Boundary - Chapter 21

When the contract for the Hidden World East Beach project officially landed in the hands of the Gu family, the entire design department erupted in celebration.

To reward the team for their long and hard work, Gu Yetong specifically asked her secretary to arrange an afternoon tea to celebrate.

“The quality of this new place we ordered from today is on par with a five-star hotel,” the secretary reminded her before heading to set up the afternoon tea venue. “Boss, if you come late, be careful—the food might all be gone.”

She didn’t end the meeting early because she was greedy for food, but because one of the responsible parties from the other side had fallen ill and couldn’t attend, forcing the agenda to be shortened.

As she made her way to the company cafeteria earlier than expected, she bumped into a man who happened to be pushing the door open.

“Sorry,” the man, carrying a stack of storage boxes, had used his back to push the door open. As he turned, his strong arm brushed past her shoulder.

When she saw the man’s face, Gu Yetong froze.

“Tongtong.”

He had once asked her how her family called her, and then naturally began using this most intimate nickname to address her.

Children who grew up in happy families were indeed different—they naturally carried a kind of affinity, a warmth that made it impossible to refuse their closeness.

“Xudong.”

The man responded with a smile, his expression as warm and gentle as it had been years ago, as if he had already forgotten her past coldness.

She heard a burst of laughter from the other end of the hallway. “Are you taking these back to the car? I’ll walk with you to the parking lot.”

Not wanting her subordinates to see and spark gossip, Gu Yetong grabbed Ouyang Xudong’s sleeve and quickly led him out of the office building.

As soon as they stepped outside, she heard the man’s clear laughter.

“You’re still the same as before, always in a hurry when something happens.”

Gu Yetong let go of his sleeve, slightly embarrassed. “When did you return to the country?”

“About six months ago,” Ouyang Xudong continued leading her toward his car.

“Why didn’t you go back to H City?” That was where he had grown up.

“The entrepreneurial environment here is better, and the market for Western pastries is bigger,” the man replied. “I’ve opened a Western pastry shop and a studio. Besides retail, we also specialize in catering for business events and banquets. Today, my colleagues were busy, so I came to deliver the order myself.”

“Congratulations. I thought…” This boy, who had studied architecture but preferred making bread and cakes, had once been willing to clash with his family for his dreams and even gave up his studies to start over. “I thought you’d prefer hands-on work over managing a business.”

“I still do a lot of hands-on work. The pastries your company ordered today were all designed and made by me personally.” Xudong stopped in front of a small van. “Can you grab the car keys for me? They’re in my pants pocket.”

Without thinking much, Gu Yetong reached into his pants pocket. When she didn’t find them on the left side, she moved to his right.

“You… how have you been?”

Only when she found the keys and looked up, meeting the man’s intense gaze, did she realize that her actions just now had been overly intimate.

So different from Jin Nanting, the emotions in his eyes were always so exposed, so easy to read.

“I’m married,” she turned her face away and directly unlocked the car for him.

“Is that so…” His tone, too, was so easily filled with disappointment. “Then congratulations to you as well.”

The man leaned over to place the storage boxes in the car but didn’t turn around for a long time.

The air grew heavy with silence. Once, their interactions had always been so light and simple—if only they hadn’t crossed that boundary and become lovers.

No, it should be—if only she had been able to hold that line and not let it happen.

“Is he good to you?”

The man’s sudden question left Gu Yetong at a loss for words.

Jin Nanting hadn’t been on a business trip for the past two weeks.

But that didn’t mean they spent more time together. Due to time zone differences, his meetings often lasted until midnight, and by the time he got home, she was already asleep. On weekdays, they might exchange a few words during breakfast, then head out separately.

It was almost like they were partners sharing a bed and a residence.

“I’m doing fine,” Gu Yetong said evasively, her hands in her suit pockets.

There wasn’t anything wrong. Perhaps this was how their marriage was supposed to be.

The man turned and walked up to her, reaching out to tuck a strand of her short hair behind her ear, just as he used to do. “I asked if your husband is good to you.”

But when would the faint sense of loss in her heart finally settle into acceptance?

Perhaps, as she had deduced before, day-to-day life easily eroded the sense of novelty between them, and their passionate weekends had disappeared.

Although he still accompanied her to her grandfather’s house, although they still slept in the same bed that had once been soaked with their sweat and passion, he now slept quietly on his side.

And would this be their new normal from now on?

“Sorry, I overstepped,” the man said, withdrawing his hand with genuine apology before Gu Yetong could realize she was instinctively seeking more warmth from her first love.

Lowering her eyes, Gu Yetong forced a faint smile. “Take care.”

With a lingering sense of nostalgia, Gu Yetong turned and walked away, unaware of the gradually darkening look in the eyes of the man she left behind.