The rain hit the glass walls of the skyscraper like thousands of impatient fingers.
Inside the top-floor conference room, silence was heavier than the storm outside.
Lin Yue stood at the center of it.
In front of her lay a single document.
Marriage Contract.
Across the table sat Shen Yichen.
The man she once knew.
Or at least… used to know.
He flipped through the papers with calm indifference, as if the document meant nothing more than a business merger. His suit was perfectly tailored, his expression colder than the rain outside.
Not a single trace of recognition in his eyes.
Lin Yue watched him carefully.
Not a blink of hesitation. Not a flicker of memory.
Nothing.
He signed the last page.
The pen clicked shut.
That sound felt louder than thunder.
"Done," he said flatly.
Then his gaze finally lifted toward her.
It was sharp. Distant. Completely unfamiliar.
"We've never met before," Shen Yichen said.
A pause.
Then, as if correcting a misunderstanding that didn't matter:
"Don't misunderstand anything."
The words landed cleanly.
Too cleanly.
Like they were meant to erase something that once existed.
Lin Yue didn't move.
She only looked at him—really looked.
Same face.
Same cold eyes.
But not the same person who once held her wrist in the rain and refused to let go.
Not the same man who once said—
"If I forget everything, I'll still find you."
Her lips curved slightly.
Not a smile of joy.
Something quieter.
Something sharper.
"Good," she said softly.
Shen Yichen's eyes narrowed slightly.
For the first time, something unfamiliar flickered in his expression.
Interest.
Lin Yue picked up the signed contract.
"I was worried you might remember me."
Silence.
The rain outside grew heavier.
He leaned back slightly in his chair, studying her now—not like a stranger anymore, but like a problem he couldn't immediately solve.
"And if I did?" he asked.
Lin Yue closed the file.
Then she looked directly at him.
"Then I would've refused this marriage."
That answer made the room colder.
Not because it was emotional.
But because it wasn't.
Shen Yichen's gaze sharpened further.
"You're strange," he said.
Lin Yue turned slightly toward the exit.
Her heels clicked once against the marble floor.
She paused at the door.
Without turning back, she said:
"This time, Shen Yichen…"
Her voice softened just slightly.
"…don't fall in love with me."
A pause.
Then she left.
The door closed.
For the first time in years, Shen Yichen stayed still.
He looked at the contract again.
Her signature.
Neat. Controlled.
Familiar in a way he couldn't explain.
A faint pressure built in his chest.
Annoying.
Unreasonable.
He loosened his tie slightly.
"…What is this feeling?"
Outside, lightning flashed.
For a split second, the room lit up—
—and in that light, it almost looked like his fingers were trembling.