After I Was Gone, Mr. Song Said He Loved Me

My silent acquiescence made Zhang Jishu furious, and he lashed out at me, as if he wanted to tear me apart. At that moment, I was truly terrified. This was the first time in my life I had taken such a bold step, but to achieve my goal in absolute safety, I had to take a risk.

Catherine once said that to succeed, the first step is to make the other party lower their guard, to numb their thoughts, and then use some subtle tactics to achieve twice the result with half the effort. I had learned about Zhang Jishu before; although he appeared to be the chairman of Boyang Electronic Technology and was highly regarded for his abilities in the industry, it couldn’t hide the fact that he was a kept man. Without the support of his wife’s family, Boyang Electronic Technology wouldn’t be where it is today.

But once people have money, they tend to forget their past. Zhang Jishu began frequenting various high-end clubs under the guise of socializing, and his private life became extremely decadent. His wife was no pushover either, always keeping a tight rein on him when it came to matters of the opposite sex. Yet she never expected Zhang Jishu would secretly be involved with men.

Initially, I hadn’t planned to expose Zhang Jishu today, but the little incident with Song Yu at the restaurant had provoked me. I can’t deny that my determination to secure the e-commerce project was partly driven by personal motives; I wanted Song Yu to see that I wasn’t just some clueless kid. Once I set my mind to something, no matter how difficult the process, I could accomplish it.

So when Zhang Jishu hinted at me, I went along with it and called his wife, broadcasting our conversation and the hotel address he had booked. In return, I demanded Huanya to invest 25% of the stock in Boyang, making the first move into e-commerce. His wife quickly replied with a simple “Okay” via text.

Zhang Jishu continued to hurl insults, while the woman, her eyes red with anger, pointed at him and berated, “Zhang Jishu, you cheat on me, fool around with men, and now you dare act so defiant, as if I’m the one wronging you.”

“How could I have been so blind to marry a bastard like you?”

Seeing this, Zhang Jishu dropped the pretense and openly clashed with the woman, recounting his years of humiliation living under her family’s thumb, each grievance pointing to how her family had stripped him of his dignity as a man. This escalated the couple’s conflict to the point of no return.

In a fit of rage, the woman forced Zhang Jishu to sign those two agreements. Despite his fierce resistance, he couldn’t break free from the grip of the two strong bodyguards behind him.

I witnessed this family dispute unfold, too tense to breathe, cold sweat continuously trickling down my back.

The woman approached me, her sharp eyes scanning me up and down, and said, “Come with me.”

With my heart in my throat, I followed her out of the room, heading towards the end of the hallway. There, a large floor-to-ceiling window offered a panoramic view of Hai City’s nightscape.

The woman gazed out at the twinkling city lights through the window, lighting a cigarette as she spoke with a hint of amusement, “You’ve got some nerve. How did you know I’d believe you?”

I forced a calm smile, trying to appear composed. “When someone hears their husband cheating live over the phone, anyone would come to see for themselves, right?”

“Besides, the fact that you managed to prepare both the divorce agreement and the equity division agreement in such a short time shows you were already planning to divorce.”

“So, I wasn’t worried.”

Though my words were light, I was nearly scared to death when Zhang Jishu tried to force his way.

Thank goodness it turned out alright.

The woman chuckled, exhaling a puff of smoke, her gaze turning cold as she looked at me. “You’re smart and bold, but I advise you not to use such tricks again.”

I was momentarily stunned, not quite grasping the meaning behind her words.

She continued, “Today, you were lucky to meet me. If it had been someone else who witnessed such a family scandal, you might have already ‘accidentally’ fallen from a building.”

My expression froze, my eyes wide open, staring at her in disbelief.

Four words flashed through my mind-silencing a witness.

“Just kidding, look at you,” she suddenly laughed.

I really didn’t know how to describe my feelings at that moment, like riding a roller coaster, the ascent and descent happening in an instant.

The woman wiped away her smile, waving her hand dismissively. “You should go back now. I’ll keep my promise.”

“And you?”

Her gaze returned to the night outside the window, the cigarette in her fingers glowing intermittently. After a long pause, she said, “Zhang Jishu and I have a lot more to discuss.”

In that moment, I could feel the melancholy and loneliness of a woman.

I imagined she must have once loved that man deeply.

But no matter how deep the love, it can’t hold onto a heart that’s no longer there. When it’s over, it’s over.

After leaving the hotel, I took a taxi home. After three or four hours of turmoil, it was nearly midnight.

