Chapter 8 discussed how someone who is 1.9 meters tall would still be interested in someone who is 1.8 meters tall.

Chapter 8: Having dated someone who's 1.9 meters tall, would you still be interested in someone who's 1.8 meters tall?

He snapped back to his senses, took a half-step back to create distance, and his voice regained its usual self-discipline and propriety.

"I'm afraid you might misjudge people and get bullied."

“Anyway,” Si Yuan took a deep breath, “this time it’s not someone I shouldn’t like, so don’t worry.”

Si wanted to stay away from him to avoid her family speculating about her again.

"Brother, it's nothing, I'll be going now."

Si Yuan stepped aside and brushed past him.

The corridor fell silent again, with only a corner of the brown paper bag sticking out conspicuously from the trash can.

Song Yan stared at it for a long time before finally bending down and picking it up.

The paper bag was heavier than he had expected.

He hesitated for a second, but still opened it.

Inside was a dark green diary with worn edges and a few photos.

The top picture is a photo of sixteen-year-old Si Yuan and seventeen-year-old him at an amusement park.

In the photo, Si Yuan's eyes crinkle into crescent moons as she smiles, while he puts his arm around her shoulder, his expression unusually genuine and gentle.

"Just throw it away like that?"

He muttered to himself, his thumb unconsciously stroking the face of his superior in the photo.

On the back of the photo is a line of small, faded writing: "For my brother, my favorite day. —Si Yuan"

Song Yan suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

He flipped through the diary, which contained many sticky notes and ticket stubs, all of which were from movies and exhibitions they had visited together.

The last page's date is set a month before the affair was exposed, with only one line of text:

I've decided to stop liking you.

The handwriting trembled slightly, as if it had been blurred by tears.

Lin Shuangyu's laughter and Song's mother's voice could be heard from downstairs.

Song Yan took a deep breath and hurriedly stuffed the items back into the paper bag.

"Ayan?" Lin Shuangyu's voice came from downstairs. "Are you upstairs? We should go."

Without batting an eye, Song Yan composed himself and walked down the stairs, saying, "You're here."

Si Yuan was standing in the corner of the living room, helping Song's mother tidy up the tea set.

Song Yan placed the paper bag in a hidden corner without looking at her.

“Xiaoyuan,” Song’s mother suddenly said, “there’s a charity banquet at the end of the month. Remember to bring your boyfriend along.”

Si Yuan's finger slid, and the teacup made a crisp clinking sound on the tray.

She looked up and met Song's mother's gaze.

She still doesn't trust me, and it seems she needs to see me, her "boyfriend," before she can feel at ease.

"Okay, Mom, I understand."

——

TY Design Company.

Today is Si Yuan's first day at work.

The colleagues in the design department were quite friendly, especially the guy named Chen Mo, who even took the initiative to show her around the environment.

Si Yuan expressed her gratitude appropriately, but she still wasn't good at getting along with people.

In the break room, several female colleagues were whispering excitedly.

"I heard the group's new president is coming to inspect today!"

"I've heard that he's young, promising, and still single!"

"Our TY is a top-tier company in China, but in reality, it's just a small branch of the group!"

"I never imagined that the domineering CEO was right next to us!"

Si Yuan smiled, but didn't pay much attention, as she was still worried about the "fake boyfriend" she would need at the end of the month.

During her lunch break, she slipped into the stairwell and dialed Zhou Xiaoxiao's number.

Zhou Xiaoxiao is practically her only connection in China.

He works in an entertainment company, so finding an actor shouldn't be difficult for him.

She lowered her voice and asked, "Hey, Xiaoxiao, have you found the person?"

Zhou Xiaoxiao's excited voice came from the other end of the phone: "Leave it to me! Tall, 1.8 meters tall, stunningly beautiful, works in investment banking—perfect for your 'financial elite' persona. Tonight at 7 PM, Blue Bay Coffee, remember to dress up!"

Just as Si Yuan was about to respond, a "click" sound came from behind her—the sound of a lighter being lit.

"Going on a date?"

A deep male voice sounded from behind, carrying a familiar, playful tone.

Si Yuan froze, nearly dropping her phone.

She slowly turned around, and in the shadows of the stairwell, a tall figure was leaning against the wall, a lit cigarette between her slender fingers.

