The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

After the plane landed, Shang Yibo and Ding Jiajia walked out together through the VIP passage.

At the airport entrance, two cars were already waiting. One was a Mercedes-Benz van with a professional driver, and the other was a sleek Mercedes-Benz AMT sports car.

The two, perfectly in sync, walked to their respective cars. Shang Yibo got into the Mercedes-Benz AMT without hesitation and drove off quickly; while Ding Jiajia calmly boarded a Mercedes-Benz van and instructed the driver to go to the hotel.

This time, Shang Yibo only has three days of free time to do as he pleases. It's just past 10 a.m. now, and he's driven directly to Yangxi Road.

He parked his car in an underground parking lot two blocks away from Yangxi Road and decided to walk to that familiar street.

He didn't want to just drive by; he hoped to stroll along this road every day, just like before, until he met her at the Octagonal Pavilion.

Shang Yibo wanted to recreate those scenes from back then, to allow the memories to be imprinted again, to release the atmosphere accumulated here, and to look forward to a surprise reappearance.

He approached the octagonal pavilion and found someone already sitting with their back against one of the pavilion's pillars. At this time, there shouldn't be any pedestrians lingering here.

Shang Yibo frowned, thinking, "Maybe I should come back tomorrow." Just as he was about to turn and leave, he suddenly stopped. The person's back view gave him a sense of familiarity, as if there was a strange feeling of closeness. He hesitated for a moment, then decided to walk into the pavilion anyway.

Inside the octagonal pavilion, he saw a woman with shoulder-length hair, leaning against a pillar, chin raised, eyes slightly closed. Sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling her cheeks and creating a hazy, golden mist. She unconsciously pursed her lips, her face adorned with vibrant red lipstick. Her already fair skin appeared even paler in the sunlight.

"She is... Zhou Yanruo?" Shang Yibo was stunned, his eyes filled with astonishment, and then a barely perceptible moisture appeared at the corner of his eyes.

Zhou Yanruo felt a gentle breeze brush against her cheek, accompanied by the sound of steady footsteps. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a tall, slender man standing in front of her, staring at her unabashedly.

The man stood in front of her, his mouth slightly open, his face filled with astonishment and confusion.

"Wang Jie?" Zhou Yanruo was somewhat dazed, subconsciously uttering the name before calming down. She thought to herself, "It's been so long, yet I still unconsciously think it's him, only I can never see his face clearly. And now, this face, both familiar and unfamiliar, is so clearly in front of me. Sigh, am I hallucinating?"

"No, it's... Shang Yibo?" Zhou Yanruo suddenly realized and stood up abruptly. In her panic, she stood up too forcefully, losing her balance and bumping into Shang Yibo. Instinctively, she reached out and shoved him hard.

Shang Yibo stood silently with his hands in his pockets, lost in his own thoughts, when Zhou Yanruo suddenly shoved him hard. He didn't react in time and staggered back two steps.

"You..." Shang Yibo looked at the girl in front of him, no, the woman who had just pushed him. He was so shocked that he could hardly believe his eyes. It was... Zhou Yanruo.

"You..." Shang Yibo opened his mouth, his voice trembling slightly, "It's Zhou... Yanruo?"

"I'm sorry, I stood up too suddenly and accidentally bumped into you. I apologize!" Zhou Yanruo quickly withdrew her hands and waved them in front of her repeatedly to express her apology.

After Zhou Yanruo apologized and regained her balance, she realized that the person standing in front of her was actually Shang Yibo.

"Shang Yibo!" Zhou Yanruo was quite surprised when Shang Yibo suddenly appeared in front of her, staring at her with a meaningful expression.

"I..." Shang Yibo opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he didn't know how to start.

Shang Yibo took a deep breath, trying to calm his excitement. The girl he thought only existed in his dreams, the one he spent two years confirming was the one he truly loved, the one he had been longing for and searching for, was now standing right in front of him.

Yes, she was Zhou Yanruo, and Shang Yibo certainly wouldn't mistake her. Looking at Zhou Yanruo in front of him, Shang Yibo felt a mix of emotions. Tears gradually blurred his vision. He tried hard to control his emotions, but tears still slid down his handsome cheeks.

