She had placed too much faith in her past life, believing he would surely be transferred here today, but now things had deviated from her expectations.
The disappearance of Shen Yi seemed to negate her entire previous life, reminding her that those memories of happiness and fulfillment might have been mere illusions.
It was like watching a perfectly rated movie, only to find the male lead's scenes missing.
The immense psychological gap was almost too much for her to bear.
For a moment, Fu Nanzhi thought she had gone mad, but fortunately, she quickly regained her composure.
Running her fingers over the surface of the glasses case, Fu Nanzhi felt filled with regret.
Opening the drawer to return the glasses case to its corner, she softly spoke to the small black box,
"Sorry, I couldn't give you away today."
Then she noticed her notebook and took it out, opening it.
On a fresh page was a simple stick figure drawing without facial features, just empty glasses frames.
Next to it was another figure with long hair, and the two were holding hands.
Fu Nanzhi had drawn this yesterday when she was bored, representing the part of her heart she couldn't share with others.
She had imagined their reunion countless times, yet now this unexpected turn of events had occurred.
Below the figures were complaints from her past life, which she had recreated:
"Shen Yi, black glasses."
"Shen Yi, social butterfly syndrome."
"Shen Yi, megalomaniac."
"Shen Yi, annoying pest."
"Shen Yi, airhead."
"Shen Yi, not so clever."
Looking at these words, familiar scenes flashed through Fu Nanzhi's mind, vivid and heartstring-pulling.
Tears blurred her vision as her eyelashes fluttered rapidly, trying to hold them back.
Fu Nanzhi picked up her pen and wrote on a new line,
"Shen Yi, where are you?"
As she finished writing, her hand loosened, causing the pen tip to leave a crooked mark on the paper, seemingly reflecting her current state of confusion.
A full teardrop fell onto Shen Yi's name, spreading dark ink across the page.
Sadness and fear swept over her like a tide, threatening to shatter her facade of strength.
"You broke your promise."
"You said you'd love me and make me happy for a lifetime. I can't handle this alone."
Fu Nanzhi slowly lay down on the desk, arms wrapped tightly around herself, imagining a firm embrace, yet feeling an enormous void in her heart.
"Shen Yi, I think I've lost you."
Her quiet sobs gradually became inaudible.
Her heart had always been sensitive and fragile; it was only Shen Yi's protection in her past life that had helped her build strong emotional walls.
But those walls had been supported by Shen Yi's constant emotional reinforcement.
Now that her support was gone, Fu Nanzhi had to face everything alone.
She seemed to be reverting to her former self, constantly consumed by inner turmoil.
With him, all imperfections were acceptable; without him, even apparent perfection felt false.
Suddenly, Fu Nanzhi seemed to realize something, wiping her tears and sitting up straight.
Perhaps some unknown factor had caused a deviation, preventing Shen Yi from appearing at the right time.
This didn't mean he didn't exist; jumping to conclusions would only frighten herself.
This thought helped Fu Nanzhi recover slightly.
"Impossible, you can't be just an illusion."
Then, as if making both a declaration and self-encouragement, she said firmly:
"No matter where you are, I'll find you."
Without further hesitation, Fu Nanzhi got up and washed her face.
She took the morning's processed documents to the legal assistant's desk and left the legal department.
Entering the elevator, she pressed for the 23rd floor, where the chairman's office was located.
Cheng Tianwei was her father's closest business partner and the current helmsman of Tiancheng Group.
Jinheng and Tiancheng Corporation were inseparable, the two families being old friends.
This was her first visit to this floor since starting work at Tiancheng.
After quietly speaking with the secretary outside, she was quickly invited in.
Through the door, she saw a middle-aged man sitting in the executive chair, with a square face that appeared quite approachable.
Fu Nanzhi first studied his features, then noticed the watch on his wrist before greeting him:
"Uncle Cheng, Nanzhi has come to see you."
Seeing her, Cheng Tianwei laughed heartily and walked to the reception area, gesturing for Fu Nanzhi to sit down,
"What a rare guest! If you hadn't come to see Uncle Cheng, I would have had to come find you in a few days."
"How are you finding it at Tiancheng? Are you adjusting well?"
Fu Nanzhi politely responded: "Tiancheng is wonderful, I really like it."
The same inquiry, but with different answers - in her past life, she had felt indifferent and only spoke of being busy, but now because of one person, her answer had completely changed.
Cheng Tianwei, showing no airs, chuckled at her response:
"Your father never says it out loud, but he's been secretly asking about you quite a bit, worried you might not adapt. You should see him!"
He waved his hand, imitating Fu Yuanyu's mannerisms, thoroughly amusing himself.
Fu Nanzhi showed a slight smile, thinking that he wasn't much different - her cousin Cheng Jun was known for her quirky personality and had reportedly just returned from studying abroad, giving Uncle Cheng plenty to worry about.
Both old men were in their fifties but hadn't changed from their younger days, still enjoying teasing each other.
Working at Tiancheng was naturally Fu Yuanyu's arrangement; she hadn't understood it before but gradually came to appreciate her father's good intentions.
If she hadn't met Shen Yi, she might have drifted through life aimlessly, proving that more exposure to the outside world wasn't a bad thing.
After the lighthearted moment, Cheng Tianwei seriously discussed work with Fu Nanzhi briefly and asked if she had any difficulties.
Despite the young lady's repeated insistence before starting work that she didn't need special attention.
But as someone who had watched her grow up, Cheng Tianwei felt compelled to inquire.
Fu Nanzhi shook her head indicating no difficulties, and directly said:
"There's something I'd like to ask for Uncle Cheng's help with."
In good spirits, Cheng Tianwei responded without hesitation:
"It's rare for you to ask me for anything, what is it?"
Fu Nanzhi suppressed her anxiety and quickly said: "I'm looking for someone in our group, named Shen Yi, Yi as in the number one."
Cheng Tianwei hadn't expected this kind of request from Fu Nanzhi, and felt somewhat surprised.
"Shen Yi? Male or female?"
"Male."
Cheng Tianwei's expression turned peculiar. He knew Fu Nanzhi's personality well; for her to ask him for help, it couldn't be a simple matter.
Yet this seemed like a simple request, just asking about someone.
Fortunately, since it was about someone in the group, it would be easy for him to help.
He took out his phone to call Human Resources, glanced at Fu Nanzhi, then put the phone on the table and turned on speakerphone.
When the call connected, Cheng Tianwei asked directly:
"Please check if there's a male employee named Shen Yi in the group, Shen as in the surname, Yi as in the number one."
"Yes, Chairman Cheng, I'll check right away," came the prompt response.
In less than a minute, the voice on the other end returned with news.
"I've checked, Chairman Cheng. There is no employee named Shen Yi in the group."