When Hearts Collide: From Ashes to Love

The car started up quietly, the interior silent. Marian forced back her tears, dropping her head and shrinking into her coat. Although it was raining, traffic wasn't too bad, and before long, they arrived at her place.

Aaron unfastened his seatbelt and opened the door, umbrella in hand to shield her as he opened the back door. Marian had Liang Meiqi's coat and bag in her left arm, while her own purse and laptop dangled from her right. She looked like a walking coat rack, shuffling clumsily in the drizzle.

Watching her struggle, Aaron couldn't bear it. He extended a hand. "Give me your bag and computer."

She stubbornly refused. "I can manage."

Then she added, "Thank you, Mr. Fu, for driving me. I'll be on my way." She turned and walked off through the rain.

Aaron exhaled heavily, long strides catching up to her. His black umbrella again covered them both.

"Mr. Fu, it's fine. I'm almost there—no need for you to walk with me," she insisted.

Visibly irritated, Aaron's chest rose and fell. "Do you have to talk to me like that?"

She stopped in her tracks and looked up at him coolly. "How else should I speak to you? You're my high-and-mighty client, and I'm just someone working for a bit of spare change!"

He let out a low scoff. "Alright, I see your sharp tongue has improved a lot over the years."

"It's been five years, Mr. Fu— even slow learners figure things out eventually."

Aaron pressed his lips into a thin line, then thrust the umbrella into her arms and turned away. Marian tried to follow, intending to give it back, but couldn't match his longer strides. In just a few steps, his car sped away.

Holding the umbrella, she stood in the drizzling rain, staring at the space where his car had vanished. A wave of helplessness washed over her.

Upon reaching her second-floor flat in the old building, she shook out the umbrella on the balcony, stowed away the clothes, and got ready for the night.

With warm water cascading in the shower, she suddenly realized: Why did Aaron park right outside the old place this time? I told him I lived at Jinxiu Gardens…

It meant he'd seen through her lie. Her embarrassment at that realization kept her up until 3 a.m.

The following morning, Marian arrived at the office with dark circles under her eyes.

"Marian, did you sleep badly?" Liang Meiqi asked, handing her a coffee as thanks for retrieving her coat and bag the night before.

"Yep, feeling a bit anxious," Marian fibbed halfheartedly.

After putting her bag and coat away, Liang pulled up a chair beside her. "Marian, I heard Mr. Fu drove you home last night?"

Marian booted up her laptop, responding with a perfunctory "Uh-huh." She had zero desire to revisit the events of the previous night—or hear Aaron's name again.

Undeterred, Liang propped her chin in her hands. "I also heard you two are former classmates?"

This time, Marian looked up. "Zhang Gong can't keep his mouth shut, apparently."

Liang smiled sheepishly, her eyes still bright.

Marian shrugged. "Yes, we were undergrads together, but not close. I'm sure you saw—he didn't exactly treat me special.

Liang's brow eased, a cheerful smile lighting her face. "That's not entirely true—Aaron's like that with everyone, always so cold."

Marian got up to refill her water. "So, you haven't given up on him?"

Liang hesitated briefly, then snapped her fingers in the air. "I thought it over last night. Sure, chasing a man as popular as Aaron is gonna be tough, but so what? As long as I put in the effort, I'll see results!"

Effort equals results? Marian thought wryly. Feelings don't always work that way—the more deliberate you are, the less success you might have. But she and Liang were only coworkers, and it was none of her business if Liang insisted on throwing herself at a wall.

"Okay, then. Best of luck," was all Marian said.

"Heh heh, Marian, can you help me?" Liang pressed.

"Nope. I need to focus on making money."

"Fine… Marian, do you really need money that badly?" Liang noted Marian's frugal ways and her wardrobe that likely cost under 200 yuan per item.

"I do. Very much. Starting this week, I'll even be working weekends."

Eyes widening, Liang asked, "Are you planning to buy a place on your own? That's so exhausting. Why not marry someone local who already has a house?"

