Julian closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his eyes were bloodshot, and his voice trembled with a near-shattering quality, word by word:

"Here, I, Julian, offer my most sincere and profound apologies to Celine."

"Celine, I am sorry."

He spoke toward the lens, toward the direction where he hoped she might be watching, his tone nearing a plea:

"I am returning the innocence I owed you in public. As for the life I owed you, I want to spend the rest of mine making amends. I don't ask that you forgive me, I only ask that you give me a chance..."

Beyond the screen, countless netizens were stunned into silence.

The President of the Julian Group publicly confesses his repentance, pursuing love with humility!

On the other side of the screen, Celine was having a meeting with company executives to confirm the optimization plan for the domestic market.

When the meeting ended and she heard Sun Shiya’s gossip, she paused. There were no great ripples on her face, and she continued to throw herself back into her work.

Not until she got off work did Celine see Julian’s figure as soon as she walked out of the building.

"Did you see the press conference?"

He walked up to her, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Celine, give me a chance, okay? Even if we just start as strangers..."

Chapter 20

Celine watched him silently for a long time, so long that Julian thought she would soften and agree.

But she only spoke in a flat voice:

"No need, I don't want it."

"Celine, do you still have to be so contradictory?"

Julian’s eyes gradually reddened as his gaze fell upon the necklace at her throat. "If you really don't need it, then why are you still wearing this necklace? Is it to remind yourself again and again that you still can't let go of me, to remind yourself that you still have feelings for me?"

"Do you have to be so conflicted?"

The evening breeze carried a slight chill, brushing gently past the two figures locked in a standoff.

Celine frowned, just about to speak.

But the next moment, a shrill scream rang out.

"Celine! How do you deserve to live so well? How do you deserve to steal my Julian away!? Go to hell!——"

Sienna rushed out from the shadows at the side like a madwoman, gripping a sharp fruit knife tightly, carving a grotesque arc in the night.

In a flash, there was no time to react.

Just as the tip of the blade was about to touch her clothing, a tall, sturdy figure lunged forward.

Julian, almost instinctively, blocked her path without hesitation.

The sharp blade pierced fiercely into his back, cutting through skin and flesh, and blood instantly surged out, soaking his dark shirt—a shocking, appalling sight.

"Pfft—"

A warm mist of blood diffused into the air.

Sienna’s eyes widened, the madness on her face shattering inch by inch, leaving only a dazed and panic-stricken expression.

The police, who had rushed to the scene, immediately subdued her.

Celine stared blankly at the man blocking the path in front of her, at the blood seeping out incessantly, her mind a complete blank.

Julian ignored the bone-deep, piercing agony in his back and immediately turned his head to support her shoulders:

"Celine, as long as you're okay, even if I had to take two more stabs, I would be content..."

Celine was stunned, her voice slightly hoarse:

"Julian, you really are crazy."

"If being crazy can keep you,"

Julian gripped her hand with his blood-stained fingers and smiled, "Then I would rather be a madman."

Celine met his passionate gaze, a thousand words stuck in her throat, a complex surge of emotion rising in her eyes.

Soon, Julian, whose consciousness was fading from blood loss, was urgently placed on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital.

The hospital’s emergency light remained on for a full two hours.

"It nearly missed the heart; it can be considered a lucky escape."

The orderly pushed out Julian, who was still unconscious.

His brow remained slightly furrowed, his thin lips unconsciously quivering as he repeatedly murmured the same name.

"Celine... don't leave..."

"Celine..."

Sound after sound, they were all her name.

Celine, keeping watch outside the ward, stood quietly looking at the man sleeping and babbling on the hospital bed, remaining there for a long time, silent.

Chapter 21

After Julian woke up and saw Celine sitting by his hospital bed, the unease in his eyes instantly dissipated.

"Celine..."

He gripped her hand, a smile appearing on his pale face, "I knew it, you still have me in your heart."

Celine met his joyful gaze without speaking.

From then on, Julian began his pursuit of Celine.

He would guard beneath her apartment building early, carrying a warm breakfast to drive her to the company himself.

He also utilized his connections and industry resources to help her open up the domestic market and clear obstacles.

Outside of work, he poured out all his tenderness to make up for all the past debts.

He would take her to see the sunrise over the sea of clouds, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

In the evening, he would drive her through the city streets and alleys, eating all the niche delicacies she loved.

If she took a liking to an accessory, it would appear on her desk the next day.

When she worked late into the night, he was always the most punctual person waiting beneath the office building.

Others said that Julian had given all the tenderness and patience of his life to Celine.

Two months of time passed in a blink of an eye.

Under Celine's takeover, the domestic branch was reborn, winning several heavy-hitting collaborations in succession and setting the highest revenue record since the branch's establishment.

