Chapter 5
In the quiet parking lot, the man’s voice echoed; when he spoke the name ‘Lin Zhi,’ it carried a distinct, peculiar weight.
Reunited after years apart, neither could find even a trace of joy on the other’s face.
The area was completely empty, as if providing ample space for the two of them to be alone.
Lin Zhi simply gazed quietly at Gu Yi before her, seemingly waiting for his next move.
Their brief encounter at the banquet had not given Lin Zhi enough time to observe this man who had long since come of age.
Since returning to the country, every meeting between them had been one-sided, with her watching him from afar. Lin Zhi had come to realize deeply that Gu Yi was no longer that immature child.
The man stood taller than she remembered, his features sharpened under the cold light, radiating an aura that kept strangers at bay. The boyish innocence had faded, replaced by the allure of a mature man; the deep blue formal wear accentuated his perfect proportions, as if only on him did that ultra-luxurious suit truly find its soul.
Perhaps even the designers of the fashion world, upon seeing the man before them, would gasp and hail him as their muse of inspiration.
Gu Yi had always carried this arrogant demeanor, treating others with indifference, but Lin Zhi knew it was merely the so-called “personality” of a young boy, never taking his occasional temper tantrums to heart.
It was just that after all these years, while some things appeared unchanged on the surface, the core had been completely transformed.
Just like now…
The man still appeared much the same as before, yet there was no warmth left in those eyes.
Time ticked by, second after second, while the two remained locked in silent confrontation.
Gu Yi seemed fully prepared to dig his heels in and fight her to the bitter end—a trait that, it seemed, had never changed.
After about five minutes, Lin Zhi let out a soft laugh, taking the initiative to step back just as she had seven years ago. “Is something wrong?”
Gu Yi’s gaze darkened. He pulled his hand out of his pants pocket, yet his eyes remained firmly fixed on the woman.
“My agent and assistant took the car,”
Lin Zhi arched an eyebrow. “So they left you here?”
“Mm.” The man replied, seemingly unconvinced by his own words, so he hastily added another feeble excuse, “They had an urgent matter.”
Lin Zhi’s lips curved slightly, but she didn’t expose Gu Yi’s transparent little scheme.
She currently lacked the energy to continue this charade with him; all she wanted was to return to her apartment as soon as possible. Thus, she didn’t dwell on his riddled-with-holes excuse and simply walked toward the Maserati parked not far away.
Gu Yi followed silently behind Lin Zhi. Although neither spoke a word, the two who hadn’t seen each other for years still maintained that faint, lingering默契 (tacit understanding).
A sapphire-blue sports car was parked in the distance, as flamboyant at first glance as its owner.
Lin Zhi opened the door and slipped inside without a word, while Gu Yi unceremoniously took the passenger seat beside her.
Before his eyes, Lin Zhi, utterly unconcerned with anyone around her, kicked off her high heels, tossed both shoes and handbag onto the back seat, then bent down to slip into a pair of flats waiting by her feet.
Her movements flowed like water, instantly carrying Gu Yi’s thoughts back to many years ago.
Back then, Lin Zhi had been just as casual around him, but now was not then. Gu Yi couldn’t fathom what she truly thought of him now… If she had returned to the country, why hadn’t she informed him? And why had she appeared at the banquet accompanied by another man?
As the CEO of Shengjia, it was impossible that she wouldn’t know he would be attending this awards ceremony.
Recalling her demeanor at the banquet just moments ago, the chill in Gu Yi’s eyes deepened, his jawline sharpening considerably.
And just as the man stood lost in thought, Lin Zhi had already started the sports car, hands on the wheel, foot pressing the accelerator, driving out of the parking lot—
.
It was past ten o’clock, and the streets were light with traffic.
On the wide road, a sapphire-blue Maserati swept past, only to be halted by a red light at the intersection.
Lin Zhi, gauging the time, reached for the pack of cigarettes she had left in the car earlier. With practiced ease, she drew one out and held it between her fingers. Just as she found her lighter, she suddenly remembered there was another person in the vehicle. She raised an eyebrow slightly, meeting his deep gaze, and lifted the cigarette in her hand as she asked, “Do you mind?”
Even in the dim interior of the car, the woman’s eyes remained startlingly bright, possessing a soul-stealing allure. Although she appeared to be seeking his permission, her unrestrained expression made it impossible for anyone to utter a single ‘no’.
