The next morning, the woman behaved as usual.

She tied up Si Xiaotie’s hair, helped her put on socks, fed her breakfast, then prepared to take her to kindergarten.

“I’ll take her.”

“It’s fine. I’m heading that way anyway. Eat a little more.”

“Mommy, we’re gonna be late～”

The little girl swung her hand impatiently.

The woman hurriedly grabbed her hand and left.

With a sharp bang, the front door closed.

Si Yuming stood there for a moment before finally returning to the bedroom to change clothes and head out.

There was an important online meeting with Moscow at nine.

Before the meeting began, Shen Wan brought Ma Chanchan into the conference room.

Si Yuming lifted his eyes and glanced over.

Normally, Lin Ke personally handled important meetings like this.

He frowned slightly and tilted his head toward Shen Wan.

“Where’s Manager Lin?”

Shen Wan replied,

“Manager Lin isn’t feeling well today. Ma Chanchan will translate instead. The young girl’s been doing pretty well lately…”

But before she could finish—

“What’s wrong with her?”

His interruption came too quickly.

She’d looked completely fine this morning, hadn’t she?

Or did she simply not want to see him?

Shen Wan paused, slightly startled by the suddenly lowered tone in his voice.

“I’m not sure. Maybe she ate something bad. She threw up this morning too.”

“Threw up?”

“Yes…”

One minute later, the man seated at the head of the table glanced at the clock and stood up.

“The meeting will be delayed thirty minutes.”

Then he walked out of the conference room.

Outside the project department’s meeting room was the open office area.

The translation team sat at the innermost section.

He looked over.

At the workstation deep inside, the woman was lying weakly over her desk.

She really did seem unwell.

Si Yuming took a step toward her—

“President Si!”

A deputy director from the project department had just stepped out of the elevator and called after him.

By the time Si Yuming looked back again, Lin Ke had already sat upright, eyes on her computer as her fingers tapped steadily across the keyboard.

“President Si, regarding the payment for the retirement city project…”

The deputy director rambled on about work.

Si Yuming listened patiently for several sentences before interrupting.

“I know. Submit the documents upstairs.”

“Understood, President Si.”

He looked over one final time before turning and leaving.

Back inside the conference room, he sent her a message.

【I’ll have Shen Wan approve leave for you. Go home and rest.】

A reply came quickly.

【I’m fine.】

Si Yuming: 【Don’t push yourself.】

This time, no response came.

He stared at the chat window for a while before sighing helplessly and setting down his phone.

Two hours later, the meeting ended.

The seat at the very back of the office area was already empty.

……

The stomach was an emotional organ.

Strong emotional fluctuations could cause stomach cramps, nausea, and loss of appetite.

That morning, Lin Ke had only managed a few mouthfuls of porridge before vomiting everything up at the office.

By noon, after finally stabilizing her emotions, her stomach was already growling with hunger before lunch hour even arrived.

Ma Chanchan was still working in the conference room.

So Lin Ke could only drag another coworker from the project team, Xi Yue, into skipping out half an hour early for food.

Xi Yue had only graduated recently too.

A steady, considerate young man.

Lin Ke trusted him.

There was a shopping mall near the company.

She picked a newly opened Korean restaurant.

“Xi Yue, do you like this kind of food? If you’re not used to it, we can switch places.”

The young man seemed to think of something and smiled shyly.

“It’s fine. My girlfriend really likes this kind of food. She’s always asking me to eat it with her.”

Lin Ke knew he had a girlfriend.

As they walked inside, she asked,

“How long have you two been together?”

“Just half a year.”

“So you’re still in the passionate honeymoon stage?”

Xi Yue nodded sheepishly again.

Lin Ke glanced at the sweet smile on the young man’s face and suddenly felt emotional.

Dating.

That word felt so far away from her.

If she hadn’t married Si Yuming—

Would she also have met a boy she liked, and who liked her back?

Would she have experienced a sweet, moving romance?

Maybe they would’ve fought.

Gotten jealous.

Broken up.

But even those experiences sounded so novel to her.

Unfortunately, the future might never offer her that opportunity again…

Her thoughts stopped there.