Marian gave a small laugh and shook her head. "I'm not even looking to buy. I just like earning money."

Rely on a mountain, and it may collapse; rely on people, and they may bail. That was something Marian had understood since she was seven.

——

The YuTou project was quickly set in motion, with everything arranged methodically. By Friday, all personnel and development progress were in place, allowing Marian a chance to breathe and confirm her weekend plan to help Zoe.

Zoe had long heard that she was now busy with a project for Aaron's company, and her gossip-loving heart was bursting with excitement.

"Come over to my place tonight!!! I want the gossip!!! We're not sleeping till we're done talking!!!" A string of nine exclamation points dangled threateningly, making Marian's temples throb.

"There's no gossip, just a worker's gripes."

Zoe seemed to live on WeChat, responding instantly: "I'll complain with you!!! You must come!!!"

Marian gave up resisting. "Fine, as long as your boyfriend isn't home."

Zoe was dating a younger guy who was still in college, and sometimes he stayed over.

"Relax, we broke up."

Oh-ho, guess she definitely needed to hear the story now.

Closing her phone, Marian refocused on work. Not long after, a message popped up in the group chat used for communication with the client. She opened it and was stunned:

"Given the project's development timeline, we require your related personnel to be on-site. Our company will provide lodging, starting next Monday."

Marian immediately objected: "This on-site requirement wasn't mentioned before. It's too sudden. We'll have trouble coordinating internally."

Mao Quan'an replied: "It's a company directive—we have no choice. Sorry, Manager Marian, but please help us work it out."

Sighing, Marian had no option but to seek out Julian.

Upon hearing the news, Julian asked her, "So what's your take on this?"

Carefully, she said, "It feels odd. It doesn't match what we talked about yesterday. I'm not sure if it's a request from the group or the fund company itself."

If it came from the group, then it was presumably Aaron's idea?

As though recalling something, Julian gazed at Marian for a moment. At length, he gave instructions: "We'll provide each on-site employee with a 2,000-yuan monthly subsidy. Ask everyone about their willingness to be on-site."

Oh, so there was a subsidy. Marian secretly griped that he should've led with that. A 2,000-yuan sweetener would make everyone nod without hesitation, and indeed, they did—once she informed them, everyone readily agreed.

Marian then thought to ask Mao Quan'an, "What are the accommodations like?"

A few minutes later, the group chat shared a few images.

Well, well. It turned out to be a four-star hotel right next to YuTou. Marian's irritation vanished. "All right then—we'll be there Monday."

She next prepared materials for their arrival on-site: project members' contracts, personal IDs, and so on. Nothing complicated, just plenty of details. By the time she finished, most of the office had already gone home.

Seeing her still at her desk, Julian reminded her, "Head home soon—your health matters."

Saturday Evening

Marian arrived at Zoe's apartment complex, bought two bags of fruit downstairs, then rode the elevator up. The moment the doors opened, Zoe was waiting at her door.

Zoe mumbled, "Wasting your money again, I see."

Marian smiled. "It's not a waste—we'll eat it ourselves in no time."

Though she'd grown up without parents, her grandmother's care and guidance had been no less than any two-parent home. Her grandma always said to bring something whenever visiting someone's place—basic courtesy for maintaining relationships.

For dinner, they ate hotpot. In the chilly-but-not-quite-warm April weather, it was perfect. Steam billowed forth, and Zoe, fueled by gossip, pounced immediately. "So spill, what's up with you and that guy?"

Marian gave a resigned laugh. "Nothing to tell—just a normal client-vendor relationship."

"Huh?" Zoe was perplexed. "You locked down the YuTou project, so I figured he was making amends to you."

Marian shook her head and took a swig of her drink. "You're overthinking. We only got YuTou because of my boss's connections. It has nothing to do with me."

Zoe rolled up her sleeves, fuming with indignation. "What a jerk! To this day he hasn't even said 'sorry' to you? No way—I've got to set him straight on your behalf!"