At 3:15 p.m.
Gu Group’s forty-second floor suddenly became unusually quiet.
Not the normal quiet of an office during a meeting.
A strange silence.
The kind of silence that appears when everyone knows something has happened.
The elevator doors opened.
Gu Xing stepped out.
His black coat was still carrying the cold air from outside.
Behind him were two executives from the Singapore branch.
Everyone stood up.
“CEO Gu.”
He nodded.
His expression was as cold and calm as always.
“Where is Assistant Lin?”
The entire floor froze.
Nobody answered immediately.
Because everyone knew.
The person he was asking about…
was no longer there.
Finally, the department manager stepped forward.
“CEO Gu…”
“She completed her resignation procedures yesterday.”
Gu Xing stopped walking.
For a second, everyone thought they had misunderstood.
“What did you say?”
“Ms. Lin Zhao resigned.”
His face changed slightly.
Not much.
But enough for people who knew him to notice.
“When?”
“Yesterday afternoon.”
“Why wasn’t I informed?”
The manager lowered his head.
“Ms. Lin said there was no need.”
No need.
Those three words hit him harder than expected.
Because for six years…
Lin Zhao had always informed him about everything.
Every schedule.
Every document.
Every meeting.
Every small detail.
She knew his habits better than he did.
She knew he hated sweet coffee.
She knew which clients preferred morning meetings.
She knew when he was pretending to be fine.
She knew everything.
But she left.
And she didn’t even think he needed to know.
Gu Xing walked to his office.
The desk outside was empty.
Completely empty.
No files.
No laptop.
No cup.
No small green plant.
Nothing.
Only a clean surface.
Like nobody had ever been there.
He stood there for a long time.
His assistant behind him quietly said:
“CEO Gu…”
“She took only personal belongings.”
Gu Xing looked at the empty desk.
“What about the plant?”
The assistant was surprised.
“The plant?”
“The one on the corner.”
A pause.
“Ms. Lin took it with her.”
For some reason…
that answer made his chest feel strangely heavy.
That evening, Gu Xing returned to the old house.
His mother, Mrs. Gu, was sitting in the living room.
The moment she saw him alone, her expression changed.
“Where is Zhao Zhao?”
Gu Xing stopped.
“She didn’t come.”
“Why?”
He didn’t answer.
His mother frowned.
“You two had a fight?”
“No.”
“Then why didn’t she come?”
Silence.
Finally, he said:
“She resigned.”
Mrs. Gu froze.
“She resigned?”
“Yes.”
“From the company?”
“Yes.”
“And you didn’t know?”
Gu Xing looked away.
That was the first time his mother saw something unfamiliar in his eyes.
Confusion.
“You really didn’t know?”
Her voice became colder.
“Gu Xing.”
“She worked beside you for six years.”
“She was your assistant.”
“She was also your wife.”
“You didn’t notice she was leaving?”
Those words made him uncomfortable.
Because he suddenly realized something.
He knew Lin Zhao’s work schedule.
But he didn’t know her thoughts.
He knew what she prepared for him.
But he didn’t know what she wanted.
He knew she was always there.
So he assumed…
she always would be.
That night, he opened their chat history.
Thousands of messages.
Most of them were from Lin Zhao.
“Your meeting is at nine.”
“I placed the documents on your desk.”
“Remember to eat lunch.”
“Your mother asked if we’re coming this weekend.”
“Your flight has been changed.”
“Don’t forget your medicine.”
Almost every message was about him.
He scrolled further.
And then he stopped.
The last message from her was three months ago.
“Gu Xing, do you remember our anniversary?”
His reply:
“Busy. Next time.”
He stared at those words.
Next time.
A phrase he had used countless times.
Because he always believed there would be another chance.
The next morning.
Gu Xing went to HR.
“Give me Lin Zhao’s resignation file.”
The manager hesitated.
“CEO Gu…”
“Give it to me.”
The file was thin.
Very thin.
Six years of work.
Reduced to several pages.
He opened it.
Reason for resignation:
Personal reasons.
That was all.
No complaints.
No accusations.
No anger.
Nothing.
It was so polite that it almost hurt more.
Then he saw the final evaluation.
Employee: Lin Zhao.
Position: CEO Assistant.
Performance:
Excellent.
Exceptional organizational ability.
Strong business judgment.
High confidentiality awareness.
Recommended for senior management position.
Gu Xing stared.
Senior management position.
She had been qualified to leave his office years ago.
But she stayed.
Why?
Because he needed her.
And he never asked if she wanted something different.
Three days later.
Gu Xing finally found her.
At a legal conference.
She was standing on stage.
Wearing a simple white suit.
Her hair was tied back.
Her voice was calm.
Confident.
Sharp.
Exactly like the woman he met seven years ago.
Not the assistant standing outside his office.
Not the wife waiting at home.
Lin Zhao.
The woman he had forgotten.
After the conference ended, he waited outside.
“Lin Zhao.”
She stopped.
But she did not look surprised.
“Mr. Gu.”
That title hurt.
Because before this…
she always called him Gu Xing.
Not CEO Gu.
Not Mr. Gu.
Just his name.
“I need to talk to you.”
She looked at her watch.
“Five minutes.”
He nodded.
Five minutes.
That was all she was willing to give him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She understood immediately.
“My resignation?”
“Yes.”
“Would it have changed anything?”
He froze.
“I…”
She smiled slightly.
“That’s why.”
Silence.
“You always made decisions.”
“You always moved forward.”
“And I was always the person who adjusted.”
Gu Xing lowered his eyes.
“I didn’t realize.”
“I know.”
Her answer was calm.
“That was the problem.”
“I thought you would always be there.”
She looked at him.
“I was.”
A pause.
“For six years.”
“Until one day I realized…”
“I was not your wife.”
“I was your most reliable employee.”
Those words destroyed every excuse he had prepared.
“Can we start again?”
He asked.
This time, there was no command.
No certainty.
Only a request.
Lin Zhao looked at him for a long time.
Then she smiled.
A peaceful smile.
“Gu Xing.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know why I left?”
He waited.
“Because I finally understood…”
“I was never supposed to spend my whole life proving that I deserved a place beside you.”
She turned around.
Walked away.
This time…
he didn’t stop her.
Because he finally understood.
Six years ago, he thought Lin Zhao was lucky to have him.
Now he knew the truth.
He was lucky that she had chosen him.
And he wasted it.
One year later.
Lin Zhao became a partner at the law firm.
Her name appeared on business magazines.
Not as:
“Gu Xing’s wife.”
Not as:
“CEO Assistant.”
But as:
Lin Zhao, the woman who built her own success.
As for Gu Xing…
he still kept one thing on his desk.
A small green plant.
A snake plant.
The same type Lin Zhao once kept outside his office.
Because sometimes people only understand the value of something after the empty space it leaves behind becomes impossible to ignore.
She spent six years standing beside him.
He only needed one day to let her go.
But when he finally understood her worth…
the woman who once waited for him had already chosen herself.