Why wouldn’t it?

If she got divorced—

And waited until Si Xiaotie grew older—

Then she also wanted to find someone she liked, who genuinely liked her too.

To properly experience a relationship.

From meeting.

To understanding.

To falling in love.

Even if it didn’t end with forever, it wouldn’t matter.

But right now, filling her stomach mattered more.

Lin Ke sat down and ordered.

Afterward, she continued chatting about his girlfriend.

Once the topic began, the young man suddenly became talkative.

From how they met, to confession, to getting together.

From his girlfriend’s strengths to her flaws.

He poured everything out.

After eating, Xi Yue packed stone pot bibimbap for Ma Chanchan.

Meanwhile, Lin Ke checked her phone.

A message had been sent in the group chat:

Temporary arrangements had been made.

Everyone was to gather at the ministry that evening for preparations before departing for Moscow on an early morning flight.

They’d already been told departure would happen within the next few days.

So she wasn’t surprised.

She replied: 【Received.】

Once Xi Yue finished packing the food, the two headed downstairs to the café for coffee.

But Lin Ke never expected to run into someone unexpected there.

Si Yun sat alone by the window, seemingly waiting for someone.

Lin Ke hesitated briefly before telling Xi Yue to head back first while she walked over to greet her.

Si Yun only lazily lifted her eyes upon seeing her.

No obvious emotion showed on her face.

Normally, after greeting her, Lin Ke would leave immediately.

But today, her feet hesitated.

Seeing she hadn’t moved, Si Yun gestured lightly toward the seat opposite her.

“Want some coffee?”

Lin Ke sat down and ordered an Americano.

Though her relationship with Si Yun wasn’t close, she’d never considered her a bad person.

As the one who’d supported the Si family through its hardest years, Si Yun’s capabilities were undeniable.

If she were managing the company now, she might not do worse than Si Yuming.

Everyone acted according to their own standpoint.

Si Yun had signed the agreement with the Lin family for Grandpa’s sake.

She disliked the Lin family because their behavior was genuinely distasteful.

As for her divorce from Si Yuming in a few months… perhaps Si Yun had her own considerations too.

Whether to shake off the Lin family—

Or to secure a stronger business ally for Entropy Group.

Lin Ke asked softly,

“What brought you over here? Looking for Yuming?”

Si Yun shook her head.

“No. I’m here for something else.”

“Oh.”

Si Yun carried an aura very similar to Jiang Chengyin’s.

The daughters of true wealthy families always possessed confidence and composure.

Combined with the inherited temperament of the Si family—

Like Si Yuming, she naturally radiated a presence that couldn’t be ignored.

Lin Ke wasn’t afraid of her.

But for a moment, she also didn’t know what to say.

Bringing up Qin Ru was even more impossible.

Just as she hesitated over whether to leave, the woman across from her suddenly spoke.

“Lin Ke, do you hate me?”

Lin Ke froze slightly.

But she quickly understood what Si Yun meant.

Calmly, she answered,

“No.”

Si Yun lifted her coffee and took a sip, gaze drifting toward the window as if speaking to herself.

“Love is the most unreliable thing in this world.”

Ten years.

She had used “love” little by little to feed Qin Ru’s ambitions.

Allowed his wings to harden.

Allowed him to hurt her and Manman like this today.

People like them—

Would forever be lured forward by petty benefits dangling before their eyes.

Maybe she should’ve listened to others from the start.

Found a husband from an equal family background.

Then when interests aligned, they’d cooperate.

When interests split, they’d separate cleanly.

After a brief silence, Si Yun turned back to her.

“Lin Ke, after five years of marriage to Yuming, your entire Lin family can live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Are you satisfied?”

Lin Ke didn’t answer.

Si Yun’s voice lowered, heavy with exhaustion.

“Ever since Grandpa passed away, the Si family hasn’t been nearly as glamorous as it looks on the surface. Without policy advantages and connections supporting us, countless people want to swallow my brother and me whole.”

“Do you think Yuming spent two or three years in Shanghai for fun? If he hadn’t gone, Entropy wouldn’t have been able to compete with the old foxes in Beijing.”

