The last scene at Mingfeng Mountain finally ended.
The remaining scenes to be filmed were mostly indoors, and there were not too many scenes left, so there was no need to rush to keep up.
Therefore, the crew gave the actors a short break to go back and rest for a bit, to relieve the high-intensity stress of working on the ski slopes over the past few days.
Chen Huaixiao naturally could not rest. There was a mountain of business waiting for him to handle back at the company.
Bai Yin took the time to visit Xingxing Media.
As smart as she was, after Shen Bin's jadeite dismissal incident, she guessed that this scoundrel Chen Huaixiao was using the news of Xingxing Media's impending bankruptcy as an excuse not to get a divorce.
He was busy attending summits and award ceremonies every day. Where was the worried look that a CEO on the verge of bankruptcy should have?
Sure enough, as Bai Yin 'inspected' from the first floor to the fifth floor, the once empty cubicles were crowded with people again, and many employees' desks were decorated with photos of the Maldives' blue skies and seas.
It turned out Chen Huaixiao had given them a comfortable paid vacation, and then pretended the business was bleak and employees were resigning!
Although Bai Yin had let go of Qin Yao's matter, she still had to settle the score with Chen Huaixiao for the whole company conspiring to fool her.
Just to avoid a divorce, the CEO had lost all shame!
To come up with such lies and give the whole company a paid vacation to the Maldives... did he have too much money to burn?
Bai Yin didn't tell anyone, not even the receptionist. She went straight to Chen Huaixiao's office via the elevator.
The assistant outside the office got up in a panic when she saw Bai Yin come over: "Madam!"
Ever since Chen Huaixiao's public announcement, everyone in the company now knew Bai Yin was the boss's wife. Their attitude towards her was a hundred times more respectful than towards Chen Huaixiao.
Chen Huaixiao's doting on Bai Yin had reached unparalleled levels. Even if they were slightly negligent towards Chen Huaixiao, they didn't dare be negligent towards Bai Yin.
"Is Chen Huaixiao in his office?"
"Yes, Madam."
Bai Yin noticed the assistant's hesitant expression and asked again, "Is he in a meeting? I can wait."
After speaking, she briskly sat down on the single sofa next to her.
The assistant quickly poured her a glass of warm water, glancing at the room from time to time. She seemed a little nervous, which made Bai Yin suspicious: "Is President Chen meeting a client?"
"Uh, no."
The assistant hesitated for a long time before finally making up her mind. She whispered to Bai Yin, "Madam, Qin Yao is here."
"Oh?"
The assistant had a strong will to survive as she said, "She made an appointment ahead of time, half a month in advance. The president kept refusing to see her. Today she cried and made a scene, insisting on seeing the president. She was causing such a scene outside, I took it upon myself to bring her up."
Bai Yin smiled calmly, "It's okay, I trust him."
"That's good then."
Before the assistant could let out her held breath, Bai Yin suddenly slammed down her cup heavily: "I'm going to the living room, open the door for me."
The assistant's heart trembled at her tone. She hurriedly opened the door to the living room for Bai Yin.
The living room was connected to Chen Huaixiao's office.
Usually employees could only enter his office. The living room was Chen Huaixiao's personal living space, only Bai Yin could go in.
After ushering Bai Yin into the living room, the assistant saw her go straight to the door between the living room and office, and press her ear against it to eavesdrop.
"..."
Madam was indeed very "trusting" of President Chen.
*
The door was very soundproof, Bai Yin couldn't hear anything. She simply pried the door open a crack, and finally through the crack she could hear the conversation between the two people.
"Qin Yao, tell me the truth, was that person from when we were young really you?"
"What do you mean? Do you have any evidence?"
Chen Huaixiao's tone was as calm and indifferent as always, devoid of any emotion: "I don't need any evidence. I just feel like you're nothing like her."
"You... you can still remember what I, no, what she was like back then?"
"Whether it's anything, you have to stand up and not be afraid." Chen Huaixiao idly twirled a black enamel fountain pen with his fingers, and lightly tapped it: "What about you, do you still remember the first thing you said to me?"
