Chapter 132: Entangled Affections

"It happened last month." Yu Wensi lowered his gaze to his toes. Words of comfort seemed inappropriate at this moment, and he had promised never to hide anything from her. "No matter what has happened, I hope you will be strong. You are not alone. You have Lie behind you, and of course, you have me. I will always be your best friend, your most loyal brother."

If this were any other time, Mai Xijun would have teased him, questioning the sincerity of his words and his true intentions. But now, she had no heart for it, and it was impossible for her to take his words to heart.

Her little Stone was dead... Could it be that she would never see him again? Mai Xijun dared not even imagine it. Only days ago, he was alive and well, standing before her, talking and laughing with her. A man with such a bright, sunny smile had simply vanished from her sight, gone from her world.

"Mai, girl," Yu Wensi called out, his nerves frayed. "Where are you? I'm coming to find you."

Yu Wensi could no longer be described as merely worried; he was frantic. The call was still connected, but no matter how he called out, there was no sound from Mai Xijun's side.

Yu Wensi hung up and rushed toward the door, ignoring the calls of those in the office, never once looking back.

His girl, his Mai—he was worried. He had to find her as fast as he could. He had to.

Mai Xijun slid down against the wardrobe, collapsing onto the floor.

This news had struck her like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, nearly causing every vessel in her body to burst. The storm that followed left her completely immobilized, until finally, she broke down in agonizing sobs.

Outside the door, no matter how much Yu Wensi shouted, Mai Xijun never replied. Pressing his ear against the door panel, he could hear intermittent, faint weeping. It wasn't loud, but each sound was heart-wrenching, causing a sharp, stinging pain in his own chest.

When he finally had someone pry the door open, the sight he beheld felt as if he were being flayed alive.

He slowly knelt, one knee on the floor, before her.

His girl, his Mai, was there, weeping like a helpless, hopeless child. In that moment, the fortress he had spent years building collapsed, leaving him caught completely off guard. But in the end, he only moved forward slowly, placing his hand on the back of her head, stroking her soft hair, and pulling her gently into his arms.

He kissed her. It was the first time. He lowered his head to kiss her soft hair, kissing away the crystal tears trembling on her lashes, with a tenderness as if he were cradling a precious treasure in his palm. Never in his life had he been this submissive. He was a wild, untamable stallion of the grasslands, yet in this moment, he was completely tamed by her. Even if the time and place were different, he remained, through and through, a man capable of deep devotion. Perhaps he was cold-blooded and ruthless, but when he encountered the person who held his heart, he remained a man of tender, flowing affection.

Yu Wensi wanted so badly to say, "My girl, no matter when or where, the arms of Yu Wensi are always open to you." But he feared being too sentimental.

Besides, he was simply not the type of man to utter sweet nothings. That was not who he was.

In the end, those tangled, deep-seated emotions—once confirmed, once spoken—would change everything. Perhaps there would be no returning to the beginning. He preferred to say nothing, holding her against his shoulder, letting her weep and rage, while he silently stroked her hair, offering his quiet, wordless companionship.

***

Yu Wensi was uneasy about Mai Xijun's state, but he had left the office in such a hurry that he hadn't considered the foreign guests waiting for him. Now, the office was calling to urge him back. He had already been rude by rushing off earlier, and this time, he could not push it aside.

Later, he made a call asking Wu Meili to come and keep her company. After checking on Mai Xijun several more times, he saw her lying quietly on the bed, her eyes hollow as she stared at the ceiling, as if nothing in the world mattered to her anymore. She seemed to have detached herself from the mortal realm, existing beyond the five elements. Only her calm heartbeat, her breathing, the tears sliding from the corners of her eyes, and the blood flowing in her veins served as proof that she was still alive in this world.

The world had quietly discarded her once again. She had always cherished the thought that as long as she lived for one more day, there would be hope. But all she received in return was more disappointment.

When Wu Meili rushed back, her mother spotted her at the door as if she had discovered a new continent and blocked her path. "Girl, why are you back?"

