Chapter 160: I'm Sorry, I Rolled Far Away

Shen Yandie parked his car in front of the Jinshawan Mansion and watched as Yan Mai entered the hotel lobby, her gaze fixed straight ahead without a single backward glance of attachment. At that moment, his heart was a turbulent mix of undefined emotions. Was it pain, bitterness, or a sharp ache... Loving someone was truly so difficult.

Yu Wen Si had rushed back to the country from Hong Kong, yet he did not seek out Miss Mai immediately. He knew full well that even if he found her, if she was determined to leave, he still wouldn't be able to make her stay. He would have to resort to his own methods—open or covert, cunning, ruthless, or devious—whatever it took, he would use them all.

Upon learning of Yu Wen Si's return, Chen Haoming immediately called into the personnel department to take sick leave and hurriedly made his escape. Damn it all, he was resigning.

"Give you ten minutes to track down the person in charge from the French side for this exhibition, and let them know that we are genuinely and sincerely looking forward to cooperating with them." Seated in his executive chair, Yu Wen Si picked up the phone and dialed the assistant's office. Once that was settled, he still had a project plan to implement.

"Ah! Right now?" Wu Meili couldn't believe her ears; it was all too sudden.

Yu Wen Si knitted his brows slightly: "Where is that damned Chen Haoming?" If that guy dared to cause any mistakes or chaos for him right now, he would skin him alive.

"Assistant Chen just left a moment ago, looking rather hurried," Wu Meili replied truthfully.

"Understood."

Clang.

The call disconnected. Wu Meili clearly heard that slightly harsh sound, and her heart dropped instantly from her throat down to the abyss. He was angry again...

Sigh—Wu Meili let out a long breath, supported her forehead with one hand, and gently closed her eyes.

Over the years, his temper had grown increasingly foul and volatile. In the past, he always wore a polite smile that made it impossible to guess what he was really thinking. Now, he wore a perpetual scowl, his irritability glaringly obvious, leaving her completely at a loss as to what to do...

She would watch you smile, remain silent, feel triumphant, or fall into despair, just as she was doing now—hence she would follow your joy and share your sorrow, except that she remained forever anchored in the present while you were permanently trapped in the past...

Mai Xijun—she still vividly remembered Yu Wen Si's feral brutality, frantic breakdown, and heartbroken roars when Mai Xijun vanished. Now, she felt as though she saw that haunting shadow resurface in him, stirring his restlessness and causing her own heart to rise and fall in tandem with his.

She had always assumed Yu Wen Si was a merciless man, just as outsiders claimed—cruel and ruthless, wielding venomous methods, always striking unexpectedly to achieve total victory. Yet when she saw him wholeheartedly devoted to the well-being of a single woman, her heart trembled. That was a side of him she had never witnessed before, akin to a long-settled conviction suddenly upended by a monumental twist of fate that overturned all her former beliefs. She was astonished, shocked, and ultimately captivated...

Wu Meili struggled to master herself, trying to banish the thought, but that scene still continuously surged into her mind and echoed in the depths of her soul.

Standing before the eyes-closed Mai Xijun with tears streaming down his face, that deeply affectionate man—whom she had never encountered in the hidden depths of her own heart—had suddenly materialized before her eyes, instantly illuminating her life with a breathtaking brilliance that rendered her forever unable to forget that moment. Unless his tenderness were reserved for her alone, with no other pursuits left in his heart, perhaps even then she could not find release.

Perhaps, once love takes root, it is truly love indeed...

Restless and agitated, Yu Wen Si dialed Chen Haoming's number several times, but the result was always that the phone was either unreachable or left unanswered. Yu Wen Si snapped. With a single sweep of his arm, the documents on his desk went flying, scattering noisily across the floor.

"Go find Chen Haoming immediately! If this matter isn't resolved properly, I'll skin him alive!" Inside the office, several department heads stood trembling before Yu Wen Si, not daring to draw a full breath.

His office door was half-open, but even if it hadn't been, she still would have heard him. He was furious, flying into such a towering rage with a voice so booming—how could she possibly fail to hear it?

Wu Meili watched as the few individuals filed out of Yu Wen Si's office one after another. Her lips remained tightly pressed, her expression somewhat dull and stiff, refusing to relax.

Over the years, she had watched him through triumph, sorrow, and despair by his side. Now, she suddenly wanted to grant herself a reprieve—to grant herself a way out.

Wu Meili turned around, retreated to her own desk, pulled a sheet of paper from the drawer, and began to write in bold black and white without the slightest hesitation.

With his hands on his hips, Yu Wen Si fought to quell his raging anger, still unable to fully comprehend that he was genuinely losing his mind.

"Come in," he forced his emotions to settle, keeping his back to the office door as he knit his brows.

Obeying the command, Wu Meili walked in, but for a long moment, the office remained dead silent, devoid of any other sound.

"What is it?" Yu Wen Si turned around in bewilderment, only to find that the office was completely empty.

It couldn't possibly be a hallucination, could it? Pacing slowly toward his desk, Yu Wen Si was abruptly met with the sight of an envelope resting quietly on the surface, while the documents that had been scattered across the floor were now neatly stacked back in their proper place...

