Chapter 54: Doubly Clingy (Part Two)

Under this high-intensity sweet offensive, Yu Ling's heart melted and softened little by little, like an ice cube soaked in warm water. She began to grow accustomed to his exaggerated acts of "acting spoiled," found herself amused by his childish jealousy, and enjoyed his overbearing yet attentive care. The sharp doubts and icy fears deep in the bottom of her heart were temporarily diluted and numbed by this overwhelming, genuine pampering.

She even began to actively cooperate with his clinginess—taking the initiative to hold his hand when going out, sending a text message in advance during overtime to tell him not to wait too long, and when he complained with a "woeful puppy face" that she had spoken a few extra words to a male colleague, she would helplessly and amusedly lean over to kiss him on the cheek as a soothing gesture.

Watching the smile bloom once again on Yu Ling's face, watching the dependency and warmth gradually return to her eyes, and watching her helpless indulgence toward his clingy behavior, the smile in Zhao Chen's eyes deepened, carrying a satisfaction akin to a prey falling back under one's control, along with an imperceptible trace of exhaustion. The mental effort consumed by this "clingy performance" was perhaps no less than what he expended on handling any cross-border M&A case.

That evening, Yu Ling returned home a little earlier than usual. Zhao Chen was still in the study dealing with "work." The door was ajar, and his low, fluent English conversation drifted out, carrying the calm and authority characteristic of his professional state.

Without disturbing him, Yu Ling changed her shoes and walked toward the living room. Passing the shelf beside the entryway, her gaze was drawn to an inconspicuous, dusty dark blue velvet box on the top tier. She remembered this box; Zhao Chen had apparently placed it there casually when they first moved in, claiming it was a souvenir from a past friend that he had never opened.

Driven by a strange impulse—perhaps a nameless curiosity—Yu Ling stood on tiptoe and reached up to take down the box. Brushing away the surface dust, the texture of the velvet felt warm and smooth. The box was unlocked, and she gently lifted the lid.

Inside were no expensive jewels or souvenirs as she had imagined, but merely a neatly folded, slightly yellowed old newspaper clipping, along with a group photo?

Yu Ling picked up the clipping. It was in English, from a campus newspaper called *The Stanford Daily*. The date was six or seven years ago. The front-page headline was striking:

"Chinese Genius Zhao Chen Leads Team to Win ACM Global Finals Gold Medal Again! Setting Sights on the Turing Award!" Below was a detailed report praising Zhao Chen's astonishing talent and leadership in the field of computer science, hailing him as the "Light of Stanford" and a "Future Tech Leader."

Next to the report was a small black-and-white photograph showing several high-spirited young people holding trophies. The young man standing in the center wore a simple hoodie, his features youthful yet undeniably handsome, his gaze sharp and bright, with a confident, radiant smile at the corner of his mouth—it was undoubtedly a much younger Zhao Chen!

Yu Ling's heart skipped a beat! Stanford? ACM Global Gold Medal? The Turing Award?! Every single one of these terms struck like a heavy hammer, shattering her perception of him as a "ordinary employee." Her fingers trembled as she picked up the color photograph in the box.

The background of the photo appeared to be a picturesque campus lakeside. It was still a younger version of Zhao Chen, dressed in a casual white shirt and khaki trousers, possessing a bit less of his current brooding depth and a bit more sunshine and scholarly aura.

Standing beside him was a girl wearing a goose-yellow floral dress, smiling brightly and charmingly. The girl affectionately linked her arm through his, leaning slightly toward him, tilting her face up to look at him with eyes filled with undisguised adoration and affection. Her face... Yu Ling's pupils abruptly contracted! Although much more youthful than now, those delicate facial features and elegant temperament... it was Gu Qianqian!

In the photo, the two of them basked in sunlight, smiling brilliantly in an intimate posture against the backdrop of Stanford's signature arcade architecture. The image was frozen in the finest moment of youth, exuding the sweet fragrance of campus romance. On the back of the photo, a line of graceful English cursive handwriting was clearly visible:

"To my brilliant Chen, With all my love. Always. —— Qian Qian"

"Always"...

"All my love"...

"My Chen"...

These words were like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely burning themselves onto Yu Ling's retina! Instantly, they dragged her back to that late night when Gu Qianqian had whined tearfully on the phone: "That's because I love you, Brother Chen!"

So much for "unimportant old classmates"!

So much for "obsessive harassment born out of unrequited love"!

The intimate posture in the photo and the affectionate inscription all declared without a doubt that they had clearly shared a profound, and perhaps even deeply unforgettable, romance!

An overwhelming sense of deception and the fury of being played for a fool instantly washed over Yu Ling! She felt a surge of hot blood rush straight to her head, and her vision darkened in waves! She gripped the photograph so tightly that her knuckles turned white with force, her body trembling slightly from extreme anger!

At that very moment, *click*.

The study door was gently pushed open.

Zhao Chen finished his call, a trace of post-work exhaustion on his face as he walked out while rubbing the bridge of his nose. He raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping casually across the living room—only to freeze completely when he saw Yu Ling standing beside the shelf, clutching the yellowed group photo tightly, her face as pale as paper and her eyes like shards of ice!

His hand, which had been massaging his brow, froze mid-air! Deep within his amber eyes, for the very first time, a flash of unguarded, undeniable shock and panic clearly swept across.

The air froze completely at that very moment.