He knew how good Shi Xinxin was, but now he had lost her. In just a few days, she could return to work at the magazine.
What's more, she quickly accepted a job no one else wanted, enduring hardships no one else wanted to endure, all because of him.
Although the initial agreement with the editor-in-chief was to keep her position while on leave, Sheng Chenjin had no intention of letting her return to work. But unexpectedly, she not only returned to work but did so under such circumstances.
After an unknown amount of time, as the editor-in-chief was still praising Shi Xinxin, Sheng Chenjin snapped back to attention. "Then thank you for making the trip. I'll be going back now, I still have some matters to attend to."
Sheng Chenjin spoke incoherently. The butler had already noticed Sheng Chenjin's unusual demeanor and immediately rose to see the guest out after he finished speaking.
Seeing Sheng Chenjin's dazed expression, the editor-in-chief was baffled, but since he had already spoken, she sensibly left the private room.
After seeing the editor-in-chief out, the butler encountered Sheng Chenjin on his way back to the private room. "Sir, sir, where are you going?"
Seeing the butler, Sheng Chenjin did not stop but walked downstairs without looking back. The butler chased after him, but Sheng Chenjin still didn't slow down.
"Don't follow me," Sheng Chenjin commanded.
"Sir, you haven't recovered yet. Please come home with me, sir?"
The butler pleaded, but Sheng Chenjin showed no intention of stopping. He walked all the way to the hotel entrance, took the keys from the driver, and sped away in the car.
The butler couldn't stop his employer, but he could sense Sheng Chenjin's displeasure. It wasn't anger at Ye Yun's actions, but anger at himself.
In the butler's opinion, Sheng Chenjin's current emotion could be summarized as regret. Sheng Chenjin drove to the bar where he and Shi Xinxin first met. The bar was still lively, but his heart felt cold.
It was there that he had first met that innocent and lovely woman. It happened because he had been drugged, and like a possessed man, he had taken her home.
Now she had left him, and it was again because of someone being drugged. But this time, Sheng Chenjin could have avoided such a situation and such a woman.
He should have been more vigilant, but he wasn't, and he let such a thing happen. Consequently, when he should have stepped forward to protect her, he could only fall asleep.
When she returned to her rented apartment, she had waited for so long without any explanation from him. She must have been heartbroken to choose that job that no one else wanted, in the mountains. How hard it must be.
The heartbroken are most prone to getting drunk. The bitterness in their hearts turns into wine before their eyes, glass after glass. Yet, Sheng Chenjin felt that this wine couldn't make him forget all that had happened.
Why couldn't he have been a little more cautious at the time? Why didn't he take Shi Xinxin away immediately when he felt dizzy?
This led to their current situation. He could also feel the tenderness in Shi Xinxin's eyes when she looked at him while dancing.
It was not easy for him to get closer to Shi Xinxin, for their relationship to become so intimate, only for it all to be ruined because of the very problem he feared most.
And now Shi Xinxin had run so far away to avoid him. How sad she must be. He himself had been humiliated in person due to his background and identity; he knew that pain.
Now this pain had been inflicted upon the woman he loved. The mere thought of Shi Xinxin entering the room on the surveillance footage made his heart ache.
He could tolerate Ye Yun using him, but why must she be so cruel to Shi Xinxin? Shi Xinxin didn't even know Ye Yun. Why was this woman so cruel?
Every time he thought about it, Sheng Chenjin clenched his fists. He swore that Ye Yun would never have peace in this lifetime.
But what pained him most now was that Shi Xinxin had already reached that remote mountain area with weak signal. He had no time to explain to her now, no way to find her, and could do nothing.
He could only feel the pain and sadness of the woman he loved. He didn't know how much damage Ye Yun's heavy blow would bring to Shi Xinxin.
How could he make this feeling better? He didn't know. When the butler found Sheng Chenjin, he was already dead drunk and slumped over the bar counter.
The butler looked heartbroken. The deep affection between the two children had grown, but now they were forced to be separated due to such a misunderstanding. It was heartbreaking to think about.
The next day, Sheng Chenjin woke up with a terrible headache. The butler wanted him to sleep longer, but the torrential rain outside did not agree with the butler's idea and directly woke Sheng Chenjin.
The butler brought hangover soup to Sheng Chenjin. He rubbed his head and sat up. Habitually, he reached for his phone, but the first thing he saw was news of a mudslide in the mountains.
Due to the heavy rain overnight, the riverbanks had been damaged in some sections, leading to landslides in the mountainous area and mudslides in the villages.
Sheng Chenjin didn't dare to read further. He immediately got out of bed, skipped the hangover soup, grabbed his jacket, and rushed out.
The butler chased after him. "Sir, sir, it's raining so hard, where are you going?"
From memory, Sheng Chenjin entered the mountainous area mentioned by the editor-in-chief into the navigation system. The rain was heavy, but he still drove his car at the maximum speed within the safe limit.
After watching Sheng Chenjin leave the villa, the butler quickly arranged for his subordinates to constantly monitor Sheng Chenjin's car status and provide assistance if necessary.
He still didn't know where Sheng Chenjin was going, but he had a vague feeling that Sheng Chenjin was heading towards the mountainous area where Shi Xinxin was.
Looking at the torrential rain all the way, Sheng Chenjin wasn't too worried about his own safety. Instead, he was anxious about Shi Xinxin, who was in the mountains.
According to what the editor-in-chief said yesterday, the village was in a mountain hollow. Sheng Chenjin couldn't imagine what would happen if a mudslide occurred. He could accept Shi Xinxin leaving him and living her own life because of this.
But he absolutely, absolutely could not accept her leaving him forever because of this incident, to the point where they would be separated by life and death, leaving him no chance to explain.
Whether Shi Xinxin forgave him or not, he had to make everything clear to her. At the very least, he had to tell her the words he hadn't dared to say all this time.