Realizing he had accidentally let something slip, Raphael panicked. His mouth opened and closed, but for a moment, he did not know how to explain himself.
Seeing him so flustered and helpless, Ye Qisheng thought she had frightened him. Her heart softened instantly. Holding his hand, she softened her tone and said, “I just want to know the truth of what happened, nothing more. Take your time; I’m listening.”
Hearing that she was not angry, Raphael let out a sigh of relief. Settling his mind, he sorted through his thoughts and began to explain softly, “Actually… two days ago, I was the one who pulled you out of the water. For some reason, you had fallen into the pool below the cliff. I was hunting nearby at the time and happened to see you lying unconscious on the shore. In my urgency, I carried you on my back to the cave.”
Ye Qisheng froze for a moment, asking in surprise, “…So, you are my actual savior?”
Raphael shook his head, lowered his eyes, and whispered, “I only pulled you out of the water. You were unconscious then, and your face was injured. It was Doctor Xu who brought you back to the village and applied medicine to your wounds. Strictly speaking, Doctor Xu is your real savior.”
After carrying Ye Qisheng back to the cave, he had immediately gone down the mountain to fetch Doctor Xu to examine her.
Once he confirmed she was out of serious danger, he escorted her down the mountain, intending to let Doctor Xu settle her in the village.
Since the villagers regarded him as an omen of bad luck, it was inconvenient for him to enter the village. He could only stop at the entrance, hiding in the shadows as he watched Doctor Xu call over Liu Shiting, who used a wooden cart to transport Ye Qisheng to Doctor Xu’s residence.
Worried about her, he could not bring himself to leave. He remained hidden nearby in the dark to observe her condition, not caring even as torrential rain soaked him like a drowned rat.
When he saw her taken in by Liu Shiting, only to be rejected and embarrassed by Liu Yuexia and the others, he felt worse than if he were being bullied himself. Several times, he wanted to step forward and bring her back to live with him on the mountain.
However, fearing she would be unable to accept his appearance, he did not dare take the risk. Thus, like a silent stalker, he hid in the dark and secretly fed her.
Ye Qisheng had previously wondered why he was always following her. She had not expected this to be the reason. Her heart swelled with warmth, and she was so moved that she did not know what to say.
What had she done to deserve meeting such a good person?
Not only had he saved her, but he also considered her well-being in every way. If she had not asked him directly, he likely would never have claimed credit for saving her life.
Her eyes grew slightly stinging. Unconsciously tightening her grip on Raphael’s hand, her voice slightly raspy, she asked, “Raphael, we are not related, nor did we know each other before. Why are you so good to me?”
Raphael fell silent. After a long moment, he admitted truthfully, “Living alone on the mountain is just too lonely. I wanted someone to keep me company…
When I first saved you, I thought about asking you to marry me as repayment for saving your life…
But as I thought about it more, I felt that doing so would be too selfish to you. So I had Doctor Xu take you back to the village instead…”
Ye Qisheng found his honesty somewhat amusing, then let out a soft sigh and remarked with deep feeling, “Even so, your immense kindness to me is beyond doubt. I might not be able to repay it in this lifetime!”
Raphael looked down at her hand holding his. A faint blush gradually crept across his handsome face, and his voice was gentle and soft, carrying a hint of irrepressible shyness. “I… I don’t need you to repay me. I only hope… you won’t dislike me, and that you won’t drive me away…”
Ye Qisheng felt a pang in her heart. She gripped his hand even tighter with both of hers and promised solemnly, “You are my savior; how could I ever dislike you?! From now on, we will depend on each other. No matter what happens, we will never part!”
Raphael snapped his head up to look at her. His deep blue eyes, vast as the sky, stared at her without blinking, shining brightly with unbelievable joy and surprise.
Under his intense gaze, no matter how thick-skinned Ye Qisheng was, she felt a bit embarrassed. She looked away to feign composure and asked, “If you have no objections… why don’t we stop pretending to be husband and wife, and actually be together for real…”
Raphael’s face flushed bright red instantly. In his extreme excitement, he even stammered, “R-really? You are truly willing to be with me, to be my real wife?!”
The tips of Ye Qisheng’s ears flushed red as well. She pursed her lips and gave a gentle nod.
The atmosphere suddenly fell quiet, leaving both of them temporarily speechless.
