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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nFor most people, this New Year’s Eve was nothing special.

nNing Weikai was still with his wife, having the family reunion dinner back at the old House of Zhu. Holding her by the window at midnight and watching the New Year’s fireworks, he made another lifelong romantic promise to his wife.

nAs usual, Chen Zheng was on the debaucherous dance floor surrounded by overly-enchanting women. Intoxicated, he smirked at the indulgence around him. Tonight, he just wanted to let himself go and have a great time.

nXue Mingtao was still working at the office. Gu Yanzhi had mysteriously gone overseas. And Gao Lang was on his duty in the security office, the thought of getting his end-of-the-year bonus making him content.

nBut there was one thought that came to everyone’s mind: Next year, I’d like to…

nFor example, I’d like to keep New Bori at the top of the industry and eliminate all the possibilities of competition and aggression.

nI want revenge on him, and her, vengeance is the only way.

nI don’t understand the ‘big picture,’ but I know I’ll follow the commander, do my job well, and save more money so I can send it back to my parents.

nDesire was a black hole in everyone’s heart, constant, and complicated.

nAfter a flight that was over ten hours long, dragging her luggage, Lin Qian appeared in front of a quiet and classic apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, fantasizing over her own desires. Next year, I must get stronger and reinforce my senior executive position.

nBut for now, I need to look after my lonely and aloof brother.

nDing dong!

nThe doorbell rang but no one answered.

nLin Qian shrugged her shoulders; she would not be surprised if Lin Mochen were working overtime considering it was a weekday. But in order to surprise him, and so he wouldn’t worry, she hadn’t mentioned her trip to him at all.

nWithout hesitating, she opened the door with her own key.

nAn hour later she was soaking in the bathtub; she had a bottle of vintage red wine from his collection next to her. The crimson wine inside could be seen through the crystal glass. Gazing out the window at the sky full of stars, she felt relaxed and pleased.

nWith so many New Year’s messages from her colleagues and friends, her phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. Even her rival Chen Zheng sent her a message wishing her good luck in her future endeavors and hoping that all her wishes would come true. It was signed, “Chen Zheng from **Q.” Lin Qian figured it was a group message; finding it a bit funny, she didn’t respond.

nSince she was overseas, most of the messages were ignored. She only picked a few managers to send a New Year’s message to. When it came to Li Zhicheng, she hesitated.

nNot sure why, but the thought of his casual invitation yesterday to an opera show was making her unsettled.

nAfter some consideration, she started typing, ‘President Li, wish all your dreams come true and for greater achievements at Aida in the coming year.’ She also added, ‘Hope you enjoyed the end-of-year party. Have a great night.’

nWithin a minute, she got a response. ‘I didn’t attend.’

nStaring at the simple response, she was a little astounded and also slightly guilty.

nThe image of his calm and handsome face the other day made her feel a sense of hidden desolation from his impression of coolness and distance.

nMeanwhile, some noise was coming from downstairs. Lin Qian pulled herself together, putting the phone away and leaving the bathtub.

n…

nDownstairs Lin Mochen entered his home; it had been a rough, busy day for him. The thought of celebrating the New Year hadn’t even come across his mind. What for? Should he get drunk alone and drown his sorrow? Or, like other single men in America, look for a fling at some bar? He didn’t have the time or the mood. Plus, he usually found the women in the bars were too unattractive.

nHe had been working up until this moment. He’d invited a few business partners over to his place without any fuss, and they all headed directly to his balcony. It was classic and elegant, full of plants and bright lights. They sipped tea while discussing an investment project they had been working on lately.

nJust 30 minutes into their conversation, a dark-skinned partner of his suddenly paused, asking him, “Jason, did you hear something?”

nAccordingly, everyone started to quiet down; they heard the sound of slow and light footsteps coming from upstairs: pat, pat, pat…

nEveryone began to stare at each other. Judging from the footsteps, Lin Mochen had already figured out who that could be.

nHe smiled—a rare, sincere and delighted smile. His deep and clearly sculpted face appeared ridiculously handsome under the lights. The female business partner sitting next to him came to a realization. “Jason, there’s a woman in your home?”

n“It’s my younger sister,” he responded. Soon after that, a young lady elegantly walked down the stairs, smiling.

n“Brother! Hi guys.”

