ATLAS TRANSLATES

Xue Rui told Ji Feng the details of the matter:

Recently, a major enterprise is planning a global product launch event. If they can convince the enterprise to choose Swire Hotel for this event, it’s a great opportunity for Swire Hotel, and it will significantly benefit Ji Feng’s overall career.

Many brand hotels are aware of the advantages of winning this event, so numerous hotels are vying for this opportunity.

Initially, both the Marketing and Planning Departments of Swire Hotel tried to secure the event but returned empty-handed.

Manager Tian from the Planning Department was frustrated. He had intended to boost the department’s performance with this event. Therefore, he personally led the team and worked several nights to create a planning proposal. However, it failed to impress the enterprise’s boss, Lü Qiankun.

Regarding the proposal, Lü Qiankun’s feedback was a rejection: “Your planning is too routine, with a heavy trace of formalized and standardized procedures. Although the event is well-planned, it lacks a touch of delicate human sentiment. Our CEO hopes to see the event organizers reflecting that nuanced human touch.”

Receiving this feedback, Manager Tian sighed in frustration, unable to understand why a grand event organized by a big enterprise boss would not work if it was elaborate. It seemed that the event organizers had to showcase delicate human sentiment.

After Manager Tian returned defeated from the enterprise boss, Xu Miyu spent the whole day with a furrowed brow, expressing her regret about missing the opportunity to boost the annual performance.

Unable to bear seeing Manager Tian in distress, who had always favored her since she joined the Planning Department, Xu Miyu wanted to do something to help.

She privately did thorough research, consulted a lot of information and interviews about Lü Qiankun, even understanding the geographical location and customs of his hometown.

Then she came up with an idea.

She carefully prepared some characteristic dishes from Lü Qiankun’s hometown, handed them to Manager Tian, and asked him to take these delicacies along with the newly prepared event planning proposal to visit Lü Qiankun. She told Manager Tian that perhaps these foods could turn the tide for the event.

Manager Tian was skeptical but, for the sake of the annual performance, he decided to bravely give it another try. However, he was afraid of not being cautious enough, so this time he brought Xu Miyu along.

Lü Qiankun agreed to meet Manager Tian again as a courtesy but informed through the front desk that the meeting time was limited to ten minutes. If, within that time, Manager Tian’s proposal didn’t impress him, then Swire Hotel would completely miss the chance for the event, and he wouldn’t give them another opportunity.

When Manager Tian was escorted into the elevator, he felt uneasy and couldn’t help expressing his concerns to Xu Miyu: “Just ten minutes. What can we achieve in such a short time? Quickly think, with so little time, which part of the proposal should we introduce that might be more appealing?”

Xu Miyu reassured him: “Manager, let’s make the best of what we have. It’s too late for last-minute changes. Instead, let’s adapt on the spot and respond to whatever comes up.”

Considering her advice, Manager Tian made up his mind. With Xu Miyu, he stepped out of the elevator.

However, after entering Lü Qiankun’s office, Manager Tian was somewhat dumbfounded. In the limited ten minutes, Xu Miyu didn’t introduce any part of the proposal. Instead, she started chatting with Lü Qiankun about other things—she initiated a conversation about the delicious hometown dishes, talking about Lü Qiankun’s hometown and casually chatting.

To Manager Tian’s surprise, the two seemed to be enjoying the conversation. Even after ten minutes had passed, Lü Qiankun seemed to forget about the time and didn’t ask them to leave.

Taking advantage of Lü Qiankun’s good mood, Xu Miyu presented the food on the coffee table and invited him to taste.

Seeing the local dishes from his hometown on the table, Lü Qiankun became excited and immediately began tasting each dish.

The secretary knocked on the door, reminding him that twenty minutes had passed, and he had another meeting to attend.

Lü Qiankun waved his hand to dismiss the reminder and said, “I know. Don’t bother keeping track of time. Oh, by the way, let the vice president handle the next meeting for me. I’ll join later.”

