Cheng Yi was entirely absorbed in her translation work, so much so that she lost track of time.
The door creaked open. A brisk, impeccably dressed secretary stepped in, a neat stack of documents in her arms, which she placed on the desk across from Cheng Yi. Cheng Yi lowered her head, ready to resume her work, but then a familiar figure caught her eye, throwing her thoughts into disarray. Panic surged through her, and she felt her palms begin to sweat.
The man stepped around the secretary, settled into the desk, and immediately began giving instructions,without even a glance her way. The secretary exited quickly, leaving just the two of them in the room. Cheng Yi hesitated. Should she say hi? But he was already absorbed in his work.
They had already exchanged greetings a few days ago, hadn't they?
There really wasn't much else to say.
Clearly, he had made it. His dream had come true. In her heart, she silently congratulated him.
She took a deep breath and turned her attention back to the screen. The quiet tapping of her keyboard blended with the rustle of pages as he flipped through his files, filling the room.
"When will it be ready?"
She froze. Was he talking to her?
Cheng Yi glanced up. The man was still engrossed in his documents, his expression unchanged.
Had she imagined it?
"I have a meeting with the client before the end of the day. I need the contract."
No, she hadn't misheard.
"I'll have a first draft done by noon. The final version, proofed and polished, will be ready by three. If anything needs correcting, I'll make the revision immediately."
"Good."
Cheng Yi felt a tightness in her chest. She needed to pick up the pace, fingers flying over the keyboard.
At noon, the secretary brought in lunch for both of them. Cheng Yi ate quickly and got right back to work. By 2:30, she had finished two rounds of proofreading. But now she wasn't sure where to save the file.
"Excuse me... sorry to interrupt. The contract is ready. Where should I save it?"
The man paused his work and turned to face her. His eyes glinted with anger—restrained, but unmistakable. His voice was clipped, his tone carefully controlled.
"Just save it to the USB. If there's an issue, we'll contact you."
A wry, mocking smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Then came the jab:
"But the problem is, you're hard to reach. We humble clients can barely keep up with a translator of your calibre."
"The problem is... you're so hard to reach. How could insignificant clients like us even dare disturb the great Translator Cheng?"
What was that supposed to mean?
"I... If there's an issue, just call me."
He stood abruptly. And in that moment, all the frustration he had held in—days, maybe even years' worth—erupted.
"Can your phone even be reached?!"
Cheng Yi recoiled, her face draining of color. She stammered, panicked.
"It—it can! I... my phone works just fine..."
Fang Zhiyuan let out a cold smile. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number. Cheng Yi quickly retrieved hers and stared at the screen. One second. Two. Three... Nothing.
Why wasn't it ringing?
She glanced up at him in alarm. He looked like an enraged lion, ready to pounce and tear her apart. She was shaking uncontrollably, cold sweat streaming down her forehead. Without a word, he marched over and snatched the phone from her hands, scrolling through it furiously.
Odd, his number wasn't on the blocked list, and there were no restrictions on incoming calls. He keyed in his number manually, and moments later, a ringtone rang out from his phone. His brows furrowed in confusion, but seeing her troubled look, it was clear she hadn't deliberately ignored his calls. His voice finally softened.
"I called you. A lot."
"But I... I didn't hear it ring. Not once these past few days."
Her bewildered look told him she wasn't lying. Her pale face, the cold sweat beading on her forehead—she was clearly terrified. Fang Zhiyuan's anger evaporated in an instant, replaced by a tight knot in his chest. He drew in a shaky breath, then gently placed a hand on her back, feeling the damp fabric beneath his touch.
Her breathing slowed. Her thoughts cleared a little. She took a small step back, putting space between them.
"Was there something you needed?"
Her growing distance didn't surprise him.
As Yufan had said just yesterday—after leaving so abruptly back then, how could he expect her to welcome him warmly? This was like any negotiation: the more the other party avoided you, the calmer you needed to be. Push too hard or acting rashly could easily ruin any chance of reconciliation.
No amount of makeup could hide the lingering pallor in her face. She seemed noticeably thinner than the last time he saw her, clearly not yet fully recovered from her illness.
"Nothing really. I just wanted to see if you were feeling better."
"Much better now. Thank you."
Fang Zhiyuan struggled to accept Cheng Yi's increasingly formal demeanor. He had to admit, it would take a long time to bridge the gap created by six years of separation. Yufan had been right—now was not the time to push for reconciliation. First, he had to make her stop avoiding him, to approach her in a way she felt comfortable. If he could reconnect as an old friend, perhaps she wouldn't shut him out entirely.
"But you never called me either."
Cheng Yi said nothing. The truth was, the thought had never crossed her mind. She lowered her head.
"I hope you won't ignore calls from an 'old friend' like me."
"...I won't."
It seemed this approach was working. Feeling more assured, Fang Zhiyuan switched to a businesslike tone.
"I'll go over the contract first. Please wait in the conference room for a moment. There may be changes—don't leave until I confirm everything with the overseas client."
"All right."
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Cheng Yi was waiting in the conference room, where she finally had a moment to take in her surroundings. On the wall behind the reception desk, bold letters spelled out 'Yuan & Fan Law Firm.'"
How could she have been so dense?
Yuan & Fan—Fang Zhiyuan and Xie Yufan. This was the dream they'd once shared in university, to open a law firm together.
And now, here it was.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. Standing at the door was Xie Yufan, smiling warmly.
"Yi, want to grab a bite?"
"I probably shouldn't. The contract might need some last-minute changes."
"Don't worry, I've already told the secretary to let him know. Plus, I'm a partner here, I think my word carries some weight, don't you?"
Well, lawyers always have a way of making their arguments so compelling that you can't refuse.
And to be honest, seeing Xie Yufan again genuinely made her happy.