Raina Lu slept an entire day away in bed.
Still in the apartment she rented herself.
Though Kai had wanted her to come home, her mood wasn't fit for it—and she didn't know how to face her parents.
Kai didn't push. He drove her to her building and watched her upstairs.
When she woke, the sky was still dark.
It had been a long time since she'd slept so deeply. For three years, apart from clocking in Monday through Friday, how many weekends had she spent keeping Mason Han company through overtime? Day after day, diligent, busy—hardly a moment to breathe.
Best not to look back.
In the bathroom, Raina brushed her teeth while studying herself in the mirror.
Exhaustion lined eyes and brows she barely recognized.
She reached for a towel—and the plastic rack snapped off the tile with a brittle crack.
Fifty square meters of cramped rental, worn further shabby by three years of her life.
She still remembered how hard it had been to rent even this bare room in a city where every inch cost a fortune, and how she'd slowly adapted to a place that could only be called plain.
For whom?
All of this—for whom?
Raina Lu laughed bitterly. The boldness she'd shown when she quit Mason Han yesterday was gone without a trace.
Quitting, striving for him—all of it had been her choice. It had nothing to do with Mason Han, and she couldn't blame him for it.
And yet—how could she not resent him?
Her phone had been off overnight. When she switched it on, it vibrated fiercely.
A quick scroll: a dozen texts, dozens of missed calls.
Work, friends—she went through them one by one. Nothing from Mason Han.
She should have expected that.
After replying, Raina Lu went to find something to eat.
She hadn't taken two steps before the phone rang—the tone she had assigned to senior executives.
Her heart skipped. She answered quickly. "Hello?"
"Is this Assistant Lu, Raina Lu?"
Not his voice…
Raina steadied herself. "Speaking. What can I do for you?"
"Ah—you forgot? I'm Tyler Liu, Mr. Liu. I gave you my card at the summit last time."
"I remember. What can I help you with, Mr. Liu?"
"Has Assistant Lu resigned?"
"…Yes."
"If you're interested, you're welcome to join us. I guarantee compensation better than what you had—salary, benefits, no need to worry. The company will also provide you with an assistant…"
Raina Lu's voice trailed off. "Thank you, Mr. Liu. I've just resigned—I want to rest for a while first. I'll consider what you said and get back to you, if that's all right?"
"Of course. Of course."
After hanging up, Raina felt even more drained.
She collapsed onto the fabric sofa in the living room, breathing lightly.
The phone rang again—the same tone.
Without thinking, she answered, impatient. "Mr. Liu, I said I'd consider it. I really don't want to change jobs right now."
She knew she'd been rude.
But she had no strength left for this.
Silence on the other end. She thought he was angry. Let him be angry, she thought, half surrendering.
She was about to end the call when a low, cold voice came through. "Ms. Lu. You're not planning to change jobs?"
That voice—unmistakable. Mason Han.
Her mind went sharp and still. On her end of the line, silence.
Breathing, audible. Words, nowhere.
At last Raina said coldly, "Is there something else, Mr. Han?"
As if sensing the hostility in her voice, Mason Han paused before speaking—and surprised her by changing subject. "Mr. Liu? Tyler Liu?"
"That's none of your concern, Mr. Han."
"Assistant Lu!"
"I'm not your assistant anymore!"
She could picture Mason Han frowning on the other end. She no longer cared to soften herself for him.
"When will you return to complete your handover? When will you collect your belongings?" Mason Han seemed to be holding back displeasure. He probably hadn't heard anyone speak to him this bluntly in a long time.
Raina laughed lightly. "Mr. Han, I'm not doing it. I don't want those things either."
"Ms. Lu, that's a breach of contract."
"I don't care. Consider this month unpaid—I won't take salary or bonus. If you want damages, name your price. I have enough saved."
"Lu—"
Raina cut him off without hesitation. "Mr. Han, this is who I am. Your Assistant Lu resigned yesterday."
A long silence. Mason Han said nothing more.