Xu Miyu and Manager Tian exchanged a subtle look. With the time restriction lifted, they successfully completed their mission.

The secretary left the room. Lü Qiankun continued enjoying the food.

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Miyu explained the advantages of Swire Hotel hosting the enterprise’s global product launch event.

Initially, Lü Qiankun just listened with a smile, eating the hometown delicacies. It wasn’t until he tasted the pan-fried dumplings that he suddenly paused, then immediately welled up with tears.

Manager Tian, standing aside, was both surprised and somewhat puzzled. However, Xu Miyu seemed to anticipate Lü Qiankun’s reaction and showed no surprise.

After swallowing the dumpling, Lü Qiankun wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes and pointed at Xu Miyu, saying to Manager Tian, “Your subordinate is quite capable, using a personal touch to win hearts. I know that the most important person in my life was my mother, but unfortunately, she passed away two years ago. I haven’t tasted dumplings with the flavor of my mother’s in two years. Alright, since you have the ability to let me taste my mother’s flavor again, I believe you also have the capability to successfully organize my global product launch event!”

“In this way, Swire Hotel finally became the hosting hotel for the Lü Qiankun Group’s new product launch event,” Xue Rui told Ji Feng.

As Ji Feng listened to this matter, his emotions kept fluctuating. On one hand, he felt excited and proud, and on the other hand, he felt inexplicably unwilling.

While he was entangled in the unprecedented chaos of the breakup event, she thrived in the new department, achieving remarkable results. It seemed like he was the only one affected by the breakup, and that made it hard for him to accept.

So, with mixed feelings, he issued a directive: “She did well this time. But since this event is significant, I want to attend the meetings on the preliminary preparations.”

Xue Rui immediately contacted the Planning Department to implement the boss’s instructions.

Subsequently, Ji Feng, as the hotel owner, attended and observed all meetings related to event preparations. Xu Miyu, as one of the main planners of the event, became the key presenter in these meetings.

During the first meeting, Ji Feng sat at the conference table, watching Xu Miyu standing in front, explaining meticulously prepared PPT slides.

He sat below, staring at her intently.

She, however, remained unaffected by his gaze, focusing on explaining the PPT content.

As she presented, his attention quickly shifted from her to the content on her PPT. He went from being captivated by her to being captivated by her work.

She provided several event proposals, each with unique creativity and highlights. She even prepared budgets for each proposal. Ji Feng was genuinely impressed; the former homemaker now handled financial aspects of events.

She not only outlined the overall event plan but also considered many details that required coordination with other departments:

Coordinating with the design team for event slogans, posters, banners, and more. Preparing related figurines related to corporate culture.

Coordinating with the publicity team for early-stage promotional activities, emphasizing the advantages of online promotion and ensuring wide-reaching offline promotion.

Ensuring early coordination with the front office and rooms department for welcoming guests attending the event. Researching the preferences and taboos of important figures in advance to provide targeted and professional services.

…

Ji Feng sat below, silently and attentively listening to Xu Miyu’s explanations. He felt that she, at this moment, was somewhat different from when she was learning from him before.

When she was learning from him, she quickly grasped things but always seemed anxious and lacked confidence.

Now, standing in front of the meeting room, flipping through the PPT slides one by one, she appeared composed and confident.

After she finished, her proposal received unanimous approval.

Observing Xu Miyu’s earnest dedication to her work, Ji Feng, at that moment, set aside personal thoughts. He professionally evaluated her proposal objectively and provided constructive suggestions for the few areas that needed improvement.

As she listened to his comments and suggestions, she appeared respectful, treating him purely as her boss.

Suddenly, Ji Feng felt a heaviness in his chest.

With everything thoroughly discussed and the meeting reaching its end, it seemed there was no reason to continue. However, Ji Feng wanted to extend the time spent with Xu Miyu.

So, before dispersing, he unprecedentedly suggested, “Securing this event is not easy, and it’s something worth celebrating. How about having dinner together after work today? I’ll cover the bill.”

