In the office, by the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Chen Yuan leaned back in his executive chair and stared blankly out the window. He watched the stream of traffic flowing below, the sunlight glinting off the cars’ roofs and the nearby skyscrapers.

He was in one of the highest spots in the city, which afforded him this magnificent view.

In fact, the view would be even more beautiful at night, with all the dazzling city lights.

Chen Yuan wasn’t without work to do; Jiangg Ning had organized a pile of documents for him to review and sign. But for some reason, Chen Yuan just wanted to lean back in his chair and be lazy for a while.

Since Jiangg Ning had arrived early, she’d been busy all morning. She started by tidying up the messy desk until it was spotless, then had housekeeping come up for a thorough cleaning. She’d probably planned all this out the day before yesterday. By the time Chen Yuan got to the office, all the important documents had been tagged and sorted by department.

But now, she was gone.

When Chen Yuan first started, despite being the chairman, he still had to tag along on important projects and inspect work sites. He didn’t know the ropes, so he had to learn from experienced colleagues to integrate more quickly. So it went without saying that Jiangg Ning, newly appointed as the chairman’s secretary, would have to do the same.

She had gone to Lanjing North with some colleagues to inspect a project inside a new Lanjing high-rise. It was supposedly a very promising specialty brand sales project for mothers, infants, and women.

With Jiangg Ning gone, Chen Yuan had no heart to continue working. He sat by himself for a while and began to space out.

He held his phone in his hand.

’Should I add Ke Bing’s contact info or not? And whether I should tell the sisters is another problem. If I hadn’t added her before, that would be one thing. But if Yaoyao was the one who deleted her, wouldn’t adding her back be walking right into the line of fire? What if I tell them and they don’t agree... Should I just ignore Ke Bing wishing me a happy birthday?’

’She meant well. Even if my reason is to keep a distance, it still seems a bit melodramatic and ungracious.’

’It’s just adding a contact, nothing’s going to happen. How could Rourou possibly have *those* kinds of feelings for me? Mom was just guessing wildly, and me thinking along those lines is just flattering myself... No. It doesn’t matter if she has feelings or not. Since I have girlfriends, I need to learn to say no to prevent any more trouble.’

A mess of thoughts tangled in Chen Yuan’s mind.

He kept picking up his phone and putting it down.

Managing relationships and maintaining the right distance with girls was a challenge that could stump any guy. For him, it was honestly harder than the math problems on his college entrance exams.

After a good while, Chen Yuan sighed, stood up, and moved closer to the floor-to-ceiling window.

His birthday was coming up. Today was supposed to be a happy day. From the bottom of his heart, Chen Yuan felt his current life was very fulfilling and happy, which was why he was afraid of anything happening to disrupt its tranquility.

He just desperately needed time to strengthen his bond with Ningning and Yaoyao. Only when they reached a point where they were truly inseparable could he naturally propose the idea of living together.

So, carefully maintaining the current balance was extremely important.

Chen Yuan considered himself very happy, and he meant it sincerely.

At his age, not only did he not have to worry about money, but he also had a direction to strive for. His studies were not a concern, his parents were healthy, and most importantly, he had the two sisters’ companionship.

Countless people in this city were scrambling to make a living, while he stood effortlessly in a spotless office. One should learn to be content, and he was very content.

Around this time last year, Chen Yuan was even worrying about whether he could get into Lanjing University. In the blink of an eye, almost a year had passed, and his life had changed dramatically, as if in a dream.

Tonight, he would turn nineteen, and he had two super cute girlfriends racking their brains to prepare a surprise for him.

Chen Yuan leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, suddenly scratching his hair. He took out his phone and quickly added the Green Bubble contact his mom had sent him.

’Now that I know my own heart, there’s no reason to hesitate anymore. It’s just facing an old flame. Why should I be timid? With Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao by my side, I know I’ve already cut ties with the past.’

’It’s just a simple farewell. What’s there to be afraid of telling the two sisters?’

’After some pleasantries, I’ll just lay it all out for them tonight.’

DING—

Who knows if Ke Bing had been staring at her phone all morning... The moment he sent the friend request, she accepted it.

Then, the status under her name changed to "Typing..."

...

cat (Ke Bing):

Young Master, getting your contact info is a real pain. I even had to go to your mom for it.

[Tired.jpg]

...

Chen Yuan was taken aback by the title. He liked it when Yaoyao called him Young Master, but that title belonged only to her. Hearing it from Ke Bing felt strange.

He then typed, "Just call me Yuan," and asked what she wanted.

Ke Bing asked if they could talk on the phone.

Chen Yuan hesitated, instinctively glancing at his office door. But he quickly realized he hadn’t done anything wrong, so what was there to feel guilty about!

He took a deep breath.

He made the Green Bubble call.

...

"Hello, Yuan?"

"It’s me, Rourou."

"Hey! After all that trouble, I finally got you added. You little rascal, why did you delete me before?"

"I don’t know. Maybe I didn’t save your name," Chen Yuan offered a plausible explanation. "So I’m not sure how you got deleted. Maybe it was an accident when I was clearing out other contacts."

"What? So I don’t even deserve to have my name saved now? Yuan, you’re breaking my heart."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan stiffened. He had no idea how to respond.

He could only fall silent.

"By the way, what did you need?" he asked after a moment, as if just remembering.

"I need your address! You didn’t forget to bring me a gift when you came to Sanya, so of course, I have to get you a birthday gift in return. Big sis here remembered your birthday, you know."

Ke Bing’s voice seemed to hold a smile, instantly reminding him of years ago, when she would always smile while ruffling his hair.

But that memory was ridiculously old now.

Chen Yuan wasn’t moved.

"Don’t trouble yourself. Last time, my mom scolded me for not going empty-handed, so I just bought a random gift. Forget about a return gift. Besides, it’s not convenient for me to accept it. My girlfriend would mind," he said coldly.

His words were very clear. Anyone with a shred of emotional intelligence would understand what he meant.

On the other end of the line, Ke Bing was clearly taken aback.

"Th-that... girlfriend. The one who came to Sanya with you last time... the older one?"

"Yes. Who else would it be?"

"You two are still together?"

Ke Bing’s question was a bit odd, tinged with surprise.

"We are. And a while ago my parents came over, and I had them... er, I had her meet them. My parents are very pleased," he said, almost letting it slip. Luckily, he corrected himself quickly.

"Your parents approve?" Ke Bing’s tone became even more incredulous.

"Of course. Her education, height, personality... they couldn’t be more satisfied."

"What about her age???"

"My parents said older is better. An older girl knows how to take care of someone."

"Uh... okay..."

Then, an awkward silence fell.

On both ends of the call, neither of them spoke. They were just bizarrely stuck in an awkward standoff.

Chen Yuan couldn’t figure out what Ke Bing was thinking. Her suddenly wanting to send a gift was completely out of the blue.

This unbearable silence lasted for a long time.

"Yuan, don’t blame your sis Rourou for being nosy. I advised you about dating back then. Of course, that’s no big deal since it’s not marriage, and dating in college is normal. But meeting the parents is a big step, not child’s play. How could you so easily... sigh. You should really think it through carefully."

"I’ve thought it through very clearly, Rourou. I like her a lot, so please don’t try to talk me out of this anymore... Let me be blunt: I’ll give up on anyone who tries to make me give up on her."

It was rare for Chen Yuan to say something with such unyielding firmness.

This was also the firmest conviction he had formed over this period of time.