Amidst the swirling smoke, the man's silhouette gradually became clear.

He had a sharp jaw, slightly upturned almond-shaped eyes, and stood tall.

Jiang Wang... what's he doing here?

Jiang Wang chuckled softly and took a step forward, finally illuminating his face fully with the stairwell lights.

"I was surprised too."

He turned his face away, exhaled a smoke ring, and his gaze fell on the name tag on her chest. "So you're one of the new recruits. What a coincidence."

Si Yuan's brain finally connected the clues.

Jiang Wang must be the mysterious "new president of the group" that his colleagues were talking about.

She instinctively took a half step back, her back hitting the cold wall.

On the phone, Zhou Xiaoxiao's voice continued: "Hello? Xiaoyuan? Why aren't you saying anything? That person's name is Ding Yuan, I've sent you the photo on WeChat—"

Jiang Wang suddenly reached out and gently pulled her phone away with his slender fingers.

He said "She knows" into the microphone and then hung up the phone decisively, all in one smooth motion.

"What are you doing—"

Si Yuan reached out to grab it, but he easily dodged it.

Jiang Wang held his phone up high, looking down at her with a faint smile on his lips. He leaned closer and said, "You've dated guys who are 1.9 meters tall, and you still like guys who are 1.8 meters tall? Your taste is getting worse and worse."

Si Yuan's ears instantly burned.

Why is he even more reckless than before?

They always bring up those old, messy things.

"We're not really dating." She turned her face away, trying to remain calm. "Besides, how did you know..."

He narrowed his eyes, looking somewhat annoyed: "Your brother called me last night."

Jiang Wang straightened up and raised an eyebrow: "Song Yan said you're bringing your 'boyfriend' to the family banquet, and he even asked me to come along and help him make an assessment."

He squinted. "I didn't expect it was the neighbor who was lying?"

Si Yuan felt as if struck by lightning.

"When did you two become so close?"

Jiang Wang smiled meaningfully and explained slowly, "University alumni."

He flicked his cigarette ash. "Back then, you left without saying goodbye, slept with me, and disappeared abroad. I couldn't find you, so I found out that Song Yan is your brother..."

Whether it was Si Yuan's imagination or not, she seemed to detect a hint of sorrow in Jiang Wang's words.

Jiang Wanghe's words have absolutely nothing to do with sorrow or resentment.

"That's not important." She abruptly changed the subject. "I hope President Jiang will pretend he didn't hear about what happened today and won't tell my brother."

"President Jiang?" Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow, finding the title rather grating. "You didn't call me that before. Why are you being so formal now?"

Si Yuan lowered her eyes, trembling, as she recalled their past.

She always called her Jiang Wang.

Except for... at certain times and in certain places.

He would force her to use shameful names.

"I...I forgot."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Wang suddenly stubbed out his cigarette, braced himself against the wall beside her ear with one hand, and trapped her in a small space.

"It's okay if you forgot, I have a better suggestion."

His faint scent of black licorice mixed with the aroma of tobacco enveloped Si Yuan, causing her heart to race uncontrollably.

"What?"

“Instead of finding an unreliable stranger,” he lowered his head, his thin lips almost touching her earlobe, “why not let me be your boyfriend?”

Si Yuan suddenly looked up and met his deep eyes.

There flickered emotions within it that she couldn't understand, like a mischievous scrutiny, or perhaps something more complex... expectation?

"No way!" she blurted out. "You know my brother, that's too—"

"Isn't he too perfect?" Jiang Wang interrupted her. "A financial elite, based in London, even your mother couldn't find fault with him." He suddenly chuckled. "Or is it that I'm too charming, and you're afraid you might... take it for real?"

His provocation was too obvious, but Si Yuan had to admit that Jiang Wang was indeed the best candidate.

only……

"Compared to the Jiang family, our family is insignificant. I can't afford to offend you."

Jiang Wang's eyes darkened slightly: "Is that so?"

He smiled, his gaze darkening, his expression authoritative without being angry: "But when you were eighteen, you were the one who provoked me."

"When I was eighteen, you were the one who provoked me."

These words were like a key, unlocking the deepest memories of Si Yuan with a "click".