Upon this announcement, Xue Rui, by his side, was visibly surprised.

Ji Feng had never participated in employee dinner events before, and now he was not only suggesting it but also planning to attend. This was truly a surprising turn of events!

However, just as quickly, he witnessed Ji Feng’s unprecedented move being thwarted.

“Sorry, I made plans with friends tonight and won’t be able to join the dinner. I wish everyone a pleasant meal,” Xu Miyu calmly announced.

With that, she politely bid farewell to her colleagues, including Ji Feng, whose face had darkened like the bottom of a pot.

Once she left, Ji Feng also skipped the dinner. He instructed the Planning Department manager to invite everyone, and he would cover the expenses.

Back on the top floor, Ji Feng, halfway through drinking tea and making calls to clients, suddenly stood up next to Xue Rui, picked up a tablet to plant crops but ended up pulling out unripe vegetables.

After harshly tossing the tablet aside, Ji Feng walked out of the suite.

He threw a sentence at Xue Rui, “You can leave after work. No need to follow me.”

Ji Feng went directly to the second floor, standing at the entrance of the Planning Department’s office.

Xu Miyu hadn’t left; she was packing up at her desk. Others were preparing for the manager’s dinner gathering.

After some thought, Ji Feng took out his phone and called Xu Miyu. However, he immediately saw her decline his call.

Gritting his teeth, he began to send messages.

He asked Xu Miyu to come out now and go to the tea room on the terrace. He told her, “Xu Miyu, let’s talk.”

Seeing Xu Miyu staring at her phone for a long time before finally putting down her bag and getting up, he quickly took the lead, arriving at the terrace’s tea room in advance. He tried to appear nonchalant, acting as if everything was normal.

Xu Miyu arrived.

He casually gestured for her to sit on the chair across the tea table, crossing his legs and leaning back in the chair. The tea room’s waiter brought a teapot and poured tea for Ji Feng and Xu Miyu before discreetly leaving.

With lowered eyes, Xu Miyu looked at the teacup, remaining composed.

Ji Feng couldn’t hold back and called her.

“Xu Miyu.” His voice was cold and flat.

Xu Miyu looked up at him, replying, “Mr. Ji.”

Ji Feng immediately furrowed his brow.

“Let’s talk. Explain what happened with the sudden breakup. Do you owe me a detailed explanation?”

Xu Miyu lowered her gaze and pursed her lips.

When she looked up at Ji Feng again, she apologized, “It’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

A light appeared in Ji Feng’s eyes.

“Can we reconcile?” he almost immediately asked.

Xu Miyu slowly shook her head.

The glimmer in Ji Feng’s eyes disappeared, replaced by wounded anger.

Xu Miyu no longer avoided his emotions and looked into his eyes, saying, “I apologize. I know the breakup was sudden and didn’t give you any buffer, so I feel sorry.”

But she had no intention of getting back together.

Breaking up with him was painful, but she also felt a sense of relief.

No longer having to worry constantly whether he resented her for being divorced and older, whether the age gap was too significant, whether she wasn’t good enough or perfect enough for him.

While she enjoyed the time with him, it gradually became tormenting and unbearable.

Like obtaining an expensive and beautiful dress by chance, she loved it and wore it every day. However, the expensive dress was meant for a pampered lady at home, not for someone like her doing labor. Still, she insisted on wearing it for work, ending up uncomfortable, careful, and restricted, with both herself and the dress getting dirty and damaged.

So, despite her love, if it didn’t suit her, it became a burden.

After the breakup, she was deeply saddened.

Very, very sad.

But the sadder she felt, the more she understood that the sadness was caused by the gap between her and Ji Feng.

After realizing this, she wiped away her tears and turned her grief into strength to focus on work.