Qin Yao's eyes shifted around evasively: "It was so long ago, how could I remember?"
"But I'll never forget."
He would never forget that gloomy afternoon, when a girl with bangs quietly stared at him for a long time from the bushes in the dove garden behind the funeral home, before finally coming over and saying her first words to him: "Stand up and cry."
Chen Huaixiao looked back and saw the resilience flickering in the little girl's eyes: "No matter what you do, stand up and don't be afraid."
...
Qin Yao didn't know about this. She asked him, "Chen Huaixiao, when did you start doubting me?"
"In high school, when you told me you were her, I was very happy. Even though we were very young then, and didn't have deep feelings, she was the only one I had ever opened my heart to. She knew what the real me was like."
Chen Huaixiao looked at her coldly: "Everything you've done since coming back this time has repeatedly overturned what she should have been like in my heart. I even told myself, nature itself can change, perhaps she experienced who knows what over the years... It wasn't until I looked into your mother's death that I became even more certain you are not that little girl at all."
Qin Yao took two unsteady steps back, knocking over the half-human-tall ceramic vase on the floor, making a clear shattering sound.
Just like the shattering of the midsummer night's dream she had woven for herself.
"It's laughable you could be her," Chen Huaixiao shook his head and laughed mockingly at himself: "How could you be her?"
Qin Yao's voice trembled as she gritted her teeth, "Chen Huaixiao, whether she's dead or alive, who knows! Maybe she's long gone! You think you can still find that girl? You'll never find her again!"
"You're wrong. I won't look for her, nor do I need to."
Qin Yao was surprised: "Why? Wasn't she your sweetheart? Don't you want to rekindle the old dream with her?"
"I don't need to rekindle anyone's old dream. The person before my eyes is my sweetheart."
*
Bai Yin walked out of the living room in a daze. Seeing her look not so good, the assistant quickly came up to her: "Madam, are you alright? Did President Chen..."
Bai Yin waved her hand: "It's fine, I just suddenly recalled some things from when I was very little."
Those memories she had almost forgotten were brought out again by Chen Huaixiao's words.
Dove Park.
It seemed like in the days after her mother passed away, she did go to Dove Park almost every day...
Little Bai Yin, only five or six years old at that time, didn't want to go home during that period. She avoided the whole world in the little park closest to her mother.
Her father had already brought the other woman and daughter home. She didn't want to go back and face them at all.
Later she met another little boy who had lost his mother in Dove Park. He was a little taller than her and older too.
She had run into him several times. He would always hide under the bushes and cry alone.
Bai Yin accompanied him for a few days. They fed the doves, swung on the swings, and chatted about things related to their mothers.
She couldn't remember at all now what exactly they had talked about, or even what that boy looked like. She was a few years younger than him.
Later, Bai Yin's father sent her to her grandmother's house very suddenly, without even a chance to say goodbye to that boy at Dove Park.
She vaguely remembered the boy had promised her that the next time they met, he would bring her a very delicious imported chocolate candy.
But there was no next time. Bai Yin went south for over ten years and never came back.
Yet she didn't know that tall boy had waited for her at Dove Park for many years too.
...
Bai Yin stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows on the third floor cafe, looking out at the city's dazzling lights as night fell.
After finishing work that afternoon, Chen Huaixiao hurried downstairs as soon as he heard Bai Yin had been drinking coffee alone on the third floor all afternoon. He walked into the cafe.
"I just heard from the assistant you came by." Chen Huaixiao sat down across from her and hastily explained, "Qin Yao came to see me, but I promise that was the last time."
Bai Yin shrugged. "I didn't ask you. Why are you explaining for no reason?"
"It was because I said too little in the past and misunderstandings were too deep, so I was always resentful. From now on, I will confess my love to you every day until the day I can no longer speak," Chen Huaixiao said as he gazed deeply at her.
Bai Yin laughed. "No one can stand that."
"Even if you can't stand it, you'll have to endure it," Chen Huaixiao said.
Bai Yin stood by the window looking out into the night. Chen Huaixiao came to stand beside her.
