On the day of graduation, I was dragged by my rich father to get the certificate

The rain in Haishi always comes suddenly.

Gu Wan—no, now she is Nangong Wan—stood in a coffee shop opposite the headquarters building of the Si Group, tapping the glass with her fingertips. The rain meandered down the French windows, blurring the outline of the towering building opposite, but it could not blur every detail in her memory.

Six years.

She took a sip of black coffee, and the bitterness spread on the tip of her tongue. Just like every bit of pain and every tear she swallowed in the past six years. On the ring finger of her left hand, she turned the plain ring around and around. This was the only thing she brought back from the past - the wedding ring she prepared when she proposed six years ago.

“Mom, when can we see Dad?”

Gu Wan seemed to hear her daughter's soft voice again. She closed her eyes and felt a sharp pain in her chest. Nian Nian was already six years old, but as a mother, she could only watch her daughter grow up through photos for most of the past two years.

"Soon, baby," she answered in her heart, but she didn't know when this promise would be fulfilled.

The door of the coffee shop was pushed open, bringing in a gust of damp wind. Gu Wan didn't look back, but from the reflection in the glass, she saw several men in suits and leather shoes walking in. Her breath stagnated - even if it was just a blurry reflection, she could recognize the tall figure at a glance.

Si Yehan.

He was still the same, wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, with a sharp profile like a knife. Time seemed to be particularly tolerant to him, only adding a few fine lines at the corners of his eyes, but making him more mature and charming. He was listening to his assistant's report with his brows slightly furrowed, which was his usual expression when he was thinking.

Gu Wan's fingers unconsciously tightened around the cup. Six years ago today, on the anniversary of her mother's death, she left Hai City with her unborn child - his child, clutching the blood-written letter from her mother, Nangong Xuan.

"You can't think about Si Yehan anymore... You must avenge the Nangong family!" Mother's last words were like a curse. There was also the second suicide note Aunt Liu gave her mother two years ago, "You must get the evidence... the account book... the safe deposit box on the third floor of the Si family..."

"Ma'am, your blueberry muffin." The waiter's voice brought her back to reality.

"Thank you." Gu Wan nodded slightly, adjusting her expression and showing a decent smile. She is now an internationally renowned architectural designer, Nangong Wan, and has just been invited to participate in the design project of Si's new park - this is the first step of her careful planning.

Si Yehan and his group walked towards the VIP area deep inside the cafe. Gu Wan lowered her head to sort out the documents, making sure he could see her profile as he passed by. Her heart was beating so hard it almost burst through her chest.

The footsteps came closer and then farther away.

He didn't recognize her.

Gu Wan couldn't tell whether she was disappointed or relieved. Her hand trembled slightly as she picked up the coffee cup. Six years had passed, and her appearance had indeed changed - her long hair had been cut short and dyed chestnut, her makeup had become more refined and mature, and she had a mole painted under her lip. Coupled with the deliberately changed demeanor, she was indeed very different from before.

But deep down, she still hoped that he would recognize her.

"Miss Nangong?"

An unfamiliar male voice sounded beside him. Gu Wan looked up and saw a face that looked a bit like Si Yehan but more frivolous - Si Mingyuan, Si Yehan's cousin and the vice president of Si Corporation.

"Vice President." She stood up and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"I didn't expect to meet you here." Si Mingyuan held her hand, his eyes wandering over her face, "My brother said you will arrive in Haishi tomorrow."

Gu Wan smiled: "I want to familiarize myself with the environment in advance. Haishi has changed a lot." She deliberately let her eyes pass Si Mingyuan and fall on Si Yehan who was sitting not far away, "Who is..."

Si Mingyuan turned around and said, "Brother, this is Designer Nangong."

Si Yehan raised his head, his eyes as sharp as an eagle's. At that moment, Gu Wan felt a chill running down his spine. But he just nodded politely: "Ms. Nangong, I have heard a lot about you."

Didn't recognize her? Not at all, it seemed.

"Hello, Mr. Si." Gu Wan heard his own calm voice, "It's an honor to cooperate with Si's."

Si Yehan gestured for her to sit down: "We are just about to discuss the park planning, Miss Nangong, why don't you join us?"

This is what she wanted—to get close to the core of Si's company and gain access to the headquarters building. But when she really faced Si Yehan, Gu Wan found that he was not as calm and self-controlled as she had imagined.

The smell of ambergris on him, the slightly raised eyebrows when he spoke, the way his slender fingers flipped through documents... every detail was like a knife cutting into her heart.

The meeting went smoothly. Gu Wan's professionalism made her feel at ease in the discussion, and several of her suggestions were recognized by Si Yehan. When he said, "Miss Nangong's ideas are unique," she almost laughed out loud - of course unique, because she understood Si Yehan's aesthetic preferences better than anyone else.

"Has Miss Nangong been to Hai City before?" Si Mingyuan suddenly asked at the end of the meeting.

Gu Wan's fingertips paused on the tablet for a second: "I came here when I was a child, and then I lived abroad."

"No wonder your Chinese is so good." Si Mingyuan smiled, but his eyes were inquiring, "I always feel that you look familiar."

Gu Wan remained calm: "Asian faces are all similar."

"No, that's not the reason..." Si Mingyuan was about to say something but was interrupted by Si Yehan.

"I'll take you to visit the headquarters building at 10 a.m. tomorrow." Si Yehan stood up and looked down at Gu Wan. "Some areas require my permission to enter."

Gu Wan nodded in thanks, but her heart was in turmoil. She could enter Si's headquarters so soon? It was much smoother than she expected.

"See you tomorrow."

"it is good."

Si Yehan nodded and turned to leave. Si Mingyuan gave Gu Wan a meaningful look and left as well.

Gu Wan sat alone in the coffee shop until the waiter came to remind her that it was closing time. The rain had stopped and the night was as dark as ink. She called a car and gave the address of an upscale community - that was the apartment she had rented in advance.

After returning to the apartment, Gu Wan immediately checked all the rooms and confirmed that there were no monitoring devices before taking out an old-fashioned mobile phone from the secret compartment in the suitcase and dialed the only stored number.

"Lao Zhou, it's me." She whispered, "I saw him... He didn't recognize me... I will go to the Si headquarters tomorrow... Yes, the key point is the third underground floor..."

On the other end of the phone, Uncle Zhou, the old butler of the Nangong family, said in a trembling voice: "Miss, this is too dangerous! Si Yehan is not that easy to fool!"

"I have no choice." Gu Wan looked at the Nangong family photo on the wall. "It's been six years. This is the last piece of evidence."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Wan walked into the bathroom and let the hot water wash over her body. In the misty air, she looked at herself in the mirror - under Nangong Wan's exquisite and perfect makeup, was Gu Wan's shattered soul - in the past six years, only her daughter Nian Nian was the only spiritual pillar that kept her alive.

Tomorrow, she will step into the enemy's base camp.

Tomorrow, she might be doomed.

Gu Wan dried her body and took out two sleeping pills from the medicine box. Before falling asleep, she touched the wedding ring again.

"Si Yehan..." She whispered in the darkness, "It's fine just like this..."

No one answered. Only the night wind from the sea city gently lifted a corner of the curtain, like a sigh that no one knew about.