Fake dating my enemy, The playboy billionaire-Chapter 125: Ashes of dreams

YIREN’S POV

It’s been three days. Three days since the fire. The cuts and bruises I had suffered are scabbed now, healed on the surface, but deep inside, I’m still raw. Zian who’s been checking on me daily, gave me the all-clear. Physically, I’m fine. At least that’s something. But emotionally? Mentally? I’m a wreck.

I try to stay busy, try to distract my restless mind, but each time I close my eyes the charred remains of that place haunt me. All my hopes and dreams gone in an instant.

I feel like I’m drifting through my days, trying to ignore the fact that I’m avoiding Jun. I’ve been talking to him, yes, through texts here and there, but I can’t bring myself to call him. Not yet. Whenever he called me, I didn’t answer or messaged him back "I’m busy." Or "Message you at night."

I know that if I hear his voice, I’ll just break down. And I don’t want him to see that side of me. I can’t afford to be weak in front of him. He’s working on his dream, and I can’t be the reason he falters.

I woke up late this morning. Well, not late—just late enough to avoid facing Jianyu and Meimei’s worried faces. They’ve been too good to me, too kind. I know they’re concerned, but I can’t keep bothering them with my pathetic life. So, I pretended to still be asleep, hiding under the covers, letting the tears fall in the dark where no one can see.

Last night, I cried for hours, reading the diary Meimei gave me. It wasn’t just any diary, it was a journal. A beautiful love story of a girl who was taken away from her family as a little baby, and the man who fate kept bringing into her life. Meimei and Jianyu’s story. Every time I read about Jun’s role in it, I cry harder.

This man had been a sweetheart. The way Meimei had described him is too cute—it makes me miss him so much. I wish he were here with me right now. I need him. But I can’t be unreasonable. I can’t ask him to drop everything for me. He has a dream. A ten-year dream. And I won’t be the one to take that away from him.

Not when I know how painful it is when the dreams are broken.

Once Jianyu and Meimei are gone to work, and the kids are off to school, I finally get up. Bear follows me, nudging at my leg, trying to get me to pick him up. But I can’t. I just can’t bring myself to do it. So, I settle for rubbing his belly and kissing him on the head. It’s not the same, but it’s all I have to offer right now.

I walk into the kitchen, where the staff has prepared coffee for me. There’s also a note from Meimei. "Hurdles are part of life. The real win is how we overcome them. No matter what, we are with you. Call me if you need anything."

A lone tear escaped as I read, but I quickly dashed it away. I forced down the coffee and breakfast, recognizing I must continue putting one foot in front of the other.

After barely managing to force some food into my system, I retrieve my iPad, scoop up Bear, and reluctantly head outside to face the destruction. The remnants of the lake house await, having survived the flames but left barely recognizable. Insurance assessors are arriving today to document the damage, a task I’ve been dreading. But I must confront it.

The house is still standing, but it’s barely recognizable. The fire—it destroyed everything. The walls are charred, the wood work reduced to ash. Everything I had worked for, everything I had built, is gone.

I find myself a place to sit inside the house. Bear curls up beside me, his head resting on my lap. He knows something’s wrong. He always knows.

I pull up the financial statements on my iPad. The loss is worse than I imagined. Twenty-six million yuan in damage. That’s what it says. And I know that number will only grow as I’d have to pay compensation to the employees injured. No way I can recover from this. No way I can finish what I started. And no way I’m getting my inheritance now and I’m going to eat a part of Ning’s inheritance as well.

The worst part? I don’t know how I’ll face Suyin. She trusted me with her dream, with the design of her house. She trusted me to make it perfect. And I’ve failed her.

I bury my face in my hands, my heart breaking all over again.

"Excuse me, ma’am?"

I look up, startled. Two people stand before me—a man and a woman. Both wearing uniforms that mark them as insurance assessors. They give me polite smiles, but I can see the skepticism in their eyes. They’re here to do a job, and I can’t blame them. I’m sure they’ve seen plenty of wreckage before. But none of it means as much to me as this.

I wipe my eyes, quickly standing up. "Yes?"

"We’re here to assess the damage to your property."

I nod, "Go ahead."

They begin their inspection, taking notes and pictures. They look at the roof, tree house remains, and jot down everything. But it’s useless. I already know the damage is too great.

I remember Jun’s advice, back when he told me to match the insurance coverage with the value of the project for better risk coverage. But I didn’t listen. I thought it was unnecessary and picked the cheaper route to save on premium. So, instead of getting 75 million yuan in insurance, I only got 5 million. I thought, "What could go wrong?"

I was wrong. So, damn wrong.

Jun is an expert businessman and I’m a noob. I should have listened to him.

The two assessors leave, informing me that it will take about thirty days to process the claim. I beg them to expedite it, explaining that I have other projects lined up and need the funds. They assure me that they’ll try, but I know it won’t matter. It’s too little, too late.

As soon as they’re gone, my phone rings.