CHAPTER 482: CHAPTER 429 SU YINGLUO

Zhuo Yuqing was the last to notice someone entering, and as she turned her head, she stumbled into a wide embrace.

Looking up and seeing the familiar face, she couldn’t help but laugh and ask, "How come you’re here?"

"It’s way past time to leave work, don’t your leaders care about their jobs?" Bai Chengxi wrapped an arm around her shoulder and since entering the room, hadn’t glanced once at the person sitting over there.

"I haven’t finished my work yet, what time is it now?" Zhuo Yuqing was so busy she had lost track of time.

Bai Chengxi extended his watch in front of her, "Half-past seven."

"It’s already this late, huh? Then I need to finish quickly so I can get off work." Zhuo Yuqing comforted him by patting his shoulder, "Just wait for me a little longer, I’m just one draft away from being done, I’ll wrap this up quickly."

Without waiting for Bai Chengxi to respond, she hurried off.

As soon as Zhuo Yuqing left, Bai Chengxi was about to leave when Su Yingluo couldn’t miss such an opportunity. Ignoring the fact that she was pretending to be sick, she quickly stood up from her chair and chased after him, grabbing the hem of Bai Chengxi’s clothes: "Chengxi."

Bai Chengxi stopped in his steps,

"Chengxi, I was wrong, I know I was wrong, what more do you want?" Su Yingluo was almost begging piteously. After gaining fame, she had never been so subservient, but for Bai Chengxi, she was willing to do and try anything, as long as he would reconsider and return to her side.

"Chengxi, what I did back then, it was all for you, it was for the continuous and stable development of your company," Su Yingluo hurriedly defended herself.

Bai Chengxi snorted with laughter: "Do you think I’m a three-year-old child? You think I’d still believe your words now?"

He turned his head, his gaze cold as he looked her in the eyes: "I should have warned you last night, it seems you didn’t quite grasp what I meant."

"You warned me just for such a small-time reporter? What does she have besides being young and pretty? What else does she have,"

"Enough," Bai Chengxi interrupted her sharply: "There’s no medicine for regret in this world, nor will I eat my own words. Yuqing is not some small-time reporter, she is my wife, Bai Chengxi’s woman. Since you insist on spouting nonsense in front of her, then I’ll have to find a way to shut you up."

It was as if Su Yingluo had heard wrong. He said Zhuo Yuqing was his wife? How could that be? Were they... married?

His woman? He had never said such words to anyone when he was with her,

Su Yingluo suddenly began to laugh, "Are you that scared of her finding out about us? You can’t hide the truth; sooner or later she will know, and the love we’ve shared over so many years is something this interloper can’t replace."

"Su Yingluo, you are the interloper now," Bai Chengxi slightly narrowed his eyes, "Don’t do something you’ll regret."

After saying that, Bai Chengxi forcefully brushed her hand off his clothes and left with resolute strides.

Su Yingluo stood there stupefied as she watched his receding figure. Glancing at her own hand hanging in the air, she remembered how he used to love holding her hand, walking together, watching movies together. And now, he brushed her off unfeelingly, as if she was trash he wished to avoid at all costs.

"Miss Luo." Xiao Lan tried to offer a few words of consolation, but Su Yingluo yelled hysterically, "Get lost."

She didn’t want to see anybody right now, she didn’t want anyone to witness her disgrace,

He got married, he actually got married... It was like someone had ruthlessly gouged her heart, leaving it bleeding profusely.

Xiao Lan, finding himself unwelcome, could only retreat and politely shut the door behind him.

Su Yingluo slumped in her chair, her mind filled with memories of their past together.

At eighteen, a boy confessed his feelings to her, only to be fiercely beaten up by Bai Chengxi. She confronted him angrily, asking why he had chased away her admirer, and he simply pulled her into his arms, declaring possessively: "From now on, the only man by your side can be me. If any dare come close to you, I’ll beat every single one of them."

She was enamored with his dominance. Although they were young, the naïve love had already sprouted, blooming lush and vibrant.

At twenty, they got together for real. He started his own business right after graduation, and she was studying at the film academy, already a celebrity with a modest reputation, with many big companies seeking her for film roles.

But for him, she willingly signed with his small company, receiving no more than three call sheets a month. Many experienced industry insiders said she was underselling herself, but she bore no complaints, devotedly joining him in his struggle, supporting him through the toughest of times.

As his career gradually picked up, her fame also increased. She began to beam in the spotlight and, behind the scenes, the glitz and glamor of the entertainment industry led her astray from her original intentions.

She started aspiring for greater achievements,

Finally, she met a big producer,

Returning home eager to share this exciting news with him, she was met instead with a surprise he had prepared for her. He had made a candlelit dinner with his own hands and amidst a room full of flowers, produced a ring to propose to her.

She was extremely moved and almost agreed,

but the two of them had a huge quarrel, and the romantic dinner ended on a sour note.

It wasn’t until he suggested breaking up that she felt panic, but she was even more convinced that he couldn’t find anyone more suitable than her besides herself, so she agreed readily and without fear.

His calls almost blew up her phone. She knew he wanted her to stay, but she wouldn’t change her mind — replying with just four words: "Wait for my return."

There was no doubt she loved him, but she also had to pursue her dreams. When she couldn’t have both, she had to give up one of them.

In the security queue at the airport, she saw him standing amidst the crowd – haughty and dazzling, yet shrouded in an inescapable sorrow.

She waved at him; he did not respond and finally turned to leave, exiting her field of vision.

She never imagined that this farewell would be the last in their love, that he would not look back then, and even less likely to glance at her again ten years later.

This is the Bai Chengxi she knew. Why had she completely forgotten about him?

～

Before coming to the magazine office, Bai Chengxi had made two phone calls to Zhuo Yuqing, but she had been in an interview and had not answered them, so he drove over after work, worried. The magazine office was busy with staff coming and going at closing time, and his low-key presence didn’t attract much attention.

Zhuo Yuqing hurried back to work, not bothering to keep him company, leaving him alone there. With nowhere to go, he went to her office, which was nearly empty as most people had left for the day.

Entering quietly, unnoticed, he scanned the room and headed straight towards the spot by the window.

He had never been to Zhuo Yuqing’s workplace before, but he instantly identified her desk among the many others.

Her desk was neatly organized, with a three-tiered shelf in the corner holding several pots of succulents, which were... almost dead.

Bai Chengxi couldn’t help but chuckle. She didn’t seem like someone who could take care of plants – she barely managed to take care of herself.

Sitting down, the chair felt small beneath his tall frame, appearing slightly misfit. He gave the chair a gentle spin, sensing it could collapse under him at any moment.

For the first time delving into her workspace, Bai Chengxi was like an inquisitive child, everything related to her work seemed novel and amusing.

Next to the computer a memorandum was pinned with colored tacks. He glanced over it and inadvertently saw his own name.

Amidst the memos, in delicate handwriting, it said: Bai Chengxi likes khaki.

Bai Chengxi smiled, took the note down, thought for a moment, and with a pen added a sentence: He also likes ocean blue.

After rewriting, he stuck the note back in its place, smiling contentedly.

On Zhuo Yuqing’s desk lay a stack of magazines, and after inspecting her desk, he casually picked up a magazine to read.

The office was very quiet, with only the occasional sound of pages turning. Checking his watch, fifteen minutes had passed, and just as he was about to stand up and go find her, someone came in talking.

"Zhuo Yuqing’s interview with Su Yingluo is going to make headlines again,"