Chapter 75: Better to Be Free Than by My Side Part 2

Zhao Fanyue was exhausted. She had seen people who guarded their bodies like jade, but she had never seen someone who guarded their heart like jade—or rather, someone who guarded a single brand like jade.

But when Su Ye spoke like that, she had to be serious. Her livelihood was essentially in the other woman’s hands. If Su Ye just nodded, Zhao Fanyue’s brand could ride the coattails of Everguest into the vast mid-range market.

However, Su Ye wasn’t interested in business. She simply frowned. “You’re being too loud.”

“Hey! You! I went through so much trouble to organize this New Year’s Eve gala. If you don’t want to go to the dance floor or drink, fine—but now you’re complaining that I’m loud? Have you no shame!”

Su Ye stood up. “You stay. I’m leaving.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” The woman lost all the arrogance she’d shown when they first met. She chased after Su Ye. “Sit down, sit down. Look at how thin you are. If you collapse in my venue, I’ll be the one losing face. Just sit.”

She stopped beating around the bush. “Boss Su, I’m here because I want to talk business. Qining only covers the low-end market right now. Let’s collaborate. I can give you the most favorable rates.”

“No,” Su Ye said. “The debt of gratitude I owe Qining can never be repaid in this lifetime. No matter how many times you ask, the answer remains the same. No.”

“It was just an interest-free loan, Boss Su…”

Su Ye looked up at her, her eyes cold and dangerous. For a moment, Zhao Fanyue forgot what she was going to say. She could only watch as the woman lifted the hem of her gown and walked away.

After a long silence, she muttered, “If I’d known, I would have placed my bets the moment we met.”

She admitted that miscalculating Su Ye was the biggest mistake of her career. She still couldn’t fathom how a single interest-free loan could make this woman support a company for decades and refuse to cooperate with its competitors. Was this how people showed gratitude nowadays?

But Su Ye wouldn’t tell her that there was the story of an extraordinary woman behind it all. Su Ye’s presence at the gala tonight was for the sake of mentoring others and killing time. Otherwise, she would have spent all her free time refreshing a social media feed that only updated once every few days.

She claimed she wanted to give Yue Huan freedom. She had succeeded—she gave Yue Huan her freedom, but trapped herself in place, unable to move.

Returning to her business van, Su Ye set her phone down and closed her eyes to rest while she waited for her staff to finish their networking. Suddenly, a call came through.

“Oh my god! My respected Boss! It’s a holiday and you send me a surprise like this? You’re going to be the death of me!” A woman’s explosive voice boomed from the speaker.

Su Ye rubbed her brow.

She still preferred the old Qi Sheng—the fragile, cute little girl. Since she had left for Ye City to build her own life, what on earth had she turned into? And her partner—could that person stop dragging Qi Sheng to test her physical limits? Su Ye was terrified her top lieutenant would die during a skydiving or diving trip. Who would replace her then?

But for now, she had to endure it. “Don’t get excited. Speak slowly.”

“How can I not be excited?!” Qi Sheng exhaled sharply. “That’s Sister Huan! Boss, you…”

A week ago, Su Ye had told her to look after Yue Chengqi, who was visiting Ye City, and to hand over a card to her. Qi Sheng had figured that since it was New Year’s and the girl had just left Ye City after hating her time there, she wouldn’t possibly come back for the holiday. To her surprise, Yue Chengqi had actually contacted her. Qi Sheng immediately canceled her date and rushed to the restaurant address.

–

When Qi Sheng arrived, the girl was sitting with her head down, quietly reading the menu.

From a distance, she felt something was off. Although she hadn’t seen Yue Chengqi many times, she remembered the girl as being introverted but not this still. The familiar face usually held vibrant, lively expressions that the “old” Yue Huan never used. But today, the little girl was slumped in her seat, radiating the aura of… a very laconic elder? It was a strange, marvelous sense of seniority.

Qi Sheng didn’t overthink it. She walked over and slammed a bank card onto the table in front of Yue Chengqi. As she set down her bag, she said casually, “Your Auntie has lost her mind again. She wanted me to give you this card. I think there’s about five hundred thousand on it? Go ahead and spend it. She gave it to you, after all.” She finished with a playful wink.

Time had matured her, but it had also given her a sense of freedom she never used to have. The girl who was once nearly crushed by life had become more joyful with every passing year.

Yue Chengqi put down the menu and touched the card. “Did she… specifically tell you to do this?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Qi Sheng nodded. She didn’t notice the weight behind the pronouns. She just picked up the menu. “What do you want to eat? This Auntie’s treat, since you don’t have a job yet.”

“I have a job,” Yue Chengqi said, taking the card. “I have shares in Everguest. Even though they are under Su Ye’s name, I’m still entitled to my dividends. Isn’t that why she sent the card?”

Qi Sheng hummed noncommittally as she flipped through the menu. Then, she froze. She looked up sharply, staring at the person across from her. “What did you say? What did you just say?!”

The person across from her was smiling gently. Her eyes radiated the same tolerance and warmth that Qi Sheng had once cherished—the state of mind that only the person who had first shown her kindness could possess.

Qi Sheng was grateful to Su Ye, but she was also grateful to Yue Huan. Without them, there would be no Qi Sheng who knew the meaning of freedom. Seeing Yue Chengqi’s face looking more mature, more like her, and considering Su Ye’s bizarre behavior, she could guess the truth even if she didn’t know the specifics. It sounded absurd, but Yue Huan had vanished into thin air overnight twenty-two years ago. In a world like that, anything was possible.

