In Our Seventh Year of Building from Nothing, Liu Zhaoran Cheated on Me

My resignation letter was halfway out of the printer when someone pushed open the office door. Evelyn walked in on seven-centimeter heels, tossed a document onto my desk, and ordered me around. “Ethan, redo this report.” She didn’t even look at me. She lowered her head and scrolled through her phone, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips. I knew that smile. She had worn the same expression in college when she received a reply from Julian. Seven years had passed, and I had almost forgotten that she could show such a soft expression. It had simply never been for me. “Ms. Evelyn,” I said calmly, “the finance department already approved this report yesterday.” She finally looked up, her brows drawing together slightly. “I said redo it, so redo it. Do you have a problem with that?” I lowered my eyes, my fingertips unconsciously rubbing the body of my pen. It was a birthday present she had given me during my first year at the company. It wasn’t a designer brand, but she had chosen it herself. “Fine. I’ll give it to you tomorrow.” “I need it before the end of today.” She turned to leave, then seemed to remember something. “Oh, right. Order me a box of chocolate truffles. They have to be imported from Belgium. I’m giving them to someone.” My heart sank. “A client?” “What’s wrong, Ethan? Are you jealous?” She raised her brows, her eyes carrying a hint of teasing. “Relax. They’re for a client.” “If you like them, order a box for yourself too. Charge it to the company.” “No need. I’ve given up sugar.” I lowered my head in silence and wrote down her request in my notes. Satisfied, she turned and left, the click of her heels fading into the distance. Outside the window, the streamers from the listing celebration had yet to be completely cleared away. Just yesterday, we had been raising our glasses together to celebrate the greatest victory of our seven years. I thought it marked the beginning of our new life. I never expected it to be the end of something I had imagined alone. At four in the afternoon, I sent the revised report to Evelyn’s email. At five-thirty, I left the office right on time. As I passed her office, I saw through the half-open door that she was touching up her makeup in front of a mirror, with the white roses I had ordered sitting on her desk. They were vibrant and delicate, just like her face at that moment. My assistant, Noah, leaned over and lowered his voice. “Ethan, does Ms. Evelyn have something going on?” I tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Mind your own business.” In the elevator, I stared absently at the reflection of the thirty-year-old man on the mirrored wall. The light that had once shone in my eyes was long gone. All that remained was the exhaustion of one day after another. When Evelyn first started the company, I invested every penny of my savings. At our poorest, I didn’t even have a hundred dollars to my name. When the two of us were crammed into a tiny office, eating instant noodles, she looked into my eyes and said seriously: “Ethan, we’re going to make it. Once we start making money, I’ll give you a salary even higher than a million dollars.” I believed her. Not because I believed she would give me that much money, but because I believed that one day, she would finally see me, the man who had always stood behind her. Seven years had passed. The company was now worth billions, yet she no longer needed me. My phone rang. It was Evelyn. “Ethan, tomorrow morning’s meeting is canceled. I have some personal business to take care of.” I already knew what she meant, but I still asked, “Do you need me to arrange a car?” “No. Julian is coming to pick me up.” Julian. She said his name so naturally. “Okay. Is there anything you need me to prepare?” “No, you…” She paused. “You should get some rest.” Before she hung up, I heard Julian’s voice in the background. “Evelyn, who’s calling you so late?” “It’s the company secretary. I just had to give him some instructions.” Secretary. Those two words drew a line through every boundary between us.I arrived at the company early the next morning. My resignation letter lay quietly in the drawer, waiting for me to submit it. My phone vibrated. Julian had sent me a text. “Ethan, I heard you’ve taken care of Evelyn for all these years. You must be exhausted.” “She said that if you weren’t so capable, she wouldn’t have settled for keeping you around until now.” “Evelyn and I are going ring shopping today. I’ll leave the company’s affairs in your capable hands.” I read the messages without expression. My fingertip hovered over the screen for a moment, but in the end, I didn’t reply. I opened the compressed folder he had sent. Inside were photos of Evelyn and him traveling together over the years. Five years ago. Three years ago. One year ago. So they had been in contact all along. When I drank until I vomited blood at a business dinner for a contract, they were skiing in the Alps. When I worked through the night revising proposals until dawn, they were kissing beneath the Eiffel Tower. When I was hooked up to an IV at the hospital while still taking work calls, they were watching the sunset on a beach in the Maldives. … I had suggested traveling together too, even if it was only a short weekend trip. She would always rub her temples and lean against my shoulder with a tired sigh. “Ethan, I can’t relax right now. How about we go after the company goes public? Wherever you want to go, I’ll go with you.” I had believed her. I had even secretly researched countless travel guides. But the business trips she took alone once every year had all been dates with Julian. I stared at the screen and suddenly laughed. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I took my resignation letter to Human Resources to complete the departure process. The HR manager looked stunned. “Ethan, you’ve been here since the company was founded. You finally made it to the public offering, so why are you leaving now?” “Besides, didn’t Ms. Evelyn say she would grant you one wish after the company went public? Wouldn’t it be a shame to leave now?” Everyone at the company knew that I loved Evelyn. But she never acted close to me in front of outsiders, and she never allowed me to cross any boundaries. She even required us to take different routes to and from work. My coworkers all assumed that I had loved her in vain and was leaving because I could never have her. Looking back, that was probably for the best. Loving her had been my choice. Once I stopped loving her, I could let go just as decisively. As for that wish, I had originally planned to use it to propose to her. She had once said that she had no hopes for marriage, so she wasn’t planning to get married anytime soon. I had been willing to wait seven years, so I hadn’t minded waiting a few more. But now I was tired. I didn’t want to wait anymore. “Yeah, maybe it is a little unfortunate, but I really think I need some time to rest. Let’s just finish the paperwork.” Seeing how determined I was, the HR manager stopped trying to persuade me. After completing all the procedures, I returned home and saw Evelyn staring blankly at a diamond ring. When she saw me, she hurriedly hid it and said in an obvious attempt to cover things up, “You’re back? Oh, right. I’m going on a business trip tomorrow. I wanted to let you know in advance.” I put down my keys. “Okay.” I never argued with her or questioned her decisions. I was about to enter the bedroom when she suddenly grabbed me. “Ethan, why aren’t you asking how long I’ll be gone?” I froze, not expecting her to ask me that. Usually, she simply informed me so I could pack her bags. Looking at her evasive eyes, I forced a smile. “Sorry. I’ve been busy today and my mind’s a little foggy.” She smiled tenderly and suddenly kissed me. “Ethan, I haven’t even congratulated you on our company going public. Tell me what you want, and I’ll make it happen when I get back.” I knew I should give up. But I still couldn’t accept it. I wanted to make one last attempt. I wanted to give these seven years some kind of conclusion. I caught her hand and asked seriously: “Evelyn, if my wish was to marry you, would you say yes?”