"What? What are you talking about?" Zhouzhou grabbed Zhao Yu’s arm, her voice buzzing with excitement as if she’d just heard the secret of the century. "Isn't the big boss at Ji Corporation supposed to be uninterested in women? He actually has an old flame? And it's our company's incoming CEO?" Zhao Yu laughed, patting Zhouzhou's hand. "You're so out of the loop. How do you expect to survive in the President's Office if you don't even know the gossip from the elite circles?" Zhouzhou immediately tugged on Zhao Yu's sleeve, wheedling, "Come on, Yu, you have to tell me! I'm begging you!" Only then did Zhao Yu lower her voice. "President Ji and our chairman's daughter were childhood sweethearts. Rumor has it that five years ago, President Ji proposed to Miss Ning. But Miss Ning turned him down to focus on her studies. They had a falling out over it and haven't spoken in five years. But as soon as she returned to the country, President Ji himself went to the airport to pick her up. That alone tells you how deep his feelings for our new CEO run." Zhouzhou clapped a hand over her mouth, her round eyes wide with excitement. "Oh my god! This is straight out of a romance novel!" Shu Wan’s breath caught in her throat, the color draining from her face. So that was why. He had ended their arrangement because his old flame was back. But if he already had someone he loved, why had he bought her for a night five years ago without a second thought? Why, after that one night, had he forced her into a contract as his mistress? And why, every time he touched her, did he seem to lose all control, his passion bordering on frenzy? She could hardly believe it. Just as she was about to ask Zhao Yu where she'd heard this gossip, the doors to the president’s private elevator slid open. Xu Han, the chairman's special assistant, stepped out first, followed by several department heads. They bowed slightly, gesturing toward the person still inside. "President Ji, President Ning, this is the executive office area. Please, this way." As he finished speaking, a man in an expensive, tailored suit emerged, exuding an aura of pure ice. His features were sharp and defined, devastatingly handsome. With a tall, slender build and a refined, cool temperament, he was like a nobleman stepping out of a painting—a perfect embodiment of grace and aloofness that dared anyone to meet his gaze. Shu Wan recognized Ji Sihan instantly. Her heart clenched. What was he doing here at Yinghua International? As the question raced through her mind, she saw Ji Sihan turn slightly and extend a well-defined hand back into the elevator. A moment later, a delicate, pale hand rested in his palm. His fingers closed around it, and he gently drew the woman out. The moment Shu Wan saw the woman's face, everything clicked into place. She finally understood why Ji Sihan had been willing to buy her for a night. She looked like his old flame. Not identical, but there was a definite resemblance in her eyes, the set of her brows. But even that slight similarity was enough for the devastating truth to crash down on her. She had once dared to think that Ji Sihan might have felt something for her. She never imagined she was just a substitute. A sudden, sharp pain lanced through her heart. It was followed by a wave of anguish so intense it stole the breath from her lungs, leaving her face ashen. Seeing her expression, Zhouzhou leaned in, concerned. "Wanwan, what's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" Shu Wan could only shake her head. Zhouzhou started to say something else, but by then, Xu Han was leading the pair toward them. Shu Wan quickly lowered her gaze, not daring to look at them, but the hand resting on her keyboard began to tremble uncontrollably. Xu Han made the introductions. "This is the President's Office, and these are the executive assistants. President Ning, if you need anything at all, they will be here to help you." President Ning nodded and addressed them with a gentle voice. "Good morning, everyone. I am your new CEO. My name is Ning Wan." Ning Wan… The name struck Shu Wan like a physical blow, chasing the last bit of color from her cheeks. Images flashed through her mind—of Ji Sihan holding her, their bodies tangled together in the sheets, locked in a desperate embrace. In those moments, lost in passion, Ji Sihan would always whisper her name in her ear: *Wanwan*. Only now did she understand. He hadn't been calling for Wanwan. He had been calling for *Wanwan*… Shu Wan's hands clenched into fists, her long nails digging so deep into her palms that they should have hurt, but she felt nothing. A suffocating sense of being used and discarded washed over her, and her eyes began to burn with unshed tears. What a fool she'd been. A complete fool to fall so recklessly in love with him, all because of the rare moments of tenderness he’d shown her.