They were sitting very close to each other, both staring at the computer screen, their faces almost touching. An Huai tried to remain calm, but her breathing had already become erratic.

Just then, the office door suddenly opened, and the crisp sound of high heels tapping on the floor echoed through the room.

An Huai looked up and saw a young woman’s face—her demeanor more fitting of a shrew.

“Chen Du!” The woman stormed around the desk, yanking An Huai aside and raised her hand to slap Chen Du.

Chen Du caught her hand mid-air, his voice laced with irritation as he said, “What are you doing? I’m working.”

“What kind of work requires you to be face-to-face like that?” the woman demanded.

“Can’t you see? We’re editing a document,” Chen Du replied, clearly annoyed by her unreasonable outburst.

So, An Huai found herself an unwilling audience to a drama. The woman yelled that she wanted to break up with Chen Du.

To her surprise, Chen Du didn’t try to stop her at all. Even after she stormed out, he made no move to follow.

Chen Du turned to An Huai and said, “Let’s continue.”

“Is she going to be okay?” An Huai asked, concerned.

Chen Du shook his head with a faint smile, saying something cryptic, “Being with someone you don’t love is tormenting.”

An Huai wanted to ask more, but Chen Du was already deeply absorbed in his work.

Over half an hour later, they finished editing the document. Chen Du called in his assistant to deliver the file to his superiors.

As An Huai tidied up her equipment, Chen Du waited patiently. Once she was done, he asked, “There are a few more sessions tonight. Are you staying to record them?”

She smiled and replied, “No, I was just filling in for someone today. If I stayed, I’d only cause more trouble.”

She expected Chen Du to continue the conversation along those lines, but instead, he abruptly asked, “Are you married?” while glancing at her bare fingers.

Thankfully, An Huai reacted quickly, answering decisively, “No,” before asking in return, “What about you?”

Chen Du shook his head, “No, but my family is pushing hard. They’re getting older and want grandchildren.”

Her heart tightened as she thought silently, *I’ve already given them a granddaughter.*

But everything was still uncertain, so she wasn’t going to say anything.

“Then…” Before she could finish, her phone rang.

It was a call about work later that night. The person who was supposed to come couldn’t make it, so they asked if An Huai could find a replacement.

Chen Du overheard the conversation and looked surprised, “You’re An Huai? The An Huai Studio is yours?”

An Huai nodded, unable to deny it, and suddenly felt an urge to stay and work that night.

Before meeting Chen Du, she thought Gu Si was the one she wanted most. But now she realized her feelings for Gu Si were more about suitability, while her feelings for Chen Du were pure affection, independent of any external conditions.

Like the first time she met him, she felt a deep, unreserved attachment.

An Huai asked Chen Du for a few professional books, but he candidly offered to teach her instead.

Chen Du’s ability to explain things and his logical thinking were impressive.

Under his guidance, she gained a general understanding of their field, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the office was filled with an undercurrent of ambiguity.

Was it that hearing his voice and feeling his presence made her overthink things? He was indeed a handsome man, and his simple, direct appearance alone was enough to make her fall for him.

She suddenly recalled a story where the female lead told the male lead’s parents that she was infatuated with his looks after they tried to bribe her to leave.

“What are you smiling about?” Chen Du’s voice pulled her back to the present. Embarrassed, she smiled, “Nothing, just didn’t expect you to still look so young after four years. How old are you?”

“Thirty exactly. And you?”

“Same here, October birthday.”

“June,” Chen Du replied.

She quickly calculated in her head and realized he was just four months older than her.

The two of them continued chatting like new acquaintances, starting with the most basic topics.

Despite having had countless business meetings, none made her as cautious as this one—she was terrified of saying the wrong thing.

“I looked for you afterward, but didn’t have any luck,” Chen Du said, his tone tinged with regret.

Her heart skipped a beat, “Why were you looking for me?”

“I’m not the kind of guy who plays around. The risk is too high,” he replied.

“So you’re saying I’m an easy woman?” she teased, making Chen Du burst out laughing.

That night, after finishing her work and returning home, An Huai sent a message to Gu Si: "I met Jing Huan's biological father today."

As soon as the message was sent, Gu Si called her. Without hesitation, An Huai told Gu Si everything.

"Do you know what his intentions are?" Gu Si asked.

"Not yet, but some things he said really made me think," An Huai replied.

Gu Si generously wished her luck: "Good luck."

After hanging up the phone, An Huai lay in bed, unable to sleep. The night was cool, making her more aware of his warmth. Seeing him today brought back vivid memories.

He had said that he looked for her too. If they had found each other earlier, would everything be different now?

