Chapter 68 - Sorry I Don't Love You

Fate that cannot be escaped, encounters that cannot be avoided.The man, dressed in a khaki suit, was refined and handsome.

The two looked at each other, their gazes meeting in the air.

Jian Ran wanted to flee desperately, but her feet seemed rooted to the ground, unable to move forward or stay still.

Fortunately, the encounter was only at the elevator entrance and not inside Gu Mochen’s office.

Otherwise…

Things would be really complicated.

Now, he probably doesn’t know that she was the woman in Gu Mochen’s resting room just a moment ago.

“Come in.”

Jian Ran: “…”

These three words were the first Han Siming said to her upon reunion.

Jian Ran pursed her lips and stepped into the elevator.

“Okay.”

The corner of Han Siming’s mouth lifted in a bitter arc, having left the most important item in Gu Mochen’s office and abandoned the most important meeting to retrieve it, he hadn’t expected to encounter such a surprise.

To think he tried to escape from Gu Mochen’s search for Jian Ran, only to find that Jian Ran was an employee of the Gu Family.

Looking at the woman in her elegant professional attire standing beside him, distant and aloof, Han Siming calmly asked:

“Which floor do you need?”

“The 8th floor.”

After a pause, Jian Ran added, “Thank you.”

Distant, polite.

“Hmm.”

Han Siming raised his slender, fair finger and pressed the button for the 8th floor, the design department.

His dark eyes dimmed slightly.

She once dreamt of becoming an architectural designer, and now, it seemed her dreams had come true.

A sneer curled up at the corner of Han Siming’s mouth, recalling how he had once studied architectural design because of her dream, all of which she remained oblivious to.

Jian Ran’s hands clenched tightly, her whole body trembling severely while she tried to appear as calm as drifting clouds and flowing wind.

If she could remain strangers with Han Siming like this, it might not be the worst outcome.

Not all youthful loves are fated to bear fruit.

However, with the man’s tall figure standing next to her, even the air in the elevator felt thin and the pressure overwhelming.

Ding!

The elevator stopped at the 8th floor, and Jian Ran slightly relaxed.

Standing next to Han Siming once again, her mind was filled with the fact that he and Gu Mochen were brothers.

Upon this meeting, he was her uncle by marriage.

Jian Ran pursed her lips, and when the elevator doors opened, she straightened her back and walked towards the exit.

Just as she was about to leave the elevator, her wrist was swiftly caught and with a pull, she was dragged back inside.

Jian Ran: “…”

Then she saw Han Siming press the close button.

“Jian Ran, why did you leave me back then?”

Jian Ran: “…”

Jian Ran was pinned against the elevator wall by the man, the wall bitterly cold, yet not as chilling as Jian Ran’s heart.

Especially the man’s angry, indifferent gaze, which seemed like a sharp blade intent on piercing her.

“I thought you would want to remain strangers, to remain unknown to each other.”

Jian Ran curled her lips slightly, her eyes reddened, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

“The reason I left …

you know it, don’t you?

I took a million from your mother and left you …

My father was in jail and desperately needed the money.

I’m quite fond of money, too.

What’s wrong with that?”

Jian Ran forced back the tears welling up in her eyes, her beautiful eyes cold and detached, stabbing painfully at Han Siming’s vision.

Her gaze was always tranquil, clear as Crystal Stone.

There was a time when he cherished the beauty of her eyes above all else.

“If you wanted money, why didn’t you tell me?

I would have given it to you!”

Listening to the man’s angry shout, a flicker passed through Jian Ran’s beautiful eyes.

Ha, in his heart, he too believed that she had taken Dong Qin’s money.

Han Siming, you really don’t understand me at all.

Even if I had a marriage of convenience with Gu Mochen, I wouldn’t beg for mercy.

It’s about my pride and self-respect.

I left you back then because I didn’t want to be a burden to you…

After all, as the daughter of a criminal, I should keep my distance and stay far away from everyone.

And since the other party was your mother, I didn’t want to put you in a difficult position.

Jian Ran’s heart was awash with bitterness.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at the man in front of her, adopting a coquettish and playful tone: “Stop joking, back then you were just a poor student, what money could you have?

Could you give me a million?

I’m a privileged daughter, I can’t live a hard life.”

After saying that, Jian Ran took the initiative to struggle out of the man’s embrace.

“President Han, you should be mindful of your appearance.

After all, an elevator is a public place.

I am an employee of the Gu Family, and I’d rather not get involved in scandals and be fired from the company.”

Jian Ran clenched her hand.

If Gu Mochen found out…

The consequences would be unimaginable.

The thought chilled her even further.

She raised her hand intending to press the button for the 8th floor, but the elevator had already reached the 1st floor.

Han Siming took the initiative to grasp Jian Ran’s wrist, closing the elevator again and pulling her into his arms.

It was lunch break now, and not many people were using the elevator.

“Jian Ran, if you want money, I can give it to you.

No matter how much, I can provide it.

Stay by my side, let’s start over…”

For her, he set aside his pride and self-respect.

Seeing her about to leave, his body instinctively reacted and pulled her into his embrace.

Jian Ran: “…”

An embrace after four years, but it no longer had the thrilling excitement of young folly.

The tears she’d been holding back spilled over because of the man’s words.

How to start over?

She was already married…

with a three-year-old child of uncertain paternity.

Even more, her husband was his brother.

“Sorry, after leaving you I realized I never loved you…

At the time, it just felt like a good match…”

Having said that, Jian Ran wore a faint smile.

She felt the man’s body go rigid, then he pushed her away abruptly.

Then she stretched out her hand to press the open button, quickly stepping out of the elevator.

Once out of his sight, she ran away in a panic.

Han Siming, watching Jian Ran’s departing figure, clenched his hand, his dark eyes brimming with a complex sadness.

A decade has passed since parting; ten years of life and death, a boundless chasm.