I wrapped myself in my coat and hurried toward the entrance of my building. Just as I was about to enter the hallway, a blinding car light suddenly flashed in front of me. Instinctively, I shielded my face with my hand. It took a moment to adjust before I could see a tall figure approaching through my fingers.

Looking closely, it was none other than Song Yu.

Why was he here? Had he been waiting for me all this time?

I slowly lowered my hand, standing there in a daze, my heart pounding wildly.

Song Yu exuded a menacing aura as he approached, stopping right in front of me.

“President Song,” I forced a smile and greeted him.

Song Yu glanced at his watch, “It’s been exactly two hours and thirty-five minutes since you left the restaurant.” His tone was as calm as ever, giving no hint of what he was thinking.

Perhaps it was an inherent submission to Song Yu; even a simple mention of time from him was enough to make me panic.

“Where did you go?” Song Yu asked, his deep eyes fixed on me, as if he was trying to gauge the truth of my words.

I swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond.

“I asked you, where did you go?” Song Yu repeated, his tone more insistent.

My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively closed my eyes slightly, holding my breath as I replied, “I went out with Zhang Jishu to discuss work.”

Song Yu scoffed with a cold laugh, “Discuss work? Where did you discuss it? How did you discuss it?”

His tone made it sound like I had done something shady behind his back, even though whatever I did was with his tacit approval. Why was he acting like he was accusing me of something now?

“Where and how we discussed it, you know better than I do,” I retorted, not bothering to be polite.

Song Yu’s breathing grew heavy from my rebuttal, and suddenly my collar tightened as he dragged me toward the car like a helpless chick.

“Song Yu, what are you doing? Let go of me!”

I struggled to hit his wrist, trying to sound tough, but inside I was panicking. I had seen Song Yu’s methods before; he had dealt with Qin Naisheng, who bullied Lu, so harshly that he was barely recognizable. I could only imagine the consequences of defying him now.

“President Song, I’m sorry, please let go, I’m sorry…” I pleaded, growing more fearful by the second.

Song Yu ignored my apologies, opened the passenger door, and tossed me inside. Just as I was about to get out, his sharp gaze stopped me, and I obediently sat back down.

Song Yu returned to the driver’s seat and started the car.

I sat beside him, breathing in short, nervous bursts, afraid that any small movement might provoke him.

The Rolls-Royce’s shock absorption and soundproofing were so good that if not for the buildings flashing by, I wouldn’t have believed Song Yu was driving over 100 mph in the city.

Though he hadn’t spoken a word since we started driving, I knew he was angry. Very angry.

I replayed everything I said and did tonight in my mind, completely clueless about what had upset him.

The interaction with Zhang Jishu was arranged by him, and earlier at the restaurant, he had sarcastically urged me to secure the project. Now that I had done so, he was asking these bizarre questions, getting inexplicably angry.

I just couldn’t understand it.

Were the thoughts of bosses as unpredictable as a heart monitor, fluctuating wildly?

As I puzzled over this, I suddenly realized Song Yu’s car was heading toward his villa.

“President Song, where are we going?” I asked, trembling.

Song Yu kept his eyes on the road, replying calmly, “My place.”

Hearing that we were going to his place, I tensed up immediately. I wasn’t naive; it was late, and Song Yu was taking me to his home. I knew exactly what might happen next.

“I don’t want to go!” I refused stiffly.

Though I liked him and longed for intimacy, when I learned I had been harmed by Wang Li’an, and Song Yu spent lavishly to support Nian Hua, I felt suffocated with rage.

Song Yu probably didn’t expect my direct refusal. The car, speeding along, suddenly jerked to a halt, and I lurched forward, instinctively gripping the door handle.

In just a moment, Song Yu regained his usual composure, and I knew he was warning me.

Under normal circumstances, I might have meekly complied, but this time I just didn’t want to.

I felt too uneasy.

“President Song, I’m really tired today. If you need something, go find someone else. I just want to go home and sleep.” I stated my position again, firmly.

Song Yu continued driving, showing no sign of stopping.

As we entered the villa area, I grew anxious. If we really went to Song Yu’s house, I had a feeling my fate tonight would be no better than the day Wang Li’an tormented me.

“Song Yu, I said I’m tired!”

Screech-

The car stopped abruptly, and everything fell silent. We were already at the entrance of Song Yu’s villa.

In the cramped car, the sound of our breathing-mine light and his heavy-was clear, along with the frantic beating of my heart.

Song Yu turned to look at me, his face dark, and the thin lenses of his glasses reflected a chilling light.

I couldn’t help but shiver, instinctively leaning back against the car door.