Section 1

She blinked, opened her eyes, and it was not an illusion; a man was indeed standing at the door, gazing at her with intense eyes

"Sister Nanfeng, we still have to drink when we go back!" Tao Tao frowned, having also drunk quite a bit, her face flushed and her stomach uncomfortable. Looking at Nanfeng's pale face, her voice carried a hint of tears, "How about... we sneak away..."

Now, she stands before him and says, "I do not know you." What does his five years of searching mean? What does his worry mean? ... Longing ...? ... What does that mean?

She actually pretended not to know him

Nan Feng looked at herself in the mirror, her face pale, having not slept well last night. There were faint red veins in her eyes, and the dark circles under her eyelids could not be concealed even by foundation. She felt truly exhausted, both physically and mentally. She really wanted to agree with Taozi's words, "Let's slip away," and wished she could just lean against the corner of the bathroom and fall asleep, but she couldn't.

Her intoxication seemed to deepen under that gaze, her body swayed slightly, and in the next moment, someone supported her shoulder, allowing her to steady herself, yet he showed no intention of letting go.

He seemed not to have heard, his gaze growing increasingly profound as he stared at her incessantly chattering mouth. Suddenly, he leaned in, and she instinctively recoiled, but he caught her neck with his hand. A smile played at the corners of his mouth, yet that smile was very cold, just like his tone: "Let me show you whether I have indeed mistaken the person!" A kiss, like a tempest accompanied by a torrential downpour, descended upon her lips, devoid of tenderness, devoid of lingering affection, devoid of intimacy. He forcefully pried open her lips, rampaging through her mouth with anger and punishment, ruthlessly and wantonly, even biting her as if to awaken her memory through pain. Just like his tone: "Let me show you whether I have indeed mistaken the person!" A kiss, like a tempest accompanied by a torrential downpour, descended upon her lips, devoid of tenderness, devoid of lingering affection, devoid of intimacy. He forcefully pried open her lips, rampaging through her mouth with anger and punishment, ruthlessly and wantonly, even biting her as if to awaken her memory through pain.

He felt a slight tremor in his heart and was momentarily stunned

Fu Xijing's gaze deepened, and his thick brows furrowed even tighter

Ugh

He ignored her, freeing the hand that had grasped her wrist, and gently caressed her face. His fingers wandered slowly across her cheek, the coolness of his fingertips made Nan Feng shiver involuntarily, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, but it quickly vanished, yet it did not escape his gaze

The south wind shook its head, looking at Tao Tao, as if seeing its own self when it first entered Jingwei Architecture, at the same age, twenty years old, without a university diploma, finding a good job was truly difficult. And being a salesperson had the lowest threshold. It remembered when it went for the interview at Jingwei, the sales department manager, Wang Ji, only glanced at its resume and asked the first question, how is your alcohol tolerance? It was taken aback and replied, it's okay. He asked a few more questions, then told it to wait in the conference room, where it walked in to find several others already sitting, also waiting for notification.

She is a perennial seasonal wind, sweeping through his heart

The phone ringtone continued to ring tirelessly; he shook off his distraction and answered the call

The south wind shot her a glance and said, "Are you stupid? Now you want to sneak away? Those few bottles of wine we had earlier would have been for nothing! Only a fool would do something so unwise! Even if we drink until we have a stomach bleed tonight, we must secure this contract!"

Tao Tao pouted and said: "Being a salesperson is truly not a job for humans"

"Xi Bei," he furrowed his brows, his voice low, as if deliberately suppressing some emotion. "What did you call me?"