“No one knows what the future holds.”

“I only know… it’s too hard for him to carry everything alone.”

Si Yun turned back toward the window again, gradually losing focus.

Lin Ke sat quietly for a while before standing to leave.

After taking several steps, she turned back and finally asked the question she’d been curious about.

“Sister… will you divorce brother-in-law?”

Si Yun looked back.

Their eyes met in the air.

After a long moment, Si Yun curled her lips slightly.

“What do you think?”

Yes.

She would.

Lin Ke smiled faintly and turned to leave.

Because she would too.

Soon after, the phone on the table lit up.

The elegant woman picked it up and answered calmly.

“Hello, Lawyer Zheng.”

……

Jin Yang had recently opened a new bar.

The drive there took twenty minutes.

The bar hadn’t opened yet when Si Yuming arrived, but Jin Yang had already been waiting.

The moment he saw him, he shouted loudly,

“The big boss is here! Everyone, get ready to welcome him!”

Si Yuming glanced at him before walking over to sit at the bar.

Noticing the heavy look on his friend’s face, Jin Yang told the bartender,

“A whiskey. The strongest one.”

Then he leaned against Si Yuming’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong? Work not going smoothly for President Si?”

Si Yuming pushed away the hand draped over him and took a sip of whiskey without speaking.

Jin Yang guessed,

“Still because of Jiang Chengyin?”

“What does she have to do with this?”

“What else could it be? Isn’t the Jiang family drama the biggest mess lately? I hate all that scheming and power struggle nonsense.”

Jin Yang didn’t like Jiang Chengyin.

She was a professionally trained heir raised by her family.

Like Si Yuming, she carried heavy responsibilities.

Capable.

But cold and selfish.

Always placing利益 above all else.

Jin Yang shot him a warning look.

“I’m telling you, Si Yuming, you’d better treat my little Lin Ke properly. Back then she acknowledged me as her older brother. The girl married you feeling wronged enough already. If you mistreat her even a little, I’ll go burn incense to your grandpa.”

Si Yuming laughed lightly.

“Go ahead. Burn a few extra sticks.”

Jin Yang finally sat upright, tone becoming more serious.

“Honestly, Lin Ke really got the short end of the stick marrying you.”

“What do you mean?”

Jin Yang didn’t elaborate.

Instead, he clinked his glass lightly against his and changed the subject.

“Seen Meng Jing recently?”

“I went to Moscow last month. He happened to be there.”

“Does Lin Ke know?”

“She was there with me.”

A flash of surprise crossed Jin Yang’s eyes before he smiled deeply.

“I see.”

Si Yuming didn’t miss the emotion in his expression.

“Jin Yang, what exactly are you trying to say?”

“What’s there to say?”

Jin Yang drank from his glass, memories surfacing.

“If little Lin Ke had grown up around us instead, what do you think she’d be like now? Maybe she wouldn’t have had to struggle so much. Maybe she could’ve happily been a little princess too.”

“Back when you were overseas, I ran into her a few times. She was in her final year of high school then, I think. Worked incredibly hard. I heard she ranked first in her school.”

“Later in university too. Once Meng Jing and I went to her school for something and specifically asked her teachers about her. They praised her nonstop.”

He sighed.

“This world really twists and turns strangely. Somehow you two ended up together. Guess that’s a good thing too. We’re all family.”

After reminiscing, Jin Yang suddenly looked at him.

“There’s always been something I’m curious about. Back then, you clearly could’ve chosen Jiang Chengyin. So why did you marry the Lin Ke Grandpa picked?”

Si Yuming gripped the cold glass in his hand.

Quietly, he said,

“It wasn’t Grandpa who chose her.”

???

That answer stunned Jin Yang speechless.

Several seconds later, his jaw finally closed.

“Holy shit, Si Yuming—you secretly liked my little Lin Ke?!”

Si Yuming shot him a look and drank from his whiskey.

His right hand slowly brushed against the simple wedding band on his left ring finger.

He remembered their wedding day.