Gu Yi nodded. The next moment, the woman curled the corners of her lips, lowered her head to take the cigarette between them, and with a soft click, ignited it. After taking a deep drag, she gently exhaled a perfect ring of smoke.
The car window remained wide open. Lin Zhi held a cigarette between her fingers, using her other hand to sweep the stray strands of hair from her forehead. Her eyes were half-closed, and the hazy smoke enveloping her face lent her an air of profound languor.
The scent of tobacco filled the air, yet because it was a premium brand, it was far from pungent.
Gu Yi did not smoke, but in all his years since debuting, he had certainly attended his share of social engagements. Most executives harbored habits of drinking and smoking, and he was not the type who could not tolerate the smell of smoke at all.
Lin Zhi’s movements were practiced and effortless; one glance told she was a seasoned smoker of many years.
Yet Gu Yi knew clearly that she had never touched a cigarette in the past.
A sudden surge of irritation rose within him; Gu Yi gradually began to realize that many things had already changed over these seven years.
The car fell into an almost excessive silence. The man watched as Lin Zhi took drag after drag from her cigarette. Seeing no intention on her part to speak further, he broke the quiet a few seconds later—
“When did you come back?”
Lin Zhi gazed straight ahead, as if watching the countdown numbers beside the red traffic light, or perhaps something else entirely. “Three days ago.”
Gu Yi’s brows furrowed slightly as he recalled the ‘mysterious fan’ from their flight that day, his tone growing even colder.
“You were the one who upgraded my seat?”
The woman flicked off some ash, gave a faint hum of affirmation, and then raised her hand to take another drag from her cigarette.
She had no reason to deny it, nor any interest in playing the role of a ‘daddy long-legs’ from a Korean drama. What was done was done, and she wasn’t afraid of him knowing.
For some reason, upon hearing Lin Zhi’s affirmative answer, Gu Yi felt not a shred of joy.
“Why?”
Amidst the swirling smoke, Lin Zhi cast a sidelong glance at the person beside her, withdrawing her gaze after merely a second.
“Aren’t you prone to airsickness? Business class is too noisy; first class will be more comfortable.”
“That’s not what I asked!” The man’s voice, laced with barely suppressed fury, shattered his feigned calm in an instant, turning the atmosphere intensely tense.
Lin Zhi extinguished her cigarette with a detached expression and slammed the accelerator the moment the light turned green, causing the sapphire-blue sports car to vanish from the spot in a heartbeat.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were returning to the country?” Gu Yi reined in his emotions and spoke again.
The cold wind tossed Lin Zhi’s long hair into disarray, yet her expression remained as cool and composed as ever, as if she had never wavered in the slightest.
“How have you been these past few years?” Lin Zhi did not answer his question; instead, she coolly changed the subject as though he had spoken nothing at all.
Gu Yi knew all too well just how cold-hearted Lin Zhi could be. Yet in days gone by, that icy detachment had never been directed toward him. Of everyone in Lin Zhi’s world, he had always been the most exceptional presence.
Now, whether it was the scene at the banquet or this very moment, everything seemed to state a brutally clear fact: there was nothing special left between them anymore.
Why didn’t you tell him upon returning to the country?
Because there was no need.
Upon realizing this, Gu Yi felt as though a thunderous crash had echoed in his mind, leaving it utterly blank. Immediately afterward, a torrent of bitter emotions surged forth like an overwhelming tide…
Reluctance, indignation, grievance, and doubt.
“Didn’t you see it at the awards ceremony?” Gu Yi tugged at the corner of his mouth, his expression unreadable, his tone deceptively calm. “It wasn’t bad.”
Lin Zhi narrowed her eyes slightly, recalling that moment with the man at the awards show. The corner of her lips curved upward in an almost imperceptible arc before returning to neutrality within seconds.
In the blink of an eye, the once-cool boy had transformed into someone worth screaming for by millions.
“You must have had a good life in America all these years,” Gu Yi said, lowering his gaze.
“Average.” Lin Zhi spoke no lie; recalling the seven years she spent in America, she let out a soft chuckle. “I was simply too busy.”
