Jin Ru held the invitation card and went straight into the manager's office. She excitedly said,
"Manager, please approve my three days of paid leave!"
Manager: "..."
She showed the invitation card to the manager and honestly said,
"Sister Mai's Nora project is now my responsibility. I've already negotiated with KT, but there are still three other competitors. If you don't approve my trip, then it means you've given up on the Nora project."
"Are you threatening me?" The manager was also a man, older than her and married.
"Not at all. You don't have to approve it. If I don't go, I won't lose anything."
"Alright, approved. Even if I don't approve it, you'll still run off to Quy Nhon this weekend anyway!"
Jin Ru smiled and added, "If KT Group chooses our company and keeps me for an extra day or two, you still have to give me full pay, okay?"
The manager frowned helplessly as he watched her leave.
Oh well, it's all for the sake of making a living.
Cai Jin Ru meticulously prepared her belongings. Since she was attending an event for a large company, she had to choose a suitable outfit. Moreover, there was a chance she would meet him this time.
This was the first time in four years that Jin Ru had gone to Quy Nhon with such a joyful mood since that birthday.
The Quy Nhon sea was beautiful, but her heart was so sad that even the scenery seemed sad.
She arrived before the first rays of sunset, having walked back and forth many times, so she had accurately timed it to watch the most beautiful sunset.
She wore a short dress and strolled along the beach. It was rare for her to come here without feeling sad.
The sky today was also different from other days; it was no longer as gloomy as before.
Jin Ru took pictures of these moments, smiling brightly as she looked at them, but somewhere, tears involuntarily fell.
It's okay not to be together; just let her feel his existence in this world.
She missed him so much; she wanted to hug him.
Here, she didn't know how many times her tears had been saltier than the seawater.
Jin Ru was still very afraid that everything happening was just a dream, all imagined by her.
"Pretty lady, are you crying?" A little girl holding the corner of her dress asked her.
Jin Ru quickly wiped away her tears, regained her cheerfulness, and said to the child,
"No, sand flew into my eyes."
She smiled brightly at the child, but why did this child seem so familiar?
"Pretty lady, can I play with you?" The child grabbed her hand and swayed it.
"Where are your parents?" Jin Ru knelt down and wiped the sand from the child's face.
"I don't know!"
"Are your parents lost? Let me take you to find them!"
"Okay!"
The two, one big and one small, held hands and walked along the beach. They said they were looking for parents, but the child played with the waves, which also attracted Jin Ru to play with the child.
The two, aunt and niece, giggled and splashed water, getting their clothes wet.
"Qiao Shu!"
A deep, warm voice echoed behind her. Jin Ru froze, her heart seemed to stop, and she even forgot to breathe.
"Grandpa!" The child trotted towards the back.
(The child's mother calls KT 'uncle', so it's normal for the child to call KT 'grandpa'. It doesn't mean he's old, huhu.)
Jin Ru gathered all her courage and slowly turned around. She opened her eyes wide, looking at the man holding the child.
Jin Ru tried not to let her tears flow. This was the face she missed day and night.
He looked very mature before, but now he was even more solemn. The lines on his face had become more defined. How old was he this year? Forty? Not at all.
She clenched her hands, which longed to reach out and touch his face, to hug him.
In his eyes, she still seemed a stranger, so she didn't dare to approach or say anything.
"Why are you out here?"
"I'm playing!" Little Qiao Shu obediently said, still in his arms.
Little Qiao Shu pointed at Jin Ru and babbled, "The pretty lady is playing with me."
Chen Jiancheng shifted his gaze to her. Jin Ru felt an electric shock and looked away, avoiding his eyes.
"Thank you!"
"Uh... It's nothing."
She stammered.
"Lady, come home with me, I'll treat you to delicious cake!"
"You've found your family, so I'll go now. See you again, little one!" She smiled at Qiao Shu, then secretly glanced at him.
Chen Jiancheng suddenly spoke, looking directly into her eyes.
"Where do you live?"
"Ah, uh... I'm staying at the hotel in that direction."
Jin Ru answered truthfully.
"What a coincidence, I'm also going in that direction. If it's convenient, I can give you a ride home. Thank you for playing with my niece."
"Ah..." Jin Ru stammered. His words were so firm that she couldn't find any escape.
"Alright!" She reluctantly agreed in a low voice.
It was the first time she was so close to the man she loved, yet she couldn't say anything more, couldn't do anything.
But for Jin Ru, this meeting was enough to satisfy her long-held longing.
The feeling was still like when they first fell in love, her heart beating so strongly she thought it would leap out of her chest.
The two maintained a certain distance, while Qiao Shu chattered incessantly.
Occasionally, the two would answer the little girl, otherwise, they both remained silent.
In front of the hotel, Jin Ru shyly looked at him and said,
"We're here. Thank you!"
"Mm, see you again."
Jin Ru nodded, gently waved goodbye to him and little Qiao Shu.
Qiao Shu smiled brightly and waved, "Goodbye, pretty lady."
Chen Jiancheng carried Qiao Shu and continued walking. Watching his retreating figure, she could only smile.
She had truly seen him again, truly lived under the same sky as him again.
She happily ran back to her room, her emotions still unsettled.
Qiao Shu? When she saw the child, she only felt a sense of familiarity, but didn't truly remember that she was Mei Jin's daughter.
Qiao Shu? She remembered that when she asked about the company's name, he had explained that KT was an abbreviation of his father's name and his name.
So, the next heir must be this little Qiao Shu.
But no matter who it was, this child had opened up an opportunity for her to meet everyone again. She was truly grateful to the child.
But... why did he say "see you again" to her?
On the other side, Chen Jiancheng carried Qiao Shu, stroking her head: "Good job. Tomorrow, Grandpa will buy you a pretty doll!"
"Yes! Grandpa must keep his word and buy lots of dolls." Qiao Shu answered with a loud, long "yes."
Chen Jiancheng nodded, then merely smirked.
It was clearly you.