Lin Ke, dressed in a white wedding gown, trembling as she slipped that ring onto his finger.

Her hands had shaken the entire ceremony.

Even during their embrace, she’d trembled badly.

Later, after finally managing to put the ring on—

He never took it off again.

“And marrying her was my own decision. It had nothing to do with anyone else.”

“What?” Jin Yang looked even more confused. “Then isn’t that still a secret crush?”

Si Yuming stayed silent.

Neither confirming nor denying it.

Lin Ke had moved away from the compound when he was only ten.

What did he know about feelings back then?

He only remembered—

That little girl who smiled brightly at everyone else always looked terrified whenever she saw him.

He couldn’t understand it.

Sometimes he even wondered if he was too cold.

Or maybe she simply disliked him?

Later, he tried softening his approach.

Whenever they met, he occasionally brought candy or little gifts for her.

But every single time, the girl would timidly accept them with a quiet thank you.

And the next time they met, she’d still hide behind Meng Jing.

It genuinely puzzled him.

Later, many things happened.

After going abroad, he lost all news of her.

Until Grandpa became gravely ill and worried about his marriage.

That was when Grandpa pointed him toward Lin Ke.

Grandpa truly liked her.

Pitied her too.

He said many good things about her in front of him.

Privately, he’d gone to see her twice.

The first time was outside Foreign Languages University.

The girl with the high ponytail looked youthful and radiant.

For a split second, it felt as though he’d returned to those carefree days in the old compound—

When his parents were still alive.

She was still that adorable, lively little Lin Ke who both feared and avoided him.

The second time, he intentionally attended an international conference where she worked part-time.

The little girl had grown up.

With light makeup and pinned-up hair, dressed in a professional suit.

Capable.

Confident.

Meticulous during work.

Her employers praised her repeatedly.

But the moment she saw him—

She panicked again.

So badly that she directly slammed into a door, instantly reddening her forehead.

At that moment, he’d thought—

If she knew she was going to marry him…

Would she panic so badly she couldn’t sleep all night?

Then he’d thought—

After marriage, he definitely needed to ask her:

Was he really that scary?

In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.

That question was forgotten.

But now, perhaps it no longer needed asking.

He hadn’t done well enough.

And she still didn’t like him.

Si Yuming drained the last sip of whiskey and pushed the empty glass toward the bartender for another refill.

Seeing something clearly off about him, Jin Yang wanted to ask more.

But he ultimately didn’t dare.

What happened behind closed doors between husband and wife wasn’t something he could interfere with.

Besides, today there was something more important.

He gestured for the staff to switch to a lighter song before throwing an arm around Si Yuming again.

“President Si, remember the birthday gift you still owe me? I’m here to collect today.”

The reason he’d invited him out was because he planned to invest in a new esports team.

He was short on funding.

The old man at home refused to give him money.

So he could only turn to his good brother.

Si Yuming listened while he talked.

After discussing it for over half an hour, he finally nodded.

“Come to the company tomorrow and we’ll discuss it.”

“No problem!”

Jin Yang looked ready to kneel in gratitude.

“I guarantee you won’t lose money.”

He raised his glass toward him.

But the man pushed it away.

“Not drinking. I’m leaving.”

“Leaving so early? The nightlife’s only just starting!”

Si Yuming grabbed his coat and walked out.

Behind him, Jin Yang’s voice chased after him.

“Wow, having a wife and kid really changes a man, huh? Hey, President Si—”

By the time he got home, it was nearly nine.

The lights were on.

But the house was quiet.

The usually noisy Si Xiaotie was nowhere to be seen.

He set his car keys on the entryway cabinet.

Lin Ke’s usual work bag wasn’t there either.

Not home yet?

Si Yuming walked to the children’s room and quietly pushed the door open.

Inside, Aunt Chen was coaxing the little girl to sleep.

Si Xiaotie had already fallen asleep.

Aunt Chen gently pulled away and tiptoed outside.

“Lin Ke still isn’t back?”

Aunt Chen looked surprised.

    “Ke Ke left on a business trip. She’ll be gone a week. Sir… didn’t you know?”