nMen are all about looks, and most of the Wall Street elites there were male. At this moment, regardless of age or skin color, as long as they were male their attention was on Lin Qian.

nThe Chinese lady in her twenties was in a simple black hoodie and jeans, and on her feet were furry slippers. Her long, damp hair was lying on her shoulders. There was a pop of redness to her pale and youthful cheeks, adding a little dewiness to her skin. Although this was not the most gorgeous face they’d ever seen, with her fresh and pretty facial features, she appeared exotic, pure, and lively.

nLin Mochen’s gaze was on his sister, and then it landed on the rest of the men.

nHe unconsciously raised his eyebrows.

nStanding up, he forced a smile. “Shall we just call it a day? I have a visitor here.”

nHe quickly dismissed all the guests. Five minutes later, they had all left the premise.

nStanding by, Lin Qian walked the last visitor out, grinning. Lin Mochen quickly glanced at her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? What were you gonna do all by yourself?”

nLin Qian chuckled. She grabbed his arm and they walked inside. “I just wanted to surprise you. Brother, were you nervous hearing my slow footsteps on the stairs? Haha!”

nLin Mochen quietly chuckled without commenting.

nIt had been a while since they’d last seen each other. Lin Qian had meant to get him some presents before the visit, but she hadn’t found the time to go shopping. She had been busy all the way up to the last day she had worked at Aida before vacation. So the present she’d gotten him was just an average male wallet from Aida.

nAs expected, once Lin Mochen received the wallet, he threw it over the couch after sparing it an impatient glare.

n“You can’t just refuse all our domestic brands,” Lin Qian said with a frown. “The quality and craftsmanship are actually pretty good. It’s from the company I’m working for—we’re talking about the time and effort I’ve put in here.”

nLin Mochen replied, “I’ll consider using it once you and your colleagues make it in the global top five.”

nLin Qian didn’t like the sound of it. Just when she was about to argue, the term “colleague” reminded her of Li Zhichen. It reminded her of his passion and persistence when encouraging others to fight for the Ming Sheng project as well as his strategies and determination.

nWhy was she suddenly feeling so confident in front of her arrogant brother?

nUnlike herself, she calmed down and smiled. “Huh… That day will come, you can count on it.”

nJust across the road from the apartment was a luxurious five-star hotel. After some flurries of snow had fallen from the sky to cover the trees and all the pedestrians’ hair, the reflection from the lights left everything white, bright and clear.

nSitting at the hotel restaurant, overlooking the beautiful view outside the window, Lin Qian slowly became distracted.

nOpposite to her was Lin Mochen, elegantly cutting his steak with a silver knife and fork. He had been quietly observing his sister’s facial expression.

n“Are you seeing someone?” he suddenly asked. “Seeing that Li Zhicheng?”

nFrozen, Li Qian turned to look at him.

n“How did you know—No, I’m not seeing anyone. But why him?”

nLin Mochen chuckled, “Cause you’ve set your bar pretty high.”

nStunned by his sharp observation, after a brief silence she decided to be completely honest. “We’re not dating. He has expressed his feelings for me, but I said no.”

nStaring at her, Lin Mochen became quiet.

nEven though she calmly rejected the idea, she didn’t realize that she kept stabbing the high-quality steak on the plate with her knife and fork.

nWith sunken eyes, Lin Mochen responded, “Good—you shouldn’t. I wouldn’t support it either.”

n“Why not?” Lin Qian looked startled.

nHe put down the knife and fork, then picked up the serviette to wipe his mouth. “Because he’s different,” he said calmly. “Lin Qian—when it comes to relationships, for the men who always rack their brains, the more they do it, the more ruthless you need to treat them. You need to do this until there’s nothing left to them but their true hearts.”

nThirty minutes later Lin Qian was dressed in a puffer jacket, a hat, gloves, and a scar, and stood under the porch of the restaurant. A few moments later, she turned her back and looked through the window; seeing Lin Mochen was still on the phone, sitting on the same spot with a calm look, she couldn’t help but judge him.

nWhat a strong-headed brother!

nShe had only pointed out the truth to him after his previous comment. “Brother,” she had said, “you’re also this type of man—have you ever been treated ruthlessly?”

nLin Mochen had become agitated right away and had started giving her the silent treatment.

