Once inside, Zhou Yanjing settled into the plush, black leather seat, crossing his legs. The spacious interior of the extended-wheelbase car left an unbreachable gulf of social distance between them. The silence was glacial. Unsure if the divorce had come up during his talk with his mother in the study, Lin Yuxi sat in silence for a moment before turning to him. “Did your mother say anything to you?” Zhou Yanjing’s gaze slid sideways to meet hers, his expression impassive. “About what?” Apparently not. Lin Yuxi twisted the fingers of her right hand, pausing for several seconds before speaking. “In one more month…” She had barely begun when Zhou Yanjing’s phone rang. His gaze drifted slowly from her as he took the call. She couldn’t tell who was on the line; his answers were brief. His eyes fixed on the view outside, the line of his jaw exuding a cool, cutting indifference. After hanging up, Zhou Yanjing told the driver to pull over. As the car came to a stop, she heard his detached voice. “Get out. I have something to take care of. Another car will be here to pick you up shortly.” Lin Yuxi asked without thinking, “Where are you going this late?” At her question, Zhou Yanjing’s eyelids lifted. His gaze, heavy with an unreadable meaning, swept across her face before the corner of his mouth twisted into a cold smirk. “That’s overstepping, Mrs. Zhou.” The words hit her like a bucket of ice water, drenching her in a bone-deep chill. Her fingers curled slightly. In silence, she opened the car door and got out. The Bentley pulled away, and soon, the vast, empty late-night road was left with nothing but the high, yellow glow of streetlights. They were spaced far apart, casting a dim, hazy light into the oppressive darkness. They were still some distance from the city proper, a desolate stretch with nothing around. The wind was picking up, rustling noisily through the treetops. Lin Yuxi had forgotten her scarf. The cold wind bit at her neck, seeping through the weave of her sweater and into her bones. She booked a car on her phone and was gone as soon as it arrived. When Lin Yuxi got home, Chen Sao was already back. The housekeeper bustled over to hand her a pair of slippers, her eyes darting past her toward the door. “Ma’am, did the Second Young Master not come back with you?” “He didn’t.” Lin Yuxi changed her shoes and was about to head upstairs when she remembered something. She led Chen Sao to the room where the cats were kept and explained how to care for them. The room was filled with cat supplies: an automatic feeder, a self-cleaning litter box, and something that looked like a tree. Chen Sao’s eyes widened in amazement. “The Second Young Master won’t be happy about you keeping so many cats, will he?” “Just keep the door shut and don’t let them out,” Lin Yuxi said. “If he’s not happy, he’s not happy. In the adult world, you can’t expect him to be happy every second of the day.” Lin Yuxi used to be so agreeable. Perhaps she was still holding a grudge over the last incident. Chastened, Chen Sao fell silent. Zhou Yanjing didn't come home that night. Nor for the next several days. If his face weren’t plastered across every media outlet daily, Lin Yuxi might have suspected he’d accidentally dropped dead somewhere. Though he had only been back in the country for a few days, Zhou Yanjing had already sent tremors through the financial world. Everyone was speculating about the purpose of this Wall Street wunderkind’s return. [BOYU’S SPECTACULAR RETURN SHAKES UP THE DOMESTIC INVESTMENT BANKING SCENE] [INSIDER SCOOP: ZHOU QIZHEN TO STEP DOWN AS HENGTAI BANK PRESIDENT. IS THE SECOND SON’S LOW-KEY RETURN A BID FOR THE FAMILY EMPIRE?] Even the young nurses and doctors in Lin Yuxi’s department were gossiping about it over lunch. “I had no idea the Zhou family’s second son was so handsome. Good-looking and brilliant, my god, I’m in love!” “As if you’d have a chance,” Su Cheng said. “He’s been married for ages.” “Really? He got married so young?” “Of course! I’ve seen him in person—way more handsome than in the photos. The wedding he and his wife had was a massive affair. You guys really don’t know about it?” Su Cheng’s tone implied a close acquaintance with Zhou Yanjing. Lin Yuxi glanced up at her. Although they had started at the same hospital in the same department in the same year, Su Cheng had always been antagonistic toward her. Besides, when Lin Yuxi and Zhou Yanjing got married, she was still in graduate school and hadn't started working at the hospital. She had no family of her own to speak of; the only guest from the bride’s side had been Yu Jiaxiao. “You guys can’t tell me you haven’t seen that iconic photo,” Su Cheng said. “The one from their wedding, when they were exchanging rings. The bride, with that hazy veil, her side profile… the whole vibe of it was, I’m telling you, absolutely breathtaking!” “Here, here, I’ll find it for you.” She dug up the photo from an old news article online, and a few of them huddled together, chattering. “You can’t see her face clearly, but you can tell from her bone structure she’s a total beauty!” “I’d kill to know who she is.” “Hey, Dr. Lin, that side profile looks a bit like you.” Lin Yuxi’s expression didn’t flicker. “You must be mistaken.” “Oh, please.” Su Cheng rolled her eyes. “As if she’d be that lucky. Marrying into a family like that?” Not a ripple of emotion crossed Lin Yuxi’s face. “And how do you know I’m not that lucky?” Just as Su Cheng was about to retort, a nurse slapped her thigh decisively. “With Dr. Lin’s face and professional skills? Marrying into a rich family would be so easy!” Su Cheng scoffed. “It’s been two years. Have any of you ever seen her husband? If she really married into money, don’t you think she’d show him off by now?” “That’s true, Dr. Lin. When are you going to bring your husband around for us to meet?” Lin Yuxi set down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth. “It was a posthumous marriage. I’m afraid bringing him out might scare you.” “…” Without another word, she picked up her tray and left, leaving a table of stunned faces behind her. That evening when Lin Yuxi got off work, Chen Sao had already prepared dinner. The table was laden with a lavish spread, though it included many things Lin Yuxi disliked, such as eggplant and bamboo shoots. When Lin Yuxi suggested she cook less, Chen Sao argued, “You may not eat it, but the Second Young Master will.” “He can’t eat twelve dishes by himself.” Lin Yuxi was, by nature, a person of great patience. She was the type to repay a small kindness tenfold. She loathed conflict and would tolerate almost anything, as long as a line wasn’t crossed. But once she closed her heart to someone, it rarely opened again. “I’m not asking you to be frugal, but don’t be so wasteful.” Chen Sao muttered under her breath, “This is all the Second Young Master’s money. It’s for him, so how is it a waste?” Lin Yuxi continued eating at a leisurely pace. “My hearing is fine. If you’re going to mumble, please do it from farther away.” Chen Sao shut her mouth. As she was finishing her meal, Zhou Yanjing still hadn’t returned. Chen Sao, who had glanced at the door several times, couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you going to call the Second Young Master? It’s been days. Isn’t he coming home tonight?” Lin Yuxi replied, “If you miss him so much, why don’t you call him yourself?” Chen Sao’s expression turned awkward. “That’s not what I meant…” Suddenly, the sound of a car pulled into the courtyard. Chen Sao’s face lit up. “Is the Second Young Master back?” She hurried to open the door, and Lin Yuxi’s gaze followed her. When the door opened, it was the driver, Old Liu, holding a cardboard box. He called out to Lin Yuxi from a distance, “Ma’am. The Second Young Master asked me to return the things you left in the car the other day.” “Just leave it there.” Old Liu placed the box by the entrance without coming inside. As he was about to turn and leave, Lin Yuxi called out, “Where has he been staying these past few days?”