An Huai couldn’t figure it out, but she vaguely knew that their reunion was a special favor from fate, and she needed to seize the opportunity.

The following week, An Huai was constantly busy, and she couldn't find a suitable excuse to see Chen Du, so she kept delaying it.

It wasn’t until Friday night, when An Huai went to pick up An Jinghuan from kindergarten, that something changed.

Halfway there, her assistant called asking for some documents. An Huai remembered that she had locked them in her desk drawer.

"Wait a moment, I’ll grab them from the office."

After picking up An Jinghuan, An Huai drove to her studio. She had never brought An Jinghuan to her workplace before, and not many people knew she had a child.

As An Huai walked into the office, holding An Jinghuan's hand, she bumped straight into Chen Du, who was waiting for her.

"Mr. Chen said he had something to…" The assistant’s sentence trailed off as she sensed the unusual atmosphere. She looked at the three of them curiously.

An Huai and An Jinghuan were wearing matching light pink outfits, looking particularly harmonious together.

Chen Du couldn’t take his eyes off An Jinghuan, while An Huai anxiously watched him. The assistant gulped and quickly excused herself, "I… I’ll leave you to it."

For a long moment after the assistant left, the office remained steeped in silence.

Chen Du studied An Jinghuan intently, a strange feeling welling up inside him.

It was An Jinghuan who finally broke the silence, completely unaware of the tension in the room. In a sweet, innocent voice, she said to An Huai, "Mommy, I’m thirsty, I want water."

"Oh, okay, mommy will get you some."

"An Huai, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?" Chen Du asked. They were sitting across from each other in the revolving restaurant atop the city’s tallest building. The exquisite food was neatly arranged on small plates, but neither of them had the appetite to touch it.

An Huai didn’t want to keep hiding the truth from him anymore. "It’s exactly as you think."

"You… how could you be so reckless, not thinking about the consequences?"

"I didn’t think? Did you think that night?" An Huai’s retort left Chen Du speechless, and he could only sigh helplessly.

Chen Du looked at the woman before him, recalling the amazement and joy he felt when he first met her, now mingled with admiration and respect.

Although four years had passed, she still seemed to be exactly the type of woman he liked.

When Chen Du was twenty-six, he, like many others, had stopped believing in love. But that night, it was as if he was under a spell, and for a long time afterward, he almost believed that love was just impulsiveness.

If he had known that his impulsiveness would bring such a big change to a woman’s life, he definitely wouldn’t have made that choice.

He didn’t know what An Huai had been through all these years, but just the thought that he might not have met her again terrified him.

He had almost become an irresponsible husband and father.

In a short span of time, Chen Du’s mind raced with countless thoughts, but when he opened his mouth, only one sentence came out: "An Huai, you’re a woman I both love and hate."

An Huai raised an eyebrow and finally felt like trying the beautifully presented food.

But just as she picked up her fork and was about to take a bite, Chen Du spoke again, "Let’s get married tomorrow."

An Huai put down her fork, her heart racing, but she maintained a playful smile as she said, "I never said I’d marry you."

"Who else would you marry if not me?"

"Do I look like someone who can’t find a husband? You should sort out your messy relationships first," she said, still holding a grudge over the woman who had barged into the office the other day.

"I don’t have any messy relationships. You’re the only one—the first woman I’ve ever approached with my heart rather than my head."

In the end, An Huai didn’t agree to marry Chen Du the next day, but she couldn’t deny that his attitude indeed brought her a sense of peace.

However, everything was happening so quickly that she wasn’t mentally prepared. The marriage she had longed for no longer seemed as important after meeting Chen Du.

She thought she had become worldly, like most people, desiring the "marriage grave." But looking at Chen Du, she suddenly realized that what she wanted most was still love—a love that she would be fortunate to have.

In the days that followed, Chen Du and An Huai did things out of the usual order: they had a child first, fell in love afterward, and then got married.

This sequence often displeased An Jinghuan. "Mommy, why are you going on a date again?"

"Because mommy needs to date daddy!"

"Mommy, I want to date daddy too!"

"…"

As An Huai spent more time with Chen Du, she discovered that he had a childish side, while Chen Du found out that An Huai wasn’t a strong woman at all—instead, she was a gentle and delicate one.

"When are we going to change Jinghuan's surname to mine? How about Chen Jinghuan?"

"No way! Our daughter takes my surname!"

"Fine, but when are you going to give me a son?"

"Get lost…"

An Huai never blamed the world for her circumstances; she always worked hard and strived upward. Perhaps that’s why she deserved the favor of fate.

But after all, not everyone finds love, and not everyone is so lucky.

Yet, when we hear these beautiful stories around us, do we not regain courage and confidence?