Manager Zhao's Office
The air grew stifling. Shen Yihan stared at the girl twisting his ear—her peach-blossom eyes, usually bright with laughter, now burned with familiar fury. That look had terrified him since childhood.
Zhao charged forward. "Release CEO Shen!"
A pale hand blocked his path. Shen Yihan's voice dropped to subzero:
"Get out."
"Me?" Zhao gaped.
Assistant Jiang pulled him away. She recognized that face from Shen Yihan's private photo—his sister who died eleven years ago.
Lin Rong released his ear and claimed the CEO's chair. "Fetch me water. I'm exhausted."
His body moved on instinct. Shen Yihan poured water with trembling hands, then picked up documents to fan her despite the air conditioning.
"Cancel the shutdown immediately," Lin Rong ordered after drinking deeply.
"Jiejie... is it really you?" His eyes glistened.
Her palm struck his cheek with a sharp crack. "Do it now!"
The sting broke through his disbelief.
She was alive.
Shen Yihan flung the door open. "Resume operations."
Before Zhao could see his wet eyes, Jiang pushed him toward the elevators. "Notify security."
"Time travel?" Shen Yihan asked while fanning her, prayer beads swaying on his wrist. "From eleven years ago?"
Lin Rong pointed at her damp dress. "I'm still wearing what I died in."
His hand stilled. "You wore this... for Gu Jingchuan."
Memories flooded back: Her trying on dresses that day, demanding his opinion. When he muttered "They all look awful," she slapped him into admitting the black dress suited her.
Lin Rong's expression darkened. That date had sent her car off the bridge. In the novel's plot, her death merely fueled the male lead's romantic angst.
Old Town Hotpot Restaurant
Shen Yihan followed Lin Rong through the mall like a shadow. Jiang trailed them, startled when Lin Rong seized her hand: "Sister Jiang! Join us for hotpot!"
Shen Yihan's beads clacked sharply. "She's younger than me!"
Lin Rong grinned. "We'll use separate titles. He calls me sister, I call you sister—"
Jiang sighed as spicy steam enveloped the booth.
Shen Yihan's phone buzzed:
>> Lu Huanyu: Brother Yihan, I've arrived. Why are there still so many people?