Shi Qing was a little suspicious at first that it had been too smooth, but upon second thought, this project was closely linked to the previous ones; there couldn't be a problem.

Plus, having endured for years and finally gaining power, Shi Qing thought Liam was nothing more than this and started to become recklessly arrogant.

Shi Qing poured all of the Shi Group’s liquid capital into the South American trade project, betting everything.

"Once this project succeeds, I’ll be able to surpass Liam and become the youngest richest man."

Thinking of this, Shi Qing couldn't help but curl his lips into a cruel smirk. He couldn't wait to see the expression on Liam’s arrogant face when it was broken.

One month later.

"Liam! Ah! You dared to design a trap to frame me!" Shi Qing’s eyes were bloodshot, his stubble growing wildly; he looked nothing like the noble young master he had been a month ago.

"Bang! Crash!" Sounds of smashing and breaking kept coming from the chairman’s office.

After a while, the sounds inside the office subsided. Only then did the group of managers outside dare to knock.

"Enter." Shi Qing’s weary voice came.

The management team poured in, looking at each other, until finally, a middle-aged man couldn't help but step forward.

"President Shi, this is my resignation letter. I’ve left it here for you." The middle-aged man placed the letter on the table and walked away quickly.

"President Shi, here is my resignation letter."

"President Shi, me too..." The office instantly became noisy, with everyone scrambling to submit their resignation letters to the desk before hurriedly leaving.

Shi Qing picked up a resignation letter, tore it open halfway through, and kept going until it was nothing but tiny scraps of paper.

"It’s over. Everything is over." Shi Qing’s eyes were hollow as he collapsed into his chair.

September 9th.

Yangcheng Court.

"Defendant Shi Qing, this court finds you guilty of the crime of smuggling and the crime of infringing on commercial secrets. For multiple crimes, you are sentenced to life imprisonment."

"At the same time, you are fined 315,000,000 RMB."

"Defendant Yang Ming, this court finds you guilty of the crime of infringing on commercial secrets and you are sentenced to three years in prison."

The judge’s solemn voice echoed through the courtroom.

"It was all Liam framing me! I never did any of these things! You should arrest him! He caused me to go bankrupt!" Shi Qing shouted and screamed, unwilling to accept reality.

Everyone in the courtroom looked at him coldly until he was dragged away by prison guards.

Coming outside the court.

Elena walked outside, looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, and couldn't help but sigh: "I didn't expect Shi Qing to actually dare to smuggle."

"It was a trap I designed to lure the enemy in. Otherwise, commercial secrets alone wouldn't have been enough to topple the Shi Group." Liam was in high spirits.

This time, not only did they cause the Shi Group’s stock price to crash, allowing them to buy it at a low price and annex it, but they also sent Shi Qing and the company traitor—Executive President Yang Ming—to prison, removing a thorn in their side.

After the company matters came to a close, Elena’s heart finally settled.

After work, Elena went to the office to find Liam: "Liam, let’s go to the supermarket together today."

Liam closed his pen and nodded, raising his eyes: "Sure. Is there anything you want to buy?"

Elena pondered for a moment, her elegant brows furrowing: "Nothing much, I just saw Clara showing off her affection on social media; she posted a video of Xu Chen feeding her."

Liam lowered his head and laughed softly, then walked over and took Elena’s hand.

"If you want to, we can post them every day too."

Elena bit her cherry lip, her brows curving into the shape of a crescent moon.

Just as the two were about to leave, the assistant knocked and walked in.

"President Liam, President Yun of the Starfish Group has specifically requested to see Director Elena."

Chapter 39: Waiting for Someone

Liam’s expression darkened instantly.

He coldly spat out two words: "Not seeing him."

The assistant froze, looking at Elena with a pleading gaze: "Director Elena..."

The Starfish Group was their most frequent raw material supplier; offending them wouldn't be ideal.

"Go ahead and take him to the guest room; I'll be there in a moment."

