The Jasmine Scented White Moonlight

Chapter 25 - Hesitating to come home

If Shen Shuyun knew he would encounter such a scene, he would not have come to make a fool of himself.

At eight o'clock, Shen Shuyun received a call from Ning Wan: " Brother Yun, I think I left a document on the bedside table. Could you ask Aunt Wu to bring it over? Or I can have the driver go back and get it."

Shen Shuyun was downstairs at that time. He had just finished eating the dumplings that had cooled out last night. He answered the phone and agreed then hung up.

He went upstairs to the bedroom and indeed saw a document spread out on the bedside table. It seemed Ning Wan had casually left it there after reading it before bed and forgot to take it in the morning. Shen Shuyun picked it up and flipped through it. It was a contract, likely needed urgently. Suddenly remembering that Aunt Wu had texted him in the morning saying she needed a day off due to something with her son, he sighed, resigned himself to change clothes, he gathered the documents into an envelope and drove to deliver them to the company himself.

Shen Shuyun seldom came to Ning Wan's company. They had different professions that did not intersect, so he rarely inquired about Ning Wan's work matters, and naturally, only few people at the company recognized him.

Today's receptionist was a young girl who had just started and hadn't seen Shen Shuyun before. Seeing him heading towards the elevator leading to the CEO's office, she quickly ran over to stop him: "Sir, are you sure you're not going the wrong way? If you need to handle business, you should take the elevator after turning right; this one doesn't lead to the business and consulting departments."

Shen Shuyun smiled gently and didn't blame the girl too much. He said kindly, "I'm not mistaken going this way. Please contact Miss Anna and tell her Shen Shuyun is here. She will explain the rest to you."

The girl saw that his face was as warm as jade and his gaze was like water. She couldn't help but blush when Shen Shuyun glanced at her. She thought that no bad person could look this good so she nodded and said, "Alright, you can go up first. I'll check with Anna."

Anna was Ning Wan's personal secretary.

Shen Shuyun nodded, took out the access card Ning Wan had given him, swiped it, and took the elevator directly to the 24th floor.

Though he rarely visited, he was familiar with Ning Wan's office. Eighty percent of this floor was Ning Wan's office, with the remaining space occupied by the secretary's office and a meeting room. He remembered that after getting off the elevator, crossing a long corridor would lead to Ning Wan's office. The security guard at the elevator recognized him and did not stop him, nodding in greeting, which Shen Shuyun returned with a smile.

Shen Shuyun walked through the corridor towards Ning Wan's office. The door was slightly ajar, and cheerful laughter could be heard intermittently through the gap-he recognized Ning Wan's laughter among them.

Instinctively, he tightened his grip on the envelope and peeked through the gap. He saw a somewhat familiar face and immediately recognized the man as the one he had seen standing with Ning Wan at the supermarket.

Shen Shuyun took a few steps back, feeling dizzy and nauseous, unable to breathe as the laughter from the door pierced his heart. He leaned against the wall in the corridor, taking a long time to suppress his pain.

He must look terrible now, with jealousy, unwillingness, and pain uncontrollably showing in his eyes, making him look both wretched and pitiful.

After pushing down those emotions, Shen Shuyun finally dared to knock on the door. Hearing a "come in" from inside, he slowly pushed the door open.

"I came to deliver a document."

Ning Wan was sipping a freshly brewed coffee. Hearing the familiar voice, he looked up suddenly, seeing Shen Shuyun's face over the coffee cup rim, causing him to choke on the coffee and cough violently, his face turning red. Shen Shuyun stood quietly at the door, watching Tang Yichuan hand a handkerchief to Ning Wan and bend down slightly to pat Ning Wan's back, trying to help him swallow the choked liquid. He didn't move or change his expression, standing still like a calm observer.

"Ning Wan, are you okay?"

"Yes." Ning Wan brushed Tang Yichuan's hand away, stood up somewhat awkwardly, walked quickly towards Shen Shuyun, took the document, and asked in a deliberately low voice, unable to hide his panic, "Why are you here!"

"Aunt Wu is not around, and it's Sunday. I had nothing to do, so I brought it over." Ning Wan's shirt was stained with coffee, and as he approached, there was a bitter and indescribable smell that made Shen Shuyun frown slightly. "I was afraid you needed it urgently."

As Shen Shuyun spoke, his eyes remained on Tang Yichuan, carefully examining the cold-faced man. He looked somewhat older, but it didn't hide his stunning features. He carried an aura of unapproachability, like a beautiful alpine flower or an unattainable moon.

Noticing the person at the door looking at him, Tang Yichuan nodded politely and asked Ning Wan, "Ning Wan, who is this...?"

Ning Wan stood stiffly, wanting to introduce him as his lover but stammering, making a mess of a simple sentence: "He... he is... he is my..."

Shen Shuyun lowered his head, staring blankly at Ning Wan's left hand holding the document. The ring finger was clean, with no trace of the silver ring, as if the ring engraved with "Yun" had never existed.

Ning Wan always wore that ring, never taking it off, even while bathing, over the past three years. But now, it was gone.

Subconsciously, Shen Shuyun hid his ringed hand behind him, the three engraved letters burning painfully against his skin. He chuckled softly, continuing Ning Wan's sentence: "I am his friend. We are good friends."

He could never bear to make things difficult for Ning Wan, no matter what.

But it was sad that in the end, he could only be a friend.

Ning Wan looked at Shen Shuyun in shock, opening his mouth to explain but unable to say a word.

Shen Shuyun forced a smile, gently patting Ning Wan, his voice soft and tender: "I'll go now. I won't disturb your work."

A sudden panic surged in Ning Wan's heart. Shen Shuyun's smile just now was sadder than crying. Realizing his hesitation had hurt Shen Shuyun, Ning Wan, feeling confused, grabbed Shen Shuyun's thin wrist and called out, "Brother Yun..."

"Ning Wan, let go." Shen Shuyun didn't look at Ning Wan, his voice light but each word squeezed from his throat, tinged with a bloody taste. "Don't make it too ugly here, it's not good for everyone."

Ning Wan's eyes widened, his fingers unconsciously loosening their grip. Shen Shuyun pulled his wrist free, turned around and left Ning Wan's office without looking back.

He was full of loneliness, his back looked desolate, as he left under the autumn sunlight, step by step.

Ning Wan stood still, not chasing after him.

So he would never know that after turning around, Shen Shuyun's eyes were red and his hands trembled uncontrollably.

At the time, Ning Wan didn't realize that not everyone who smiled was happy, and not everyone who departed had a farewell.