Chapter 4: The CEO’s Proposal

The very next day, I submitted my resignation. My manager and coworkers took turns trying to convince me to stay, asking why I wanted to leave when things were going so well.

I fell silent for a long moment before answering softly, “Because the reason I stayed… doesn’t exist anymore.”

I had joined this company solely for Ji Shiye. Now that he was engaged, the tactful thing to do was make a clean exit.

On the day I packed up my desk to leave, I ran into him in the elevator. Clad in a crisp, bespoke suit, he still carried that untouchable “flower on a high peak” aura, cold, distant, and completely out of reach.

He glanced down at the box of personal belongings in my arms. “You’re quitting?”

I nodded, offering no explanation and no excuses.

He let out a dry, humorless laugh. “Trinh Gia, you really are something.”

I didn’t understand what he meant, nor did I care to figure it out. Things had reached a point where lingering any longer would only make me look pathetic. Gathering what little self-respect I had left, I offered, “I wish you two a lifetime of happiness.”

—

News of his engagement spread like wildfire. In the photos, the handsome groom and his stunning bride looked like they stepped straight off a romantic movie poster. Everyone who saw the pictures agreed: “A match made in heaven.” I nodded along too, though only on the inside.

Over the next few weeks, I threw myself into a state of self-punishment. I went on a frantic job hunt, spamming my resume everywhere and going to interviews until I was too exhausted to breathe. I had to stay busy, because the second I had a free moment, my mind drifted straight back to him.

I locked the bedroom he had stayed in. The sheets, the pillows, the blanket, I threw every single thing away. I tried to fool myself into believing that tossing out his belongings meant tossing out the memories too. Unfortunately, human memory doesn’t come with a “delete permanently” button.

During my rock-bottom phase, Hou Xiao visited constantly. Sometimes he showed up with boba, other times with Omakase reservations. No matter how many times I turned him down, he remained persistent: “It’s okay, I’ll ask again next time. Who knows, you might change your mind.”

Eventually, I started going out with him a few times. I had to admit, being around Hou Xiao made my heart feel noticeably lighter. Once, he handed me a stick of candied hawthorn; I bit into it, and the burst of sweetness was enough to make me… temporarily forget my heartbreak.

Still, it was a classic case of “fine during the day, system crash at night.” The moment I laid down, every single memory came knocking on my door, demanding payment.

—

Today, Hou Xiao invited me to the beach to feed the seagulls. Walking barefoot on the sand, the salty sea breeze cleared my head. He asked me what kind of guy I was into.

Without thinking, I rattled off a list: “Someone who looks great in a suit, seems totally refined on the outside but is deeply calculating on the inside, knows how to talk… and gold-rimmed glasses are a huge plus…”

I froze mid-sentence. In my mind’s eye, Ji Shiye’s image had surfaced, crystal clear.

A short distance away, a couple was teasing each other. The girl asked, “What if we break up?” The guy replied, “Then I’ll win you back. I’ll chase you until you come back to me.”

Hearing those words made my heart squeeze tight. Right at that moment, the distant chime of church bells echoed through the air. A sudden realization struck me, today was Ji Shiye’s engagement day. He would be slipping a ring onto someone else’s finger, holding someone else to sleep, and disappearing completely from my life.

A wild, frantic thought burst into my head: I want to see him. Right now.

“I’m so sorry, I have an emergency and need to go!” I blurted out, turning to Hou Xiao.

He looked at me with a complex expression, his eyes heavy yet filled with complete understanding. “You’re going to find Ji Shiye, aren’t you?”

I nodded. He offered a helpless smile and offered to drive me.

In the car, Hou Xiao patted my head and let out a soft sigh. “No need to thank me. If he ever treats you badly in the future… just come back to me. I’ll be waiting.”

His words made my nose sting with tears. There was actually someone in this world who treated me with such gentleness; it was just a shame that he wasn’t the person I was looking for.

—

My heart hammered like a war drum the entire drive. I was terrified that if I was even one step too late, the curtain would fall on the ceremony. The moment Hou Xiao slammed the brakes, I threw the door open and bolted inside. I had never run so fast in my entire life… just to catch a glimpse of him in time.

I slammed open the heavy church doors. Inside, a priest in white robes stood solemnly. Ji Shiye was standing at the altar, the light filtering through the stained glass windows coating him in a rare, gentle glow.

I stood there frozen, gasping for air. “…Huh?”

No guests. No bride. Was I too late, or was it already over?

While my brain was overheating, Ji Shiye suddenly let out a low smile, a smile of pure relief. He turned to the priest. “My fiancée has arrived. We can begin now.”

I was completely bewildered. “Wait a second! Aren’t you supposed to be marrying the heiress of the Ruan You Group?!”

Ji Shiye stepped forward and casually took my hand. “She and I were just business partners. She needed startup capital, and I needed a trap to lure you out into the open.”

I choked on my breath. “…You tricked me?”

The corners of Ji Shiye’s lips curled up. “What else was I supposed to do? You were standing right in front of me flirting with another man. I have my pride too, you know.”

He pressed a bouquet of white roses into my hands and suddenly dropped to one knee. A glittering diamond ring appeared before my eyes.

“Trinh Gia, you owe me an apology. But I also owe you a confession—I love you deeply.”

He spoke of his past, of his fear of betrayal that had always forced him to put up an icy facade. For the very first time, I finally understood this man’s heart.

“I know for a fact I will never hurt you. So… will you marry me?”

I covered my mouth, tears stinging my eyes. “Yes! I will!”

—

Two months later, we got married. On the day of the wedding, Hou Xiao showed up with the words “I protest” written all over his face.

“Sis,” he complained, looking utterly aggrieved, “he’s old. How can he compare to someone young and handsome like me?”

I held Ji Shiye’s hand and smiled gently. “Well, I happen to prefer mature men.”

Deeply wounded, Hou Xiao handed me back the old necklace. “Now that you’re married, you can’t refuse my gift. If he ever treats you poorly… just come find me. I’ll be waiting.”

Standing beside me, Ji Shiye let out a cold chuckle. “Keep waiting, kid. You’ll be waiting until you’re six feet under before it’s ever your turn.”

—

After the wedding, Ji Shiye chose to move into my tiny apartment instead of his luxury mansion.

I looked at him in total shock. “Are you out of your mind?! Why leave a grand estate to cram into this tiny bird’s nest?”

He didn’t answer. He walked quietly into the bedroom and emerged a moment later with that familiar silver chain dangling from his hand. He smiled, a look of pure, possessive dark charm on his face.

“I recall you still owe me… five hours. Wifey, time to settle the bill.”

Panicking, I scrambled backward. “Wait! That’s all in the past, why bring it up now?!”

Ji Shiye scooped me up effortlessly over his shoulder, his voice terrifyingly sweet: “Say one more word… and it’s one ‘extra’ round.”

Me: … (System shutdown).

— THE END —