Chapter 273: Not A Secret

*Ling Yue’s POV*

My desk is a complete disaster.

Blue folders stack high enough to block half my computer screen. The clock on the wall ticks quietly past three in the afternoon while I scroll through another long spreadsheet on my monitor, checking a row of numbers on a team report before typing in my final sign-off. My wrist is aching from clicking and typing all day, so I drop my hands from the keyboard and lean back in my chair to rub my stiff neck.

"Here’s the rest of the data from last week, Vice Leader Ling," one of our junior staff members says, setting another thin folder on the corner of my desk.

"Thanks," I murmur, pulling it toward me.

When I came back to the company three weeks ago, I walked straight into my Team Leader’s office and told him I was done running away. I promised him I’d take care of all the work I missed during my sudden disappearance, so he just pointed to a massive pile of backlogged files and told me to get to work.

He’s been making sure I live up to that promise every single day since, though I can’t even be mad at him considering I asked for this. It actually feels good to pull my own weight for once instead of escaping whenever things get tough.

My phone vibrates against the desk, the screen lighting up with Jin Hao’s name.

A tight knot forms in my stomach as I stare at the glowing display.

*I’m at the cafe across from your building. Please come down for a few minutes if you have time.*

I stare at the text without typing a reply. A few months ago, I would have dropped whatever I was doing and rushed down to meet him the second he mentioned being nearby, but today I just watch the screen fade to black.

Two minutes later, it buzzes again with a follow-up message: *I’ll just wait here until you have a few free minutes.*

If he’s going out of his way to wait for me like this, I know I shouldn’t just keep hiding away from him behind my desk.

Avoiding the situation isn’t going to fix anything.

I stand up from my chair and head out to hear what he has to say.

I step out of the office building, the afternoon air cutting across my face as I cross the street. The cafe on the corner is quiet, smelling faintly of roasted coffee beans and warm sugar. A soft chime rings overhead when I push the glass door open.

I look around and spot him sitting in a booth near the back window.

Jin Hao always looks immaculately put together, but today every trace of his usual sharp composure is gone. His white shirt collar is unbuttoned, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and his suit jacket sits forgotten on the seat beside him. He’s staring blankly down at a mug, dark shadows lingering under his eyes like he hasn’t slept in days. His shoulders sag in a way I’ve never seen before.

I walk over and sit down in the chair across from him.

He lifts his head, his eyes locking onto mine. For a fraction of a second, a flicker of raw relief passes over his face.

"You came," he says, his voice gravelly.

"I have a few minutes before I need to get back to my team," I say, keeping my voice calm and grounded.

He nods, taking a slow breath. He doesn’t reach across the table, he doesn’t command me to move closer. He just looks at me, absorbing the fact that I’m actually sitting here.

"...I was wrong, Ling Yue," he says softly.

The words land heavily between us. He grips the edges of his mug, his knuckles turning pale.

"I focused so much on managing the business, handling my family, and keeping control over everything that I completely ignored what I was doing to you." He swallows, his jaw tightening. "I thought because you always relied on me, because you trusted me so deeply, I could handle our situation on my own terms and you would just accept it. I assumed as long as you knew how I felt about you, everything else would work itself out."

He looks straight into my eyes, his tone laced with genuine regret.

"I didn’t think about what it felt like for you to wake up, look at your phone, and see my name attached to someone else. I didn’t think about how it looked from your side, reading about an engagement while sitting at home waiting for me to explain. I made you feel replaceable. I ruined your trust."

My stomach tightens, a sharp, familiar ache stirring in my chest.

"It wasn’t just that you broke my trust, Jin Hao," I say, my voice steady even as the memory stings. "You made me grieve us. I stayed at the Wuchen estate thinking the man I loved was giving his life to someone else while keeping me around like a dirty secret. Hearing you say ’it meant nothing’ after the fact didn’t make the pain go away—it just showed me how little you thought of what we had."

Jin Hao flinches, his jaw tightening so hard a muscle leaps under his skin. He looks down at his hands, his knuckles turning stark white against the table.

"I know," he rasps, his voice rough and uneven. He swallows with visible effort, as if the words are scraping against his throat. "I was arrogant, Ling Yue. I kept my life in separate boxes and expected you to just stay hidden in my private world while I handled my family’s business in front of everyone else. I thought as long as I was good to you behind closed doors, it didn’t matter what the rest of the world saw."

He looks up at me, his eyes bloodshot and heavy with a deep, painful realization.

"And the worst part is, I didn’t even have the respect to tell you the engagement was fake before the news broke. I made a business deal, kept you completely in the dark, and stupidly expected you to just take the hit and wait for me to explain whenever I got around to it. I made you go through that heartbreak all by yourself, like your feelings didn’t matter at all. I was cruel to you, and I broke your faith in me."

The silence between us stretches, heavy and raw, but at least, this time, Jin Hao isn’t hiding behind his logic or his authority. He is finally allowing himself to face what he did.

He reaches beside him and pulls out a small luxury paper bag, placing it gently on the table between us.

"You left this on the nightstand when you left the villa," he says softly, sliding it across the smooth surface toward my hands. "I know how much thought you put into getting it for Runze’s baby. I ruined that day for you... but I wanted to bring it back."

I look down at the bag. The image of the white-gold bracelet with the small pale jade bead flashes in my mind. I remember standing in the boutique, full of excitement, right before Jin Hao cornered me and dragged me into his world. Seeing it again brings back everything I felt that day.

I reach out, my fingers wrapping around the paper handles as I pull it closer to my chest.

"I’ll take this to Siying," I say quietly, looking him straight in the eye. "But I’m not moving back to the villa, Jin Hao. I used to trust you to take care of everything, but you kept something like that from me and left me in the dark... Right now, I just want to focus on my work and my own life for a while."

Jin Hao looks at me, taking in every word. Slowly, he reaches across the table. His fingers brush against my wrist before wrapping gently around it.

"I’m sorry, Ling Yue," he says, his eyes fixed on mine, rough and heavy with genuine emotion. "I’m so sorry. I won’t keep things from you ever again. I’m not asking you to come back to the villa, and I’m never going to keep you from working. I just... I want the chance to learn how to stand by your side properly again."

I look down at his hand resting on my wrist, then back up at his face. The regret written across his features is real, and he isn’t trying to force his way into my decisions.

I gently pull my wrist free from his grip, slipping my hand back into my lap.

"I have to get back to work," I say softly.

Jin Hao lets his hand drop back to the table, nodding slowly without trying to stop me. "...Alright. Thank you for coming down."

I pick up Siying’s gift, stand up from the booth, and turn toward the exit.

The bell above the door chimes as I step out onto the sidewalk. The afternoon wind sweeps across my face, taking the remaining tension with it.

My legs feel a bit weak from everything we just said, but as I hold the bag safely in my hand and cross the street back toward my office, my chest feels lighter than it has in a very long time.