Volume One, Chapter 11: Wishing She Never Returns

Bo Congnan angrily pulled out his phone and quickly dialed my number.

This time, he was patient, waiting over ten seconds, but the call went unanswered until the tone rang out.

He tried again, still no answer.

With a sharp slap, he slammed the phone onto the desk.

His assistant, seeing Bo Congnan’s darkened expression, whispered cautiously, “Maybe Madam is busy and didn’t hear it. Should we try calling again later?”

Trying to calm him down, she didn’t expect his voice to turn even colder.

“I think she knows she’s done something wrong and is too guilty to pick up!”

To take revenge on him, she had done such a thing.

Looking at Bo Congnan’s furious face, I didn’t even need to guess.

He must be convinced I deliberately leaked the strategy to get back at him for abandoning me at the wedding.

I wasn’t surprised.

Watching him flustered and helpless, I smiled to myself.

Though Bo Congnan was the most valued eldest grandson of the Bo family on the surface, only I knew the truth.

He was just an ordinary man of mediocre talent.

In managing the company and the racing team, he was hardly outstanding.

For the past races of the Speed Phantom, I not only served as the commentator but also worked with Bo Congnan to devise tactics and manage the team.

Without me, the team was in chaos.

Bo Congnan was clearly at a loss.

I sat by the fish tank, playing with the fish, feeling relaxed for the first time.

In the past, I would have dropped my work to strategize with Bo Congnan, thinking we were husband and wife.

It was supposed to be good for both of us.

But it was all just my wishful thinking.

The tension in the office was palpable until Meng Xiangyi appeared.

She cleared the room, closed the door, and said, “Congnan, how could this leak happen so suddenly? You’re the only one who knew the strategy.”

Bo Congnan slammed his fist on the table. “It has to be Shen Zhiyi! She’s doing this to spite me, secretly leaking the tactics!”

“This is just unreasonable! I must have spoiled her too much, that’s why she’s become so irrational!”

Meng Xiangyi couldn’t believe it. “Zhiyi may be spoiled, but she wouldn’t do something like this. Could there be some misunderstanding?”

Bo Congnan was certain it was me. “What misunderstanding could there be? She’s deliberately making things difficult for me!”

“Congnan, now’s not the time to be angry. The urgent matter is how to fix this. Do you have a solution?”

He shook his head.

The incident was sudden, and he had no clue.

The race was imminent, and there wasn’t enough time to create a new strategy.

Meng Xiangyi patted Bo Congnan’s head calmly, “Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out for you.”

“The priority is to craft a new strategy, but there’s no time for a thorough plan. However, I’ve been preparing some backup tactics during training that should suffice in an emergency. Plus, I’ll personally compete. The race next week isn’t necessarily lost.”

I watched as Meng Xiangyi pulled out a light brown notebook from behind her, the handwriting familiar.

Only then did I realize that the strategy notes I had compiled had ended up in her hands.

What was worse, Meng Xiangyi was telling Bo Congnan that she had devised these tactics herself!

Angrily, I reached out to snatch the notebook from her, but my grasp came up empty, snapping me back to reality.

All I could do was watch helplessly as Meng Xiangyi used my work to elevate herself.

There was nothing I could do.

Bo Congnan’s eyes lit up as he took the notebook from Meng Xiangyi and carefully read through the strategies.

“This is great... absolutely great!”

He excitedly wrapped his arm around Meng Xiangyi’s waist. “How did I not think of this? It’s written so brilliantly!”

“Sister Xiangyi, you truly are a once-in-a-century racing genius. With this strategy, Speed Phantom won’t lose next week!”

Meng Xiangyi modestly replied, “I just jotted down some notes; Zhiyi knows much more.”

Bo Congnan snorted coldly. “Sister Xiangyi, you overestimate her. She’s just a mere commentator who knows a little about racing and thinks she’s impressive. Compared to a genius like you, it’s like night and day.”

“That commentator role? She begged me to get in, and I got her in through connections. Otherwise, there’s no way she’d hold that position on her own.”

At that moment, I finally saw how deeply Bo Congnan had always looked down on me.

I blinked away the sting in my heart.

If not for my eye injury, how could I have fallen to such a low place?

I still remembered when I woke in the hospital, Bo Congnan holding my hand and saying—

“Zhiyi, I’m sorry. If it weren’t for staying up all night to help me with the strategy, you wouldn’t have had that accident while driving. I’m sorry, Zhiyi. I’ll treat you better from now on.”

Every word was so clear, yet it had long since faded with the passage of time.

I looked at him.

Bo Congnan, I did it all for you—how dare you look down on me!

After resolving the strategy leak, Bo Congnan and Meng Xiangyi were snuggling on the sofa.

“Sister, I’m so glad you’re here.”

Bo Congnan nestled into Meng Xiangyi’s embrace like a puppy, pressing his head hard against her chest.

The gesture was unmistakably intimate.

Meng Xiangyi stretched her arms, allowing the contact. “Keep flattering me all you want. Everyone knows Zhiyi’s stunning, the campus beauty since university. Men all like pretty girls, don’t they?”

Bo Congnan pulled open Meng Xiangyi’s shirt and softly nibbled at her lips. “Sister, you don’t understand men at all. Shen Zhiyi may be beautiful, but she has nothing else to attract me. She’s just a pretty vase, no comparison to you...”

For some men, a proud, strong woman like Meng Xiangyi was even more tempting to conquer.

Her breathing grew heavier.

Bo Congnan’s hands moved without pause. “Sister, do you know how captivating you are on the track? That delicate little woman Zhiyi can’t hold a candle to you.”

I sat nearby, my fingers tightening until I nearly drew blood.

I once raced fiercely, proud and confident, yet in Bo Congnan’s mouth, I was just a useless ornament.

I closed my eyes, unwilling to witness this filthy scene.

My heart ached as if bleeding.

“Sister, once you win the NJ International Race three months from now, Grandpa will surely favor you.”

Grandfather Bo had never liked Meng Xiangyi, after all, she wasn’t raised with them.

By comparison, Grandfather was more partial to me.

I never imagined that Bo Congnan would arrange for Meng Xiangyi to represent Speed Phantom at the NJ International Race three months later.

Without any internal selection.

It was simply unbelievable.

Meng Xiangyi wrapped her arms around the man’s rising chest. “If Zhiyi comes back on your birthday, I... won’t be able to give you your gift in person...”

At this moment, Bo Congnan was utterly lost in Meng Xiangyi’s tender embrace.

Hearing her words, Bo Congnan wished more than anything that Shen Zhiyi wouldn’t return on her birthday.