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

Murray turned slowly. She rarely dressed like this—a burgundy dress, yet it couldn't hide her sharp aura.

"What's the rush?" She took a sip of wine. "Mr. Si, Gu Wan probably doesn't know about the dirty deal recorded in the account book from twenty years ago, right?" She shook her wine glass. "If she knew that her grandfather was forced to death by Si Mu and his gang, do you think she would still stay with you?"

Si Yehan's eyes instantly turned cold. "This is none of your business."

"It's none of my business?" Mu Rui's voice suddenly rose. "The account book clearly states that the Simu family tampered with the Nangong family's cargo ship, causing hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods to sink into the sea! After the Nangong family went bankrupt, they didn't even leave Nangong Jue a way to survive. They even forced him to death in the police station..." She stepped forward, "Do you dare to tell Gu Wan about this?"

"Shut up!" Si Yehan interrupted abruptly. "I knew it was you who hid that page!"

Outside, Gu Wan covered her mouth tightly. Her nails scratched the wall unconsciously. She was just worried about Si Yehan's recent behavior, but she hadn't expected to hear such a secret. Her legs felt weak, and her back was soaked.

"Yes, what can you do?" Murui raised the corner of his mouth.

"Hand it over!" Si Yehan grabbed her by the neck and pressed her against the French window. The wine glass shattered, spilling red wine all over the floor. "I'm warning you, don't try any more tricks! Otherwise..."

Mu Rui's face turned blue from being pinched, but she was still smiling: "You are...afraid...of her...you know?" She squeezed out a few words with difficulty, "Unfortunately...it's too late..."

Realizing something was wrong, Si Yehan suddenly turned around—outside the door, a familiar figure was stumbling backwards.

“Wanwan?!”

Gu Wan turned and ran, her high heels making a messy sound on the marble floor. Mu Rui's words exploded in her mind: conspiracy to frame... freighter sinking... police suicide...

"Wanwan!" Si Yehan grabbed her wrist at the elevator entrance.

"Let go!" Gu Wan struggled desperately, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You've already got the account book, haven't you?"

“Yes, but…”

"Let go!" Her body began to tremble.

"Wanwan..." Si Yehan had never seen her look like this before, and his voice tightened. "It's not what you think..."

The elevator arrived. Gu Wan rushed in, repeatedly pressing the close button. When Si Yehan tried to leave, she placed her hand on his chest and shook her head, "Si Yehan..." Tears soaked her collar. "I need to calm down."

"Wan Wan!"

The elevator door closed, blocking out his voice. Gu Wan's vision suddenly went dark, and he leaned against the wall of the elevator.

In the suite, Mu Rui rubbed her neck and watched with satisfaction the video on her phone of Gu Wan crying and running out of the hotel. She made a call: "Aunt Nangong, this is Mu Rui. I want to talk to you about something that happened twenty years ago..."

When Si Yehan went back to look for Nian Nian, the seat was empty.

"Nian Nian? Nian..."

The waiter handed over a note with Gu Wan's handwriting on it: "I've taken Nian Nian away. The lawyer will contact you."

He clutched the note tightly, his knuckles turning white. The lights outside the window were still on, but his world collapsed at this moment.

The phone rang, and Special Assistant Wu said urgently: "Boss Si, the Mu family has terminated all cooperation, and the stock price has plummeted! The board of directors has requested..."

Si Yehan hung up the phone and looked at his daughter's unfinished children's meal. Three smiley faces were drawn on the napkin—drawn with ketchup.

He slammed his fist on the table, causing the cutlery to rattle. The waiter stepped back in fear.

Si Yehan took a deep breath and dialed the phone. "Prepare the car. I'm going to the Nangong residence." His voice was low. "Also, keep an eye on Mu Rui."

Raindrops slammed against the car window, like countless tiny fingers tapping at the glass. Si Yehan stared out the window at the increasingly heavy downpour, his fingers unconsciously rubbing against the leather seat.

In the rearview mirror, his eyes were bloodshot and the collar of his suit had been torn open.

"Mr. Si, what happened?" Special Assistant Wu, who was driving the car, asked worriedly.

“She knows.”

"this…"

Cullinan rushed into the rain like an arrow, its headlights cutting through the darkness and heading straight for the Nangong family's old house in the west of the city.

The scene of Gu Wan leaving kept replaying in his mind. She was standing at the elevator door, her big eyes, which were always smiling, filled with broken trust.

"Si Yehan..." Her voice was so soft it was almost drowned out by her sobs. "I need to calm down."

He wanted to explain at the time, wanted to tell her that the contents of the account book were too complicated and that the most critical page was missing, and he needed time to confirm.

But when the words came to his lips, they turned into silence. And now, that silence was like a blunt knife, cutting his heart all the time.

"We're here." Special Assistant Wu's voice brought him back to reality.

The iron gate of the Nangong family mansion was tightly shut, the doorlight emitting a dim glow in the rain. Si Yehan stepped out of the car and rushed into the icy rain, which immediately soaked his suit. He raised his hand and rang the doorbell, but every second of waiting felt like an eternity.

The housekeeper's voice came from the access intercom: "Mr. Si, the eldest lady said she won't see any guests."

"Tell her I can wait here." Si Yehan's voice was low and firm. "Until she's willing to see me."

There was silence on the other end of the intercom for a moment, and then a busy tone came.

The rain grew heavier, bean-sized raindrops hitting his face painfully. Si Yehan didn't retreat to the car, but stood in front of the iron gate, motionless like a statue. Rainwater streamed down his hair, and his suit, already soaked, clung to his body.

"Mr. Si, you will get sick if you do this!" Special Assistant Wu ran over with an umbrella, but was gently pushed away by him.

"I owe her this." Si Yehan looked at the lighted window on the second floor. He knew Gu Wan must be there.

In fact, Gu Wan was indeed standing in front of the French window. Her fingers were gripping the curtains so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. Through the rain-blurred glass, she could clearly see the tall figure standing stubbornly in the rain.

"Mom..." Six-year-old Nian Nian turned over in bed and called out in a daze.

Gu Wan quickly wiped the tears from her face, tiptoed to the bedside, and tucked the quilt in for her daughter. "Go to sleep, baby," she whispered, her voice choked with sobs, almost inaudible.

When she returned to the window, Si Yehan was still standing there, though his figure seemed a little unsteady. Gu Wan felt as if her heart was being gripped by an invisible hand, the pain so intense that she could barely breathe. She picked up her phone, her finger hovering over the dial button, but hesitated to press it.

"Should I forgive him now?" she asked herself. The account book incident was too heavy. It revealed the truth about the Nangong family's bankruptcy and her grandfather's forced death over twenty years ago. And Si Yehan had kept it from her for two whole weeks.

A sudden muffled sound echoed through the rain outside the window. Gu Wan was horrified to see Si Yehan collapse in the rain, his body twitching slightly on the slippery ground.

"Night cold!"