The ancient return was exposed by his sister's live stream.

Cai Jingwen looked up at the azure sky and took a deep breath. Shenzhen, she'd returned. Last time she was just passing through; this time, she was going to stay.

"Jingwen, what are you thinking about?" Li Li asked, pulling her suitcase closer. "Are you thinking about when to meet Master Chen?"

Cai Jingwen glared at her: "Work is work, and personal matters are personal matters. Let's settle things at the company first."

"Alright, alright, you're the general manager, you call the shots." Li Li smiled and took her arm. "Let's go, let's go see the company-provided dormitory first. Hopefully it's not too bad."

The two took a taxi to the company-arranged accommodation. The Pengcheng branch provided the general manager with a two-bedroom apartment in a decent neighborhood in the Fuzhou area; the apartment was simply but cleanly furnished.

"It's alright," Li Li said, turning around. "Better than I expected. At least I don't have to sleep under a bridge."

Cai Jingwen put down her luggage and went out onto the balcony. This residential complex wasn't far from Baotian City; from the balcony, she could vaguely see the direction of Baotian City. Her gaze lingered there, unable to look away for a long time.

Li Li came out of the room, followed her gaze, and sighed: "If you want to see her, just go see her. Nobody's stopping you."

Cai Jingwen shook her head: "Let's focus on work first. We'll talk about it after we're settled."

49th floor of a building

Fan Hai sat in his office boss's chair, twirling a pen in his hand. Song Xinxue's WeChat profile picture was displayed on his computer screen. He had sent several messages, and her replies were all very polite—"Hmm," "Okay," "Thank you"—a politeness that kept her at arm's length.

After adding Song Xinxue on WeChat, Fan Hai immediately sent her messages, his words full of greasy boasting and ambiguous advances, mentioning how much money his company had made.

He would say he would buy Song Xinxue designer bags and jewelry one minute, and then invite her out to dinner and movies the next, his advances were very aggressive.

He wasn't in a hurry. He'd seen plenty of aloof women like this; the more haughty they were, the more satisfying it was to conquer them. There was a knock on the door, and his secretary poked her head in: "Mr. Fan, the dinner appointment with Mr. Zhang is booked for tonight at seven o'clock at the Four Seasons Hotel."

"Understood." Fan Hai waved his hand, and the secretary closed the door.

He opened his phone and scrolled through Song Xinxue's WeChat Moments. The latest post was from noon today—a photo taken in the community garden. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on her. She tilted her head slightly, smiling faintly.

He zoomed in on the photo, looked at it for a long time, then exited his WeChat Moments and sent Song Xinxue a message: "Xinxue, are you free this weekend? Let's get together with some old classmates, I'll treat you to dinner."

The reply came faster this time: "I have to work this weekend, so I'm afraid I won't have time."

"Then next weekend. There's always time to rest, right?"

The other person was silent for a moment, then said, "Sorry, I have an appointment."

Fan Hai's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Seeing Song Xinxue's cold attitude towards him, he not only didn't give up, but became even more determined to win her over.

Baotiancheng

On the weekend, Chen Siyao was curled up on the sofa scrolling through her phone, while Yang Wanqing teased Yuehen beside her. Chen Hao was cooking in the kitchen.

"Brother, Sister Jingwen has come to Pengcheng," Chen Siyao suddenly said.

Chen Hao paused in his chopping motion: "When?"

"Last week, she was transferred to the Pengcheng branch as general manager." Chen Siyao scrolled through her phone. "Did you see her posts on WeChat Moments?"

"no."

"She's probably just too embarrassed to tell you," Chen Siyao pouted. "Brother, aren't you going to say something? She's chased you all the way from Shanghai to Shenzhen."

Chen Hao didn't say anything and continued chopping vegetables.

Yang Wanqing looked up: "Jingwen's here? Let's treat her to dinner! It's been so long!"

Chen Siyao's eyes lit up: "That's right! I'll ask her when she's free."

She looked down at her keyboard, typing for a moment, then looked up and said, "She said she's free anytime, depending on what's convenient for us."

"Then tomorrow night it is," Yang Wanqing decided. "Brother Chen Hao, can you cook a few of your signature dishes?"

Chen Hao came out of the kitchen carrying the dishes, glanced at them, and nodded: "Okay."

Chen Siyao immediately messaged Cai Jingwen: "Jingwen, come to my house for dinner tomorrow night! My brother will be cooking!"

The other end replied instantly: "Okay."

Chen Siyao looked at the word "okay" and smiled meaningfully. Jingwen, you replied instantly! How long have you been waiting?

On Sunday afternoon, Song Xinxue patrolled the community garden. This is her daily work: checking the greenery, facilities, and sanitation, greeting residents, and handling minor issues.

When she walked to the garden downstairs in Building B, she ran into Fan Hai.

"Xinxue!" Fan Hai, dressed casually, smiled broadly. "What a coincidence."

Song Xinxue nodded politely: "Hello, Mr. Fan."

"Don't call me Mr. Fan, just call me Fan Hai." Fan Hai walked alongside her. "Working on weekends? Your property management is working too hard."

"It's necessary for work."

Fan Hai's gaze lingered on her face: "By the way, there's a cocktail party tonight, mostly attended by business people from Shenzhen. I need a female companion, are you free?"

Song Xinxue shook her head: "I'm sorry, I have to work tonight."

"On duty again?" Fan Hai laughed. "Does your property management staff have staff on duty every day on weekends?"

Song Xinxue didn't reply. She quickened her pace, wanting to end the conversation as soon as possible. But Fan Hai followed her, showing no intention of leaving.

"Xinxue, are you avoiding me?" he suddenly asked.

Song Xinxue stopped and turned to look at him: "Mr. Fan, I'm just a property manager, and you're the homeowner. We don't need to have any interaction outside of work."

Fan Hai paused for a moment, then laughed: "What's wrong with catching up with old classmates?"

Song Xinxue looked at him and said seriously, "Fan Hai, we weren't close in college, and we still aren't. Let's leave it at that."

She turned and left quickly.

Fan Hai stood there, his smile gradually fading. He watched Song Xinxue's figure disappear around the corner of the garden, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

Not familiar? We'll get to know each other soon. He took out his phone and sent a message to his assistant: "Who's the head of the property management department at Baotiancheng? Let's meet up for dinner."

After finishing her work, Cai Jingwen leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples.

The situation at the Pengcheng branch was even worse than expected—team morale was low, distributors were leaving in large numbers, and competitors were closing in. A thick stack of reports lay on her desk, each page displaying a shocking downward curve.

Li Li pushed open the door and came in, carrying two cups of coffee: "Take a break, you've been looking at things all afternoon."

Cai Jingwen took the coffee, took a sip, and frowned at the bitterness.

"Are you nervous about having dinner at Master Chen's house tomorrow?" Li Li sat across from her, smiling as she looked at her.

Cai Jingwen glared at her: "What's there to be nervous about?"

"Then why were you looking in the mirror just now?"