"I'm one of a kind"

Just then, Zuo Tingyue finished talking with the group of senior business figures.

He rose and walked over to Xun Yuan. Seeing not a single fish beside her, he asked, amusement in his voice, "Done fishing?"

Xun Yuan confirmed, "Yes, I'm done."

Zuo Tingyue's thin lips moved slightly, his manner casual yet indulgent. "What do you want to do?"

Xun Yuan made her request. "I want to go diving."

"I want to see red coral on the seabed. Not the small ones."

Zuo Tingyue's eyes were cool, but a faint smile tugged at his lips. He said quietly, "Sure. I'll take you when we're back in Harbor City."

Xun Yuan looked up at him. Seeing his unchanged expression and the resolve in his eyes, she caught his hand, wanting to ask, "Why can't we go diving?"

Zuo Tingyue chuckled, his manner leisurely and composed.

"Work it out yourself."

Xun Yuan really did try to work it out herself, wondering why he was so categorical.

She couldn't figure it out. In the end, Special Assistant Lin quietly said from beside her, "The forecast says it'll rain tonight."

"Oh," Xun Yuan said. Remembering her rashness the night before, her thoughts rose and fell.

How should she put it?

Of all nights, lightning had flashed and thunder had rolled last night. Of all moments, he had appeared then without warning, disturbing the stillness in her heart. She had clearly weathered all these years alone. She had been strong.

Yet she still couldn't help feeling safe.

Perhaps people grew used to holding themselves up when they had nothing, but once they had someone to lean on, they inevitably revealed their vulnerable side.

So be it, so be it.

Let things take their course. Let them be.

As Xun Yuan was leaving, she passed Zuo Tingyue and took his hand. His hand was broad and strong, his palm dry and warm. She wanted to keep holding it.

Sure enough, halfway back, heavy rain began pouring from the sky, torrents washing down and blurring the windshield.

Seemingly casually, Xun Yuan asked, "When will the acquisition be finished?"

Zuo Tingyue's low voice sounded slowly. "The day after tomorrow."

"Getting bored?"

Xun Yuan shook her head. "Yun Tang lost money and asked me to play cards at the clubhouse."

Zuo Tingyue's thin lips curved upward, his tone playful. "She certainly likes you."

Xun Yuan smiled. "Yun Tang is straightforward. Her family raised her like a precious jewel."

His lips curled into a smile, his tone casual. "And you're not precious?"

Xun Yuan smiled too, a serious, certain light moving in her eyes as she said, one word at a time:

"I'm one of a kind."

Zuo Tingyue paused, then slowly broke into a smile. He glanced at the unruffled Xun Yuan, watching her with smiling eyes. "So proud, Xun Yuan."

Xun Yuan pressed her lips together in a smile and said nothing.

The next day.

While scrolling on her phone, Xun Yuan saw a scandal breaking on Shen City's local news. Members of Leap's board had solicited prostitutes late at night and happened to run into the police cracking down on prostitution and organized crime. As the story spread, condemnation flooded the internet, and Leap's stock price plummeted.

Later, Xun Yuan heard that Leap had contacted Special Assistant Lin and agreed to the acquisition. She also heard the crown prince sneer with utter coldness, "A bolt at the end of its flight. What right do they have to negotiate terms?"

The following day, Xun Yuan returned to Harbor City with Zuo Tingyue, leaving the acquisition team behind to handle the remaining matters.

Back in Repulse Bay, Xun Yuan opened her computer and looked at the emails piled up in her inbox. Fortunately, her special assistant was capable enough that she didn't have to keep an eye on things every moment.

Opening the files, Xun Yuan replied to the emails one by one. By the time she finished, her neck was a little stiff.

A message from Special Assistant Cheng arrived on her phone.

"Boss, when are you coming back to headquarters?"

Xun Yuan: "I'm not."

Cheng Yuan: "...I want a raise."