Hearing that familiar voice and seeing that familiar expression, the forty-something-year-old Qi Sheng suddenly felt like crying.

She closed the menu, her voice trembling. “You’re not lying to me, are you? You… you are…”

Yue Chengqi nodded. “I am.” She opened her arms. “Xiao Sheng, it’s been a long time.”

There was no warm hug. Instead, Qi Sheng threw a water cup at her. Before she could react, another one followed.

Yue Chengqi was baffled.

Qi Sheng covered her face. “Do you have any idea how much pressure Boss had to endure?! Do you know how hard it was for her back then?! Do you know how much she’s suffered all these years?!”

During that time, Su Ye was having a breakdown while trying to work, all while fielding questions from neighbors. She had nearly fainted multiple times. Qi Sheng’s heart bled for her.

Yue Chengqi whispered, “I… I know…”

“If you knew, why didn’t you come back sooner?! Why did you leave her alone for twenty-two years?! Yue Huan, that’s twenty-two years! I’ve found my own partner in that time, but Boss is still waiting for you.”

Yue Chengqi gave a bitter smile.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to come back. If she could have, she wouldn’t have left at all. She wanted to be by Su Ye’s side through those twenty-two years, watching the seasons change and growing old together. She didn’t want this—loving each other but lacking the courage to bridge the gap of time and identity.

Qi Sheng wiped her face. “Does Boss know you’re back?”

Yue Chengqi nodded. “She knows.”

“Then why are you here alone? Boss told me to host the ‘previous’ you. You didn’t… you didn’t decide she’s too old for you, did you?”

“…” Wait, who raised this version of Qi Sheng? Can someone please return the shy, blushing little girl who couldn’t even finish a sentence?!

But Qi Sheng was relentless. “You might look young on the outside, but you better not be fickle! You aren’t allowed to think Boss is old. She only looks like that because she was waiting for you! It’s your fault for being so late. Hurry up and go to her, don’t make her wait anymore…”

Yue Chengqi could only smile. Her mental age wasn’t much younger than anyone else at the table. She had lived through those twenty-two years twice; from different perspectives, her realizations were different. It wasn’t a matter of her trying harder. Su Ye didn’t want her. Su Ye wouldn’t let her try, and she wouldn’t even let her change how she was addressed.

In front of everyone else, she could be Yue Huan. But in front of Su Ye, she was only allowed to call her “Auntie,” and only the identity of Yue Chengqi was acknowledged. She couldn’t change that.

Yue Chengqi opened the menu. “Let’s eat first. We can talk afterward.”

Qi Sheng immediately shut up and looked at the menu. After a while, she said, “Fine, I’m not treating you today. You’re treating me. You owe me!”

“…?”

“You missed my birthday dinner! All of them!”

Yue Chengqi felt even more helpless. It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted to go; she had been so frail she didn’t dare leave the house. But if Qi Sheng said so… fine. Regardless of what had changed, she was glad Xiao Sheng was still this lively.

The rest of the meal consisted of normal conversation. Yue Chengqi was more silent now, and Qi Sheng had matured, so they didn’t have endless things to say.

–

Hearing Qi Sheng’s loud voice over the phone, Su Ye could imagine Yue Huan’s expression. She raised her voice slightly and said, “So, Qiqi met you.”

“What Qiqi?” Qi Sheng blinked. “Boss, isn’t that Sister Huan?”

“She is.” Su Ye pulled her blazer tighter over her gown, lowering her eyes. “But she’s also Qiqi, isn’t she?”

“…Did you guys have a fight? I knew it, she’s being fickle, right? Just wait, I’ll go drag her back right now, I—”

“That’s enough, Xiao Sheng.” Su Ye’s voice was as smooth as water, flowing like the slow passage of time. It gently smoothed over the situation. “Just take care of your own business. And you aren’t allowed to go skydiving this holiday.”

Qi Sheng giggled. “No skydiving. How about bungee jumping? We found a really intense spot. We’re planning to check it out.”

“…You…” Forget it.

“Boss, about Sister Huan…”

“Xiao Sheng, don’t ask.”

Seeing that she didn’t want to talk, Qi Sheng didn’t push. She gave a brief report on her holiday plans, wished her a Happy New Year, and hung up.

The van fell silent once more. Su Ye was alone, the only light coming from her phone screen. On the screen, the clock ticked away, second by second.

On a whim, she opened Yue Chengqi’s social media feed. As expected, there was a new post—a photo of the palace walls in Ye City taken during the day.

She tapped the image to enlarge it. The face with its faint smile suddenly filled her vision.

The girl had a bag over one shoulder and wore a wide-brimmed brown hat. Her long black hair was loose, framing her face so only a small portion was visible. In the shot, one could see half of a smiling eye hidden in the shadows and the slight dimple at the corner of her mouth.

Yes, her emotions were muted, and her aura was gentle. This was her Ah Huan.

And yet…

Su Ye turned her phone horizontally. The photo rotated, leaving only the girl’s eyes and a fragment of the red-brick palace wall behind her.

She looks so free. So happy.

She is still so young. Anywhere is better for her than being by my side, right?

Su Ye leaned against the window, mesmerized. Her finger accidentally brushed the screen, and the photo minimized. She hurriedly tried to tap it again, but instead of opening the picture, she refreshed the feed.

A new post had appeared.

「Happy New Year.」

Time: January 1, 2024, 00:00