Initially, after the breakup, she planned to resign and find another job outside Swire Hotel. However, Manager Tian from the Planning Department received her resignation and earnestly persuaded her. He explained that the Planning Department’s performance in the past year was declining compared to the same periods in the previous years. If the situation didn’t improve by the year-end, there would be layoffs next year. He initially thought the department’s fate was sealed, but unexpectedly, Xu Miyu proved to be a lucky charm. Since joining the Planning Department, she successfully secured several major events that were previously unattainable, significantly boosting the department’s performance.

Manager Tian almost begged her not to resign now. If she wanted to leave, he hoped she could stay until the end of the year, helping improve this year’s performance. This way, there would be no worries about layoffs in the department next year.

Considering Manager Tian’s kindness and the supportive atmosphere in the Planning Department during her cold war with Ji Feng, she decided to stay until the end of the year. If staying longer could help secure their positions, she thought it was worth it.

So, in the end, she stayed in the Planning Department. She invested all her thoughts and expectations for the future into her work, avoiding dwelling on the just-ended relationship.

Because she knew that her relationship with Ji Feng was established at the wrong time—when she hadn’t fully developed her confidence, when her independence and abilities were just emerging and not strong enough. She agreed to be with him, and the significant gap repeatedly destroyed her still-forming self-confidence.

After the breakup, she realized one thing. A woman’s confidence should come from realizing her self-worth.

And the place where she could realize her self-worth was her work.

So, during this time, she worked hard, focused, and made every effort to achieve results and build her confidence through her work.

At this moment, she looked at Ji Feng and said again, solemnly and sincerely:

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”

—Sorry, Ji Feng, it’s my fault for breaking up due to lack of confidence.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t reconcile with you.”

—Sorry, Ji Feng, I like you, but I still can’t reconcile with you. Before I can build up my confidence, before I can become excellent, I can’t bear our relationship. I will always feel inadequate for you.

“I’m sorry, I have something to attend to. I need to go.”

—Sorry, Ji Feng, if I sit down with you face to face again, I might cry. So, I have to leave.

Xu Miyu forced a smile at Ji Feng, then stood up and left.

Ji Feng sat there, motionless for a long time.

It wasn’t until he watched her gradually walk away and disappear that he felt, as if awakening from a dream, the concrete realization that they had indeed broken up. There was no room for misunderstanding or fantasies; they had decisively parted ways.

Suddenly, he felt like a large part of him had emptied.

Back in the room, Ji Feng sat in the bamboo chair by the window, from dusk until night.

Outside the window, the city lit up with neon lights, casting colorful beams through the glass, creating a noisy atmosphere that tainted the silent darkness.

Ji Feng’s mind seemed blank, as if he hadn’t thought about anything, yet he seemed to be constantly pondering one question: What did the true breakup mean for him?

Wasn’t it just returning to life as it was before? What could be so significant? It didn’t matter.

However, starting from this day, he realized that he truly couldn’t have Xu Miyu’s home-cooked meals anymore, couldn’t enjoy her massages, and her exclusive smiles would be taken away. There were still a hundred things about their relationship that he hadn’t done, and now he would never have the chance.

It wasn’t going back to the way it was before. Because having and losing, it was always different.

He gradually sensed the aftermath of the breakup.

While searching for documents in the study, he accidentally found the straw cup Xu Miyu had bought for him. She said he didn’t drink enough water, and with this straw cup, he could set a time, taking a sip every two hours, convenient and ensuring timely hydration.

He used to dislike the style of this cup, thinking it was something girls liked. So, he stored it directly in the drawer.

Now, inexplicably, he took the cup out of its packaging and started using it earnestly, timing his water intake diligently. Wherever he went for a meeting now, he would carry this cup. He was no longer afraid of being seen using a girlish cup or drinking through a straw.

He didn’t know what had gotten into him; unconsciously, he developed the habit of hoarding chocolates everywhere. Especially during business trips, no matter how tight his schedule was, he always managed to spare half a day to explore and collect local chocolates, buying a large bag without considering the price.

Once back in Star City, he would lock them away in the safe. Just like hiding that post-breakup aftermath of himself that he didn’t know how to overcome.

One night, at twelve o’clock, he had just laid down when the notification sound from his phone startled him.

