Qiao Muyuan woke up in the middle of the night and heard it raining outside. The bedroom was dark, and he knew that she accidentally fell asleep in Ji Changmu's apartment.

After struggling, she ran outside in her slippers, only to find that the light in the study was still on.

With sleepy eyes, she opened the study door and stood at the door, rubbing her eyes: "I want to go back."

Ji Changmu was still working. He was smoking a cigarette. When he saw that she was awake, he put the cigarette butt in the ashtray.

The study was filled with white smoke. Qiao Muyuan covered his nose and suddenly widened his eyes: "How can you smoke?! The doctor said you can't smoke! You have just been discharged from the hospital!"

"I can't die." He said calmly, stood up, opened the window and let the cold wind flow into the study.

He was wearing a black nightgown, with an expression of alienation and indifference. His figure was hidden in the vast night and lonely study, so lonely and cold.

Qiao Muyuan felt a sharp pain in her heart. This unreasonable pain made her frown, and her little face was full of surprise.

He walked towards her, his tall body pressing in front of her: "It's raining outside. If you want to go back, I'll take you there."

"I'm not going back." She finally gave in, looking up at him with mist in her eyes, "Stop smoking..."

She thought of the boy from many years ago, who always had a clean smell like soap powder, instead of the man standing in front of her now who smelled like cigarette smoke.

At that time, he never smoked or drank.

"If you don't reply, go to bed."

"What time is it?"

"Two o'clock."

"Then why aren't you sleeping yet? The doctor said..."

"I know." He frowned and interrupted her, "You go back to sleep, I still have work."

"Is your work more important than your life? Ji Changmu, don't you want your life?" She shouted at him, hoarse and uncomfortable.

"Well, that's right, work is more important than my life."

For a moment, Qiao Muyuan was speechless.

She doesn't understand.

When Ji Changmu saw her like this, he said calmly: "You still have class tomorrow, right? What time is the class? I'll drive you there."

"No, I can just take a taxi. You should go to bed early." She turned and ran away.

As soon as she left, the surroundings fell into the quietness unique to the early morning.

This night swallowed up everything.

Ji Changmu stood at the door for a while and closed the door.

The little princess who was born with a golden key to the Qiao family will never understand the importance of work to him. He can go through surgeries, hardships and all the ups and downs, but he still has to move up step by step until one day he can stand

At the top of New York City's financial circle.

At least, he can never let the people he cares about, such as his mother, experience the pain of falling into the abyss again, nor can he go down the same path as his father.

No matter how difficult this road is, he has to go on.

The older he gets, the more he can feel the despair when his father jumped off the building, and he has no way out.

…

Early the next morning, Qiao Muyuan washed up and came to the restaurant.

The rain stopped, and Ji Changmu was already sitting at the dining table, waiting for her. On the table was a sumptuous breakfast.

After seeing that he was dressed cleanly and neatly, with a white turtleneck sweater, black casual pants, and a good face, Qiao Muyuan almost thought that he had a dream last night, and that the man he saw smoking in the dream was just Ji Changmu in the dream.

.

"Morning." He greeted.

"Professor, morning."
Chapter completed!