C2 Were We Ever Together? 

As soon as Lin Manqing entered their conversation, Feng Yuling's sharp eyes softened. The corners of his lips were curled up into a genuine smile, and the color in his cheeks returned. He looked just as he did ten years ago–when they had still been together.

Now that she had returned...Shen Lingyi could feel her entire body shaking from the news. What the hell was she going to do now? Her hands trembled at the thought.

While his face was filled with color, hers was as pale as paper. "That means..." She gazed up at him–her eyes wide and pleading. "That means you're going to break up with me? You're going to end it?"

He stared at her for a long time, before saying, "Were we ever together?"

Ah....Her vision blurred even more.

Feng Yuling immediately took his card out from his wallet. The smile on his face had disappeared, and it was soon replaced with an indifferent expression. "I'll give you five million," he stated. "We're done here."

Done? Was that really all he had to say? Shen Lingyi could feel her chest constricting from the considerable amount of pain. Her bottom lips trembled. "I had followed you for ten years and–"

"Do you think the amount's too small then?" He cocked up an eyebrow.

"I..." She stared at him in a complete daze. For so long, she had never imagined that he'd leave her like this. The atmosphere felt even more unsettling as she could feel a knife being driven to her heart.

At her silence, he pursed his lips. There was something about her sorrowful expression that made him feel even more uncomfortable. "Look," he snapped in annoyance. "Just name your price. How much do you want?"

"I don't want your money." She blinked rapidly, holding back her tears.

Shen Lingyi had never needed his money–only his love. Yet, it seemed that it was the only thing that she could never have.

However, despite her refusals, he still stuffed the card into her hands. "Take it. Besides, your company's already on the verge of bankruptcy, right? You might need something when it closes down." Feng Yuling shrugged.

"I...Closed down?" She blinked in disbelief. "Weren't you planning to purchase the company?"

"Manqing has already returned. The Shen Corporation would be a gift for the Lin family."

Of course.

The bitter smile on her lips grew even wider. After all these years, it seemed that he had always thought of Lin Manqing–never her, never anyone, never even himself. "You've always been so good to her, you know," she choked out. "So good."

Before he could say anything more, she placed the card on the table. "I won't bother you anymore. I'm leaving."

Feng Yuling scowled, stepping forward as he blocked her way. "I already told you to take it, didn't I?" he snapped. "Don't act so pretentious towards me–you know that I don't like those kinds of people."

"Do you really think I've been with you just for the money?" Her cheeks flushed at his accusations. However, before she could get even more carried away, she held herself and ducked her head. "Whatever. I won't pester you anymore–you have my word."

His face contorted into a sneer. "Well, I could only hope that you'd keep it."

What else could she do but leave? Shen Lingyi left with her back bent and her shoulders hunched. Who would've thought that she'd leave a place she had once called her home? After ten years, it was now all over.

She stared blankly at the dark night, letting the winds blow against her face. Was this what she had deserved? All those years of smiling and loving–the pain started to build up in her chest, and she exhaled shakily. She hated this–hated this feeling so much.

When she had finally gone, Lin Manqing walked out of the room and stepped beside him. Hesitance flashed across her face.

"You're really going to let her go? Just like that?"

"What else?"

Suddenly, she looked up to stare at his indifferent features. Although he had already softened at her presence, there was a staunch emotion present in his movements–one that had gone unnoticed by her. "She has been with you for ten years, and you didn't–"

"Manqing, you've always been the only one for me. No one else could compare to you."

"With that amount of time you've spent together, you're bound to have feelings for her."

Feng Yuling scowled. "Well, I didn't."

Seeing as he was still too stubborn to admit it, Lin Manqing lowered her gaze and buried her head deeper into his arms. His warmth enveloped her under the cold weather, and she sighed. Well, maybe it was enough to let time do all the talking.

After the company had gone bankrupt, Shen Lingyi had to sell her house and car to pay off all the debts.

Due to the huge financial burden on her shoulders, she didn't have any time to treat the emotional injuries her broken heart had sustained. No. All she needed to do was to move on and be done with everything.

Half a month later, Shen Lingyi worked as a designer in a small company.

As soon as she had gotten the job, she put all her energy into her work. She drew drafts, collected files, and printed them out–anything she could do to get her mind off Feng Yuling. However, even that never seemed to work, because whenever she had grown tired, his insufferable face always popped in the corners of her mind.

Instead of feeling discouraged, she pushed herself more and more. At this point, even her body couldn't handle this much stress from working day and night. But that didn't mean that she'd stop.

Within just a short three months, she had already lost a lot of weight. Her fleshy skin had become translucent, and a few of her bones started to protrude over her chest. Even her cheeks had sunken.

Pei Cheng, who had just returned from her trip, almost couldn't recognize her. "I...are you okay? You don't look well." She gazed at her worriedly.

The woman was her senior as well as the company's president.

Shen Lingyi plastered a smile on her face. "I'm fine, boss. Just a bit tired–that's all."

"Well, go home and get some rest," the older woman insisted. "We'll be attending a business banquet in two days, so I need you to look your best, okay? No excuses this time! You deserve this break."

Pei Cheng was the type of woman who couldn't take 'no' for an answer, which made her excellent in the business field and a great boss. Even if she wanted to insist on her say, she couldn't find it in herself to argue. Instead, she bowed her head. "Thank you."

The two days' break didn't really do much to her. It had only caused her to be even more muddleheaded than the previous weeks that she had worked for her. Afraid that something might happen to her, Pei Cheng had to drive downtown to pick her up for the business banquet. "It will be fun," she had promised as soon as they arrived. "It will be a good break for you."

Shen Lingyi could only nod in agreement as they stepped into the venue. What she didn't expect was to see Feng Yuling in the center of all that crowd with Lin Manqing wrapped under his arms.