He said, "Xiao Shu, when I am writing this letter, you are sound asleep beside me. By the time you read this letter, I might no longer be in this world. Promise me, do not look for me."
"I know you have many questions for me, and now, I will reveal everything to you in this letter...."
Xiangjiang’s midsummer is hot and humid, Ji Anshen had just resigned from the orphanage.
Those children were at an age as delicate as budding flowers, pure and innocent, still believing that the place they lived in was a welfare house founded by a kind-hearted person. They had no idea about the harsh, devouring world they would face as they grew up.
But Ji Anshen knew, from the actions of Song Ping, he had detected clues and noticed something was off about the orphanage.
However, Song Ping was not a fool, and he swiftly dismissed Ji Anshen.
Ji Anshen was not an idealist; beneath his gentle exterior was a cold heart.
He had no intention of dealing with these dirty affairs; it would have been better to leave and act as if nothing had happened. Xiangjiang City had its glamour and its undercurrents. With so much injustice occurring every second, how could he possibly take care of everything?
Staying on the sidelines was the true way to survive.
But those children, they used their meagre savings to buy him a fountain pen.
Ji Anshen’s heart was as firm as stone, yet he still felt pain.
He couldn’t bear to let these children head down a path of no return.
In life, one always has to do some foolish things.
Ji Anshen thought, just this once, try to see if he could help them.
Song Ping belonged to the Bian Family, the Bian Group, a prominent family of Xiangjiang; reaching their core would not be achieved overnight.
However, now, a shortcut lay before Ji Anshen.
The eldest daughter of the Bian Family, Bian Shu, was looking for a tutor.
Ji Anshen, a graduate of a prestigious university with an impressive resume, stood out among the competitors and successfully entered the Bian Family.
The first time he met Bian Shu, she was sitting in the courtyard, her eyes clear and painting-like, carrying a bit of pride and arrogance.
Just like a princess.
She was looking at him, waiting for his self-introduction.
So he said, he was her tutor, word by word, maintaining a perfect distance and making polite conversation.
Bian Shu was smart and somewhat sophisticated; she probably liked him a bit, but did not show it overtly, simply calling him teacher calmly.
She was unlike other girls her age.
Ji Anshen hadn’t forgotten why he came to the Bian Family; he wasn’t here to enlighten Miss Bian on romance, nor really to earn this salary.
Thus, he had no intention of becoming overly involved with Bian Shu.
He just devoted himself to his teaching duties, and Bian Shu was an excellent student. She was bright and quick-witted, understanding everything at once.
Often, at the desk, when he was reviewing her perfect scores, the young girl would look at him with a prideful gaze.
Her fingers, painted with red nail polish, were slender, lightly tapping on the test papers, her drawn-out tone carrying a smile, she said, "Teacher Ji, I guessed on this question, please explain it once more."
Bian Shu knew everything but liked to use these flawed excuses to keep him around.
Many times, Ji Anshen could see under the light, Bian Shu resting her chin on her hands, her face full of smiles.
She really was an excellent student, but also too clever for her own good.
The aggression in her eyes was startling.
"Teacher Ji, do you think dating at 17 is considered puppy love?"
"If Miss Bian Shu likes it, then it’s not."
Bian Shu chuckled lightly, her elongated tone brimming with teasing, "What if the one I like doesn’t like me back?"
Ji Anshen, while grading assignments, paused with a trace of unease, looking at her.
Bian Shu’s smile deepened, her breath as fragrant as orchids, speaking softly and slowly, "There won’t be anyone who doesn’t like me; if there is, I will destroy them."
Ji Anshen thought, this is exactly like the Princess, intolerant of disobedience, with clear objectives, getting what she wants and destroying what she doesn’t.
How lightly and absolutely she spoke.
Ji Anshen knew Bian Shu was not someone he could afford to provoke, but by the time he realized it, she had already pursued him to his doorstep.
She stood in an old alley incompatible with his status, proposing an invitation for him to fall in love with her.
How could he not be moved, and how could he not panic?
In Ji Anshen’s life plan, there was no plan to court a woman who was beyond his station.
He knew their statuses were different.
This sentence was etched into his heart, never to be forgotten.
But Ji Anshen couldn’t deny that when Bian Shu looked up at him under the dim light, her eyes determined, even his so-called rational heart skipped a beat.
Later, he found out that Song Ping was not from the Bian Family but belonged to Li Tingmo.
So he resigned from his job at the Bian Group.
Bian Shu indeed was proud, Ji Anshen was grateful that she was merciful and did not really destroy him.
Later, at the reunion during the banquet, she thought he had fallen for Jiang Yao.
Ji Anshen wanted to clarify things, but seeing Bian Shu’s uncompromising demeanor, he realized that this encounter would not grant him the chance to walk away.
So he intentionally let her misunderstand, stating that his heart belonged to someone, and that Miss Jiang Yao and he were from the same world.
The sorrow in Bian Shu’s eyes was so vivid, vivid enough that Ji Anshen felt a sense of guilt, wanting to explain that his previous words were deceitful—how could he possibly like Jiang Yao?
No one could fall for someone else after being liked by a woman like Bian Shu.
To Ji Anshen, Bian Shu represented a beauty he had never experienced in life.
No one could not love Bian Shu, Ji Anshen especially.
But he could only harden his heart and speak the words against his will.
But Ji Anshen never thought, Bian Shu would kidnap him.
In fact, her plan wasn’t meticulous; at least, when he hid in her house, covering his breath with a handkerchief, he had already noticed and really could have pushed her away.
He possessed the strength of a grown man, not simply a fish on the chopping block.
But Bian Shu subdued him with ease.
It was only because he didn’t want to resist.
When he woke up, he found himself locked in a cozy room by Bian Shu.
His hands were tied above his head, and Bian Shu sat in front of him, wearing a beautiful evening gown, a red dress slit from the thigh, revealing her smooth and well-proportioned legs.
She held a key in her hand, and seeing him awake, she smiled at him composedly.
She walked over leisurely, bent down, and lifted his chin, saying, "Ji Anshen, you didn’t expect this, did you? I would kidnap you."
Her tone when she mentioned ’kidnapping’ was really cute.
Ji Anshen watched her, unable to hold back a slight smile.
This smile, in Bian Shu’s eyes, was somewhat provocative.
Her expression changed, and she said coldly, "Are you mocking me?"