Her wrist was held, and just as she was about to reproach him for not entangling further, she heard him say lightly, "Take the umbrella." He said as he stuffed the umbrella into her hands. Without waiting for her to leave, he had already turned to go first. The rain became more wanton. She stood in the rain, listening to the sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella above her head, "pat, pat, pat", and didn’t move for a while. The world suddenly had only her left. In the end, she never looked back. From this point on, a clean break was the best choice. So, she left without hesitation. In the following two days, Gu Jiayin’s world returned to simplicity: work, living with Lu Xiya. Sheng Qianchi indeed didn’t come looking for her again. He seemed genuinely uninterested in entangling her anymore, and she clearly noticed that the number of people secretly following her had decreased significantly; he had withdrawn everyone. The Eagle Emperor lost her ancient painting and voluntarily came to compensate her with a hundred million yuan. Dou Chuanyan was heartbroken, but there was nothing he could do. But Gu Jiayin did not swallow that hundred million; she returned it all to Sheng Qianchi, along with the ancient painting he gave her, the property title of Boya City, the car, that Ruby, and the hundred million in cash on the card, all handed over to Mo Jun. She didn’t want to owe him a single penny. When Sheng Qianchi looked at the items Mo Jun brought in, he was silent for a long time, but finally, he let out a cold laugh. She was so eager to draw a line with him; the woman who was somewhat greedy for small wealth actually returned all such wealth to him. Even the hundred million that had once bought her was returned in full; indeed, she didn’t owe him a penny. The meaning was clear to him: a complete break. Without Sheng Qianchi’s entanglement, Gu Jiayin’s actions became much lighter. She started preparing to steal Twilight’s account books. On the eve of her action, someone long absent appeared before her, forcing her to postpone her plan again. This person was Pei Nianchen. He picked her up at the door of Twilight when she got off work, carrying a scent of dust from travel all over him. He hadn’t even gone home, and the first thing he did upon returning was to find her. He was too handsome, with a strikingly masculine steel-hard temperament, and the military-green high-end SUV he drove was too eye-catching, drawing a lot of attention. He stood beside the car, straight as a stalwart pine, his gaze as sharp as an eagle, looking directly at her. Ignoring any looks, he came to find her, his intention very clear, he wanted to continue their relationship. Gu Jiayin stalled at the building’s entrance for a moment, but still walked over. Though she and Sheng Qianchi had a clean break, she and Pei Nianchen were still impossible. The agreement with Sheng Qianchi back then was to never have any intersection with Pei Nianchen again. "Brother Nianchen," she looked at him, maintaining the best distance, hands in pockets, slightly adjusting to a suitable smile, "you’re back." "Hmm," Pei Nianchen looked back at her, not much expression, but his gaze was particularly deep, "Get in the car." She ultimately got into his car; a breakup should fill in a few more words face to face. He took her to eat at a restaurant they frequented before. Still the usual private room. He directly ordered the dishes she loved, and then said no more, just quietly eating. Gu Jiayin couldn’t bear the eerie silence between the two any longer, "Brother Nianchen..." "Let’s eat first." Pei Nianchen evidently didn’t plan to talk during the meal. "...Okay." Gu Jiayin could only lower her head and quietly finish the meal. After the meal, the waiter cleared the table and brought fragrant tea. The aroma of tea gently spread. Gu Jiayin lowered her head slightly, her brows picturesque, waiting for him to speak first. But he said nothing, only gently picked up the teacup, "Have some tea." So, she drank tea, silently drank tea. In the dream, time passed, flowers faded, and the small green apricots emerged, pear blossoms filled the ground with fragrance, the tender memoir of their youth, they had too many beautiful memories, even if now it was chaotic and undefined, it was still warm. After half a cup of tea, Pei Nianchen finally spoke, "Jiayin, I submitted my resignation, it’s been approved by my superiors, I’m free from now on." Gu Jiayin suddenly curled her fingertips, clutching the cup in her hand, this was not what she wanted to see; she had said she didn’t want him to give up his future for her, "Brother Nianchen..." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novel·fiɾe·net "Jiayin, let’s reconcile." It wasn’t a request, just a statement of his thoughts and requests. This tone, left her no room for refusal. Seeing him again, his emotions were indifferent, but the domineering tone was undeniable. "Brother Nianchen..." "Don’t talk to me about Sheng Qianchi, didn’t you already break up?" Gu Jiayin slowly raised her head, looking at the sharp-eyed man, "Brother Nianchen, why persist in past matters, I said that when I came back to attend your wedding it was with a great sense of ambition, I couldn’t just let Qin Xueyao have it all." Pei Nianchen was very calm. In the seven years apart, he knew nothing of her affairs, and she was no longer the gentle socialite she once was. Her love for him had long faded, he knew. "But Jiayin..." he said, "my heart has never changed, we were separated by time, unable to make amends, but I’m willing to start over, so, come back to me." "Brother Nianchen..." "As for Qin Xueyao’s child," he gave her no chance to speak, "it’s already six months, it can’t be aborted, I promise the child will never appear before you, I’ll also deal with Qin Xueyao thoroughly." Gu Jiayin didn’t speak. Thinking of Qin Xueyao, she felt nothing but disgust. Her once pure Brother Nianchen being schemed and touched by such a disgusting woman, it made her heartache. He looked at her, his gaze gently wrapping around her, "As for my parents, I won’t force you to live with them, we can buy another house, or leave Licheng City, either would be fine." In her silence, he continued, "You may not love me as much now, it’s okay, we have a lifetime to start over, I’ll do better than before, making you fall in love with me again." His gaze locked tightly on her, "Is there any reason for the breakup?" Gu Jiayin held a white porcelain cup, the tea’s warmth passed through the cup wall to her fingertips. She bit her lower lip slightly, "Brother Nianchen, I still love you and will always love you; this love is very pure, like the love I have for my brother Gu Yachen, no longer connected to romantic love, but no matter where I go in the world I will always remember there’s a Brother Nianchen." She took a deep breath, "We can’t be husband and wife in this life, so it’s better for us to become family from now on. I hope you are happy, I don’t want you to be harmed by Qin Xueyao again, so..." She looked up at him, sincere and warm, "Brother Nianchen, Xiya has loved you for many years, accept her, let her love you on my behalf, take care of you, let me see both of you happy, can you do that?"