Chapter 4

It took Wen Songyi three days to realize something was wrong.

I hadn’t sent her a good-morning message. I hadn’t asked whether she’d eaten, or sent soup when her meetings ran late. And I certainly hadn’t transferred money the instant she frowned.

She came to my office herself.

The receptionist’s voice was unsteady when she called.

“Mr. Pei, Ms. Wen is downstairs. She says she wants to see you.”

I checked the time. “Have her make an appointment.”

Silence. Probably no one had ever dared ask Wen Songyi to make an appointment.

Five minutes later, my office door swung open. She strode in on her high heels, followed by two pale-faced secretaries, and flung her bag onto the sofa.

“Look at you, Pei Yan. Finally grown a spine.”

I closed the file in front of me. “You don’t have an appointment, Ms. Wen.”

She gave a cold laugh. “Who do you think you’re fooling?”

I looked at her. “Is this about business?”

“It’s about you.”

“Outside my professional remit.”

Her eyes darkened. “Do you have to talk like that?”

Without answering, I pressed the intercom. “Two coffees, please.”

She laughed in disbelief at my manner.

“Fine. Keep up the act.”

She sat across from me and crossed her legs.

“Ending our projects. Emptying the apartment. Transferring the island. You even had the spare keys to my garage sent back.” She fixed her eyes on me. “Are you trying to force me to give in?”

Suddenly, I was tired.

“Wen Songyi, do you think everything everyone does is an attempt to get a reaction out of you?”

Her expression shifted.

I took the things out of my drawer and pushed them across the desk: a bank card, an agreement, a silver timer, and the ring.

Her gaze settled on the ring. Her brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

“What’s this supposed to mean?”

“The last payment is on the card.”

She didn’t move. “Payment for what?”

“The outstanding balance from the day I stopped the transfers through the termination of our relationship.”

Color slowly drained from her face.

“Pei Yan.”

“That’s the relationship termination agreement.” I set a pen in front of her. “Sign it, and neither of us owes the other anything.”

She laughed suddenly, softly, without a trace of warmth.

“Neither of us owes anything?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re settling accounts with me?”

“You taught me how.”

She swept the agreement onto the floor.

“Did I agree to this?”

A secretary knocked outside.

“Mr. Pei, Mr. Xu is here. He says he’s looking for Ms. Wen.”

Wen Songyi froze. I looked up.

The door opened, and Xu Zhinan leaned halfway into the room. His eyes were red, as if he’d just been crying.

“Jiejie, am I interrupting?”

She didn’t go to him immediately. That was a first.

He bit his lip. “My stomach hurts. Could you…”

He swayed before finishing. She rose almost on instinct. Two steps later, she stopped and looked at me, as though waiting for me to lose my temper.

I only bent down, picked up the agreement, and straightened it on the desk.

“Go ahead.”

She stared.

Xu Zhinan called softly, “Jiejie…”

Her throat moved. “Pei Yan, don’t regret this.”

I smiled a little. “My biggest regret is that I didn’t stop sooner.”

Her expression turned ugly. Xu Zhinan came over and tugged at her sleeve.

“Jiejie, it really hurts.”

He drew her toward the door. At the threshold, she suddenly turned back.

“Pei Yan, you’re really not going to stop me?”

I picked up the timer and pressed reset. The red numbers returned to zero.

“Wen Songyi.”

She watched me. I put the timer in her bag.

“From now on, save your time for someone who wants it.”

Her lips moved.

“I don’t,” I said.

I opened the door and left without looking back.

Behind me came the sound of the timer hitting the floor. A quiet little clack.

Wen Songyi stood there, watching his back disappear behind the elevator doors.