Shu Ya changed her clothes and rushed to the company entrance to wait for Tang Ye.
Filled with joy, she fantasized about the romantic candlelit dinner to come and how far her relationship with Tang Ye would develop.
Suddenly, a luxurious Lincoln car stopped beside her.
After the attendant opened the car door, a stunningly beautiful, hot-bodied foreign woman stepped out in sexy high heels.
Upon seeing Shu Ya, she even took the initiative to greet her.
"Shu Ya, long time no see. How have you been?"
It was Pan Jie!
Pan Jie had married an oil prince from a foreign country. Not long after their marriage, her husband, Ilante, died of illness.
Pan Jie inherited her husband Ilante's fortune, transforming herself into an oil tycoon and becoming a renowned wealthy woman.
More importantly, Shu Ya knew some of the past entanglements between Pan Jie and Tang Ye before Pan Jie's marriage.
Shu Ya managed a forced smile.
"Long time no see. I didn't expect you to be back in Modu."
Although she appeared to be calm on the surface, she was panicking inside.
Pan Jie appearing downstairs at the media company could only mean one thing: she was here for Tang Ye.
A hint of melancholy appeared on Pan Jie's face.
"Compared to abroad, Modu holds more significance for me. I've decided to settle down in Modu this time."
"If we have time, we can get together often in the future."
Shu Ya remained silent.
Between her and Pan Jie, they had only gone to a concert together once and had a fight once.
They weren't exactly friends, at best acquaintances.
Now that she was back, and she was single, what would Tang Ye think?
At that moment, Tang Ye also finished work and was walking over, talking to Sheng Mo and giving him instructions.
He stopped in surprise, staring blankly, somewhat disbelieving, when he suddenly saw Pan Jie standing beside Shu Ya.
Until Pan Jie flashed him a sweet smile.
"Tang Ye, long time no see."
Pan Jie was foreign, fiery, and passionate.
She stepped forward, opened her arms, and gave Tang Ye a big hug, kissing him on the cheek.
"Tang Ye, I'm back. Aren't you surprised?"
…
Seeing Pan Jie again, Tang Ye's feelings were completely different from before.
Before, his affection for her was pure – he simply liked her and wanted to be good to her.
But after going through so much, she was already married. Although her husband had passed away, her current status was entirely different from before.
Noticing Tang Ye wasn't particularly surprised, Pan Jie also sensed his abnormality.
"What's wrong? Aren't you happy to see me?"
Tang Ye turned and dismissed Sheng Mo who was beside him.
"I'll discuss work matters with you tomorrow morning. You can go first."
Sheng Mo nodded and left.
Tang Ye looked Pan Jie up and down.
She was the sister of CEO Pan, from a top wealthy family, and a world-class supermodel.
Her beauty was as brilliant and dazzling as starlight in the sky.
"How have you been?"
A simple greeting, yet it subtly widened the distance between them.
Pan Jie felt his distance, which was understandable.
"Not good. You understand, marriage was never something I wanted; I was forced into it."
"But that's all in the past. I'm back now. No one can force me anymore, and I can choose my own life."
"Tang Ye, let's be together."
Abruptly, Pan Jie confessed.
She personally put a necklace she had prepared onto Tang Ye.
"This is a gift I prepared for you. I chose it meticulously. It suits you perfectly."
What was this?
The favor of a wealthy woman?
…
Shu Ya watched them, unable to bear it any longer.
Gathering her courage, she stepped forward.
"Tang Ye, you said you were taking me for a candlelit dinner. Are we still going?"
Hearing this, Pan Jie's expression froze.
She looked at Shu Ya and then at Tang Ye, disbelieving.
"You two?"
"Candlelit dinner... Did I hear that right?"
…
At this moment, Tang Ye was facing two women.
One was the one he liked, and the other liked him.
How should he choose?
Tang Ye took off the necklace Pan Jie had just put on him and handed it back to her.
"The necklace is beautiful, but I no longer like this style. I'm sorry."
After returning the necklace, Tang Ye openly put his arm around Shu Ya's shoulder.
In front of Pan Jie, he led her away.
"Let's go."
…
"Tang Ye!"
Pan Jie called out to him from behind.
But Tang Ye pretended not to hear, showing no hesitation.
She had been rejected.
Before, with just one call from her, he would have eagerly rushed to find her.
He had completely ignored her confession and just walked away.
Why had it turned out this way?
…
"As you can see, he's already with Shu Ya," Tang Xiao Min said.
She had just arrived and happened to witness Tang Ye rejecting Pan Jie and leaving with Shu Ya.
Pan Jie turned around. Her expression was not good, as if she had suffered a significant blow.
"Yes, he rejected me. If it were before, he would never have rejected me."
"But times have changed," Tang Xiao Min reminded her again.
People and things had changed; hearts were no longer the same.
Tang Xiao Min had to tell Pan Jie this harsh truth.
Hearing this, Pan Jie's expression turned sorrowful. The past brilliance left her eyes, replaced by darkness and confusion.
"Do you know why I came to Modu to find you, why I called Tang Ye back then?"
"It was because I believed in you, believed you would help me. I didn't want to marry anyone like Ilante."
Pan Jie emotionally recalled past events, her eyes filled with regret and remorse.
"Tang Xiao Min, I don't have many friends. Besides you, I don't know anyone else who could help me. Only you had the ability to help me."
"But you didn't. You stood by and watched as I was taken away and forced to marry."
"If you had helped me back then, Tang Ye and I would have been together long ago."
So, her not helping had also become her fault?
"I didn't help you because I still have important family members behind me. I couldn't let my family be implicated because of you."
"I regret not being able to help you and disappointing you. Just pretend we were never friends."
Since ancient times, loyalty and filial piety are hard to balance. This choice was so cruel.
Tang Xiao Min did not regret her decision back then.
Undeniably, she bore some responsibility for Pan Jie's current unfortunate life.
Having the ability but not acting was also a form of fault.
"Tang Xiao Min, you are truly heartless."
This was Pan Jie's assessment of Tang Xiao Min.
"If you had helped me back then, none of this would have happened."
Faced with Pan Jie's accusations, Tang Xiao Min did not respond; she couldn't even refute them.
She fled as if escaping, unwilling to face the suffering, despair, and confusion on Pan Jie's face.
From behind, Pan Jie said angrily, "Tang Xiao Min, one day, you will definitely regret your decision back then."