One minute later, he hung up the phone. As he turned to push the booth door, his finger paused for a moment. In a daze, his feet had already moved ahead of his actions, heading towards the direction of the restroom

As soon as he stepped out of the private room, he was bumped into by a person rushing from the left. The woman covered her mouth and mumbled "I'm sorry" without looking at him, and hurriedly ran forward, turning right at the end of the corridor and entering the restroom

He had imagined countless scenarios and dialogues for when he would see her again, whether to calmly say "long time no see," or to excitedly hold her in his arms and ask where she had been all these years and if she had been well. Or perhaps, to angrily question her about why she had left without a word back then

He did not respond, nor did he let her go

Then, another girl hurriedly ran past him from the adjacent booth and entered the restroom

Various fantasies, yet none overlap with the present before me

For Fu Xijing, all dinner parties ultimately leave only one feeling - exhaustion

The ringtone suddenly rang, and at that moment, Fu Xijing felt that the sound was truly pleasant. He nodded and stood up to go outside to answer the call

In the restroom

Nan Feng sighed and touched Tao Tao's face: "You have just entered this line of work, so you might feel a bit uncomfortable. You'll get used to it over time. Go back now."

Thank you... She seemed to be startled, and it took her a long time to regain her voice. "I apologize, sir, please make way."

After Wang Ji finally finished interviewing all the candidates, it was already lunchtime. He walked into the conference room and said to the ten waiting individuals, "Let's go eat together." Everyone exchanged glances but still followed him. The dining place was a small restaurant near the company. It was winter, and Wang Ji ordered a lamb hot pot along with several signature dishes, then told the owner, "Bring over six cases of beer." She finally understood Wang Ji's intention and felt a mix of amusement and exasperation; it was truly an unconventional interview. By the end of the meal, only four out of the ten were not drunk, one of whom was her, the only female. The next day, she reported to the Jingwei Business Department along with the other three.

But this is clearly her, the same brows and eyes, not much different from her five years ago, with a slender face, large eyes, and a small tear mole beneath the corner of her eye. The only difference is that five years ago, she always had a bare face, unlike now, where her makeup is exquisite. Oh, and also, five years ago, she had a messy and charming short hairstyle, whereas now, she has long, curly hair, exuding a mature femininity

Tao Tao gently patted the back of Ji Nan Feng and asked with concern, "Sister Nan Feng, are you alright?"

But she said that he had mistaken someone for another person

Is it auditory hallucination

The surprise of seeing her again was overshadowed by anger, his expression turned cold, and with a forceful grip, he yanked her harshly into his embrace, while his other hand seized her waist, rendering her completely immobile

Mistaken identity? He scoffed, "The person you have shared a bed with for a year, do you think you could mistake them?"

The south wind brushed the corners of the mouth, turned on the faucet, washed away the filth, then splashed cold water vigorously on the face, straightened up, and took a deep breath. "Peach, I'm fine, you should hurry back to the private room. It's not good for both of us to be out here. Manager Wang will start lecturing us. I'll stay a little longer and will come over soon."

She rubbed her temples and took out a tube of lip gloss from her pocket, a light pink one, very youthful, applying it to her lips, which became plump and shiny. In fact, she did not like such bright and fresh colors; this lip gloss was a gift from her best friend, Xie Feifei, who said that the most important thing for a salesperson is their mouth, and that a beautiful lip gloss would add points when discussing business with others. Nan Feng pressed her lips together, and indeed, she felt a little more spirited all of a sudden. She did not like such bright and fresh colors; this lip gloss was a gift from her best friend, Xie Feifei, who said that the most important thing for a salesperson is their mouth, and that a beautiful lip gloss would add points when discussing business with others. Nan Feng pressed her lips together, and indeed, she felt a little more spirited all of a sudden.

Later, Wang Ji often teased her, saying, "Nanfeng, you are a girl, yet your alcohol tolerance is even stronger than that of men!" and then gave her a thumbs up. She smiled wryly, not revealing to him that three months ago, she could only handle two glasses of champagne before getting drunk. She also did not expect that three months of drowning her sorrows in alcohol would actually be of help to her.

... ...

At that moment, she felt her blood rush to her head all at once, filled with both shame and anger. She lifted her foot to kick him, but he seemed to have anticipated her move. With a forceful push, he pinned her against the wall behind her, his body pressing against hers, completely trapping her.