That unexpected car accident had caused the Lin family empire to crumble overnight. Shengjia was acquired by Z·L, and Lin Zhi departed for abroad; everything had happened with startling suddenness.
Though fallen from grace, Lin Zhi still retained considerable assets under her name, yet these resources were far from sufficient to reclaim Shengjia.
Over the course of seven years, she had poured countless efforts into infiltrating Z·L, eventually rising to become the group’s third-largest shareholder. It was a long and arduous journey that Lin Zhi had no desire to elaborate upon.
Now that she has returned to the country, her primary goal is to clean up the mess left behind and once again manage Sheng Jia, the legacy her parents dedicated most of their lives to building.
As for everything else… she neither has the energy nor, it seems, the right.
“Will you leave again?” Gu Yi asked, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he spoke in the most natural tone possible.
“I’m not leaving.”
Her home was here; seven years in a foreign land were more than enough.
By now, the sports car had entered a gated community of villas, finally coming to a stop before a standalone residence.
They had arrived at Gu Yi’s home.
Lin Zhi didn’t tell him to get out, and Gu Yi simply sat quietly in the passenger seat, the atmosphere growing heavy once again.
Drawing out another cigarette, Lin Zhi knew she had crossed a line today, but she had no other choice.
Long ago, Gu Yi was the only person besides her parents who could sway her emotions. Even after all these years, that bad habit seemed to remain uncorrected.
Nicotine offered no real calming effect, yet at this moment, it managed to slightly soothe her tangled feelings.
It had been barely twenty minutes since her last cigarette; seeing her light up again, Gu Yi’s brows instinctively furrowed.
Is her nicotine addiction really that severe?
“Give me your phone.”
Lin Zhi tilted her head slightly, a flicker of confusion in her eyes before realization dawned. She stretched, grabbed the small handbag from the back seat, and tossed it into Gu Yi’s arms.
“The phone is inside the bag.”
Gu Yi opened Lin Zhi’s bag without hesitation, took out her phone, and instinctively entered his own birthday when prompted for the lock screen password.
—Incorrect password.
His finger hovering above the screen paused. The man drew a deep breath; though his voice remained calm when he spoke again, his grip on the phone tightened noticeably.
“The password.”
Lin Zhi’s hand, holding the cigarette, also froze mid-air. Then she lifted it again and took a drag, as if nothing had happened.
“Four ones.”
She recalled the past. Back then, whether for her computer or her phone, her password had always been Gu Yi’s birthday—a fact he was well aware of.
It was just that during her time in America, she had resolved to cast aside all distracting thoughts. Anything related to Gu Yi was meticulously cleared away and tucked into an invisible corner; even her password was changed to the simplest sequence: four ones.
But the truth is, just because something is out of sight doesn’t mean it fades from thought or longing.
Unlocking his screen, Gu Yi immediately opened WeChat, swiftly typed in his WeChat ID, and then tucked his phone back into his bag as if holding it even a second longer would burn his hands.
Lin Zhi made no move to stop him when he ‘took it upon himself’ to add her on WeChat using her own phone. After all, although they could never return to what they once were, they hadn’t reached the point of cutting off all contact forever.
“These past few years, my parents have missed you dearly. Whenever you have time, please visit the Gu family.”
Lin Zhi flicked the ash from her cigarette and spoke with genuine sincerity, “I’ll make time to visit your parents soon.”
The sky had darkened; it was time for Gu Yi to get out of the car.
As the cigarette neared its end, filling the cabin with swirling mist, Lin Zhi remained silent. Her demeanor throughout had been perfectly, deliberately distant, making it unmistakably clear that they had become mere passersby in each other’s lives.
Gu Yi’s expression darkened. A few seconds later, he abruptly opened the car door, yet just as he was about to step out, his hand shot out and firmly grasped the woman’s wrist—
“Are you… no longer attracted to me?”
Their gazes collided, and Lin Zhi’s breath hitched.
Those almond-shaped eyes shimmered with a light she found irresistible; the tear mole at the corner of his eye had once been her favorite spot, one her fingertips would invariably linger upon and caress whenever they brushed against it.
Her heart pounded faster and faster, his scorching gaze nearly threatening to consume her entirely.
A sharp sting shot through her fingertip, jolting Lin Zhi back to reality. She withdrew her gaze and crushed out the cigarette.
“Let’s go back.”
……