CHAPTER 385: CHAPTER 385: HOW COULD IT BE HIM!

Yun Shifei felt like Cheng Lie had completely mastered her.

She had just teased him a little, and now she was forced to stay in his arms, watching him work.

She was even being flirted with until her face turned red and her heart raced. This feeling—it was maddening.

Yun Shifei thought to herself, from now on, she should never tease Cheng Lie like that again.

"Xiao Lie, be good, let me go. I want to take a walk outside."

"What’s there to see at the hotel?"

"You have to work. I don’t want to disturb you. Brother Zhao is outside—I’ll go chat with him."

She wanted to ask Zhao Pan about Cheng Lie recently, but when Cheng Lie heard Yun Shifei mention Zhao Pan, he seemed displeased. His arm around her waist tightened, causing her some pain.

Jealous, indeed.

And so, for the rest of the time, Yun Shifei obediently nestled in Cheng Lie’s arms.

When she was bored, she watched him work. Although she had studied computer science, there were still many things she hadn’t learned, so she couldn’t quite understand what Cheng Lie was working on.

But she saw several product designs created by Cheng Lie—these were designs for Qin Chi Jin’s company.

As Yun Shifei stared at the designs, she thought of what she had talked about with Yun Tiancheng earlier today, and shared it with Cheng Lie.

The website they were building had Cheng Lie’s involvement too. The two of them were now effectively partners.

When Cheng Lie heard this, he smiled faintly: "Feifei is amazing."

Yun Shifei couldn’t help but feel happy from his praise.

Cheng Lie then asked, "Is there anything I can assist you with?"

"The website’s functionalities still need further optimization. But those can be handled later."

Cheng Lie responded with a quiet "Hmm" and reached out to play with Yun Shifei’s hair.

He understood deeply that the girl in his arms might look fragile, as if a gust of wind could knock her down, but she wasn’t some pampered canary trapped in a cage. She was growing stronger.

Perhaps what attracted him to her from the start was this unique quality—falling down and crying out of fear, yet still crawling forward, even while in tears. She was so lovable that it made him want to tease her relentlessly.

Ultimately, Yun Shifei spent the entire afternoon accompanying Cheng Lie as he worked, and later, they went out for dinner together.

When Zhao Pan, who was waiting outside, noticed Yun Shifei’s arrival, he observed that the hostility on Mr. Cheng’s face had significantly diminished, and his gaze toward her was full of tenderness.

This girl brought some semblance of humanity to Mr. Cheng’s life, while also being his biggest vulnerability.

Was this a blessing or a curse? Zhao Pan couldn’t help but shake his head.

They went to a nearby restaurant to eat, featuring South City’s local specialties. Yun Shifei figured that since Cheng Lie had been away for so long, he must miss the flavors here.

After dinner, they went to the mall for a stroll and bought plenty of things.

It was by chance that, as they were leaving, they encountered Mu Chengzhu and Yun Sisi coming in.

Yun Sisi was holding Mu Chengzhu’s hand, looking very happy.

As for Mu Chengzhu, his expression was indifferent.

Upon seeing Yun Shifei and Cheng Lie, his expression seemed to change briefly, but quickly returned to normal, as if he were looking at strangers.

Yun Shifei thought, this must have been how Mu Chengzhu and Yun Sisi were together in her past life.

Good—she hoped in this life they would have no association whatsoever.

She still couldn’t understand Mu Chengzhu’s obsession. If he liked her in the past life, did he have to like her in this life too?

Meanwhile, she wanted to live her own life well—to study hard, work hard, and make up for the life she hadn’t lived properly in her past life.

After parting ways with Yun Shifei, Cheng Lie sat in the car, staring blankly at a place—that was the Cheng Family residence where he had lived for over ten years. The familiar surroundings felt both distant and alien.

Now, the Cheng Family was virtually gone—only he remained.

Thinking of this, Cheng Lie chuckled softly and asked Zhao Pan to drive to the Zhang Family.

That family had taken in that nanny.

The former nanny, who had aged considerably over the years, now looked weathered by time.

She believed her current life was not bad.

Her children had grown up, married, and had kids. She worked as a nanny for a wealthy family whose employers would often gift her various items when pleased.

Every day, she would come home to care for her little grandchildren. Life was fulfilling and comfortable.

But today, everything changed.

She had gone to work as usual, but as she was about to leave for the day, her employer told her, "Let’s settle your wages today. There’s no need for you to come back tomorrow."

The woman thought her employer was joking: "What’s going on? Haven’t I been doing my job well?"

"Doing well? Maybe you should reflect on what you’ve done to cause me so much trouble," the employer replied coldly, her usual kind demeanor replaced by an impatient tone that made it clear she wanted the nanny gone immediately.

The woman became flustered: "But... If you don’t tell me, I wouldn’t know. Please, explain—I’ll fix it."

"No need to fix anything. That’s it." The employer handed the nanny her final payment.

With trembling hands, the nanny accepted the money. She hadn’t expected her job to end so abruptly.

No! Her daughter-in-law was pregnant with a second child, and her family relied on her son’s income. If she lost her job, where would they find money to cover their expenses?

If that happened, her son and daughter-in-law would surely cast her out of the house.

Thinking of this, she could only continue pleading with the woman in front of her.

"I beg you, just give me another chance."

But the woman remained unmoved.

In the end, the nanny was expelled.

The night wind was bleak, and she looked utterly defeated, aged, and powerless.

How could this happen? She had always been confident in her abilities as a nanny—there was no reason for her to be fired like this.

But no matter how much she begged for mercy, the employer showed no emotion and ignored her pleas.

Her refusal to leave led to the security guards being summoned to drive her away.

The elderly woman suddenly felt her heart grow cold—so cold—and hopeless.

With only this little bit of money, what was she supposed to do?

She thought about throwing a tantrum and playing the victim to gain sympathy. At her age, even if she managed to find another job, it would never be as good as the one she just lost.

As she cried out louder, hoping to attract attention and pity, someone came forward. She noticed the polished leather shoes and the impeccably tailored trousers of the man approaching. She immediately knew that this person must be wealthy.

Instinctively, she considered clinging to him.

Someone willing to come so close and listen to her must surely pity her, right?

But just as she was about to grab the man’s leg, he stepped back and said in a low voice, "You really look like a dog right now."

Pathetically wagging your tail, waiting for someone’s pity.

The woman didn’t initially recognize who was speaking. When she looked up and saw the man’s face, memories buried deep in her mind were suddenly unearthed.

It was... him?!

How could it be him!

Years had passed, and the boy had grown into a man, but his excessively striking features were unforgettable.

Though he no longer carried the unfocused gaze of his youth, his expression remained as cold as ever.