I flipped the photo over, put it back into the envelope, and tucked it into the bottom drawer.

Immediately after, my phone received a message from the unfamiliar number again.

This was the number Shen Yan had inadvertently revealed to Luke.

[Did you get the photos?]

[You don't have to reply. I'm just letting you know that the seat won't be empty anymore.]

Followed immediately by a second message.

[I let you wait for me for three years. Now it's my turn to wait.]

I turned off the phone screen.

The Shanghai night outside the window was bright; the traffic on the overpass looked like a glowing river.

He said it was his turn to wait. But I was no longer on the third floor of the library.

Chapter 12

At nine o'clock the next morning, I pushed open the conference room door on time.

Someone was sitting at the head of the long table.

I glanced over and caught sight of Luke's face.

He was wearing a dark shirt with silver cufflinks, and a laptop was placed in front of him.

Vice President Chen and several project team members sat beside him.

I hadn't expected to see him here.

The conference room went quiet for a moment when I walked in.

Vice President Chen stood up to introduce: "Manager Jiang, this is our Mr. Lu from the Lu Group. He will be joining us today to listen to the project report in person."

I pulled out a chair, sat down, and projected the report materials I had prepared in advance onto the large screen.

"Mr. Lu, everyone, the project is currently 40% complete. We expect to deliver the first phase by the middle of next month."

The meeting lasted for an hour and a half.

I handled the entire report, while he listened the whole time, occasionally looking down to take notes.

When he asked questions, his tone was strictly professional, and every question hit the key nodes.

During the break, the bottle of mineral water in front of Luke was still unopened. He picked it up and placed it on the corner of the table next to my hand.

"Your voice is hoarse; have a drink of water before you continue."

I glanced at the water but didn't reach for it: "No need, let's continue."

Luke’s eyes dimmed; he silently withdrew his hand and said nothing more.

Vice President Chen returned after pushing the door open, and I continued with the second half of the report.

At 11:30, all the reporting content was finished.

Vice President Chen closed his notebook and nodded with a smile: "Manager Jiang is well-prepared. We are confident in leaving this project to you."

Just as I was about to stand up, Luke spoke: "There is a node on the third page of the schedule where the delivery time overlaps with the testing cycle."

He closed his notebook and looked at me: "Have your team set up the testing environment a week in advance; don't let it pile up at the end. This project relates to your year-end performance review; don't leave hidden risks just to rush the progress."

I paused: "Okay, I'll go back and adjust it."

As I was packing my laptop, Luke suddenly spoke.

"When you used to write love letters for me, you were just as serious. Forty-seven letters, every single one written beautifully. I never praised you once back then."

He put his hands in his pockets, his tone very light.

"When you stood beside me, I never felt that it was really you. Now that you are standing on the opposite side, I finally realize how wonderful you are."

I closed my laptop and picked up my bag: "Mr. Lu, the meeting is over. I'm leaving."

"Ginger."

I stopped at the door without looking back.

"I know you don't want to hear this right now. I’m not sitting here today to play the emotional card either."

Luke paused.

"I'm just here to tell you that once this project is done, I will no longer be your client. From now on, you won't have to face this face of mine in meetings."

I pushed open the conference room door and left.

Walking out of the meeting room, Luke followed behind me, keeping a distance of two steps.

While waiting for the elevator, Luke suddenly spoke: "The questions I raised at the meeting earlier weren't meant to make things difficult for you."

The elevator doors opened; I stepped inside, and he stood still without following.

"I know," I said.

Luke immediately continued: "What I said at the meeting earlier wasn't meant to flatter you; it was sincere."

"You don't need to reply. I've just been holding it in for a long time and wanted to tell the truth once."

The elevator doors closed slowly.

Back at my desk, there was a cup of hot coffee on the table.

There was a sticky note on the sleeve.

[From the client to the contractor.]

Chapter 13

I ripped off the sticky note and threw it into the trash can.

I didn't touch the coffee, just like every other cup before it; I left it at the corner of the table until it went completely cold.

In the afternoon, the team leader posted a new project schedule in the group chat.

The name printed in the client review column was Luke.

I stared at that line of text for a few seconds and then closed the window.

For the second progress report meeting, Luke was ten minutes late.

When he pushed the door open, his tie was crooked, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

Vice President Chen asked him in a low voice what happened.

He shook his head and said it was nothing.

I opened my notebook and started the report, not giving him an extra glance the entire time.

After the report ended, he didn't follow me out to see me off; instead, there was a mousse cake on my desk.

I recognized the brand; they only sell out by 10:00 AM every day.

Thinking of Luke’s drenched appearance earlier, everything had an answer.

The third report meeting was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

I arrived at the conference room early to calibrate the equipment, but when I pushed the door open, I saw he was already inside.

He was standing by the window with his back to the door, turning around when he heard the movement.

We both froze for a second.

Luke spoke first: "I came early."

I walked to the long table to connect the projector, the screen lit up, and the countdown page was reflected on the white wall.

Luke pulled out the chair at the head of the table, sat down, opened his laptop, and didn't say another word.

Halfway through the meeting, the team leader pushed the door open to talk to him about some data.

I stood by the projector, flipping through the materials.

When I flipped to the last page, my peripheral vision caught him turning his head to glance at me; he quickly looked away again.

After the report ended, Vice President Chen suggested having a meal together.

I said I had other things to do and declined.

Walking out of the office building, it started to rain.

I hadn't brought an umbrella and stood under the porch waiting for a taxi.

Someone pushed the revolving door behind me, and footsteps stopped next to me.

Luke was holding a black long-handled umbrella, but hadn't opened it, and the rain fell on his shoulders.

"Ginger," he started, his voice somewhat muffled by the sound of the rain.

"I've been in Shanghai for two months. Everything I didn't learn in the previous twenty years, I've learned in these two months. Learned how to queue up and buy things for the person I like, learned how to take care of you, learned how to stay where you can't see me, and learned what it means to wait."

The taxi arrived, and I opened the car door.

He stood in place without following.

"You don't need to look back, I'm right here. Whenever you want to look back, I'll be here."

I closed the car door and saw Luke still standing at the entrance of the office building in the rearview mirror.

The umbrella wasn't opened; he just held it in his hand.

The rain kept getting heavier.

Over the weekend, my mother called: "Ginger, the engagement between Luke and that girl from the Xu family is off. Your Aunt Lu was so angry she had to be hospitalized."

"I went to see Luke later, and he actually said... said you two were together before, and that he did all this for you. Is this true?"

My mother finally knew about my relationship with Luke.

It's just that the reveal of our relationship only happened after we had already broken up.

I pulled the corner of my mouth bitterly and gave a soft "Mm."