"Mom, I have things to do, I can't talk now. I'm going up." Wu Meili pointed upstairs, but was stopped again by her mother. She knew her mother was the type to get to the bottom of everything; if she didn't explain, she wouldn't let her pass.

"It's our boss. He said Junjun isn't doing too well and asked me to come help look after her. If something happens, at least I'll be here to help," Wu Meili said, rolling her eyes in frustration.

"No," her mother said, pulling Wu Meili back just as she had taken a step. "What happened?" she asked, looking quite worried.

"Mom, please, just let me go up and see her, okay?" She was under orders and had no choice.

"It's not that I don't want you to see her. Junjun just went downstairs and left. Even if you go up now, you won't find her." The auntie looked helpless.

"Left? Where did she go?" Wu Meili felt as if she had been plunged into an ice cellar. Yu Wensi had made it clear: she was there to watch over Mai Xijun, and even if she wanted to go out, she was supposed to follow her. Yet, now, she had already left before she even arrived.

"I don't know either. I saw her rushing downstairs, and she didn't look well, so I asked her what was wrong, but she ignored me. Junjun was never like this before. Did something happen?" To the auntie, after years of living as neighbors, they were like family. She was naturally worried, but the situation seemed worse than usual.

"No—Mom, which way did she go?" Wu Meili was at a loss. She didn't know Mai Xijun that well. If she didn't know where she went, finding her would be a huge problem.

"That way, towards where she works." The auntie pointed, but she was just as helpless. Aside from not knowing what had happened, her knowledge of Mai Xijun was limited to this residence and her daily habits.

"Alright, I know, Mom. If she comes back, remember to call me." Wu Meili gave a few more instructions, then turned and ran, calling Yu Wensi while she moved.

"Hello, President. Junjun has left the residence. I don't know where she went. What should I do now?" Wu Meili reported truthfully.

"Go to Oya. Try your best to stop her. I'm heading there now. Handle whatever comes up for now." Yu Wensi hung up.

In the conference room, the group sat in silence, watching Yu Wensi, whose expression was grim. He was known for his composure, and taking calls during a meeting was practically a mortal sin. Yet now, not only had he taken the call, but he had also signaled for the meeting to stop.

What had happened? Chen Haoming was the first to approach, whispering a grave reminder into Yu Wensi's ear: "President, you didn't say anything when you left before. You cannot walk out again this time."

The success of this event, combined with the cooperation of several foreign media outlets and fashion magazines, would determine its ultimate triumph. Every flaw and oversight should be avoided.

"I apologize. I have a private matter that I must attend to. I hope everyone present can understand. It has been an honor and a pleasure to discuss this collaboration with you all. If you are willing, please give me a moment to handle this personal affair. If not, I am still happy that we could gather to chat and discuss business. With that, I will take my leave. I hope my assistant, Chen Haoming, can do his best to assist you all." Yu Wensi placed his right palm on the second button of his suit, offered a gentlemanly bow, and turned to leave.

Chen Haoming was at a loss. Yu Wensi’s words were essentially saying that whether the agreement went through or not no longer mattered. If they were lucky enough to gain it, he would be happy to shake hands and discuss the proposal; if the opportunity was lost, while he would regret it, he would not beg them to stay.

Yu Wensi walked away without looking back. Chen Haoming stayed behind to clean up the mess. As Yu Wensi turned and walked away so decisively, everyone shook their heads and sighed. Young and arrogant, he might be brilliant for a moment, but he would ultimately be regarded with caution by people like them, who were already in their forties and fifties.

No matter how powerful Yuwen Media was, if Yu Wensi did not value them, then no matter how much they wanted to cooperate, they were powerless.

Chen Haoming apologized to each person, trying to salvage the situation and prevent future financial losses, but it was already too late. This was not the first time Yu Wensi had been disrespectful or walked out on them. They chose to leave. If there was any chance for future cooperation, they would wait for Yu Wensi to come to them personally to explain.