The first snow of the year drifted down in flurries.
Bai Yin smiled and lowered her head again.
Chen Huaixiao's eyes were full of tenderness. "What are you laughing about?"
"Brother Chen, at the White Dove Garden, will I have a chance to eat the Russian imported chocolate candy you promised to treat me to?" Bai Yin asked.
Bai Yin saw a flash of astonishment in Chen Huaixiao's eyes. "What?"
"You're so stupid, Chen Huaixiao. You're too stupid!" Bai Yin's smile grew increasingly bright and dazzling as she slapped his chest forcefully. "You didn't even recognize me!"
Chen Huaixiao grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, gazing at her fair and delicate face. From her eyes, he seemed to find something the little girl had left with him.
It was the steadfastness and courage he had missed for years.
So the one his heart longed for was right in front of him all along.
The elevator door opened on the top floor private suite. Chen Huaixiao picked Bai Yin up in his arms from the front and carried her into the bedroom.
That night, the gentle moonlight shone on the endless snowy plains. Bai Yin leaned back against the floor-to-ceiling window, her head tilted back and toes pointed as she fell into the swirling snow.
...
Bai Yin and Chen Huaixiao went to Old Master Chen's lakeside villa.
The old master had the servants prepare a table full of fragrant home-cooked dishes, mostly southern-style home cooking, as well as the fish he had caught himself, cooked in red braised and steamed flavors.
Bai Yin followed behind Chen Huaixiao, walking in stubbornly without saying a word.
Seeing her hesitate at the door, Chen Huaixiao took her hand and led her in, still politely calling out, "Grandfather."
But both of their emotions were subdued.
Old Master Chen glanced over Chen Huaixiao and looked towards Bai Yin behind him. "Little Bai, are you still angry with me?"
The strong-willed Bai Yin retorted, "What do you think, after you deceived me all these years?"
"Oh? Is it because of that?"
He had assumed the little girl was most upset that he had called Qin Yao back, trying to sabotage her marriage with Chen Huaixiao.
But he didn't expect that what had weighed on the little girl's mind all these years was... his kindness and help toward her over the years had ulterior motives all along.
"You never told me that all those years of care and assistance were because you felt... I was the most suitable match for Chen Huaixiao, and you wanted me to be able to support his career."
Old Master Chen waved his hand dismissively, signaling for all the surrounding servants to leave. He said to Bai Yin, "Little Bai, you know better than anyone that I'm a businessman. I won't go out of my way to be extra kind to someone for no reason. Whether you can accept it or not, old master here won't apologize to you for it."
Bai Yin remained silent.
She wouldn't ask Old Master Chen to apologize, even if he did have ulterior motives back then. Without him, there would be no her today. Let alone taking revenge, she might not have even survived properly.
Under the table, she felt a slightly rough big hand grasp her hand tightly, using his palm to completely cover her with warmth.
Chen Huaixiao looked at her as if to give her strength.
"I didn't call you here today to talk about little Bai's matters," Old Master Chen continued. "Last time when you kept digging to find out about Chen Huaixiao's mother, even if I didn't tell you, with you two's similarly stubborn personalities, you would eventually investigate it anyway. So I might as well be the one to tell you."
Bai Yin and Chen Huaixiao stared intently at the old master.
That was why they had come.
The old master sighed. "It's not actually some shameful secret. The reason I've always kept it hidden and forbid anyone from mentioning it is because I... have never been able to let go of the resentment in my heart."
"Resentment?" Chen Huaixiao frowned, looking at Old Master Chen in confusion. "Grandfather, what do you mean?"
"Aren't you curious why from when you were little until now, you had no mother, yet no father either?"
"You said Dad was in poor health and had always been convalescing in America." Chen Huaixiao lowered his voice and said, "I heard Auntie Wang, one of the former servants, say that Mom died in a car accident."
At this mention, Bai Yin keenly noticed the old master's wrinkled hands tremble slightly. "Your mother's name was Lin Bai Rui. Back then, she was also a wildly popular actress known far and wide. Her peerless beauty made countless people fall for her, including your father."
