Seven Years of You

Chapter 16

Luo Qi's stilettos echoed through Ruipu Medical's marble lobby, two dozen staffers pretending not to notice the fourth floral delivery of the day. The peonies' embossed card bore familiar numerals: 10.6 - their cohabitation anniversary.

The conference room's glass walls reflected Director Lu Rui's tightening jaw as Luo Qi dismissed his strategic report with a manicured wave. "I'll review these figures post-holiday fatigue recovery," she declared, Chanel No. 5 trailing her exit.

Jiang Shenghe's encrypted texts revealed:15:47 - Florist order: 200 white peonies (￥9,800)16:02 - Security override code activated for Ruipu's basement parking

Cui Peng's Louboutins clicked aggressively across the boardroom. "Our position remains unchanged," she lied, market analysis reports crumpling under her grip. The unspoken subtext lingered - this was personal vengeance for lost opportunities.

Thermal sensors recorded:20:17 - Body heat signatures merged in home theater (103°F)21:03 - Jiang's dress shirt buttons scattered near pumpkin greenhouse

The master suite's motion detectors captured:22:12 - Luo Qi's silk chemise snagged on bespoke bedframe22:14 - Jiang's cufflinks left parallel scratches across Egyptian cotton

As dawn filtered through blackout curtains, Jiang's encrypted calendar updated:07:30 AM - Board meeting rescheduled08:00 AM - Florist consultation (wedding arrangements)

Luo Qi's fingers tightened around the steering wheel as Jian Hang's white coupe roared past Lu Rui's Audi. The vanity license plate "JX8888" glinted under afternoon sunlight, its symbolism not lost on the watching Ruipu Medical CEO.

Jian Hang's laughter carried through the convertible's open roof. "You're really clocking out at 5 PM sharp?" The wind whipped strands of hair across Luo Qi's face as she nodded, their shared secret about Jiang Shenghe simmering beneath casual banter.

Earlier confrontation:Jiang's platinum wedding band left micro-scratches on his tablet screen as he swiped through bridal catalogs. The CCTV feed from Luo Qi's office showed her methodically dismantling Ruipu's cafeteria policies, red pen slashing through outdated regulations.

Professor Jian's grading session revealed:

37 trigonometry exams corrected by Jiang's precise hand

Luo Qi's margin note on paper #12: "Quadratic equations can't solve love triangles"

The Mercedes' black box recorded:21:07: Jiang's right hand left steering wheel indentations during confession21:09: Luo Qi's earlobe coloration increased 23% at "You were my first"

Thermal imaging showed residual heat concentrations:

Driver's seat leather retained 98.6°F imprint for 47 minutes post-parking

Discarded cherry pits in cup holder emitted 5.3°F residual warmth

As midnight approached, Jiang's encrypted calendar updated:07:00 AM - Board meeting: Ruipu Medical acquisition finalization08:30 AM - Florist consultation (peony varieties)

Luo Qi's fingers trembled against the dressing room mirror as Jiang Shenghe's knuckles brushed the nape of her neck. The invisible zipper hissed upward, trapping wisps of hair that he carefully freed - three strands counted then tucked behind her ear with military precision.

The VIP suite's CCTV captured:09:07: Jiang's cufflinks left parallel indentations on satin train09:12: Luo Qi's pulse spiked 18% during second gown fitting

Earlier inventory logs revealed:

Gown #7A reserved: Chantilly lace bodice with 47 hand-sewn pearls

Veil #3C altered: 12cm shortened to match Luo Qi's cervical vertebrae curve

Jiang's pre-fitting preparations included:

Surgical-grade hand sanitization (4-minute scrub)

Thermal adjustment of dressing room to 72°F optimal comfort

The silk charmeuse gown retained:

0.3ml Chanel No. 5 at left shoulder seam

Right sleeve lining imprint matching Jiang's thumbprint

Jiang's Patek Philippe registered:09:00-11:32 - Continuous contact with bridal fabrics11:33 - First verbal compliment: "The neckline complements your collarbones."

As staff reset the suite, thermal sensors detected residual heat concentrations:

98.6°F at zipper track coordinates

101.2°F near three-strand hair sample preservation area

Cui Peng's vermilion nails tapped against the conference table as she slid the promissory note across to Luo Qi. The air conditioning hummed louder in the silence, carrying traces of Shiseido Rouge Rouge RD308 lipstick scent from their last confrontation.

Bank transfer records revealed:11:07 AM - ￥9,200,000 wired from Jiang's offshore account11:09 AM - Cui Peng's Citibank app notification triggered

Cui Peng's encrypted emails showed:"Target's weakness confirmed - debt leverage established. Awaiting phase two." Sent to Lu Rui's burner account 47 minutes post-transaction.

Jiang's smartwatch biometrics indicated elevated stress levels during the 9-minute call:

Heart rate: 112 bpm

Voice frequency modulation: +18% baseline

Luo Qi shredded the contract with surgical precision, diamond wedding band catching fluorescent lights. "Next time we meet," she stated, mechanical destroyer whirring, "you'll be cleaning out your Lingjia Capital desk."

The black Amex Centurion Card on Luo Qi's desk bore micro-scratches from:

3:17 AM fingerprint unlocks

7:32 AM emergency airport lounge purchases

Security footage captured:11:32 AM - Cui Peng's left eyelid twitched 3 times consecutively11:33 AM - Luo Qi's knuckles whitened around Montblanc pen

As the shredder fell silent, Jiang's encrypted calendar updated:19:00 - Family dinner reservation (Suzhou private kitchen)21:30 - Offshore account reconciliation

The digital clock glowed 23:58 as Jiang Shenghe's fingers hovered over the keyboard. The email notification blinked insistently, its sender field displaying an address he hadn't seen in seven years - the same one he'd preserved like pressed flowers between dictionary pages.

His thumbprint scanner activated with a soft hum, granting access to the encrypted message. The screen's blue light caught the tremble in his knuckles as he began reading:

"Dear President Jiang,

You must never have imagined receiving this reply, though it arrives seven years too late. Time stretches endlessly - enough for me to forget fragments of my own history, yet you've memorized every chapter of mine. From the number of hospital visits after client dinners to the exact arguments I made in boardrooms. You remember when my confidence shone brightest, before reality eroded its edges. You noted the afternoon I left work dispirited in March 2016, and the evening in September 2018 when I departed radiant with joy unrelated to you. All my life's fortune condensed into meeting someone as formidable yet tender as you. To the love of my life - happy birthday. May every wish find fulfillment through my hands from this day forth."

The grandfather clock in his study chimed midnight as raindrops streaked the floor-to-ceiling windows. Jiang's reflection in the glass showed the first tear tracing his jawline before disappearing into his unbuttoned collar.

Downstairs, the intercom buzzed with the night guard's voice. "Sir? There's a priority delivery from Sucheng."

The cake box contained buttercream sunflowers mirroring Luo Qi's childhood sketches. Nestled beneath lay her grandmother's jade bracelet and a Polaroid of their intertwined hands from that rainy bridge encounter. The back read: "Your 32nd candle - I'll light it properly at dawn."

Jiang's private jet engines whined to life at 04:30. The cockpit received amended coordinates mid-taxi - no longer Beijing headquarters, but a private airstrip near Luo Qi's client meeting venue.

As the aircraft pierced cloud cover, Luo Qi stood at her hotel window watching sunrise gild the canal. Her phone vibrated with a new calendar alert: "Shared Event Added - Jiang Shenghe's Birthday: Ongoing (Lifetime Duration)."