Chapter 3 — When You Shine, I Am Still Here

I stood rigid, posture unnaturally straight, while a single, frantic thought began to spin in my mind: Should I greet him? Do we normally exchange pleasantries? I racked my brain, frantically searching through my memories—during that entire period, I had been completely lost in the tender embrace of Director Yan, and I vaguely recalled greeting him a few times alongside the young mistress. While I hesitated, unsure of how to proceed, Nolan quickly crushed out his cigarette and strode directly toward me. I looked left and right—there was no one else around. Was he… coming straight for me?

“Oh… hi there~ What a coincidence meeting you here, Nolan?” I thick-skinned fool, realizing escape was no longer an option, decided to just greet him properly. I waved at him as naturally as I could. To my utter astonishment… the hand I had just raised was instantly caught in his grip. He stared straight at me, his eyes brimming with a heavy, unspoken emotion: “Why… did you delete me?”

He… he knew it was me?! My heart skipped a beat. A surge of intense guilt welled up inside me. I lowered my gaze, my brain spinning furiously like a runaway windmill. How on earth was I supposed to handle a situation this humiliating?!

“Was it because I texted you too much and annoyed you?” He bowed his head to look at me, his voice softening into a murmur, sounding both self-receptive and deeply aggrieved: “Did I say something that upset you?”

If sending the occasional “what are you up to?” text once every day or two counted as being annoying, then the countless messages I used to send to Director Yan… must have surely been classified as pure harassment!

“What on earth are you talking about?” I decided to… play dead. I grit my teeth and refused to confess. The best strategy I could come up with at the moment was to feign total ignorance. I lifted my head, batted my eyes innocently, and flashed a brilliant, flower-like smile: “I didn’t even have your WeChat, how could I have deleted you? You must have mistaken me for someone else! You’re the campus heartthrob, after all; you must have countless people begging to add you on WeChat.”

I thought I handled that pretty well. Practically flawless, even. But Nolan continued to fixate his gaze on me, his eyes gradually darkening: “Did I say anything about WeChat?”

The smile on my face instantly froze. He reached out with his other hand, unlocked his phone, and pulled up his WeChat interface directly: “Really, so many people want to be my friend? Go ahead and add me, then.”

I was on the verge of dying from sheer guilt. What on earth should I do now?! Could a person who had already been tossed into the blacklist… ever be added back? I regretted this to my very core! Why hadn’t I thought of creating a burner account back then? That way, people like Director Yan… I could have lumped them all into one convenient category!

“Taya, what are you doing?” The young mistress walked out. She was draped in a haute couture evening gown, her heels clicking against the polished tile floor with deliberate, measured steps.

“Clack, clack, clack…” Every single echo of those heels struck my heart like a descending blade—truly the exquisite agony of death by a thousand cuts. I was genuinely panicking. My instinct urged me to scurry over to the young mistress, but it was only then I realized—the hand I had used to wave earlier was still tightly grasped in Nolan’s palm!

… I was utterly doomed. I gave a tentative tug, but I couldn't break free.

“Queenie, I have something private to discuss with her. Could you excuse us for a moment?” Nolan pulled me behind him, his voice chilling noticeably.

No… wait a minute. Panic was truly setting in now. Just as I prepared to pry Nolan’s fingers off my wrist…

A sudden, chilling draft swept across my back. I spun around to look—it was Director Yan.

It was over. This time, I was genuinely, irrevocably finished. Director Yan… why on earth was he here?! What was I supposed to do now? I stood frozen to the spot, staring in a daze as that tall, noble, and strikingly handsome man approached step by deliberate step. He was exceptionally tall, blessed with long, straight legs. Impeccably dressed in a tailored suit with an air of aristocratic elegance, one hand tucked carelessly into his pocket, his face—a visage so breathtaking one could never tire of looking at it—was now curved into an icy smile.

So cold… a chill I had never witnessed before.

He walked right past me, brushing by as if I were nothing more than an invisible phantom. Even the faint, lingering fragrance that always accompanied him rapidly dissipated with his departing footsteps. I had imagined countless terrible scenarios, but never once had I considered that when he treated me as if I didn't exist, it would hurt this deeply.

A single tear slipped down my cheek. Then a second, and a third… pattering rhythmically against my arm.

What on earth was I crying for? Hadn’t I known this day would come sooner or later? Wasn’t this the very ending I had chosen for myself?

“Darling… why are you here?” The young mistress, blocked at the doorway, spoke with a voice laced with confusion and doubt.

“Get inside.” Director Yan’s voice was low and terrifyingly cold.

