Prologue

Chen Yanyan had been rather distracted these past few days. Liu Xudong, who went to the Imperial Capital for a family visit half a month ago, had not been in touch with her since. His phone was switched off when she called, and he did not respond to her messages on WeChat.

Liu Xudong was Chen Yanyan's boyfriend, as well as the young owner of the company where she worked. The company's headquarters, one of the Fortune 500, was in the Imperial Capital. Liu Xudong had moved back from a foreign branch two years ago to take over as the company's CEO.

Not only was Liu Xudong wealthy, but he was also a well-educated, handsome, mature, and gentlemanly figure. Most importantly, he was already 35 and still unmarried.

From the moment he arrived, he had all the women in the company head over heels for him, including the mature Chen Yanyan, whose heart skipped a beat.

Although Chen Yanyan was already in her thirties, she was noticeably attractive, tall, and graceful. She had a successful career and owned a car and a house, justifying her billionaire identity. She had even refused quite a few outstanding men's pursuit...

Among a group of giggly young girls, Chen Yanyan stood out as distinctive, and Liu Xudong noticed her almost instantly. As the marketing manager of the company, their frequent contact quickly attracted him, and he immediately pursued her.

Chen Yanyan rejected him. She lacked confidence and dared not aspire to associate with someone as high above as him. Liu Xudong was a diamond among the rich and handsome, a second-generation wealthy man, with a powerful background, all of which was beyond the reach of a grass-roots role model like her. Moreover, beneath her elegant, confident, and strong exterior, there was a fragile and humble heart.

At the age of three, her family went on a trip, which included not only her parents but also her grandparents. The cruise ship they were on capsized in the sea, and everyone else in her family died. She would always remember how her father held her above the cold water surface with his hands. She couldn't recall how long it lasted, from darkness to dawn, until her father could no longer hold on and put her in a plastic bucket. She was nearly freezing to death by the time the rescuers arrived.

She had an aunt and an uncle, but her aunt's husband and her uncle's wife were reluctant to raise her, so she ended up in an orphanage. In the first few years, her aunt and uncle frequently visited her at the orphanage, but then they stopped coming. After she entered university, she went to find them, only to learn that they had both passed away.

She always felt that she had a weak bond with her family.

She craved for family, yearned to be loved and cared for, but she was more afraid of having it and then losing it again. Therefore, she instinctively rejected everyone who got close to her.

Of course, her not being married at such an old age might have also been due to her arrogance. She couldn't accept men she knew would be good to her and wouldn't change their minds; the men she fancied, she feared she wouldn't be able to handle.

It seemed Liu Xudong understood her thoughts. He didn't act impulsively but showed up around her appropriately, expressing his care just at the right moment. After this gradual approach for over half a year, Chen Yanyan finally opened her heart to him.

Then there was dating. They went to movies, dinners, shopping and even moved in together after six months.

Thinking about all this, Chen Yanyan felt incredibly sweet inside. This man wouldn't just be her husband and her family, but also the father of her children. In this life, she had a family and relatives once more.

Afterwards, Liu Xudong wanted to give her a house and a seven-digit savings card.

She refused. She loved him as a person and was willing to give to him. If she accepted those things, it would change the nature of their relationship.

Liu Xudong kissed her and said, "Yanyan, you're my woman, everything I have is yours."

His words touched Chen Yanyan deeply.

They loved each other passionately and openly, but only Chen Yanyan knew how humble her love was.

She enrolled in a course on physique and temperament, and even learned to play the guzheng. She knew she had a good temperament, but she wanted to be more beautiful, more artistic.

She also knew that to a man's heart is through his stomach. So she learned cooking, becoming excellent at making dishes and desserts. Therefore, Liu Xudong, except for necessary social events, always came home for meals prepared by her.

Liu Xudong implied that he would discuss their marriage with his parents during his visit to the Imperial Capital. Before he left, he took her ID card and had the ownership of the house and the savings card transferred to her name...

As she was lost in thought, her phone rang. It was a message from Liu Xudong. He said he was back.

Chen Yanyan was in high spirits, quickly shutting off her computer, ready to head home early and prepare dinner. She stood up and left her small office, moving into the main office space with her subordinates.

She approached Tang Tingting's desk and said, "I have some matters to attend to and will be leaving early today."

Tang Tingting was not just her subordinate, but a close friend, and seeing the look of joy on Chen Yanyan's face, she had a pretty good guess. She laughed quietly and asked, "Has your young master returned?"

Chen Yanyan playfully admonished her, "Stop teasing, I'm not going to bother with you."

Tang Tingting replied, laughing, "Even if you ignore me, I still need to stay on your good side. After all, you're not just my supervisor but my lady boss. I'm still waiting for you to promote me and give me a raise."

As soon as she finished her sentence, she was struck dumb, her mouth half-open in surprise, staring wide-eyed at something in front of her.

Chen Yanyan turned around and saw Liu Xudong walk into the office with a stunning girl. Standing in the middle of the room, he introduced, "This is my fiancée, Xu Ziwei. We just got engaged a few days ago. This weekend, I'll be treating everyone to a meal at the Revolving Restaurant. Everyone who's present today must come."

The office fell silent for three seconds, after which everyone broke out in applause and congratulations.

Liu Xudong acknowledged everyone's congratulations with a nod, including Chen Yanyan, who was still standing there stunned. He then led Xu Ziwei into another office, from which more applause and congratulations could be heard.

Chen Yanyan was still rooted in place like a statue, the others gave her sympathetic looks before sinking back into their work.

Tang Tingting asked Chen Yanyan, "Sis Chen, are you...are you okay?"

Chen Yanyan, who was still in shock, seemed to snap back to reality. She fought back tears and forced a smile, "I'm fine, I'm going to get going now."

She picked up her bag and calmly walked out of the office. Upon entering the elevator, she ignored everyone's sympathetic looks and gives them a polite smile.

Even if she has lost, she wants to lose gracefully.

She made her way to the underground car park, got into her car, and only once the door was closed did she collapse onto the steering wheel, sobbing her heart out. Once she had cried enough, she started the car and drove off.

She didn't want to go back home to an empty house, yet had no idea where she should go next, driving aimlessly.

She still didn't understand how the man who had made her so many promises just a month ago, who said he would convince his parents and marry her honorably, giving her a place in his life, was now arm in arm with another woman, announcing his engagement.

So, all this while, he'd just been toying with her. Those things he gave her before leaving must be his apology then. And she was foolish enough to be moved by them, how naive she was…

She didn't know how long she'd been driving, but it seemed she had ended up in front of a primary school. There were police tape lines pulled up and children were being led out of the school in an orderly fashion. She hurriedly swerved her car to the left, but noticed a large truck racing towards her. It seemed to have run over several people, causing the bystanders to scream and scatter in chaos. It was already too late for her to dodge and she collided with the oncoming truck…

The front of her car was crushed under the truck, she was squeezed between the airbag and the seat, a large tire was just a few centimeters from her head. Blood was flowing from her head, she could feel the warmth of her own blood.

Just before losing consciousness, an image of a swallow appeared in her mind. It was calling out anxiously, and strangely, Chen Yanyan could understand what it was saying. It was pleading, "Don't die, don't die, I've followed you my whole life, I've yet to see the light of day…"

.........

A new story by Qing Quan is beginning. Welcome old and new readers to dive in. This story still follows the comforting, cheerful style with adorable kids and pets from Qing Quan's previous works. Love, family, friendship, none are left out. A new story needs nurturing…