Celine, by her own strength, led the branch to reverse the decline, returning to the peak of the workplace, and once again became a dazzling presence admired by everyone in the industry.

As for Julian, he had long prepared a grand banquet of glory exclusively for her.

The crystal chandeliers glowed with lingering brilliance, and champagne was stacked into a tower.

Julian, dressed in a well-tailored black suit, walked step by step toward Celine.

"Celine, for these two months, I have stayed by your side, watching you struggle through sleepless nights and carry the weight forward, watching you shine with dazzling, brilliant light. To me, this is the luckiest time of my life."

He looked at her with a smile on his face,

"Five years ago, we missed the best timing due to various factors. For these five years, I have kept the eraser you lost in my drawer, just as I have always buried my love for you in my heart."

"Now I don't want to wait anymore, nor do I wish to miss out again. Celine, I love you."

He leaned forward slightly, his posture devout and solemn,

"Celine, are you willing to give me a chance to make up for my regrets and be my girlfriend?"

As the words fell, the entire venue erupted.

Applause and blessings rose and fell.

But amidst the anticipation of the crowd, Celine’s expression remained calm and unmoved.

"I am not willing."

The applause of the whole venue stopped abruptly.

Julian stiffened, looking at her in disbelief, the boiling expectations that had just risen in his heart instantly plummeting into an ice cellar.

His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his voice raspy: "...Why?"

"Because I have already had a fiancé."

Chapter 22

"You have a fiancé?"

Julian’s thin lips trembled slightly, "How is that possible..."

Just then, the doors of the banquet hall were gently pushed open.

A warm, elegant, and noble figure walked slowly into the light.

The man was dressed in a moon-white suit with an elegant demeanor, carrying an air of ease. He walked through the crowd to Celine’s side.

He reached out to gently protect her waist: "I can help you resolve this kind of thing."

Celine shook her head slightly, a smile hooking at the corner of her lips: "No need, I want to end it myself."

End it.

It turned out that these two months of companionship, the seemingly warming thawing of the ice, had been, from beginning to end, just a long-planned ending.

Julian’s heart felt as if it were gripped by an invisible hand, even his breathing filled with piercing pain:

"Celine, have you been lying to me from start to finish?"

He dared not believe it, nor was he willing to believe it.

He thought he had finally warmed her heart, thought they could finally make up for their regrets and start over.

In the end, it was nothing but his own wishful thinking and a joke.

Facing his out-of-control questioning, Celine’s expression remained calm, even carrying a hint of shallow, icy mockery:

"Julian, I seem to have forgotten to tell you: I, Celine, have always been a person who holds grudges and seeks revenge."

"These two months, the feeling of being filled with joy, falling step by step, and finally being shattered to pieces that you tasted—all of it was just what I suffered back then."

"Now, it was just having you replicate it exactly."

Julian shook violently, all color draining from his face.

He shook his head like a madman to refute: "Impossible! If you never felt anything for me, then why have you worn this necklace for years?"

"The initials on this necklace are clearly my name! Julian!"

Hearing this, Celine chuckled, her fingertips brushing lightly over the pendant.

"Julian," her voice was clear and bright, shattering all his obsessions, "the biggest mistake of your life is that you are always self-righteous."

"The initials on this necklace were never you."

She raised her eyes to look at the man beside her, her eyes full of tenderness:

"It is my fiancé, He Yanxu."

He Yanxu.

HYX.

Boom—!

The final belief that supported Julian completely collapsed.

It turned out it wasn't a lingering attachment.

It wasn't an inability to sever old feelings.

From beginning to end, it was just his own ridiculous, unrequited narcissism!

Julian’s legs went weak, and he could no longer support himself, falling heavily to his knees on the cold, polished marble floor.

He let his hands hang down, his eyes bloodshot and wretched; all his pride, nobility, and paranoia crumbled into dust at this moment.

He looked at the two people standing side by side in front of him, looking at the gentle and bright expression on Celine’s face as she looked at He Yanxu; his heart surged with bone-corroding regret and intense pain, yet he could no longer make a sound.

Celine, however, did not give him another glance, but took He Yanxu’s warm fingers.

He Yanxu intertwined his fingers with hers and curled his lips.

The two stood side by side, walking toward the bright exit step by step.

The dark past could not be chased, and the road ahead was bright and brilliant.

Celine was never one to wallow in the past or be trapped by love.

Now, she holds a flourishing career, has a good man by her side, and the road ahead is smooth and glorious.

She would never look back.

For the rest of her life, she would only look forward, bringing her own glory and love, blooming step by step, growing better with each passing year, living dazzlingly, frankly, completely, and magnificently.

And as for that deep, affectionate joke with no one to finish it, only Julian remained, trapped in endless regret and loneliness, with regrets for the rest of his life and empty thoughts every year.

————————————————————

The End