Six Years Later.
At noon, Huo Youqing had a lunch meeting with a business partner, so he headed downstairs a little earlier. In just a few minutes, it started raining outside. His driver had gone to get the car, so he waited by the entrance.
The rain was light, but some droplets landed on his face. He lifted his hand and gently wiped them away as his thoughts drifted.
Time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye, it had been six years.
When was the last time he went back to his twenty-seven-year-old self? It seemed like years ago. He had attended his cousin’s wedding, and after that, the time travel stopped, leaving him in his eighteen-year-old timeline.
After graduating from university, he joined his family’s subsidiary as a general manager. His cousin was on a business trip last week and hadn’t returned yet. His uncle had shifted the business focus entirely to the domestic market. Now, the family lived a peaceful life, though there was constant pressure for him to get married.
Huo Youqing glanced at the rain outside and suddenly had the urge to smoke. Over the past six years, he had picked up the habit, though his addiction wasn’t severe. He usually smoked during business negotiations or when he was particularly stressed.
As he searched his pockets for cigarettes, something caught his eye—someone running towards him. At first, it was just a fleeting glance, but when he finally recognized the person, it was as though time and the rain both came to a halt.
Everything around him became a vague, blurry backdrop, while the person running toward him was startlingly vivid.
A person who had vanished without a trace for six years suddenly appeared before him. Huo Youqing was momentarily stunned but quickly turned his face away. After years of navigating the complexities of society, concealing his emotions had become second nature. He pretended not to notice the person, but it seemed the air had a mind of its own.
The figure got closer.
Huo Youqing considered stepping aside, but would that show he cared too much?
Caught in hesitation, he decided to stay put.
Suddenly, he recalled something from long ago. Back then, he had no memory of the nine years and had been tricked by Dai Yixin into thinking he had truly hurt him. He had even gone out of his way to arrange an appointment with a psychologist for Dai Yixin. On that day, too, Dai Yixin had run through the rain to meet him, just like this.
The rain soaked his thick lashes, making his amber eyes appear particularly clear. With each subtle movement, they shimmered like glass lamps lit by soft light.
As Huo Youqing regained his composure, he couldn’t help but find the situation bizarre. In the six years since, he had heard very little about the Dai family. At first, Dai Yuan sent him messages, but eventually, those stopped. Maybe it was because Huo Youqing never responded, or perhaps Dai Yuan became too busy. Either way, the messages had ceased.
Huo Youqing didn’t mind. In fact, he found it freeing. Dai Yuan’s interest in him had always stemmed from Dai Yixin. Naturally, as Dai Yixin disappeared, Dai Yuan’s desire to pursue him had also faded.
But now, Dai Yixin had reappeared.
Huo Youqing wasn’t sure whether to greet him, but with what reason? There was a strange anger bubbling up inside—anger at this sudden reunion.
So, out of anger, he decided not to speak.
They were never friends, anyway.
Remaining silent only made the surroundings quieter, leaving nothing but the constant patter of rain.
No, there was something else—the sound of a heartbeat.
Huo Youqing realized it wasn’t his own heartbeat and couldn’t help but turn his head in surprise. Earlier, it had been just a glance, but now he could clearly see the man standing beside him.
He was impeccably dressed in a white shirt and suit pants. The first button was undone, making his Adam’s apple more prominent. As Huo Youqing turned his head, he saw that Adam’s apple move, and a drop of rain slipped down the smooth skin, disappearing into his collar. He paused, his gaze shifting away as his expression gradually grew cold.
The car had arrived.
Huo Youqing stepped under the driver’s umbrella and got into the car as if nothing had happened.
The driver had noticed the man standing unusually close to his boss, but since he was working, he only glanced at him briefly.
The man was strikingly handsome.
“Mr. Huo, do you know the gentleman from earlier?” the driver asked.
Huo Youqing had his eyes closed but opened them briefly upon hearing the question, only to close them again shortly after. He gave a noncommittal response, “Not really.”
The driver wasn’t sure what he meant, but seeing that his boss didn’t want to discuss it further, he dropped the topic. Huo Youqing, seated in the back, found his mind wandering. He should have been using the car ride to review the partnership proposal, but this unexpected encounter on a rainy day had unsettled his thoughts.
Why did that person suddenly reappear?
Is he cured now?
***
A week later, his cousin was still out on a business trip. Huo Youqing was seated at his desk, listening to his assistant review the day’s schedule. When he heard that representatives from the partner company would be visiting today, he flipped through the materials, his long fingers pausing at a particular section.
“This company used to operate abroad. Why are they suddenly partnering with us?”
The assistant replied, “The company started looking for domestic partners two years ago. About a year ago, I accompanied President Ke to a gala where we met the vice president of this company. Many local companies were vying for the partnership, but the company has been conservative in their approach and only recently finalized a partner. President Ke reached a tentative agreement with their vice president a few months ago, and three days ago, he signed the contract.”
President Ke was his cousin.
After a brief moment of thought, Huo Youqing’s fingers slid to another line. “Is their vice president the one coming today?”
The assistant nodded and handed him a detailed profile of the vice president, which included everything from their educational background to personal preferences.
It was a foreigner.
After taking some time to read through the entire document, the external line rang to inform him that the representatives had arrived.
Since the visiting partner was quite influential, Huo Youqing stood up to greet them personally. But as he saw the group led in by his assistant, he paused.
After a moment, he glanced at his assistant.
The assistant, noticing the person leading the group, uncharacteristically showed a flustered expression. The assistant had always been top-notch, a graduate of a top 10 university, and had never made a mistake since working with Huo Youqing. But today, he had made a basic error.
The person sent by the partner company wasn’t the vice president.
Worse still, the assistant had no idea who the person was.
As the assistant panicked over the mistake, he watched his boss step forward and extend his hand. “President Dai, hello.”
Huh?
How did the boss know this person?
Huo Youqing had just finished drinking coffee, and his hand, slightly reddened from the warmth of the cup, had faint imprints resembling butterflies. A pair of amber eyes glanced up at him, and then a cold, pale hand grasped the butterfly.
The young, handsome Mr. Dai said, “Hello, I’m Dai Yixin.”
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