Chapter 4

Julian was annoyed by my attitude.

“Why are you treating me like this over an outsider? She’s her, you’re you. We’re married.”

His twisted logic made me laugh in exasperation. I wanted to leave, but Julian grabbed me.

He remembered the real reason he came to see me: to tell me to get less involved in company matters.

I was the largest shareholder, and my return significantly impacted Julian.

The old-school board members, who already disliked Julian, were now openly challenging him, causing him to gradually lose influence in the company.

My bad mood made me prone to sarcasm, and he didn’t know how to communicate with me anymore.

After all, since our marriage, we rarely had such difficult conversations.

Before, I often talked myself out of my own moods, making him forget that I used to be quite strong-willed before we married.

Seeing that I didn’t trust him, Julian, as if grasping a lifeline, said,

“I can explain it to you. That love letter…”

But I didn't have time to pursue it now. I turned and waved him off.

“I have something to do right now. We can talk later.”

Julian’s heart twisted with an indescribable bitterness, like he’d swallowed poison.

I wasn’t intentionally ignoring him; it was just bad timing.

I had finally gotten a response from the head of the Hayes Group, whom I’d been trying to meet for a long time.

I arrived at the agreed-upon location, following the address he’d given me.

When I saw the person, I froze.

The balloon in my chest, on the verge of bursting, seemed to slowly deflate.

Meeting the eyes of the person before me, I broke into a smile.

It felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders, and I exhaled in relief.

It wasn’t a forced smile or a cold sneer, but a rare moment of genuine ease these past few days.

Liam watched my transformation from tension to relaxation and smiled wryly, extending his hand.

“Long time no see, Ms. Jiang.”

His address made me momentarily disoriented.

It had been so long since anyone called me Ms. Jiang. The title of Mrs. Qi had almost made me forget my own surname.

I snapped back to reality, stood up, and shook his hand.

“Long time no see, Liam.”

Liam was my junior high classmate.

Our families lived close and knew each other, so we often walked to and from school together.

We went to different high schools, but our relationship remained as good as ever.

However, Liam went abroad for university, and later I got married, so our contact diminished.

I never expected the representative I was meeting to be Liam.

We exchanged a few pleasantries, then got down to business.

Liam had just returned to the country and taken over his current project. The partner for the collaboration was still under discussion.

Although we were old acquaintances, Liam had no intention of giving me special treatment.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy to secure the deal, but the hope wasn’t entirely gone.

There were still a few missing points in the contract, and Liam asked me to revise them and come to his company next time for discussion.

Afterward, we both stood up and walked out.

With the business negotiations set aside, our conversation reverted to our old easygoing dynamic.

Liam had been dropped off by his driver, but then got a call saying the driver had an emergency. I didn’t hesitate to offer him a ride home.

We chatted and laughed our way to the parking lot, only to find Julian there.

Julian’s eyes lit up when he saw me, but then his gaze narrowed sharply when he saw the person beside me.

He quickly walked to my side, separating us, his eyes filled with hostility.

Julian didn’t want to speak to Liam. As if fleeing a plague, he grabbed my hand and pulled me toward his car.

I glanced back at Liam, my mind still preoccupied with the contract.

Realizing I couldn’t offend him, I shook off Julian’s hand.

Julian’s eyes darkened as he looked at his hand, which I’d just pushed away.

I stopped.

“What are you doing?”

Julian’s gaze was full of scrutiny, sweeping over both of us. He sneered,

“What am *I* doing? What are *you* doing? You’re married. What are you doing with him?”

I considered myself innocent. I was working hard for the company, yet he suspected me.

My emotions had been unstable these past few days, and his words made me explode instantly.

“How dare *you* ask me? Ha, I didn’t realize Mr. Qi’s standards were so high. When Mr. Qi and Ms. Chloe were together, did you ever consider that you were married?”

Our words turned into spears, stabbing at each other.

Our voices were powerful, yet privately held shattered hearts.

The parking lot lights were dim. We could see each other, but a fog separated us, making it impossible to get closer.