He looked at Zhou Yanruo, a feeling he couldn't quite describe welling up inside him.

He searched for her for two years, striving to elevate himself so she could see him. He abandoned his studies and the family business, resolutely entering the entertainment industry. He overcame his taciturn nature, underwent grueling singing and dancing training, and worked tirelessly to become the person she wanted him to be.

However, Zhou Yanruo suddenly appeared without his knowledge, and Shang Yibo's long-awaited reunion left him with a complex mix of emotions that he couldn't quite put into words.

Looking at the complicated expression on Shang Yibo's face, Zhou Yanruo was confused and didn't know what to do.

The two stood awkwardly facing each other, their eyes meeting and both looking flustered.

After a moment, Zhou Yanruo spoke first, saying hesitantly, "President Shang, hello! What a coincidence, you've come to Xichuan too."

"You know my surname is Shang?" Shang Yibo was quite surprised. He thought to himself, "She calls me President Shang. Did she not recognize me, or has she already forgotten me?"

"Of course I know. Oh, I'm sorry, you may not know me. I work at Rushang Group. I am Zhou Yanruo, Chairman Chu's assistant."

"...You actually work at Rushang Group?" Shang Yibo could hardly believe it; the person he had been searching for for two years was right beside him.

“I’ve been working at Rushang Group for almost half a year now. President Shang probably doesn’t come back to the group often, so it’s normal that he hasn’t had a chance to see me,” Zhou Yanruo said with a smile.

"Hmm~", Shang Yibo was a little disappointed that she didn't recognize him: "Is this it, um, Ruoruo!"

“What, Ruoruo?” Zhou Yanruo thought to herself, “He’s quite outgoing. Wasn’t he supposed to be aloof, inarticulate, and arrogant? It seems the rumors aren’t all true.”

As soon as he called her "Ruoruo," Shang Yibo realized he had been a bit abrupt. Only then did he recover from his earlier surprise and doubt.

"Mr. Shang, is there work in Xichuan this time? I saw your assistant at the airport, but I didn't get to see you. There were a lot of your fans who came to pick you up, but they were disappointed that you didn't use this passage. Some of the girls even cried." Cough cough~ Zhou Yanruo cleared her throat. What was she saying? It was so embarrassing to be talking to herself.

"..."

"Would you like to sit down?"

It was too awkward for the two of them to stand facing each other, and it seemed even more inappropriate to just walk away, so Zhou Yanruo "invited" her.

"Hmm..." Shang Yibo didn't say much and sat down directly opposite Zhou Yanruo.

Is this really Ruoruo? Her originally cute oval face had become pointed due to her thinness, her almond-shaped eyes appeared even larger, her figure was slender and upright, and her overall demeanor was capable and almost aloof. Yes, this is Zhou Yanruo, but she seems somewhat different from the Zhou Yanruo Shang Yibo remembers. What has changed?

The naive girl who's always laughing and joking, the clueless and absent-minded girl, is completely different from the sophisticated white-collar worker in front of you.

But she is clearly Zhou Yanruo.

Shang Yibo stared blankly at Zhou Yanruo, whose hands were still in her pockets when she sat down, a posture that made her feel very uncomfortable. He shifted his body, took his hands out of his pockets, and let them hang stiffly at his sides. But this posture still didn't seem quite right; he wanted to appear as relaxed as possible.

So he placed his hands on his lap, clasped his left hand with his right palm, and pinched the web between his thumb and forefinger of his left hand hard with his right thumb to prevent them from shaking.

"Mr. Shang, there's a document that needs your signature. I've already sent someone to give it to Ding Jiajia. Originally, I was going to wait until you got back to sign it, but since we've met here, I can take it back after you sign it. Printing isn't very convenient here, but there's no rush; you can sign it when you get back." Zhou Yanruo was somewhat incoherent after unexpectedly running into Shang Yibo here. She felt a little awkward discussing work here, and this forced conversation made her even more frustrated.