Chapter 71: It Turns Out She Was Heading My Way Part 2

Her voice shook more with every word. She looked as if she wanted to bury herself, her eyes fixed on the woman in the master chair, terrified that one sentence would cost her this hard-earned job.

Finding work was so difficult these days.

The woman seemed to notice her cowardice and dialed back her intimidating aura. She leaned back into her leather chair, pressing a hand to her brow. “I see…”

The girl was so scared she was practically curling into a ball. She had already rehearsed her apology; she would even get on her knees if it meant not being fired.

Then, “Hao Siwei.”

The office door opened, and the head secretary walked in. “President Su, your instructions?”

“Take this young lady for emergency training on reporting procedures. Have her report to me again in one hour.”

Hao Siwei nodded. “Understood.”

The exchange was so swift and clinical that the girl was still in a daze when her arm was grabbed. The older woman didn’t drag her; she placed a supportive hand on her shoulder and guided her out, preventing her from making a fool of herself in front of President Su.

Once outside, the girl asked anxiously, “Wait, I’m not getting yelled at?”

President Su’s face was so cold, and she had listened so intently—she probably already finished the analysis herself. The girl felt she couldn’t keep up with her pace at all.

And yet, no scolding?

Hao Siwei smiled at her. “You’ll get yelled at if you don’t learn it by next time.”

The girl shuddered and sat up straight. “Big sister, please teach me!”

“First lesson: Don’t be afraid of President Su. She’s actually very kind.”

As soon as she spoke, the person inside called her back in.

Su Ye had her eyes closed, looking somewhat drained. “The train I told you to watch—what’s the status?”

“It passed the last station thirty minutes early. It’s one hour from the provincial capital and one hour and thirty minutes from An City. I planned to report this to you in an hour.”

Su Ye pondered for a moment. She turned her chair around, her back to the secretary. “The girl from earlier—teach her well and let her report online tomorrow. Once today’s random inspectors finish their draws, have them go straight to the checks. No need to report to me.”

“Understood. President Su, are you going out?”

“Yes. No need for the driver. I’ll go myself.”

***

When Su Ye went out alone, there was only ever one destination.

She found a spot at the transit point where she could see the exit clearly. After parking the car steadily, she let out a sigh of relief, leaning back against the seat to relax her shoulders.

She had done this often over the years. Just sitting here, watching that person from Ye City return with bags in hand. The little one would usually emerge from the exit, find the pre-arranged car, and leave with a laugh—disappearing from Su Ye’s sight.

She tapped the steering wheel, then let out a resigned breath.

Twenty-two years. She didn’t want to give up, but she was being forced to.

Many people who knew the truth worried she would view Yue Chengqi as a replacement for Ah Huan, or project her feelings onto her…

How could they? Did they think I was some kind of pedophile?

She thought that human emotions were complex. Seeing the child grow to look more like her lover, her personality slowly aligning… it was painful. But in truth, for a long time, she had simply viewed Yue Chengqi as a child.

Her lover could only be Yue Huan. Only Yue Huan.

But it didn’t matter. It was already mid-October. The date she had met Yue Huan had passed. Perhaps she didn’t need to worry about this problem anymore.

It was enough that she was the one who remembered.

Even though they had never truly changed history, they had never stopped trying. They had always attempted to change everything.

That’s how people are. You have to try.

She was fine with it. If she had to be the only unhappy one so that everyone else could be happy… she was willing. Very willing.

Su Ye pulled down the sun visor to block the low-hanging sun; the glare was starting to hurt her eyes.

Her body felt equally uncomfortable—not just because of these messy thoughts, but because she had only eaten breakfast. She had missed lunch during a meeting with suppliers, then listened to reports, and now she was waiting for Yue Chengqi. She had left in such a hurry she hadn’t packed any snacks.

She gently rubbed her stomach, trying to soothe the sour ache of hunger.

After waiting for over an hour, she finally saw the girl walk out with a bag.

The girl stood lonely by the exit. After waiting for a while and seemingly finding no one there to meet her, she retreated to the shadow of a pillar.

The train was early, but is no one picking her up?

Su Ye turned on her phone, found the pinned contact, and dialed.

Powered off.

Su Ye felt helpless. It seemed she had fought with her family again. Even though April had passed, Yue Wenfeng still didn’t want her anywhere near anyone from An City before she turned twenty-five. She didn’t even let her come home for Spring Festival.

She was defending against that potential car accident from every possible angle.

Thinking of this gave Su Ye another headache. Back then, she thought Ah Huan just had a small conflict with her mother that could be resolved with a talk. Now she saw…

This mother and daughter were truly terrible at communicating.

Su Ye waited a bit longer. Seeing that still no one had arrived and the phone was still off, she sighed, started the car, and slowly pulled forward.

I can’t just let the child wait here alone.

As the girl matured, she had become more taciturn. She would rather wait in the cold than swallow her pride, turn on her phone, and call home.

It’s October. You can’t mess around.

Su Ye tapped the gear shift. Her finger hovered over the park button for a moment before she shifted into drive and glided out of the parking space.