He probably never imagined that the assistant who had obeyed him for three years could become this difficult.
Raina Lu curved her lips. "Mr. Han, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."
She pressed the power button lightly. Instant quiet—no sound at all from the other side.
She switched off the phone and lay back on her bed.
She still couldn't forget him. But someday, she would forget completely.
Completely forget the man she had once loved with everything in her—her first love.
She made a simple bowl of egg noodles in the kitchen.
She dragged a large box down from the top of the wardrobe, sat on the floor, and began packing.
Clothes went in one by one; everything sorted by category.
Looking back on her formerly slovenly habits, Raina Lu had Mason Han to thank for her tidiness now—bad habits picked up year by year at his side.
Mason Han was obsessively clean. In the years she'd worked for him, Raina had visited his home several times: black-and-white rooms spotless, everything in its place, even the clothes in his wardrobe pressed without a single wrinkle.
Like the man himself—no speck of dust tolerated.
Those first few months under Mason Han, she'd lived in constant fear of displeasing him.
Thinking and packing, she finished the clothes quickly.
Then she began gathering the small things she'd bought. She had time now—she could take it slowly.
She worked until deep into the night. Looking at the emptied apartment, Raina felt something hollow open inside her.
She washed up and slept. The next morning Raina got up early and called a moving company to wait downstairs.
Before resigning, she'd told her landlord she wouldn't renew—only that the move would come later.
In fact, she'd already found a new place: far from downtown, better conditions, much lower rent—well within what she could afford now.
If she tightened her belt further, she might even manage a down payment on a place.
Whether she moved might not matter much. But staying here would keep dredging up three years of moments with Mason Han.
Besides, Mason Han knew this address. She wanted no further connection to him.
The new apartment was fine. Raina put everything away and slept until morning.
In her dream she beat Mason Han thoroughly. He didn't fight back, let her hit him, then fell to his knees before her in jeans and proposed. Raina ended the dream with a sharp slap.
So her resentment toward Mason Han ran deeper than a little.
When she woke, she started calling old friends she hadn't contacted in ages.
Most sounded shocked—delighted, even—that she was still alive.
Raina checked in with them one by one, laughter on the phone that barely sounded like her own.
As expected, they made plans to go out that evening.
The clothes she'd worn before she'd left at her family villa. Now her wardrobe held nothing but business suits and formal dresses—everyday wear in somber, restrained tones. Nothing suitable for a night out.
Raina picked the best she could and went shopping early.
She didn't much enjoy shopping—the instinct most women had for it had never been strong in her. She bought mostly on impulse.
Luckily her figure was good; most clothes looked fine on her.
A simple short skirt, stockings, and a scarlet V-neck knit top emphasized her slender waist and long legs. At a glance she looked years younger than when she was always trussed in a suit.
She reached the agreed bar after nine.
The bar was large, divided into sections.
European in style, deep red dominant, heavy warm tones paired with shifting light—tastefully, even romantically arranged.
In that atmosphere, everything seemed softened into hazy allure.
The crowd was warming up. The moment Raina walked in, she saw her old confidante Jing Lin at the bar, a wine glass between her fingers, smiling at her.
"We've been waiting forever."
Jing Lin slid off the barstool with effortless charm, the fringe on her Scottish-style skirt swaying. "We were starting to think you'd stand us up again. We threw this party because you're back—you're staying till dawn, and you're not leaving early."
Raina snatched the glass from Jing Lin's hand, took a sip, and laughed. "When have I ever run off on you? You're the one who fakes drunk after one drink."
Jing Lin winked. "You think I'm still the same? I could drink a thousand cups now. Come on—" She threw an arm around Raina's shoulders and steered her toward the private booths.
Two steps in, Raina remembered she'd left the glass. She glanced back—and caught sight of a familiar figure slipping past.
She stopped and looked behind her.
Jing Lin frowned. "What is it? Someone you know back there?"
Raina shook her head, dazed. "My mistake. Let's go."