Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

When Liu Ming's marriage proposal video swept across every corner of the global internet like a virus, the top-floor president's office of the Nangong Group was so quiet that you could hear the sound of hearts breaking.

Nangong Yao did not look at her phone.

That grand feast, lit up for Xi Wanqing alone, was slowly torturing her heart again and again through the huge, silent LCD screen in her office.

She didn't cry, she didn't make a scene, and she didn't smash things like a complaining woman.

She simply sat quietly in that leather chair that symbolized her status as the world's richest woman, drinking one glass after another, treating a bottle of Royal Salute worth millions as if it were plain water.

The fiery liquor burned her esophagus, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

She lost.

They lost convincingly, and they lost completely.

She could build him a business empire, mobilize billions of dollars to crash the market, and even design a diamond ring for him that symbolizes eternity.

But she couldn't give him the peace and companionship that had stayed with him for ten years, from their humble beginnings in Qingyun County.

That night, she neither went home nor to the company.

She booked out her favorite private jazz bar by Houhai Lake, a place that was never open to the public – "Midnight Blue".

She dismissed all the waiters and musicians, leaving only an elderly bartender.

Then, she sat alone in the middle of the empty bar, filling the entire table with rows of strong liquor.

Whiskey, vodka, tequila.

She drank one cup after another, as if she were drinking poison, or as if she were drinking down her decade-long, unrequited love that had ended without a trace.

She didn't cry, but her eyes were frighteningly red. For the first time, a heartbreaking vulnerability, like that of a little girl, was revealed on that stunningly beautiful face.

I don't know how much time passed.

The heavy wooden door of the bar was gently pushed open from the outside.

Liu Ming walked in.

He didn't let anyone follow him, not even his signature trench coat. He was just wearing the white shirt he'd worn when he proposed, the collar still stained with a trace of another woman's lipstick.

He didn't go forward immediately, but stood quietly at the door, watching the red figure surrounded by wine bottles, looking as lonely as if the whole world was abandoning him, and felt as if countless steel needles were piercing his heart.

"Are you here to laugh at me?"

Nangong Yao didn't turn around, but it was as if she had eyes in the back of her head. Her voice, numbed by alcohol, carried a hint of hoarseness and self-deprecating languor.

Liu Ming slowly walked forward and sat down in the booth opposite her.

He didn't say anything, but simply picked up an empty glass, poured himself a full glass from the nearly empty vodka bottle, and then drank it all in one gulp.

The pungent liquor, like a flame, burned his way down to his stomach.

"Want to drink with me?" Nangong Yao finally turned her head, her hazy peach blossom eyes carrying three parts drunkenness and seven parts mockery. "What, your 'iceberg' wife is finally willing to let you come out and keep this 'fairy' company?"

"sorry."

Liu Ming put down his wine glass, looked at her, his eyes filled with guilt and honesty.

"I'm sorry?" Nangong Yao laughed softly, as if she had heard the funniest joke in the world. Tears welled up in her eyes. "What do you have to apologize for? Liu Ming, don't get me wrong. From beginning to end, it was all one-sided on my part, clinging to you shamelessly. You never gave me any promises."

"The business world is like a battlefield, and so is the realm of love. I am outmatched and admit defeat."

She picked up the bottle, poured herself another glass, tilted her snow-white swan neck back, and downed it again.

Seeing her feigned nonchalance while her heart was breaking, Liu Ming felt an even greater pain in his heart.

He reached out and stopped her hand from reaching for the bottle again.

"Yaoyao, stop drinking."

Nangong Yao shook off his hand, her eyes finally reddening.

"What right do you have to tell me what to do?!" Her emotions, suppressed all night, finally showed signs of breaking down. "Do you know that ring is a rough stone I had someone dig out of a diamond mine in South Africa?"

"Do you know that I was the one who came up with the name 'Eternal Star'?"

"Do you know that I personally drew hundreds of design drafts before that stubborn old designer finally nodded in approval and created that one-of-a-kind ring for you?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was filled with anguish, each word like a heavy hammer blow striking Liu Ming's heart.

"I...I fucking made a love token for the man I love most, a gift he gave to another woman..."

At this point, Nangong Yao could no longer hold back. She covered her face and let out a suppressed whimper, like that of a wounded young animal.

"Liu Ming, tell me, don't I look ridiculous?"

Liu Ming did not speak.

He simply stood up, walked around the table, went to her side, and then opened his arms and gently embraced the trembling woman.

This embrace was devoid of any lust.

There is only one man who feels the deepest, unspoken gratitude and apology for the most important woman in his life, yet whom he cannot give a title to.

Nangong Yao's body stiffened abruptly, then she could no longer suppress her emotions. She buried her face in Liu Ming's shoulder and burst into tears.

She poured out all the grievances, resentment, and unrequited love she had felt over the years into scalding tears.

Liu Ming simply held her quietly, letting her tears soak his shoulders, and gently patted her back.

After an unknown amount of time, the crying gradually subsided.

Nangong Yao lifted her head from his embrace. Although her eyes were red and swollen, a familiar pride and nonchalance rekindled in them, befitting a business tycoon.

She wiped away her tears, looked at Liu Ming, and suddenly smiled.

"Alright, you've cried and made a scene." She took a deep breath, as if making a very important decision. "Liu Ming, let's talk business."

"What kind of business?"

"I, Nangong Yao, hereby formally declare that I am relinquishing all claim to you as my man, effective immediately." She looked at him, her eyes clear and resolute. "As a shrewd businesswoman, I have lost everything in this ten-year investment. Therefore, I have decided to cut my losses."

She paused, a sly smile curving her lips.

"However, although I've lost in love, I can't let my career suffer too. You're now a vice minister, and your future is limitless. I must hold onto this 'potential stock' firmly in my grasp."

She stood up, walked back to the bar, and asked the bartender to open two bottles of the finest champagne.

She handed one of the cups to Liu Ming.

"So, from today onwards, I am no longer your suitor."

She raised her glass, and a look of relief shone in her beautiful peach blossom eyes.

"I am your most unbreakable business ally, your most loyal confidante, and your... eternal ATM."

Liu Ming looked at her and raised his glass as well.

He knew that the woman before him, with her unique pride and wisdom, had brought their tumultuous ten-year relationship to a most dignified and perfect end.

"bite--"

Two wine glasses clinked together crisply in the air.

"Liu Ming, happy marriage."

"I want to be your goddess of wealth for life."

Yandu, late autumn.

In the first month after this historic technological storm subsided, the ancient capital welcomed an unprecedented sunny day.

Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Building No. 18.

The entire courtyard was enveloped in a solemn yet festive atmosphere, with fallen ginkgo leaves covering the ground like a layer of shattered gold.