Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The moment their eyes met, Lu Nanze felt as if something struck his heart, causing his pupils to shrink. He stood paralyzed and frozen on the spot.
It had been eight years.
But nothing about the girl standing in front of him seemed to have changed, apart from a sharper, more distinct figure.
No, that wasn’t quite true. Something had changed.
Some of the baby fat that used to fill her face had now disappeared.
Her frail frame looked as if it would float away with a strong wind.
How much had she suffered in these last years?
As Lu Nanze stood there, he felt an overwhelming urge to run up to her and pull her into his embrace. But he was also fearful... Fearful that the scene before his eyes was but an illusion.
After all, the person in front of him was in a traditional yellow costume. Perhaps it was only his imagination.
But the next moment...
He saw the girl turn around sharply, trying to escape.
His reaction was almost a reflex. He took a step forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Qiao Lian.”
That devilishly charming voice had not lost one bit of appeal.
Unfortunately for her, at that moment, it was like the voice of the Grim Reaper himself!
She shivered involuntarily and then slowly turned around. Forcing a slight smile, she greeted him, “Second Brother.”
That soft and sweet way of addressing him, “Second Brother”, had the ability to reach the depths of Lu Nanze’s soul.
All these years, how many people had addressed him the same way?
It was when their group of second generation young heirs and heiresses came together.
He was ranked second, so “Second Brother” had become his nickname.
But it was her way of addressing “Second Brother” that stood out among everyone else’s.
That tone she used, the turn of her tongue that produced that sound... Every time she called him, she sounded like a spoilt child.
And that hadn’t changed.
The perpetual smile on Lu Nanze’s face faded as he looked at her now.
“Where have you been all these years?”
He had searched for her for a long time without success.
The world was huge and he had no idea where else to look.
As Qiao Lian cast her gaze down, he caught a flash of complex emotions in her eyes. There was a mix of grievance, anger, and even bitterness.
However, all these did not translate into her expression as she simply said, “I visited different places. Why are you here?”
Lu Nanze narrowed his eyes at her reply and demanded in an overbearing manner, “Qiao Lian, don’t you try to evade my question! Tell me, where have you been the last eight years? What about Qiao Yi? And his leg?”
Qiao Lian responded to his questions with a half-smile and said, “Second Brother, I don’t think we are close enough for you to ask me about my private life.”
Her words stunned him.
He narrowed his eyes even more.
Right at this point, Qiao Yiyi ran out. “Second Brother, Second Brother! You haven’t avenged me—”
She stopped short when she saw Qiao Lian.
She turned sharply, gave her assistant a fierce stare and then walked up to Qiao Lian. “Oh! Qiao Lian, what a coincidence!”
After these words, she extended her hand in an attempt to grab Lu Nanze’s arm and make a point about him being hers.
But immediately, Lu Nanze swept her hand away.
Instead, he took a step forward and suddenly reached out for Qiao Lian’s chin, forcing her to tilt her head. His pupils shrank immediately when he noticed the red mark that hadn’t quite disappeared. “Your face... who hit you?”
His ruthless interrogation caused Qiao Yiyi to shiver in fear.
She bit her lip and looked at Qiao Lian. With a sarcastic laugh, Qiao Lian remarked, “Second Brother, what an amusing question. Are you here to give vent to your woman’s anger?”