Having completed all of this in absolute silence, Yu Wen Si seated himself behind the desk, crossed his legs, and thoughtfully rubbed his lips with his right index and middle fingers before picking up the envelope. After giving it a brief scan, he tossed it back down.

That damned Chen Haoming! Whenever he was actually needed, he vanished without a trace; he would certainly settle accounts with him later. For now, however, the immediate problem had to be solved. Yu Wen Si stood up, walked out, knocked on Wu Meili's office door, and eventually twisted the doorknob directly. The office was completely deserted, everything neat, orderly, and impeccably tidy.

Only...

Yu Wen Si paused for a moment, instantly dismissed the thought, and turned toward the elevator.

Downstairs at Yu Wen Media, Wu Meili tilted her head back to look at the place where she had spent four years of her life, clutching a cardboard box to her chest. When she first arrived, she came with a heart full of fiery ambition, eager to realize her own worth. When she left, she carried an inexpressible, indefinable emotion, departing all alone with a heavy heart.

Whether coming or going, she was always by herself—bringing nothing, taking nothing, except for her heart... which had been lost to the wind, swaying wherever the breeze drifted.

On the third workday following his desertion, Chen Haoming was forcibly hauled back to the company. Looking at him, Yu Wen Si felt a genuine, reckless impulse to march over and slap some sense into him.

The others in the office wisely cleared out. Chen Haoming looked apprehensively at Yu Wen Si, watching as the latter pinched the bridge of his nose without speaking first.

"Get Wu Meili back here for me! If you can't bring her back, I'll skin you alive!" Yu Wen Si finally broke his silence, directing what amounted to beating around the bush at Chen Haoming—because Chen Haoming himself had been "invited" back by force, under the precise threat of being "skinned alive" by Yu Wen Si if he refused to show up.

"Boss, I resign," Chen Haoming shed his submissive demeanor, tossed aside his usual persona, and told Yu Wen Si with serious, masculine resolve.

"Resign your sister! Get the hell out of my sight!" Yu Wen Si's violent temper showed no signs of abating; if anything, his fury flared even higher as he hurled a file folder straight at Chen Haoming—a tactic he had undoubtedly learned from Shen Yandie.

Chen Haoming offered Yu Wen Si a respectful nod. "Then I'll be rolling along. Boss, take care of yourself."

Holy crap, he was actually playing for keeps! Three heavy black lines formed on Yu Wen Si's forehead as dark storm clouds gathered over his brow.

"Get your ass back here!" Yu Wen Si unleashed his authority. Wu Meili had to be brought back, and Chen Haoming absolutely could not leave; these two capable assistants were as vital as his left and right arms—how could he dare to sever either one?

"Sorry, I've already rolled too far away." Chen Haoming paused his steps for a fraction of a second, looked back to give Yu Wen Si one final, profound bow, and then turned and strode away without looking back.

Damn it, were they all playing dirty tricks on him now?

Yu Wen Si threw another "dart" at Chen Haoming's retreating back. It strayed slightly, striking Chen Haoming's shoulder, but Chen Haoming remained entirely indifferent, opening the office door and departing without a shred of lingering attachment.

What in the world was going on here? Gripping his throbbing temples, Yu Wen Si suddenly recalled the envelope left on his desk days earlier. He opened it and skimmed through its contents, finally realizing it was Wu Meili's resignation letter...

A wave of melancholy washed over Yu Wen Si. These two traitors! He had treated them quite well under ordinary circumstances, so why was it that when trouble struck, they ran faster than one another? Making a clean getaway had never happened so quickly.

Sighing softly, Yu Wen Si picked up the receiver and pressed the intercom button: "Have the car prepared."

Having lost his left arm, he could not afford to lose his right arm as well.

The car drove straight to Wu Meili's residence. Being sufficiently cunning, Yu Wen Si timed his arrival for a moment when Wu Meili's mother was likely to be at home. That way, with Mother Wu's agitation and persuasion, coaxing Wu Meili back shouldn't prove too difficult.

Sure enough, right around this time, Mother Wu had just finished cooking, and Wu Meili was carrying a plate over to the dining table.

Wiping the water droplets from her hands with an apron, Mother Wu opened the door to find Yu Wen Si standing there, whereupon she beamed with delight: "Oh, look, Meili's boss has come... Quick, come on in and sit down."

Accompanying him was the personnel manager of the company, carrying numerous large and small shopping bags purchased on Yu Wen Si's orders.

"With the boss coming by, our humble little home is truly illuminated! Why did the boss bring so many gifts? We're so embarrassed!" Mother Wu laughed nervously, tinged with a hint of awkwardness.

For she knew that Wu Meili had resigned, though she wasn't yet entirely clear on the specific reasons. She only knew that Wu Meili's salary had always been quite decent and the company benefits were exceptional, which made the sudden resignation a complete puzzle to her.

Wu Meili remained silent, offering no greeting whatsoever as she simply headed to the kitchen to fetch bowls and chopsticks.

With a tight, unnatural smile masking his frustration, Yu Wen Si followed right behind Wu Meili into the kitchen.

However, Yu Wen Si was now merely Wu Meili's former superior; treating him with basic respect and politeness was all she owed him, and she no longer had to obey his commands or run his errands. Hence, she would act entirely as she pleased, no longer forced to walk on eggshells or read his expressions to get through the day.