After Elena spoke, the assistant looked at her gratefully and quickly hurried out of the office.

After the assistant left, Elena softened her tone and looked at Liam: "Are you angry?"

Liam looked away. Although he was very unhappy inside, he maintained his usual cold and arrogant demeanor on the surface: "No."

Elena smiled lightly, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed Liam’s slightly cool lips: "Be good, I’ll be back soon."

Liam pursed his lips. The light kiss had successfully extinguished the jealousy in his heart, but it had ignited another kind of fire deep within him.

He forcibly suppressed the restlessness in his heart, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he spoke: "Ten minutes."

Elena nodded in agreement.

Guest Room.

As soon as Elena walked into the guest room, she saw Yun Chunnian staring blankly at a piece of paper: "Is there something you need?"

Hearing her voice, Yun Chunnian looked up. His brows were filled with fatigue, and he looked much thinner than before.

"I came to give you something, and also... I heard you’re married?"

Elena nodded politely: "Thank you."

Yun Chunnian forced a bitter smile on his face, though his heart felt incredibly sour: "That’s great, you two are a perfect match."

After saying this, he folded the paper in his hand into a square and placed it in front of Elena.

"Wait until I leave before you open it. Consider it doing me one last favor."

Yun Chunnian’s voice was very soft, so soft that it made one want to overlook his existence.

Elena looked at the paper on the table, confusion in her eyes: "Did you come all the way here just to deliver this piece of paper?"

"That's right. Alright, now that I’ve delivered it, I should go. Don’t worry, I won't come to bother you again in the future."

Before Elena could react, Yun Chunnian stood up and quickly walked out the door of the guest room.

Watching his retreating figure, Elena felt an inexplicable emptiness in her heart. This feeling came so suddenly that even she couldn't find a reason for it.

It wasn't until Yun Chunnian’s figure vanished completely that Elena picked up the paper on the table and slowly opened it.

There, a girl with a ponytail was drawn, looking down at a book.

The person in the painting was none other than herself. At the bottom of the painting was a line of text:

"Although I love you, for the sake of your happiness, I am willing to give up everything—including you."

Elena stood frozen, her hands gripping the drawing tightly, her emotions unsettled for a long time.

In every year that followed, Elena would receive a postcard. They were landscapes from different countries, but they were all sent by the same person.

That person was Yun Chunnian.

Love between people is inherently unequal, and all she could do was pretend that this had never happened.

Let this matter be hidden in a time capsule forever.

Three years after their marriage.

Elena became pregnant with her and Liam’s first child, and at the same time, good news came from Clara.

The two were pregnant together, and they went to every prenatal check-up together.

Clara, with her massive belly, turned her head to ask Elena: "Elena, does your baby kick you?"

Elena shook her head: "No, other than having trouble sleeping comfortably, I feel pretty good."

"I’m so envious of you. It’s like I’m pregnant with a troublemaker who kicks me all day long." Clara made a miserable face.

Elena smiled gently, comforting her: "Soon. Isn't your due date this week?"

Clara pouted, looking pitiful: "But it’s so painful. Why can't men be the ones to give birth?"

Liam and Xu Chen, who were following behind them, stopped abruptly and their expressions changed drastically upon hearing this.

Chapter 40: Another Season of Blooming

In the season when the pear blossoms bloomed once again.

Elena gave birth to a pair of boy-girl twins; the older brother was named Pei Niannian, and the younger sister was named Pei An'an.

Clara gave birth to a son, named Xu Yinyou.

"Brother Liam, shall we share a table for the full-month celebration?" Xu Chen walked over to Liam with a beaming smile, rubbing his hands together.

Liam lifted his cold gaze and glanced lightly at Xu Chen: "Are you short on money?"

Xu Chen immediately shook his head: "It’s not that, I just wanted to share in the good fortune. You have two children, and I only have one; I’m afraid he’ll be lonely."