The temperature outside was barely above freezing. She didn’t want the little one to catch a cold. That was a normal thought, right?

However, when the girl opened her palm and offered her a piece of candy, Su Ye felt a pang in her heart. When she refused, she couldn’t bring herself to use a cold tone. She didn’t want to make the child angry, but…

She couldn’t.

They had worked so hard to get this far. They had struggled all the way to October. She didn’t want all their efforts to go to waste, and she certainly didn’t want to see Yue Wenfeng kneel before her again.

If there had been even a shred of room left to maneuver, Yue Wenfeng wouldn’t have come to beg her. She wouldn’t have been so desperate that she knelt, pleading for Su Ye to help her set her daughter free.

Su Ye gripped the steering wheel, hardening her heart as she rejected Yue Chengqi’s request once more.

Even if it meant a fight. Even if it meant their relationship grew colder.

Afterward, Yue Chengqi dragged her luggage into a taxi without looking back. She didn’t even glance at the rearview mirror.

If she had, she would have seen the familiar Mercedes-Benz following behind the taxi. Though hidden in the sea of cars, it followed her until she entered her residential complex. Only after she turned a corner did the car finally vanish.

Safe at home.

Su Ye exhaled. Her head was spinning from low blood sugar. She pulled over, took the candy from the console, and slowly peeled it. She stared at the milky-white sweet, grinding her teeth slightly.

The first time Yue Chengqi gave her candy was a long time ago. The little schoolgirl had suddenly insisted on giving her a White Rabbit Creamy Candy. From that day on, an unspoken agreement formed between them: every time they met, she had to bring a piece of candy.

Su Ye’s eating habits were erratic, and that candy had genuinely helped her several times. Like now.

She held the candy in her mouth, not biting, letting the milky sweetness slowly dissolve. She leaned back, her thin wrist resting over her forehead. She couldn’t help but sigh.

Why must fate torment me so?

The phone she had tossed into the storage bin suddenly vibrated. Su Ye forced herself to sit up, swallowed the candy in a few bites, and answered. Her face darkened.

It was Yue Wenfeng.

Su Ye: “…Feng-jie?”

“Did you go pick her up?”

Su Ye’s heart skipped a beat. “She took a taxi back.”

Yue Wenfeng’s voice softened slightly, but only just. “Qiqi insisted on going to your place, so I told her to get lost.”

“…” Great communication skills. Should I praise you?

“Try to talk to her again. We’ve come this far; we can’t let it go to waste.”

Su Ye felt a chill. Can’t let it go to waste.

Before she could reply, the other phone in her pocket rang. Su Ye asked Yue Wenfeng to hold on, exhaled, and answered.

The only person who would call this number was her Qiqi.

She looked up, suddenly understanding what Yue Wenfeng meant by “get lost”—she meant get lost and head to Su Ye’s place. It turned out she was heading her way.

But in the next second, before she could even smile or answer the call, a scene unfolded before her eyes—the second most unforgettable moment of her life.

The young girl was like a ball kicked into the air. Blood bloomed in the sky like a swaying, ghostly flower before she slammed heavily onto the ground.

The sound was deafening. Even through the car windows, even through the phone, Yue Wenfeng heard it clearly.

Su Ye scrambled out of the car, sprinting toward the girl. The woman on the other end of the line had stopped breathing for several seconds. Su Ye could only force herself to offer comfort, telling her to stay calm.

“Nothing will happen,” Yue Wenfeng murmured, her voice beginning to crumble. “It won’t be that accident. It won’t! It won’t!”

The call was disconnected. Su Ye didn’t have time for her. She blocked traffic on both sides while rapidly making a series of calls.

But in the next heartbeat, familiar points of light flickered from her fingers, gradually spreading across her entire body, as if her whole being were being replaced from head to toe.

Su Ye would never forget those points of light as long as she lived.

This snowstorm that had submerged her for twenty-two years finally showed signs of ending today.

Her strength nearly failed her, but she steadied herself after a brief wobble, continuing to coordinate over the phone. With her influence, it wasn’t difficult to secure all the surveillance footage of the accident within half an hour. By the time she finished her arrangements, the ambulance had arrived.

They lifted the person from the pool of blood. Fortunately, the blood had soaked through her clothes; they hadn’t yet realized that there were no open wounds on her body bleeding out.

Su Ye returned to her car. In silence, she gripped the object she had just taken from Yue Chengqi’s pocket.

The clothes were the same as when they had parted, and the contents of the pockets were there too.

So the accident wasn’t in April. It was in October.

But…

She popped open a hidden storage compartment and tossed the brand-new PHS phone inside. She slowly closed the lid and placed a box on top of it, hiding it away.

But it cannot be Yue Huan. It must not be.

This was 2023. There could only be Yue Chengqi here.

She let out a long breath and drove into the residential complex to pick up a deathly pale Yue Wenfeng. Together, they drove to the hospital in silence.

She wanted to be the first to see Yue Chengqi. She had a question to ask her.