Chapter 146 Recognizing Her at a Glance

Damien and Yan Mai rode the elevator together with the rest of the team, chatting and sharing their genuine impressions of the place.

[Yu Wensi pressed the elevator button, and the moment he took his first step inside, Yan Mai and Damien emerged from another elevator bank. By the time Yu Wensi went upstairs and found Ye Fanhui, he realized with a sudden pang of regret that he was still a step too late, having brushed past her once again...]

Shen Yanlie stood before the blue tinted glass, his hands tucked into his pockets, watching an airplane slowly rise from the horizon, drift into his field of vision, and then vanish from sight.

She had left for Hong Kong. This time, he had watched her walk away with his own eyes.

The first year he met her, he was only seventeen. Now he had passed his thirtieth birthday, stepping into his thirty-first. From the moment he met her until this very day, he had never forgotten her. And she, just like before, from that very first glance when she appeared in his sight, had seen him right back...

There is a saying that goes: the person destined for you has a presence that can awaken every single one of your senses. From the very first moment he saw her, he began to realize that he was truly alive, breathing and human, and that he could no longer simply let life pass him by like that...

***

As the date of the jewelry exhibition drew closer, Hong Kong was already bustling with activity. Being an inherently prosperous metropolis, the streets were packed with a massive flow of pedestrians.

Damien declared that he wanted to seize this opportunity to thoroughly enjoy himself in China, and insisted that Yan Mai accompany him to wander around. Yan Mai refused, arguing that although this was China, it was her very first time in Hong Kong, and she was completely unfamiliar with the place, fearing they might get lost. Damien, however, was unconcerned. "Don't worry. Though my Chinese is only average, I speak English, Japanese, French, and Russian. If we really do get lost, I'll just ask. Leave it to me."

Damien patted his chest to reassure Yan Mai, speaking in a fairly standard yet not entirely fluent Mandarin. What a vibrant man he was, possessing the romanticism and gentlemanly demeanor of a French man, with striking good looks and a tall, slender physique. He was a charming beauty who undoubtedly stirred the hearts of countless young maidens.

"Hey—" Yan Mai wanted to say more, but her hand was already seized and tightly gripped by Damien as he pulled her running forward.

Damien was as full of wonder as a child, seemingly brimming with curiosity to explore everything in sight. The bustling streets of the Kowloon district, wrapped in the mysterious, hazy allure of approaching night, glowed with flashing neon lights that served as the hallmark of a glamorous metropolis. Damien searched along the way until he finally found the legendary snack street.

"We'll have dinner here first, and then head to Victoria Harbour." Damien unceremoniously pressed Yan Mai down onto a stool at a snack stall. While Yan Mai still harbored reservations, Damien had already gone to order food.

Throughout their wild journey—taking cabs or running all the way—Damien held her hand and led her toward the beach as if she were an old lover.

Soon enough, the time for the international jewelry exhibition arrived. By now, Yan Mai had shed her timidity, replaced by a growing sense of confidence and composure. The moment she stepped onto the stage, her stride was steady, entirely free of stage fright or awkwardness.

Standing offstage, Damien looked at Yan Mai with a gaze full of affirmation and high expectations. She was, after all, one of the top-tier designers in their team, and of course, all of this stemmed from her hard work and innate talent. Damien had never denied that Yan Mai was hardworking and persevering; aside from her resolute heart, she was also exceptionally gifted, possessing an aura that seemed innate and impossible to shake off.

At the jewelry exhibition venue, the auction segment was still a part of the program. Yan Mai swept a brief glance across the audience, clearly hearing the sound of her own heart pounding wildly. She understood that here, there might be someone she wanted to see yet dared not face.

Yet, she merely harbored that momentary tangle of emotions, not focusing her attention entirely on this matter. She understood that once this exhibition concluded, she would stay in China for at most another month or so. As soon as it ended, and the entire exhibition process was completed, she would return to France once more. This place was no longer somewhere she could linger at will, and she felt no lingering attachment to it...

Three years ago, she had lost a wonderful opportunity for advanced study. Everything she achieved today was perhaps what she should have obtained long ago. Though delayed now, she had earned it solidly, every single step forged through her own arduous efforts. She had never once hesitated.

"Soulmate, five million for the first time." The notary certified the bid. The last time her heart had beaten this rapidly was when she participated in a jewelry exhibition independently organized by three jewelry companies, back when He Jingjing was trying to rival her. Now, no one recognized her, and no one knew who she was. Aside from personal preferences and tastes, the auction price was the best and most direct way to validate the jewelry she designed.

"One hundred million RMB."