"Later, your father brought her home and told me that in this world, she was the only one he would marry. At that time, I had already picked out a young lady of a matching background for your dad, but he stubbornly insisted on marrying your mom. No one could talk him out of it, and he made a fuss with me for half a year before I finally agreed."
"It was the last decision in my life that I regret the most," the old master said, pain evident in his expression. Even after so many years had passed, whenever he thought about it, he still could not let it go.
"After marrying into the Chen family, of course your mother no longer had her position in the entertainment industry. Especially after you were born, new stars were emerging like the tide in the entertainment circle... Popular fashions were also changing day by day."
"But she couldn't accept it and kept thinking about making a comeback to recreate her former glory." Old Master Chen revealed a ridiculous smile. "She refused to accept the fact that her time had already passed."
"So my mother committed suicide because of this?"
"Suicide?" Old Master Chen snorted disdainfully, his eyes suddenly turning cold and chilling to the bone. "She was murdered!"
These two words made both Chen Huaixiao and Bai Yin tense up.
"Her career was not going smoothly, she had postpartum depression, and your mother's mental state was already unstable. She resented and blamed your father endlessly, accusing him of ruining her career and blaming your birth for causing her to miss the best time of her life."
The old master shook his head in frustration. "Your dad was a useless fool, hopelessly in love with her. No matter how crazy she acted, he indulged her... Later, I brought you, who were still young, to my side to raise, away from that madwoman."
"On New Year's Eve, they were driving back to the old house to celebrate New Year's. I don't know what happened in the car, but you can imagine that the woman must have thrown another fit. In the end, the car swerved off the driveway. She died on the spot, while your dad..."
The old master was heartbroken, pounding his cane fiercely on the ground. "He was barely clinging to life and struggled in the emergency room for a day and night before... becoming a vegetative state."
Bai Yin looked at Chen Huaixiao. He was trying hard to restrain the pain in his eyes. "I don't remember any of this."
"It's not that you don't remember, it's that you never knew. I didn't allow that lunatic woman to go crazy in front of you. I raised you in the old house, cutting off any contact with her, so of course you wouldn't know," Old Master Chen said resolutely.
Chen Huaixiao was about to protest, but Old Master Chen raised his hand to stop him. "I've said all I intend to say today. As you can imagine, you probably can't eat anymore of this meal now. Don't worry, from now on I won't hinder you two anymore. However, Chen Huaixiao... with me, you can only choose one between the family empire and the beauty."
Bai Yin looked at Chen Huaixiao.
This was the choice she least wanted to see him make. She didn't want Chen Huaixiao to lose his wonderful future that originally belonged to him and was within easy reach, just because of her.
It wasn't worth it at all.
For a girl with Bai Yin's background, nothing was more important than a bright and dazzling future.
However, Chen Huaixiao resolutely took Bai Yin's hand without hesitation. After she struggled free from his grasp, he firmly clasped her hand again, tightly intertwining their fingers.
"Grandfather, I already made my choice at that wedding. From beginning to end, as always, I only choose her."
...
Chen Huaixiao led Bai Yin out of the lakeside villa. Outside, the sky was filled with fluttering snow.
Bai Yin pulled at Chen Huaixiao's sleeve and softly said, "What a huge loss."
Chen Huaixiao also let out a sigh, "Yes, what a huge loss."
She let go of him, then pushed him, "If you regret it, you can still go back. Grandfather would surely be overjoyed."
Chen Huaixiao took the opportunity to wrap his arm around Bai Yin's slender waist, cradling her face and gazing at her intently, though he didn't do anything else, just looked at her.
"What are you looking at?"
"Looking to see what kind of rare treasure Mrs. Chen is, to see if she's worth trading for the Chen Group's vast business empire."
Bai Yin let out a cold snort, "See anything? I'm just an ordinary little braid, that's all."
"Yes, just an ordinary little braid."
Framed by the snowy and moonlit scene, her touch of mortal beauty stood out dazzlingly. Chen Huaixiao's thin lips curved up as he gently kissed her—
"But Chen Huaixiao's little braid is priceless."
