In the end, Qin Chengyao didn't ask why Ji Siyue had left without a word back then.
However, Ji Siyue felt something was off.
Something wasn't right. Judging from how desperately he'd searched for her, how could he not ask a single question?
After Ji Siyue left, Zhang Qian walked over and asked, "Boss, why didn't you ask her why she left you without a sound back then?"
"It's unnecessary," Qin Chengyao closed his eyes. For the first time, his eyebrows showed a vulnerable yet unwilling look.
Zhang Qian paused for a moment and then said, "If you don't mind, tell me what happened. Maybe I can help you."
Hearing this, Qin Chengyao opened his eyes and said, "Ji Siyue might already be with someone. She's pregnant. So I feel that all my persistence now isn't that necessary anymore."
Instantly, Zhang Qian opened his mouth in shock, unable to believe it.
"Yeah, it's been over two years... over two years."
Qin Chengyao's gaze gradually darkened, along with his slowly clenched fist.
On the way back, Qing Ying drove and would glance at Ji Siyue from time to time.
Although Ji Siyue was closing her eyes to rest, she could still feel this person staring at her.
"When did you become so nosy?"
Qing Ying immediately forced a smile and said, "No, no! It's just, President Ji, could you tell me what you did to him to make him like this... I've never seen such an expression on anyone's face. I can't tell whether the expression on his face after he knew it was you was hatred or ecstasy. It's so complicated."
Ji Siyue opened her eyes, looked out of the window, and let out a bitter laugh. "I just left without saying goodbye."
Two years and seven months ago.
That day, Ji Siyue received a call from Qin Chengyao's father in the hospital ward.
The general idea was that he was sick and didn't have much time left. The company was about to fall into other people's hands. He hoped that Qin Chengyao could come back to inherit the company. But if Ji Siyue was around, it would be absolutely impossible. So Ji Siyue had to disappear. In exchange, he could arrange for Ji Siyue's parents to go abroad, recommend a good nursing home for them, and give a large sum of money.
Among them, there was a passage that Ji Siyue would never forget.
"This child hates me. He hates me for driving his mother away and forcing his sister to death. But his mother betrayed me. Even Qin Chengyao was born to that woman and another man. But I love this child. I can only be stricter with him. He resists me so much because you're his backing. If you're gone, he'll come back. At the same time, I also know that he's a person who never gives up. If you leave, he'll definitely look for you. If he wants to find you, he must make himself stronger. Inheriting the company is the most suitable choice..."
In the end, Ji Siyue accepted everything that man said, except for the ten million he offered.
After she went abroad, she regretted not taking the ten million on countless impoverished nights, and was also glad that she didn't take it on every sunny morning.
"There must be some reason for this, right?" Qing Ying's words drew Ji Siyue's attention.
Ji Siyue couldn't help but sigh. "Well, tell me first what you've been through. You're always asking about my business."
"Sharing miseries can halve the pain. I want to find a little comfort from you."
"So you've been using me?"
"No... Maybe I'm the same as you."
Ji Siyue fell silent and quietly waited for Qing Ying to speak.
"A few years ago, I went abroad to study with a scholarship. There was a scholarship quota for overseas students. The competitors were me and another person. We should have been at odds with each other, but we became good friends. Finally, I even fell in love with that person... But that person finally resorted to some tricks, which made me make a big mistake. Not only did I lose the scholarship, but I was also expelled from school. Later, I met President Yang, and he took me in."
It sounded so simple, but only the person involved knew how difficult it was to say it.
Ji Siyue thought for a while and then laughed.
"So, our great Teacher Yang always takes in women who are disappointed in love! Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
"Don't joke around. How did the contract negotiation go today?"
"I don't know. He said he'd consider it. He won't let his private life affect our cooperation... I'll wait and see if he'll give me the contract."
"If he doesn't give it, it means he still can't forget you or still resents you. Because in all aspects, we're the most suitable partner for them in the country."
"If the contract doesn't come..."
At night.
Ji Siyue was lying on the sofa, looking at the contract draft sent by that person, lost in thought.
That Rui finally sent the contract.
It should have been a happy ending, but Ji Siyue felt a sour and bitter feeling in her heart.
Yes, it had been so long. He didn't love her anymore. He didn't even care that she'd left him without a word.
Ji Siyue took out her phone, skillfully entered a number that wasn't in her contacts, but hesitated to make the call.
She wondered if he'd changed his number after all these years.
If the call connected and it wasn't him, she'd hang up.
If it was him, she'd ask him why he didn't care.
"Beep, beep, beep..."
After a moment.
"Hello?"
A deep male voice came from the phone. Ji Siyue trembled instantly, and her phone fell to the ground.
"Hello?"
She quickly picked it up and replied, "Hello?"
There was a moment of hesitation on the other end of the phone, and the voice seemed to become clearer. "Ji Siyue?"
"It's me."
"You're calling so late. What's the matter?"
Ji Siyue remembered that in the past, the two of them would call each other even if they were very busy at night. Now, he had to ask if there was anything special...
She endured the bitter feeling and said, "Qin Chengyao, I have something to ask you."
"Although I've sent you the contract, I'm off work now. It's my private time. I won't reply to work-related matters."
This tone seemed like he was about to hang up!
Ji Siyue quickly said, "No, it's a private matter!"
"...Go ahead."
Qin Chengyao sounded like he was smiling, or sneering.
"I want to ask you, do you really not care about me anymore?"
Suddenly, the breathing on the other end of the phone seemed to become a bit rapid.
"What do you mean?"