Xiao Jiang had gone downstairs to buy some cigarettes. When he saw this scene outside the hotel doors he almost thought he was seeing a mirage, but the two people outside were indeed the boss and Luo Qi. He noticed Pei Shixiao standing by the elevators, and he realized what was going on.

He quickly took a photo with his phone and sent it as a souvenir to his boss.

… …

The car was parked less than 20 meters from the hotel entrance.

The driver deliberately stopped farther away and did not drive over to pick them up in front of the hotel.

For Jiang Shenghe, these twenty meters might as well be two meters.

For Luo Qi, it felt like it was 20,000 meters away. The walk seemed endless.

Jiang Shenghe opened the door for her and walked around to the other side to get in the car.

Luo Qi sat inside and realized that the driver and bodyguard were there. She somehow came back to her senses and remembered that her boss said in the message that ‘we haven’t eaten dinner.” Then the driver and bodyguard must also be eating with them.

Jiang Shenghe closed the umbrella and sat down. When she was in his arms, his thoughts were also in chaos.

His face remained cold, however, and others couldn’t really tell the difference.

“What’s a good restaurant nearby?” he asked her.

Luo Qi’s reaction was noticeably slower than usual. She hesitated for a moment before naming a road. The location of the restaurant was a bit difficult to find; she would give specific directions after they reached that road.

Jiang Shenghe helped her calm her thoughts down, “Didn’t you have since September to deal with the matter? How long has it been since then, and yet it’s still unresolved.”

Luo Qi listened silently without refuting: she really hadn’t expected Pei Shixiao to resurface in her life again.

Seeing her silence, Jiang Shenghe continued, “In the future, there will be vacancies in management. How can you make a prompt decision based on your performance like this? Who would dare to give you such an important position?”

When Luo Qi heard that it was related to her career, she was forced to argue, “Chief Jiang, after working with you for so long, you should know me more or less. I admit that I handled this matter improperly, but at work this absolutely won’t happen.”

She must be focusing on her work now, so Jiang Shenghe stopped talking.

For some time, the two of them looked out of the window, each lost in their own thoughts.

… …

Luo Qi was scrambling to build a dike in her heart. When her defenses broke earlier, it seemed that the sealing was no longer as tight as before. She could only build a new embankment to add another line of defense.

There was an insurmountable difference between the two of them. She could not afford to treat him in any way other than her boss.

The boss’ figure was occasionally reflected on the car’s glass window, intruding on her efforts.

Luo Qi adjusted her posture slightly, blocking the glass, sitting in a way that she could only see herself in the dark reflection.

… …

Jiang Shenghe glanced at her. She was sitting almost with her back to him, pretending to be admiring the night view outside the car.

He took his cell phone and took a picture of her back. He really didn’t know if he was overthinking it, but whether she noticed it or not, she had treated him differently from a boss just now. No one else in the secretary’s office would dare to sit like this.

… …

They finally reached the restaurant that only people in Suzhou City knew.

The driver parked the car and got out with the bodyguard. The boss had asked them to go eat together.

The two of them followed the boss with heavy steps, feeling more complicated than when they had to go to a piano concert.

What should they say during dinner?

Just talk to the boss normally and don’t speculate about anything.

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

After the two left the hotel, the rain stopped.

Pei Shixiao stood dazed in front of the hotel. After Jiang Shenghe led Luo Qi away, he smoked several cigarettes in succession, and he had just lit the sixth cigarette in his hand.

‘Beep! Beep!’ the car horn sounded twice.

Pei Shixiao raised his eyes and saw his mother’s car coming to a stop in front of him, the window sliding down.

He exhaled smoke, “Mom, how did you know I was here?”

“I called you to tell you something, but I couldn’t get through. I can’t think of anywhere else you would go but here,” Madam Pei said.

“You can’t change anything even if you smoke yourself to death,” she added.

Pei Shixiao stood there without moving until he finished smoking his cigarette; he threw away the butt before getting in the car.

“She is with Jiang Shenghe.”

“What?”

“Luo Qi and Jiang Shenghe are together. They should have gotten together this afternoon.” Jiang Shenghe had not yet confessed his feelings at noon, so it must have happened sometime between this afternoon and this evening.

Madam Pei was shocked, “Is that so? No wonder you came here tonight.”

Luo Qi has a new relationship. She was relieved but also felt sad for her son.

“You still don’t want to give up?”

Pei Shixiao was silent.

Madam Pei felt that she had asked a useless question: so what if he didn’t want to give up? 

Luo Qi was clearly determined.

Everyone knew that Jiang Shenghe would not marry her. His family was not something ordinary people could marry into, and it was impossible for his family to agree to this match. She knew they would not marry, but she still chose Jiang Shenghe without hesitation. She would rather not have marriage and face an uncertain future than consider getting back together with her son. Nothing could change her mind and no one could make her look back.

Luo Qi’s determination not to get back together should be the same as her determination to take revenge on her husband.

There was no turning back.

“Mom has tried her best, and you have also tried your best to save it—let’s leave it like this.” 

She told the driver, “Drive.”

… …

Pei Shixiao pressed a hand to his forehead as the car passed by places filled with memories of him and Luo Qi.

“I will move to Shanghai, and we will no longer live in different places.”

“We’ll go out to eat when you arrive. I’m not hungry now.”

“What time are we going to try on the wedding dress tomorrow?

“I miss you.”

Every time she spoke, he didn’t respond in time.

Now there was no chance to reply to her again.

She cared so much about her career yet she was willing to go to Shanghai for him.

A phone call came in, interrupting his memories.

Pei Shixiao looked at his phone and saw Cui Peng’s number. It was no longer saved on his phone, but he remembered the last digits.

He didn’t answer, just directly cut it off.

Then, Cui Peng’s text message came in: [Sorry to bother you. Today your mother and secretary came to settle scores with me, saying that I deliberately waited for you in the restaurant out of some scheme to run into you, but I didn’t. I went to that restaurant first. I don’t have the ability to predict the future so I didn’t know that you would also be there. If I really had that ability, then I would like to meet you every day.]

Pei Shixiao did not reply.

Madam Pei looked at her son and thought it was a work call: he was in a bad mood and didn’t want to answer it.

She advised him, “It doesn’t matter if your relationship is gone, but you can’t ruin your career. You lost to Jiang Shenghe emotionally, now you can’t lose to him again when it comes to the business.”

Seventh Year of My Secret Love for You translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

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Chapter 30.3 — Embrace Her Under An Umbrella