Anything that becomes an addiction is due to attachment, making it difficult to quit and hard to let go

Once again, there was a bout of intense vomiting; everything I ate tonight has probably been expelled. It is better to throw it up than to endure the discomfort of having a stomach full of alcohol.

The phrase "I'm sorry," although spoken softly, carried a weight in that voice

"Sir, there are many people in this world who look alike. I thought you were just mistaken due to being drunk. Now please let go of me immediately, otherwise I will call for help!" Nan Feng glared at him

Turn around and walk towards the door

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the dining table grew increasingly lively, with some people starting to tell jokes and others laughing in response. Then, another round of toasts was made loudly. Fu Xijing swallowed a glass of wine and discreetly raised his wrist to check the time; it was ten minutes past eight. This meal had lasted a full two hours, nearly exhausting his patience. He cast a glance at Gu Hengzhi, who sat at the head of the table, feeling somewhat regretful for agreeing to this meal.

He stopped, turned around, faced her, yet still did not let her go

At this moment, he truly wanted to laugh out loud, laughing at his own foolishness. Years ago, she left without a word, and for the past five years, he had never given up on finding her. When she disappeared, he nearly dug three feet into the ground in Liancheng, and even asked a friend at customs to check the entry and exit records, but to no avail. He also hired private detectives, searching for her all over the world, yet there was not a single clue; it was as if she had vanished into thin air. In the end, he even considered the worst possible outcome: had she encountered some misfortune? But it turned out that was not the case; she was living well in this world, and she was so close to him, just over an hour's drive from Liancheng to Haicheng.

"Sir, sir! Please let go, release me!" Nan Feng exclaimed, but Fu Xijing remained indifferent, continuing to pull her around a corner and into a slightly brighter corridor

The south wind glared at him, her eyes filled with anger: "Let go of me!" She reached out to push him, but to no avail, as he held her too tightly, rendering her efforts useless

He squinted his eyes, suppressing his anger as he said: "Ji Nanfeng? Zhao Xibei, is it just a matter of changing your surname and name? Why don't you change this face as well!"

The south wind lowered its head, took a deep breath, and then raised its gaze: "Sir, you have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Ji Nanfeng, not Xi Bei."

Nan Feng placed his finger on his tongue and gave it a sharp poke

Indeed, she has drunk too much; her steps are somewhat unsteady, her temples throb with pain, and she feels dizzy to the point of experiencing hallucinations. Otherwise, how could there be a man standing at the entrance of the women's restroom

This is a Vietnamese restaurant, rich in Southeast Asian ambiance, with brightly colored and uniquely designed paper lanterns used for lighting, creating a dim yet elegant beauty throughout the corridor. At this moment, the corridor is empty, and the soundproofing of the private rooms is excellent, making the space particularly quiet. Therefore, even if he stands outside, he can hear the strong sounds of vomiting from the restroom, along with faint voices.

Sir, are you drunk? This is the ladies' restroom, the men's restroom is on the other side... Hey! What are you doing!

Fu Xijing grasped her arm and pulled her outside

Tao Tao handed the mineral water in her hand to Nan Feng and said, "You should rest here for a while; I will go and take the lead." She stamped her foot and added, "Those people really want to drown us to death." She turned around and walked out.

He came to Haicheng on business, and Gu Hengzhi was determined to host a welcome banquet for him. The welcome was just a pretext; he wanted to partner with friends to establish a real estate company. Fu Xijing had been navigating this industry for many years, and Fu's company, Huanyu Real Estate, had gained a stellar reputation in the country. There was no one more suitable than him to serve as a consultant. All of Gu Hengzhi's friends were like him, indulging in the lifestyle of young masters, skilled in eating, drinking, and entertainment, but lacking in insight. After just a few exchanges, Fu Xijing felt that the conversation was unproductive and became quite exhausted. If it were any other time, he would have left long ago, but Gu Hengzhi was different; after all, they had a childhood friendship, and moreover, he owed him a significant favor recently. Gu Hengzhi had said that this meal would be considered a repayment of that favor, so Fu Xijing found it difficult to refuse him.