Xun Yuan raised her brows slightly. She had only just praised herself for having such a capable, worry-free special assistant.

Cheng Yuan: "'Cheng Yuan' recalled a message."

Xun Yuan: "Don't send me any files unless they're necessary."

Far away overseas, Cheng Yuan's face darkened the moment he saw his boss's message. He wanted to quit. He was doing the boss's work on a special assistant's salary.

After sending the message, Xun Yuan tossed her phone aside, not bothering about what was going through her subordinate's mind.

Xun Yuan had a polychrome relief of Bodhisattva Guanyin waiting on her hands. She hadn't touched it during her days away, so now that she was back, she seized the time to get on with its restoration.

She was very serious when she worked, fully absorbed. Restoring cultural relics was her hobby, and whenever she had the time and energy to spare, she was willing to do more.

From noon until seven in the evening, Xun Yuan spent seven hours working on the relief ornament. From cleaning it to drawing up a restoration plan, she handled every step with meticulous care.

Eventually, after holding the same position for so long, she noticed how badly her neck hurt. Only then was she forced to stop, massaging her neck and arms to ease the discomfort.

Her phone suddenly rang, and Xun Yuan swiped the screen to answer.

"Xunxun, want to come out and have some fun?"

Recognizing Yun Tang's voice, Xun Yuan asked, "Where? I haven't eaten yet."

"Perfect, neither have I. Let's eat at the ocean-view restaurant."

Xun Yuan nodded. "Okay."

Half an hour later, Xun Yuan met Yun Tang at the ocean-view restaurant.

Yun Tang had arrived first and chosen the window table with the best view. When she saw Xun Yuan arrive, she pushed the menu toward her.

"Xunxun, I ordered according to our tastes. See if you want to add anything else."

Xun Yuan took the menu and first looked at what had already been ordered. A few seconds later, she looked up. "This is enough, Tangtang."

"All right, then."

Handing the menu to the server, Yun Tang looked at Xun Yuan with smiling eyes and told her how everyone had been during her days away. "Xunxun, you didn't even come to see me after getting back. I missed you so much."

Xun Yuan smiled and looked at her, seeing through her and choosing to say so. "You want me to help you beat them, don't you?"

Yun Tang laughed and wheedled, "Don't expose me, Xunxun."

"Those young masters in Harbor City don't show a shred of mercy at the card table. Without you playing, I lost terribly."

"Do you have some trick to playing cards?"

Yun Tang asked quietly.

Xun Yuan tilted her head and genuinely thought about it, looking at Yun Tang.

Under her earnest, expectant gaze, she slowly said, "Does remembering the cards count?"

Yun Tang froze for a moment before she reacted, her face crumpling. "Are you having fun at my expense?"

"My brain can't handle that kind of delicate work."

A smile touched Xun Yuan's lips as she silently picked up the water beside her and drank.

The restaurant served the food quickly, and both women tucked into their meal. Now and then, Yun Tang talked a little about Jiang Yulin, Lou Jing, and their crowd, and asked how Xun Yuan was doing.

After the meal, Xun Yuan looked at Yun Tang and suddenly called her name, her voice gentle. "Tangtang."

"If you need my help, just say so."

Yun Tang stiffened for an instant, then raised her head and looked at Xun Yuan, a faint sadness in her eyes.

"You noticed?" she said hoarsely.

Xun Yuan looked at her gently, her eyes full of acceptance. "You haven't sounded like yourself tonight. I know you fairly well."

Yun Tang seemed to deflate all at once, her shoulders slumping. She didn't cry, only said, "My family's pushing me to get married. They've found someone for a marriage alliance."

"I feel like I'm still young, and I don't want to think about any of this. My family says we can meet first and start getting to know each other."

Xun Yuan's expression shifted slightly. She only asked, "What do you think?"

Yun Tang: "I don't want to go."

Xun Yuan: "Then find a way to turn it down."