“I… I just came to pick up Taya…” The young mistress’s voice tapered off, fading entirely alongside the echoing clack of her high heels… until it vanished completely.

“Did I hold your hand too tightly? I’m sorry, Vey Taya, please don’t cry.” Nolan released my hand, bowing his head in obvious awkwardness.

I didn't care to say a word. I simply shook my head in exhaustion, lacking the strength to even open my mouth.

But right at that moment—another hand firmly grasped my free wrist. With a gentle pull, my body, already drained of all its remaining strength, was hauled straight into a man’s embrace.

“Vey Taya, my girlfriend.”

“Act your age, kid. Keep your hands to yourself.”

Director Yan. I had no idea when he had turned back—by the time I realized it, he had already pulled me into his arms, speaking in a chilling tone.

My mind was a chaotic blur. The very first thought that crossed my mind wasn’t about offering explanations or trying to flee… but rather: Director Yan was only four years older than us, yet he had the audacity to call someone else a “kid”?

Nolan blocked his path. His gaze was bleak, looking at me as though I were a creature rotten to the core, someone who had cruelly and inexplicably discarded him without a shred of mercy.

Wait a minute? Something wasn’t quite right here, mister? Weren't you supposed to be the object of the young mistress’s affection? If you look at me with that kind of lovesick gaze, I wouldn't be able to wash off the mud even if I jumped into a pit!

“Vey Taya, Director Yan is your boyfriend?”

Nolan… knew Director Yan?! He stared straight into my eyes, as though desperate to extract an answer directly from my lips—the answer he so desperately wanted to hear.

… No matter how dense I was, a vague realization finally dawned on me—

Could it be… Nolan actually liked me?

My scalp began to tingle fiercely. At that exact moment, the arm wrapped securely around my waist tightened its grip. Eager to extinguish this utterly absurd situation once and for all, I nodded vigorously, desperate for a swift escape.

Nolan lowered his head. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and wedged one between his fingers—but his hands shook so badly he couldn't manage to pull it out.

Even I felt a pang of sympathy watching him. Director Yan let out a faint chuckle, seemingly in a remarkably good mood. He drew a cigar from his own jacket pocket and shoved it straight into Nolan’s hand.

“Here, kid, try this one instead.”

Nolan shot him an icy glare.

“Come find me once you’ve broken up.”

Just a single sentence, and the faint smile playing at the corners of Director Yan’s mouth instantly vanished.

Nolan clutched the cigar, cast one final, lingering look at me, and turned to walk down the stairs.

And as for me… I was swept right off my feet into Director Yan’s arms. Right there in the middle of a crowded public space. Passersby were probably moments away from calling the police. I couldn't break free, so I reached out and gave him a sharp scratch. I had intended to scratch Nolan earlier—the kind of treatment ordinary guys just couldn't endure.

Director Yan set me down and pulled me into his car. In the backseat, he kissed me. A fierce, punishing kiss.

“Why did you let another man hold your hand?”

He produced a high-end handkerchief, gently wiping my hands clean.

“Kids don’t count.” I pulled my hand back.

“……”

Even Director Yan had moments where he was utterly stumped by my retort.

“Vey Taya, if you don’t like that house, we’ll change it. But this sudden cold shoulder, this silent treatment, disappearing without a word like playing the ‘silent treatment’ game… I don’t like it.” He let out a soft, resigned sigh, as if dealing with an impossible burden.

“Weren’t you about to get married anyway? And you still haven’t broken up with me yet? Are you planning on making me your permanent mistress? Or… do you want to keep me as your kept woman?”

I am the kind of person who, when willing to placate someone, can lower my pride to the very dirt. But the moment I refuse to humble myself, every single word becomes as sharp as a dagger. And right now, I was putting on the exact persona Director Yan was least accustomed to. He was used to a Vey Taya who would cling to him, shamelessly and affectionately calling him “hubby.”

He rubbed the top of my head, then playfully flicked me on the forehead.

“Give me some time, six months at the absolute most.”

“During these six months, there will be no arranged marriages, no wedding bells. You remain my girlfriend.”

Six months without marriage? Does that mean… we get to keep playing this game for another half a year?

I had no idea what was wrong with my brain. Clearly, when he mentioned “temporarily no marriage,” I found myself sinking right back into his trap. Much like uninstalling a video game—you might swear off touching it again, but the moment you boot it back up once, you’re instantly hooked all over again.

“Hubby~ come give me a kiss ~”

My own shamelessness… honestly left even me in awe.