Rongcheng’s crown prince, Jiang Shijing, never imagined that a casual complaint about his arranged marriage would cause the woman he had secretly loved for years his almost-in-his-grasp fiancée to flee the wedding and leave the country.
She was gone for three years.
When they met again, he deliberately wrapped an arm around his new flame, trying to provoke his ex-girlfriend.
But she didn’t care at all.
The crown prince’s eyes reddened with grievance.
He pinned her against a wall. “Do I have to admit defeat first? Do I have to confess that I can’t live without you before you’ll forgive me?”
Lin Xiangwan and Rongcheng’s crown prince had been childhood sweethearts, even formally engaged.
Yet even after their engagement, his reputation for flirting and fooling around never faded. So on the very day they were supposed to get married.
Lin Xiangwan stood him up and left the country, thinking they would go their separate ways forever.
She never expected to run into him again three years later.
As soon as she landed at the airport, her best friend happened to call.
“Wanwan, you’ve landed?”
Lin Xiangwan had just turned on her phone at Rongcheng Airport when Wen Qian’s call came through.
“You’d better be careful. I heard Jiang ‘Radish’ is at the airport today picking up his girlfriend. Don’t run into him!”
Lin Xiangwan adjusted the sunglasses covering half her face. “What are the odds? I haven’t been back in three years. It can’t possibly”
Before she could finish, a commotion suddenly broke out behind her.
“Quick, look it’s Jiang Shijing!”
A luxury car pulled up by the roadside. The man stepped out, instantly becoming the center of attention.
He wore a black suit. His features were refined and striking, carrying an aloof authority even in stillness. His brows were dark as ink, his eyes affectionate yet tinged with playful wickedness.
Lin Xiangwan froze for two seconds.
Three years apart, and the man she had almost married looked exactly the same.
An assistant beside Jiang Shijing handed him a bouquet.
He took it lazily; his handsome face was even more eye-catching than the flowers.
Lin Xiangwan withdrew her gaze helplessly. “Wen Qian, did you bless your mouth or something? You actually called it.”
“Huh? What?!” Wen Qian gasped repeatedly, then sucked in a breath. “You ran into Jiang Radish?!”
“Mm. I’ll avoid him.”
Suppressing the turbulence in her heart, Lin Xiangwan turned to leave.
Then someone shouted.
“Jiang Shijing seems to be picking up Bai Zhiren!”
“I heard this girlfriend has lasted three whole months!”
“Oh my god, how stunning must she be to stay by Jiang Shijing’s side that long?”
The crowd surged forward.
Everyone knew that the Jiang family heir, who controlled Rongcheng’s economy, was notoriously flirtatious. No woman had ever lasted more than a month by his side.
Now that someone had maintained a three-month relationship with him, it naturally became juicy gossip.
No one wanted to miss the chance to glimpse her face.
The crowd rushed toward Lin Xiangwan. Walking against the tide, she nearly stumbled.
“Wanwan, it’s so noisy over there. What’s happening? He didn’t see you, did he?” Wen Qian asked anxiously.
Lin Xiangwan pressed herself against a lamppost just to stay upright. “No. Someone just recognized him.”
She glanced at the blocked road ahead no way out.
Running into her ex was bad enough. Being forced to watch him flaunt affection with his latest girlfriend what kind of cruel fate was this…
“Is he publicly showing off with his Nth girlfriend again?” Wen Qian spat on the other end of the phone. “Playboy radish, ugh!”
Lin Xiangwan pursed her lips. “He’s always loved to play around. You know that.”
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so heartbroken that she chose to flee the wedding.
“Shijing-gege!”
A light, lively voice rang out.
A girl in a pink short skirt, fluttering like a butterfly, ran forward and hugged Jiang Shijing around the waist under everyone’s gaze.
Jiang Shijing indulgently rubbed her head and handed her the bouquet.
The girl bit her lip shyly, blushing amid the crowd’s teasing cheers, nestling happily by his side.
The crowd buzzed.
“What? I thought she’d be breathtakingly beautiful. She’s just at small-celebrity level.”
“Has Mr. Jiang’s taste declined?”
“Not really. Maybe not a great beauty, but she looks gentle and cute.”
Lin Xiangwan listened quietly. Behind her sunglasses, a complicated emotion surfaced in her beautiful eyes.
Gentle. Cute.
Those four words had nothing to do with her.
So this was the type Jiang Shijing liked. No wonder she couldn’t hold his heart back then, no matter how hard she tried.
Pulling herself from her memories, she saw Jiang Shijing usher the girl into the car.
As the crowd dispersed, she lifted her luggage.
“I’ll talk to you later. I still need to go to Fanxing.”
Wen Qian quickly replied, “Right, right! You’ve got a tough battle ahead. Don’t mind unimportant people!”
Lin Xiangwan didn’t feel relaxed. “Mm. I’m getting in the car now. Bye.”
She hung up, put her luggage in the trunk, and got into the back seat.
The driver glanced at her.
The woman was strikingly fair and radiant, with willow brows and red lips. Even with sunglasses covering half her face, her presence was dazzling exuding the glamorous elegance of a 1990s film star.
Which prestigious Rongcheng family’s daughter was this?
The driver’s tone softened unconsciously. “Miss, where to?”
“Fanxing Group, please,” Lin Xiangwan replied softly, smiling faintly.
“Whoa!” the driver exclaimed. “Fanxing hasn’t been very peaceful lately.”
Lin Xiangwan smoothed her skirt, masking the emotion in her eyes. “Mm. That’s exactly why I’m going.”
The driver stepped on the gas, passing Jiang Shijing’s car.
Lin Xiangwan saw the girl sitting close beside him, hugging the bouquet, their bodies pressed together.
Just as she was about to withdraw her gaze, a loud bang exploded.
The car jolted and came to a stop.
The driver groaned. “Just my luck. The tire blew out!”
Lin Xiangwan stiffened.
Of all times… of all places…
Jiang Shijing’s car was less than a meter away from hers.
She was about to turn and face away when the window beside her slowly rolled down.
The man lifted his eyelids slightly and glanced over.