Qi Chengzhi stopped the car at her lobby. As she was leaving the car, he said, "We've recently been in touch with Guanyu. Once they knew that Qilin did not sign the contract with Chengshi, they were proactive and they showed us a lot of sincerity in continuing with this project."

Those words led Song Yu to release her grip on the car door handle. She turned to look at Qi Chengzhi.

The inside of the car was dark; on the outside of the car, a couple of streetlights were not working. Qi Chengzhi's face was obscured in the dark and even without wearing glasses, it was hard to see his ever-enigmatic facial features.

"This event has made me question Chengshi's approach. All that your company cares about is internal politics and competition, while the client's best interests are set aside. I don't feel reassured, so I will reconsider everything pertaining to the signing of the contract. I really do like your design but I need to think it over and consider all the factors."

"Although Zhao Rongcheng has gotten you back, the contract will not necessarily be awarded to you again. I know that you had no fault in this because you are also a victim. But things have turned out this way and I can't play a fool with this huge business, such carelessness simply cannot be overlooked."

"This time, Guanyu has gotten in touch with us and I've decided to let them compete. When the time comes, whoever that has what it takes will get it. There's something I originally wanted Cheng Dongge to inform you of tomorrow – come over to Qilin after work on the evening of the day after, which is Friday. You and Guanyu's architect will be meeting at Qilin's entrance. Our company, including myself, Luo Yushu, and the engineering department's manager will bring everyone to the project site."

"You'll be staying there for the weekend and you both can inspect the site. When we return, you'll both be asked to present a design plan, but this time, I don't just simply want a simple verbal concept of the design, I want a fully amended plan, complete with the height, load-bearing capacity, and any other precise measurements."

"I'll decide only after comparing the two," Qi Chengzhi said.

Song Yu nodded. She was not at all dissatisfied with his decision. "I understand. This time, I'm determined to win. Young Master Cheng, I can safely assure you that the same thing will never happen in the future."

Qi Chengzhi did not immediately declare his stand on things but simply said, "You may go up."

He looked as Song Yu got down from the car and disappeared through the doorway but he did not leave immediately. He looked up to see that the light in Song Yu's home had been switched on.

He placed his hands in his pocket but they came up empty. Puzzled, he subsequently realized that he was wearing house clothes, the pockets of which did not contain any cigarettes.

With a smile and a shake of the head, he started the car and left.

…

…

After her bath, Song Yu lay down on her bed. Her body was curled up and she was lying on her side. Placing her nose close to her pillow, she sniffed it a few times. To her surprise, Qi Chengzhi's smell was still present.

In recent days, she found it hard to sleep because of his scent. She wondered how he slept because, within merely a night, her pillow, bedsheet, and blanket were all imbued with his smell.

As long as she closed her eyes and breathed that scent, it felt as though he was right beside her.