"I..."
Shen Yi's hand hovered mid-air, his words trailing off.
He was sweating.
Of course, Shen Yi was a hundred percent willing—but bigamy was illegal.
Cheng Jun stood up, her eyes gleaming with hope and longing as she faced him.
"You’re willing, aren’t you?!"
"As long as you marry me, I’ll do anything."
"I won’t dwell on your past with them. I promise I’ll love you more than they ever could!"
Her expression was resolute, as if she were the sole performer under a grand spotlight.
Whatever Fu Nanzhi and Shu Yunyi could offer, she could match—no, surpass.
"Houses, cars, savings—you don’t need to worry about any of it. We’ll have everything."
"My father has no other children. Once he’s gone, Tiancheng Group will be yours—and so will I."
Cheng Jun murmured dreamily, clutching Shen Yi’s hand.
"Zhuyun!"
Shen Yi shook her hand, but she kept talking, lost in her own fervor.
"I won’t make things difficult for you with Nanzhi and Yunyi. We can leave this place forever, never come back."
"How about living abroad? We’ll bring your parents too."
"We’ll go somewhere no one knows us—just you and me."
"I’ll give up everything... as long as I have you."
She poured out her heart, yet it still didn’t feel like enough. Desperately, she searched for anything of value to throw onto an invisible scale.
"Cheng Jun!"
Shen Yi pried her hand away and raised his voice.
"Calm down!"
Her gaze sharpened instantly, locking onto his face as she waited for his answer.
Shen Yi paused, then spoke solemnly:
"Having you would be my greatest fortune. Of course I’m willing."
Cheng Jun’s eyes flickered—but she knew there was more.
"But..."
Shen Yi continued,
"But you know Nanzhi and Yunyi have also shared dreams with me..."
Cheng Jun’s enthusiasm drained away. She raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Stop."
"I know your answer."
She had charged forward with the resolve of a soldier marching to their death—and now, she accepted the outcome.
Cheng Jun understood Shen Yi’s dilemma, but she refused to accept it. Love, after all, was selfish.
Her first vow had always been never to settle—then and now.
Over the past six months, she’d gradually seen the truth. Everything she’d done was just a last, desperate struggle.
Love couldn’t be won by waiting.
Calmly, Cheng Jun stood and walked to the table to gather her bag.
Shen Yi followed, scrambling to explain:
"I know you don’t want to hear it, but this is the reality. You’re smart—you figured out this secret yourself."
Cheng Jun kept her head down as she slipped on her shoes, ignoring him.
‘Turns out, love that’s too obvious only pushes people further away.’
That damned dream had bound them all together—bringing them closer yet torturing them in equal measure.
If she could, she’d erase that dream entirely. Maybe then, they could’ve met as strangers or drifted apart peacefully.
Once her shoes were on, she grabbed her bag and headed for the door.
Shen Yi blocked her path. Her emotions were too volatile—he couldn’t let her leave like this.
"Zhuyun."
Cheng Jun paused by the door, staring at the arm barring her way.
She placed her hand over his and whispered:
"Time’s up. I have to go. Nanzhi will be here soon."
"I can’t take her time."
Then, without hesitation, she pushed Shen Yi’s arm aside and stepped out.
[Your passive response left Cheng Jun disappointed. Her heart grew cold, and she ignored you for days.]
[Every message you sent vanished into the void.]
Outside the simulation, Shen Yi—seated on the sofa—took a deep breath.
It was easier to see clearly from a distance.
From this god’s-eye view, the situation was a dead end.
Choosing to do nothing had its perks. It smoothed over conflicts, letting the three women coexist—if not harmoniously, then at least without open hostility.
But the cost was complacency. He’d shirked responsibility, expecting them to resolve things on their own while he avoided taking action.
Love, at some point, demands an answer—just like Cheng Jun had moments ago.
Fu Nanzhi and Shu Yunyi weren’t rushing for a resolution because they’d seen the future. Cheng Jun, however, couldn’t afford to wait.
"Sigh."
Shen Yi noted this segment, exhaled heavily, and kept reading.
[Several uneventful days passed. When the next rotation day arrived, Cheng Jun still didn’t show.]
[Assuming she was still upset, you called—only for her to hang up immediately. After several persistent attempts, all you got was a busy tone.]
[You went to Tiancheng Group but were told she was on leave.]
[With no other options, you decided to visit her parents’ home.]
[Cheng Tianwei received you. He seemed to be holding back anger, calmly informing you Cheng Jun wasn’t there.]
[You pressed further until his patience snapped. His only reply: "She doesn’t want to see you."]
[Unsatisfied, you pleaded your case, arguing passionately.]
[Cheng Tianwei shook his head, spat out a single "Get out," and you were thrown out.]
[In the days that followed, you ignored everything else, obsessively messaging Cheng Jun and redialing that eternally busy number.]
[You searched the world for her, but she’d vanished without a trace.]
[Later, through Fu Nanzhi’s connections, you heard an unverified rumor: Cheng Jun might’ve gone abroad. No further details surfaced.]
[You wallowed in heartache for a long time.]
[Eventually, with Fu Nanzhi and Shu Yunyi’s care, you moved on.]
[Yet in the quiet of night, her mark remained—unfaded by time, only growing sharper with the years.]
[A year later, Shu Yunyi became pregnant as planned.]
[You accompanied her to prenatal checkups. You’d done all you could; the rest was up to fate.]
[Fu Nanzhi heard the news, her face falling with envy. She stared at her own belly, sighing all night.]
[You comforted her, but she just kept touching her stomach, lost in longing.]
[Ten months later, a baby girl was born.]
[Without hesitation, you named her—Jin Yao.]