When Hearts Collide: From Ashes to Love

The reception room fell silent enough to hear a pin drop—until Julian returned.

"Old classmate, how do you find our product? Not bad, right?" he asked.

Aaron, leaning back in his chair with a poised, almost regal air, rested his hands casually on the armrests. He radiated the composure of a CEO once again. "It's pretty good. Miss Marian is very professional, explaining everything clearly."

Julian beamed, the furrow on his brow easing as he entered. "Marian really is excellent." Then, testing the waters, he added, "So, about what comes next…?"

Aaron's gaze landed on Marian, who had kept silent until now. Rather than complaining to Julian about her foolish behavior, he slowly shifted his focus away and readily agreed, "The contract is fine. I'll have Yi Ming follow up on the details."

With that, he stood up, straightened his suit jacket, and took a step toward the door. "Thank you both for coming today. I have other meetings to attend, so I'll excuse myself."

Julian also got up and watched Aaron leave the reception room, then turned to study Marian's composed face. He had learned from HR that Marian's family situation wasn't great, and that her diligence was driven largely by the need for bonuses.

But having just secured a massive YuTou deal—essentially guaranteeing double the usual year-end bonus—she still looked calm, with no trace of restlessness.

She was formidable, he thought, and suddenly felt an urge to understand how she'd become so strong.

His phone rang again, and after hanging up, he turned to Marian. "Marian, I need to visit the hospital soon, so I won't see you off. Take a cab home; I'll reimburse you."

Marian nodded. "Alright."

Once she gathered her things and reached the first-floor lobby, she found gusting winds and torrential rain outside. Xicheng was known for its rainfall—though it wasn't even spring yet, the constant downpours drove the city's residents to endless complaint. Usually, she carried an umbrella for times like these, but she'd forgotten it today while visiting the client.

Sighing, she resigned herself to wait. No matter how heavy the storm, it would eventually pass.

Rain hammered down from the sky in sheets, the cold wind tunneling in all directions, leaving Marian huddled more tightly in her coat as she stood by the revolving door.

At least she'd worn a heavy coat today and not her trench coat, or she'd be freezing right now. "Miss Marian, the rain is really heavy. You could wait upstairs in the reception room until it lets up," came a pleasant voice. Marian looked more closely and realized it was Aaron's assistant, Yi Ming.

"No, it's fine. I'll wait here…" She barely finished her sentence before sneezing.

Marian covered her nose, apologetically meeting Yi Ming's eyes.

Still smiling, Yi Ming said, "Please come upstairs. It's cold down here; if you catch a cold, Mr. Zhou might blame us for poor hospitality."

Marian couldn't turn him down again, so she followed him back to the top floor.

Yi Ming showed her to a seat and brought her a cup of ginger tea.

After stepping out of the reception room, Yi Ming reflected on how Julian and Aaron must indeed be on good terms. Even the rank-and-file staff under Julian received Aaron's consideration. He recalled how Aaron specifically asked him to talk to a female coworker to get ginger tea for Miss Marian.

Seems he should be extra careful in all dealings with Julian—not to offend him.

As for Miss Marian, Yi Ming paused outside the glass wall of the conference room, glancing in at her. She was probably just an ordinary employee, nothing more.