nLi Qian really had no idea what his romantic history looked like. But she had also figured something out, so she didn’t keep asking. While he’d been caught in the phone call, she’d come out for some fresh air.

nThe hotel was decorated in a European style. Under some shade from the big trees between the buildings, there was a small garden covered in snow that was illuminated under the soft dim light. Some red Chinese lanterns were hanging on the glass wall nearby, red and bright and very impressive. Some notes were also stuck on them; written in Chinese, they appeared to be the traditional Chinese lantern riddles. Surrounding the lanterns were some people looking around.

nLin Qian was also coming along for the ride.

nShe picked up a piece of a riddle. Hmm, interesting. It read, “The world for men.” Lin Qian was trying to solve the riddle when she heard the petite, fresh-looking girl next to her. She seemed to be Japanese and spoke to her friend in English. “We can stop now. Someone just guessed all the riddles.”

nHer friend said, “He must be getting first prize.”

nIntrigued, Lin Qian turned around, hearing the Caucasian waitress answer, “That’s right, by a very handsome guy. Gosh, he just returned with the prize.”

nAccordingly, they looked over, and so did Lin Qian. She saw a man coming out of the corner in the front hallway with one hand in his pocket, the other one carrying the lantern.

nThe lighting was quite dark; she could roughly see him in a black jacket, tall and slender, with heavy footsteps. Under the light, his vague but long silhouette portrayed a distinctive impression; cold, stern, calm and handsome.

nLin Qian found him… somehow familiar.

nBut it couldn’t be possible.

nThe Japanese girl next to her said to her friend, “Is he Korean?” They soon stepped up, trying to find out what he looked like.

nBut Lin Qian happened to be blocking them.

nUnwilling to lag behind, she also moved ahead, walking around them and taking a good spot at the front trying to get a closer look.

nThe man was approaching.

nThe shape of his figure was becoming more and more familiar, and she was becoming more and more amazed.

nHe looked up, completely ignoring bypassers’ discussions and attention, staring straight at her.

nInstead of a suit, he was wearing a normal black jacket and casual pants, appearing younger and eye-catching. Under his long black eyebrows, there was a hint of a smile from his dark eyes as they reflected some light.

n“Happy New Year, Lin Qian.”

nLi Qian’s response was to first rub her eyes.

n“President Li, why are you here?” Why are you carrying a lantern?

nSurprised, the waitress next to her asked, “Hmm, sir, why didn’t you get the iPhone for first prize? The lantern belongs to the third prize winner.”

nLin Qian glanced at his hand. In it was a very delicate octagonal lantern, the rice paper thin and soft with some jet-black spikes. A Chinese portrait of ancient ladies was printed on the canvas’s soft and gentle lining, feminine and realistic.

nThe Japanese girls nearby were still quietly watching and commenting while Lin Qian still stood stunned. Li Zhicheng looked at her softly. “Give me your hands. Both of them.”

nConfused, Lin Qian stared at him, holding up both of her hands. Her heart was pounding from his sudden appearance.

nSurrounded by the dim light, his face looked both soft and hard, like a relief sculpture. Gazing at her with his pitch black eyes, he put the lantern into her left palm.

nIn a low, gentle voice: “Take it.”

n“Umm, okay.” Holding it tightly, Lin Qian thought, Is this because he’s shy after being caught with a lantern, so he’s handing it to me? Hmm, and why both hands?

nHer right hand had suddenly become warm.

nHe was holding it.

nHis dry and cool hands grabbed hers, closing all her fingers.

nLin Qian quickly looked up at him.

nHe was also staring at her quietly. His eyes were dark as night; he held her hand tightly and didn’t seem to plan on letting it go.

nIn a low voice, the girl next to her gasped, “Woah…”

nThump, Thump, Thump. Lin Qian’s heart wouldn’t stop.

nHe had just arrived in front of her out of nowhere, greeting her with, “Give me your hands.” With one of her hands holding the lantern, and the other one held by him, this was all too …

nGazing at each other for a split second longer, he then pulled her hand, leading her outside without saying anything.

nLin Qian carried the lantern, walking fast to keep up with him. The hand tightly held by him was hot as an iron. She ignored the stares from others and the noise all around them. The two quietly walked past the crowd and the hotel to the busy streets covered with falling with snow.

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