Chapter Forty-Five: You Are the First Person Who Made Me Wait This Long

In the blink of an eye, she seemed like a little doll who had lost her favorite toy, curled up in a corner, clutching herself tightly.

After a brief moment of blankness in her mind, tears flooded uncontrollably, surging like a breached dam. Memories from the past rushed into her mind, forming vivid scenes that crushed her heart mercilessly. All her defenses were demolished in an instant, and everything she once held firm—her resolve, her beliefs—collapsed without a trace.

Never before had Mai Xijun felt such a throbbing pain in her head, a heaviness so oppressive she could hardly think. She couldn’t close her ears, nor shut her heart. Words—some light, some weighty—drifted around her like an old, stuck record, echoing endlessly in her ears and reverberating through her soul.

Night fell quietly...

The world was so silent she could hear nothing but her own breath and heartbeat...

Just then, the old woman next door, recently returned from her hometown, grumbled to her husband as they walked by, "Hey, old man! I remember the hallway light was broken when we left... When did it get fixed?"

Yes, who had fixed it?

That man, the one who said her building looked like Jurassic Park, had brightened her way home. Yet, he would never appear here again...

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The next morning, Mai Xijun's eyes were so swollen she looked like a frog. She got out of bed and glanced in the mirror, startled by her own reflection—how had she turned into such a fright? Thankfully, she didn’t have to work today.

Turning around, her gaze fell on a black suit hanging on the rack. The weight of memories pressed heavily on her chest, and she slammed her fist against it, a jolt of pain ripping through her, sharp and tearing.

Resolutely, she took the suit down and stuffed it into the bottom of her wardrobe. She went to make something to eat—a new day. She’d tidy up her things, and tomorrow, she could finally leave this place for a while. Three months in Paris awaited her, and afterward, her life would change.

But when she opened the refrigerator and pantry, her eyes grew red again in an instant. Too many of his things lingered here, everywhere, inescapable. The fridge was full, yet not a single item was bought by her.

Stubbornly, she searched every corner for the frozen dumplings and cold noodles she’d bought, only to find them lying quietly in the trash bin nearby...

She remembered—Xue Lizan had warned her many times before: eating too much frozen food was bad for her stomach. But she’d never changed.

And he, Shen Yanlie, the “Stone-faced Man,” hadn’t just tried to change her—he’d already acted upon it. Mai Xijun fetched a bag and swept all the groceries she hadn’t bought out of the fridge, dumping them on the table.

Glancing around, she realized it was time for a thorough cleaning, to rid herself of everything that should never have been part of her world.

But should she throw away that bed as well?

She yanked off the sofa cover, rolled up the bedsheet, tossed them all into the washing machine!

After a flurry of activity, the room was finally empty, nothing left to purge. She settled into the quiet, but the scenes replaying in her mind were not of Xue Lizan, but...

She lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling in silence, her gaze eventually drifting to her vanity table. There stood a transparent glass bottle, filled with red liquid—strange, seductive, ambiguous.

She stared for a long time, then suddenly sat up, a trace of youthful vitality flickering through her again.

She picked up the bottle, walked to the trash bin, extended her hand—yet couldn’t bring herself to toss it away. If she was to purge everything unrelated to her, then this too... should go...

Just as Mai Xijun hesitated, her phone rang. Cautiously, she checked the caller—it was HR from her company...

“Hello?”

“Mai Xijun, you have ten minutes to get to the office—immediately! If you don’t want to lose your job, I suggest you be on time!”

Click!

The call ended. Mai Xijun stood there, utterly lost.

Her mind raced, but she couldn’t think straight. Didn’t Luo Youcon say he’d pick her up tomorrow for the early trip to Paris? Why was she being called in to report today, and threatened with losing her job? What did this mean?

Yet one thing was clear—she definitely didn’t want to lose this job...

After all, in the country’s renowned jewelry design industry, besides LOV, there were only two other companies: one was the Mu family’s. She had no direct connection with them, but the ties to the Su family—whom she never wanted to return to—were tangled and complicated. Even if she did lose her job, she’d never consider working under the Mu family name!

The other option was the company under Eurasia Trading. Needless to say, as she was clearing away everything related to him, she had no intention of ever being entangled with that man again—not now, not ever.

Clearly, she didn’t want to be unemployed, and losing her job would only take her further from her goals. So, without hesitation, she threw on a coat, grabbed her keys, and dashed out the door.

But how could she possibly make it? Even if she hailed a cab immediately, it would take over ten minutes—especially during rush hour. Ten minutes was impossible.

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Inside the LOV company lobby.

Dozens of people stood in neat rows, so silent that the buzz of a passing bee could be heard.

From afar, Mai Xijun saw a sea of black work attire—a solemn, imposing scene. Was this a meeting?

And Luo Youcon, that eccentric, had never held such an imposing meeting before. Why were there more than ten bodyguards standing by his side? Still, it wasn’t her fault she was late—he had personally approved her leave. He couldn’t dock her pay for this.

“Sorry to keep everyone waiting! I’m late!” Mai Xijun immediately bowed deeply, offering her colleagues an eighty-degree bow. As she straightened, her eyes lifted and she froze in place.

That face, those dark, inscrutable eyes, scrutinized her. His expression was indifferent, with brows elegantly arched—so striking, yet cold as ice that never melts.

The instant their eyes met, Mai Xijun felt as though she’d been plunged into an ice cellar, as if in the dead of winter, a torrent of freezing water poured down on her from head to toe, chilling her to the bone.

“Miss Mai, you are twenty-three minutes late. I have waited here for you for twenty-three minutes. Not bad! Miss Mai, you are the first person to make me, Shen Yanlie, wait this long.” He elegantly adjusted his cuff, glanced at his watch, exuding an aura both magnetic and forbidding. The icy tone in his voice, the look in his eyes—she felt as if struck by lightning, pain searing through her whole body.