Chu Mengyao lay in bed, her expression numb, tear stains still moist on her cheeks, sadness enveloping her.
"Bad person, where are you? Come back to me quickly." Chu Mengyao murmured between sobs, holding her phone. She sent message after message, but Ye Fan’s phone was off. Unable to reach him, she stubbornly sent texts urging Ye Fan to show up soon.
During this time, her parents had called too, but she hung up without answering and didn’t even look at their messages of concern.
All she wanted now was to hear from Ye Fan; her parents’ comfort, she did not care about.
She couldn’t connect to Ye Fan, yet she dialed again and again.
Her phone rang once more, this time it was a call from Zhao Shiyan. After a moment of hesitation, she answered, sounding dejected, "Hello, Shiyan, what’s up? What made you think of calling me?"
Zhao Shiyan’s caring voice came through, "Mengyao, what’s wrong? Do you have a cold?"
Zhao Shiyan didn’t know what had happened to Chu Mengyao, but upon hearing her hoarse voice, she immediately expressed her heartfelt concern.
"It’s nothing." Chu Mengyao adjusted her mood slightly and spoke more calmly.
"If you’re sick, take some medicine, drink some water, and take care of yourself." Zhao Shiyan said warmly.
"Oh, I got it. Do you have anything else? If not, I’m going to hang up because I have things to do and can’t chat for long." Chu Mengyao didn’t want to talk much; her voice was unusually low.
"Wait a moment." Zhao Shiyan hurriedly said, then hesitated, caught in indecision.
"What is it?" Chu Mengyao asked patiently.
"Well, do you have Ye Fan’s phone number? If convenient, could you share it with me? Please don’t overthink it, I’m just trying to express my gratitude, you know. If it weren’t for Ye Fan at the birthday party, I might not be here today."
Zhao Shiyan finally revealed her motive. Whether it was the heartbeat during their dance or the soul-stirring moment when Ye Fan saved her, she couldn’t forget that figure. She knew Chu Mengyao’s relationship with Ye Fan was special, but she still couldn’t resist asking for Ye Fan’s contact info, hoping to deepen her understanding of him.
She knew it wasn’t appropriate to ask , but confined as she was now, she had no choice but to ask Chu Mengyao. Given the chance privately, she would have directly asked Ye Fan for the number, but since that wasn’t possible, she could only opt for this route.
"Ye Fan left my villa. I can’t find him either. That’s all, bye." Chu Mengyao, in a foul mood, hung up.
On the other end, Zhao Shiyan was stunned and thought to herself in secret: "Mengyao seems a bit off; is it because she sensed ulterior motives or simply doesn’t want to tell me Ye Fan’s number? Ye Fan left, really?"
Not daring to press the issue further, Zhao Shiyan reluctantly gave up.
Soon after, a call from Shen Yahut came in.
"Hello, what’s up?" Chu Mengyao asked listlessly.
"President, you know Zhao Shiyan’s father is engaged in a research project heavily supported by the government, right? Zhang Lu wants to hand this case over to our Chu Group, and we can take a five percent share of the profits. It’s a sure-win deal because the majority of the gains are on the state’s side, and even that five percent is astronomical. Zhang Lu wants to discuss specific details with you in person, including some confidential documents, and we’re both at the villa’s door. President, please open the door for us."
Shen Yahut noticed the President sounded a bit down but didn’t overthink it. She was surrounded by joy, knowing the Chu Group, despite being a listed company, was still a small fry compared to the world’s top 500 companies and financial giants. Business advancement was incredibly challenging, but the opportunity Zhang Lu presented made even those with financial power envious. Collaborating with the government promised immense benefits and green lights from related departments for the Chu Group in the future. Such a condition was tempting, not to mention the massive underlying profits.
Chu Mengyao, however, was absent-minded, unfazed by the business opportunity Shen Yahut mentioned. To her, nothing compared to the disappointment and loneliness caused by Ye Fan’s disappearance.
Since the two were at the door, Chu Mengyao had no choice but to go downstairs and open it.
When Zhang Lu and Shen Yahut saw Chu Mengyao’s haggard appearance, they were both taken aback.
"This is the renowned strong woman, envied by many successful men. What could possibly have struck her ?" Zhang Lu’s eyes showed amazement.
"President, what’s happened to you? Your hair is all messy, and your eyes are swollen from crying." Shen Yahut’s heart ached as she showed concern.
As the President’s secretary, Shen Yahut knew the President well. Not to say she wouldn’t cry, but she didn’t even know what crying was. However, the President’s current state had frightened Shen Yahut.
"It’s nothing, just sit anywhere." Chu Mengyao sat on the sofa like a living corpse, not bothering to entertain the two women.
The two women looked at Chu Mengyao curiously and had to tend to themselves. Zhang Lu sat down casually, while Shen Yahut came over to Chu Mengyao’s side, unsure of what to say. The President had always been strong-willed, and now seeing her so haggard left Shen Yahut indecisive. Despite wanting to offer words of comfort, she didn’t know how to begin. After hesitating for a while, she finally spoke, "President."
"Huh?" Chu Mengyao lifted her head blankly, her eyes filled with desolation.
"What happened to you? You look so frightening and make people feel distressed." Shen Yahut said, her heart aching.
"My mom kicked Ye Fan out of the villa, and I don’t know where he went. I had a fight with my mom, so I’m not feeling great." Chu Mengyao offered a bland explanation.
"What? How could that happen?" Shen Yahut was stunned.
"This is clearly despair, fearing Ye Fan won’t come back." Zhang Lu quickly analyzed. She had set a prerequisite for her project for the Chu Group—the involvement of Ye Fan. If Ye Fan was unavailable, she would not proceed with the partnership.
Zhang Lu had met Chu Mengyao a few times and even suffered losses at her hands. Even though she couldn’t be happy seeing Chu Mengyao , she was left surprised and doubtful, never expecting such a vulnerable side to the distinguished businesswoman famed across Huaxia.
"President Chu, even if lovers part, they would still meet to clarify things. If Ye Fan was merely kicked out by your mother, based on my limited understanding of him, he wouldn’t leave without a word. I think he just went out to calm down and avoid your mother for a bit. He’ll surely come back soon. Even if he were to leave for good, he would explain it clearly. Are you worried that Ye Fan would disappear without a trace? I believe you’re overthinking it. Normally, you’re so intelligent, how can you get stuck in such a rut?" Zhang Lu’s rational analysis aimed to best comfort Chu Mengyao.
"Really?" Chu Mengyao’s eyes brightened as she started to ponder.