A low, mellow voice drifted from a dim corner. The brief silence that had fallen as the matter seemed settled was instantly shattered by this bid, sending a wave of commotion through the entire venue.

Shen Yanlie held up a bidding paddle at a moderate height, dressed in his accustomed and favored black suit. He carried an air of unyielding defiance, as confident as if he were holding aloft his own faith at that very moment.

He stood there as elegant and imposing as a king high above, arrogantly pushing her into the spotlight and elevating her remaining scraps of vanity to their absolute peak.

One hundred million... Not Japanese yen, not Korean won. What kind of concept was that? Yan Mai stood there in a daze, never daring to imagine that the scene from years ago when she first met him was now playing out before her eyes all over again.

He shone just as brightly as he once had, as if gathering all the light in the world upon himself like a star. His extraordinary distinction made it impossible to tear one's eyes away from him. No matter the time or place, he would always be a man adored by thousands, possessing an enchantingly mesmerizing face with clean-cut yet soft contours, a solid build, and an inverted-triangle physique—the epitome of an oriental man.

"One hundred million for the first time," the notary called out. A faint smile curved at the corners of Shen Yanlie's lips, filled with an endless, lingering tenderness.

While everyone else doubted his intentions, he slowly walked toward the front of the stage.

There were quite a few people present who recognized him, and even those who didn't could easily guess who he was, as many had heard tales of his deeds. Everything he did was never without reason—much like the last time he bought out a rival designer's products at an exhibition only to acquire the entire company afterward.

Moreover, rumor had it that the Lu family's corporation was reduced to being swallowed up simply because someone kissed a woman's cheek—the sole reason being that Lu Chengfeng had kissed Shen Yanlie's woman. But who could really know the truth? Who could tell if this wasn't just another one of his calculated plots and schemes?

The silence that followed the gasps of astonishment caused everyone's eyes to converge upon the two of them, as if the entire world had ceased its rotation, leaving only her standing frozen in the center of the stage while he walked toward her with calm, unhurried elegance.

Yan Mai felt as though her entire body had stiffened, unable to move, save for her clenched fists which she released and clenched again, over and over.

Some security guards at the venue attempted to step forward to intercept him, but after a few people walked up to them and whispered a few words, they backed away.

This scene seemed to echo the one from several years ago, but the difference was that she was no longer battered and disheveled; she was now a woman bathed in radiance, standing at the center of the stage with starlight shimmering just for her.

Watching his footsteps draw closer, pressing toward her step by step, that dangerous yet familiar aura bore down upon her.

Yan Mai swallowed hard, still overcome by nervousness. She longed to escape, wishing that the glowing patch of ground she stood on would suddenly sink and carry her away from his presence...

Meanwhile, Yu Wensi felt thoroughly wretched as he was held back with a death grip by Chen Haoheng.

"I said, let go!" Yu Wensi's anger flared to the surface. His expression shifted drastically as he rebuked in a cold voice.

"I won't let go even if I die!" Chen Haoheng sat on the floor with his legs wrapped around a table leg, tightly grabbing Yu Wensi's wrist.

"I still have use for you, so death is out of the question. If you keep holding onto me like this, I'll make your life a living hell." Yu Wensi struggled against Chen Haoheng's hands, but Chen Haoheng seemed stubbornly determined to cross him and simply refused to release his grip.

Two hours earlier...

"President, you cannot go to Hong Kong." Chen Haoheng had appeared outside Yu Wensi's office door just as Yu Wensi was fully prepared, holding his plane ticket and ready to depart.

"Whether I go to Hong Kong is up to me. As for whether you stay in the company, figure it out yourself." Yu Wensi grabbed his coat, put it on, and methodically buttoned it up like a true gentleman.

"Just for that woman, you're abandoning the entire company for us to clean up your mess? You... you absolutely cannot do this!" Chen Haoheng was on the verge of tears. Ever since he had answered that single phone call last time, he had been running around obsequiously behind a bunch of old foreign men flattering them. He had had enough of this life.

"That's right! Cleaning up a mess—let's clean up one more time." Yu Wensi checked his reflection in the mirror to adjust his tie. The outfit was immaculate, as handsome as ever. He whistled, in an exceptionally good mood.

Hong Kong—the moment he boarded the plane, he would soon see her again. No matter if she had changed her name or her identity by now, he would surely be able to recognize her at a single glance. His dear Mai, all these years without her by his side, he had felt truly desolate...

Dangerous CEO: Woman, You Are Arrested Chapter 146 — Dangerous CEO: Woman, You Are Arrested Free Full Text Reading — Chapter One Hundred and Forty-Six: Recognizing Her at a Single Glance, update complete!