Reunited After a Long Separation, Stricken with Diarrhea

On the elegant and resplendent balcony, she first caught sight of a figure whose bearing was innately noble. Her heart gave a sudden jolt. Hesitantly, she shifted her gaze to confirm the identity of that person.

He stood at the corner of the terrace, his straight waist leaning against a carved wooden railing. One long, fair hand rested lightly atop it, holding a cellphone, while those deep and brilliant eyes gazed downward.

Her heart seemed to explode in mute thunder.

The sheer shock of this unexpected reunion was overwhelming.

Ye Mian feared she might have mistaken him for someone else. But the instant she saw his face, reality struck her like a dream. Nowhere in the world could there be another face so cold and ascetic. It had only been a year since they last met, yet to Ye Mian, it felt as if an eternity had passed—so long that he seemed almost a stranger again, enough to overlap with the image of that all-powerful man in her memories from a previous life.

Their eyes met through the lights, and Ye Mian’s fingers trembled.

He was no longer a boy. Dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist, he held a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers, which he extinguished with slow deliberation as he turned back.

The light fell upon him.

He stood with his back to the night sky.

Seeing the shock on the young woman’s face, Jiang Chen’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Are you coming up, or shall I come down?”

Ye Mian blinked, startled back to herself, and replied softly, “I’ll come up.”

Jiang Chen tipped his chin. “Alright. Third floor.”

In the darkness, Ye Mian hung up the phone and clenched it tightly in her palm. When she looked up again, she still could not make out the expression on Jiang Chen’s face.

She entered the hotel, crossed the ornately decorated indoor pool, and stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the third floor with her fingertip.

As the elevator doors closed, her heart pounded fiercely.

First floor.

Second floor.

Third floor.

With a soft chime, she arrived almost instantly.

Though she kept telling herself not to panic, not to falter, not to lose her composure, when the doors slid open, Ye Mian instinctively drew her hand back.

Under the bright lights, Jiang Chen strode toward her.

The surroundings were utterly silent, the thick carpet muffling his footsteps. Just as in their meeting from a past life, his eyes glittered with light, his gaze fixed unwaveringly upon Ye Mian.

A pressure, invisible yet palpable, spread and settled around her.

How could he have grown into such a formidable presence so quickly?

Wasn’t this supposed to be the slow-burn tale of watching a future titan rise, step by step?

She felt rooted to the spot, her mind pulled taut as she watched Jiang Chen approach.

Then, she managed a smile. “Jiang Chen.”

He answered softly, “Mm.”

Ye Mian tightened her grip on her bag’s handle.

Her nerves were stretched so thin that a flush crept across her face, and even her breathing required conscious control.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Chen slowly relaxed his clenched hand, leaned forward slightly, and gazed down at her, his long-absent eyes growing gentle. “Shall we have some tea together?”

Yet Ye Mian’s nerves were still taut, and she nodded mechanically. “Yes, we can.”

She followed in Jiang Chen’s footsteps.

Ye Mian entered his room.

She had thought entering someone’s hotel room would feel intimate, but upon entering, she changed her mind.

Jiang Chen’s suite was spacious, not the typical single room and bath, but a suite with a living room and a large balcony. All the lights were on, flooding the space with brightness, yet there was no sign of anyone living there.

The evening breeze drifted in from the balcony, making the curtains sway gently, passing over Jiang Chen and brushing against Ye Mian’s ears.

After so long, she once again caught that faint scent of ebony wood on Jiang Chen.

He moved to the table, rinsed a cup for her with measured grace, and gestured for her to sit.

Ye Mian drew a deep breath, trying to compose herself.

Then she quietly sat on the soft sofa.

The air seemed to move slowly. Jiang Chen idly turned a string of prayer beads in his hand, the back of which bore the engraving: “All things go smoothly.”

Ye Mian noticed his little gesture and broke the silence. “You still believe in Buddhism?”

Jiang Chen lowered his eyes to the beads and replied calmly, “No.”

Ye Mian was momentarily speechless. Not only did he appear more distant, but he was also even more adept at cutting conversations short.

So he didn’t believe, yet played with prayer beads—was this the comfort the powerful sought?

After a moment’s silence, seeing she said nothing, Jiang Chen frowned slightly, set down his cup, and picked up his phone, tapping a few times on the screen.

Soon, someone brought up a glass of juice and a small plate of pastries.

He stood, moved the juice to Ye Mian’s side, and said, “Have this instead.”

Ye Mian looked at him in surprise, wanting to refuse.

But since he had already brought it over, to refuse again would seem overly precious.

She could only murmur, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Jiang Chen replied, turning his prayer beads with a casual air. “So, what were you looking for just now?”

Only then did Ye Mian recall how she’d asked her driver to turn the car around earlier.

She swallowed a sip of juice and explained, “I wasn’t looking for anything. The bridge under the hotel seems to have collapsed, so my cousin brought me back. I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to go home early, but it looks like I’ll have to stay here tonight.”

Jiang Chen’s expression remained tranquil, betraying nothing. “You’re not feeling well? Where does it hurt?”

Ye Mian shook her head. “I’m much better now.”

He looked at her, his gaze steady, as if sensing she wasn’t pretending. “And since when did you have a cousin?”

Ye Mian’s eyes flickered. “My cousin just returned from America, like you. I haven’t met him before either.”

She blinked, then asked, “When did you come back?”

She even wanted to ask why he hadn’t told her, but realized there was no need—they were at best childhood friends, he owed her nothing.

Jiang Chen smiled. “A few days ago.”

Ye Mian nodded, suppressing the small ache in her heart. Suddenly, her stomach hurt again.

She frowned and looked at Jiang Chen. “Did you eat at the hotel today?”

Jiang Chen replied, “No.”

“That’s good,” Ye Mian said seriously. “This hotel might not be very hygienic; best not to eat here.”

The pain in her abdomen grew worse.

Disaster.

Her gaze landed on Jiang Chen, who raised his brows slightly. Gritting her teeth, she said slowly, “So... I might need to borrow your bathroom.”

She knew Jiang Chen had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, but she truly couldn’t hold it any longer. This was just too mortifying.

Inside, she was crying a storm.

Who else in the world would, upon reuniting with their secret crush after a long separation, suddenly be struck by a bout of diarrhea!

(End of chapter)