The hotel room was quiet, but Li Wei couldn’t sleep.

  The soft hum of the air conditioner was the only thing filling the silence. He loosened his tie and poured himself a gss of water, walking to the window. Below, Taipei shimmered—headlights, street mps, neon signs—all moving on with the night.

  But he couldn’t shake that moment from earlier.

  Her.

  He saw her the second he turned around at the booth. Same sharp eyes. Same calm walk. Just more polished now—more… grown.

  It took everything in him not to say her name out loud.

  Jenny.

  But instead of stepping forward, he took a step back into the version of himself he had become: a polished professional, a son his parents could brag about, the man who made safe choices.

  He thought he had prepared for the possibility of seeing her again. Taiwan was small after all. Their worlds could collide anytime.

  But he didn’t expect her to still have that hold over him. Not after everything.

  She looked… good. Not just the way she carried herself, but the fire in her eyes—like someone who had earned every inch of who she had become.

  He hated himself for not saying anything. But part of him was afraid—afraid of what could unravel if he did. The weight of his family’s past disapproval, Chun Mei’s messy exit, and Jenny’s quiet goodbye all collided in one tight second.

  She didn’t come back for a reason, he reminded himself.

  And I let her go.

  But now, that silence between them echoed louder than anything else.

  He sat on the edge of the bed, running his hands through his hair.

  What would he have said anyway?

  “Hi, Jenny. Sorry for everything. I still think about you.”

  Too te.

  Too selfish.

  Too complicated.

  The next morning, he walked into the MediaTek conference room like he hadn’t seen the girl who once meant everything to him.

  He pyed the role. Closed deals. Shook hands. Smiled.

  But a part of him stayed back at that booth.

  Watching her walk away.