him a chance to speak. Stepping forward, I pressed my lips to his.

“Pei Hang, I love you.”

A gentle breeze drifted through the window, sweeping the paper off the table. It fluttered to the floor, exposing two interlaced lines of handwriting:

— Only one person for a lifetime: Teng Wan.
— Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you: Pei Hang.

Sweet enough to rot my teeth! This man—I was going to marry him if it was the last thing I did!

—

EPILOGUE:

The day I officially became “Mrs. Pei,” Bui Xiao Yu chased me all the way from the marriage registry to the parking lot, clutching the designer bag I’d just handed over as a bribe.

Pei Hang stepped up, blocking her path, and dropped three cold words: “Call her Auntie.”

Xiao Yu nearly combusted on the spot from pure rage. As revenge, she completely drained my wallet by forcing me to pay for a mountain of limited-edition luxury gear. Even though I was using my husband’s card, my heart still bled for his bank account.

Proof that for women, there is no grudge that designer goods can’t fix—and if it doesn’t work, you just haven’t bought enough!

—

After we got married, I kept asking him, “When exactly did you start liking me?”

He used every trick in the book to dodge the question, finally answering, “I’ll tell you on our 50th wedding anniversary.”

I reached up, tracing his sharp jawline with a smile. “Then you better make sure you live a long, long time.”

He chuckled, lacing his fingers tightly through mine. “I’ll grow old right beside you.”

From that day on, I stopped asking. It didn’t matter when it all began. What mattered was that out of everyone in this vast, chaotic world, we hadn’t missed each other.

— THE END —