After checking his phone, all drowsiness vanished.

It was a letter from the Time Capsule, sent by Xu Miyu a hundred days ago, a letter they wrote together for the future.

A hundred days had already passed, time passed quickly.

Except they didn’t make it to a hundred days; they had already broken up.

At that time, he vowed that this letter, meant for the hundredth day, was too short; it should have been at least a year. But Xu Miyu insisted on writing it a hundred days later.

So, was she already feeling insecure at that time? Was she already thinking that if they could endure and still be in love after a hundred days, it would be a victory?

Suddenly, he felt a bit sad, realizing her feelings so late at night. If he had understood it then, given her more security, lessened her lack of confidence, could they still be together now?

He ran his fingers through his hair, sweeping away these “ifs” that were impossible to turn back, and opened the letter she wrote to herself a hundred days ago.

In the letter, she told him:

?On this day, a hundred days later, I hope you have developed the habit of drinking water regularly. You work so long every day, under so much pressure, you need to drink more water to detox.

I also hope you learn to take care of yourself, eat regular meals, don’t be so picky with food. If it doesn’t suit your taste, don’t eat little or none, as it’s not good for your stomach in the long run.

I hope you pay more attention to rest, don’t always sleep late for work, don’t always be so tired, even if you’ve never said you’re tired. I want to tell you, money is endless, wills are inexhaustible, but health has its limits. So, remember, rest more, don’t be too tired.

Lastly, I have one more hope… a hundred days later, I hope we’re still together.?

Ji Feng looked at the letter Xu Miyu wrote to herself, the more he read, the sadder he felt. His chest felt tight, and his eyes inexplicably became sore and teary.

The other letter he wrote to her wasn’t as lengthy, just a few lines:

?Hope a hundred days later you’ll listen to me, move into a slightly larger apartment. Your small apartment is too cramped.?

Compared to her letter, his letter was not thoughtful at all.

Every sentence she wrote was considerate of him.

He, on the other hand, didn’t consider her at all. His two sentences were written from the perspective of making himself comfortable.

Suddenly, he felt inadequate, owed her, and felt the post-breakup aftermath even more.

From the next day, he would occasionally have the driver take the car to Xu Miyu’s apartment building.

He had a hidden secret—he could still track Xu Miyu’s movements. She had set him as the emergency contact on her taxi app and had forgotten to remove it. So, after every taxi ride she took, the app would send her route and destination to his phone.

He quietly watched her working hard every day for her job, sometimes angry that the breakup seemed to have no impact on her; she could continue working so energetically. Sometimes, he felt… very sorry for her.

She seemed tireless when busy. Sometimes he would see her taking a taxi very late, rushing from the hotel to another company. He guessed she might be working overtime for a meeting.

It seemed she really liked her current department, enjoyed working in event planning, and was willing to work overtime for this job.

After overtime, she would take a taxi directly back to her apartment.

At that time, he would have the driver bring the car to her apartment building in advance, park in the shade, and then tend to his farm while waiting for her window lights to turn on.

Seeing the lights in her room turn on, seeing her walk to the window and draw the curtains, confirming her safe return, he would then instruct the driver to turn back to the hotel.

The usually quiet driver, unable to hold back, finally asked Ji Feng one day, “Boss, why do you always silently watch and not go up to see her?”

Ji Feng looked at the city night scene outside the car window, lifted the corner of his lips, leaving himself with a bitter smile.

It’s not like he hasn’t lowered his face to ask her for reconciliation. Counting, he begged twice, on the day of the breakup and the day they talked on the terrace. But she directly refused both times.

He had never begged anyone before; two times had already broken his tradition. It had exhausted all his dignity. It wasn’t possible for him to go beg her a third time in a short period.

Besides, after leaving him, she seemed to have become even more lively, happy, and spirited every day.

So, maybe being with him was really suffocating for her.

He replied to the driver in a deep voice, “Not going up to see her for now, let her catch her breath.”