Leaping abruptly from “pretend husband and wife” to establishing a real relationship was a speed comparable to a rocket launch.
However, for a modern person like Ye Qisheng, this was nothing extraordinary.
She had grown up in wealthy social circles, surrounded by rich and attractive men and women. Everyone was long accustomed to fast-paced romance. As long as two people clicked, it was common for them to meet, get together on the same day, and check into a hotel room together that night.
She had long ceased to find such things unusual, nor did she feel that the rapid pace between her and Raphael was overly abrupt.
Furthermore, as a veteran doll enthusiast, she was a massive connoisseur of physical beauty. Setting ordinary men aside, even the top idol heartthrobs in the entertainment industry failed to catch her eye. While her superficial friends cycled through one boyfriend after another, she had always held her ground. Whether they were cool, rugged men or young, sweet-tempered ones, none had managed to touch her heart. Having been single since birth, she had never even held a man’s hand.
Raphael was the very first stunning beauty who had left her dazed just looking at him.
Moreover, beyond his good looks, he possessed a fine personality, strong character, a kind heart, and a pair of skillful hands. Most importantly, he treated her exceptionally well.
Although she had lost her memory, it did not affect her rapidly growing affection for him.
She was never one to be coy. Now that she was certain she cared for Raphael and liked what she saw, there was nothing to hesitate about. She decisively solidified the relationship to secure her man.
The quiet atmosphere did not last long. Ye Qisheng quickly composed her emotions, withdrew her hand from his, picked up the waist bag she had just set aside, and unzipped it.
The warmth on the back of his hand vanished abruptly. Raphael felt an emptiness in his heart. He looked up at her, silently pulled his hand back, and pressed his other hand against the spot she had just held, pretending she was still holding his hand.
Ye Qisheng did not notice his small gesture. She focused entirely on inspecting the contents of the waist bag. In the inner compartment were her bank card, ID card, passport, and other cards she had placed there before; not a single one was missing.
However, even if intact, these items were useless here. The bank card held her personal fortune of tens of billions, while her ID and passport allowed her visa-free travel around the world. But as long as she was not in her original world, these objects lost their value, serving no practical purpose.
Ye Qisheng pulled out the bank card, turned it over to inspect it, and let out a listless sigh. Just as she was about to put it back, an emotionless, mechanical voice suddenly echoed in her mind:
【Host’s otherworldly savings card detected. Would you like to transfer the account funds into the Shopping System?】
Ye Qisheng was instantly stunned.
The Shopping System could actually work like this?!
Without second thoughts, she decisively answered with her mind: 【Yes.】
The mechanical voice sounded in her head once more:
【Your transfer request has been received. Recharging immediately. Please wait a moment.】
In the next second, the golden, glowing interface of the Shopping System suddenly appeared before her eyes. The balance, which had originally been “0,” began to soar at lightning speed, jumping from single digits to hundreds, and then charging straight into the hundreds of millions.
After jumping continuously for a full three minutes, it finally settled on a magnificent number:
10,887,856,158.05
Ye Qisheng held her breath, her eyes wide as she stared at the remarkably familiar sequence of numbers. She counted from front to back three times, and then back to front three times, finally confirming that all the money from her bank card had indeed been transferred into the Shopping System!
She originally had over nine billion in her card, plus the net profit of two hundred million US dollars she had earned on the luxury yacht before being thrown into the sea. Converted to RMB, it totaled over 10.8 billion!
Ye Qisheng was certain she remembered correctly. After leaving the gambling table, she had instructed the dealer to transfer those two hundred million dollars into her card, and then went out to the balcony to answer a phone call.
As a result, before she could even enjoy this unexpected windfall, she had been murdered.
Faced with this sudden, massive fortune falling from the sky, Ye Qisheng was lightheaded with ecstatic joy. She jumped and shouted in excitement, even swaying her hips to dance jazz frantically. Her whole demeanor seemed completely unhinged; even Fan Jin passing the imperial exam was not as wild as her.
Raphael had no idea what had happened to her. He looked at her with a face full of confusion and bewilderment, completely out of the loop.
After finally calming her composure, Ye Qisheng took large steps forward and slapped his shoulder forcefully, her joy overflowing in her expression. “Raphael! You truly are my lucky star! I love you to death!”
She had previously checked the beginner items in the Shopping System; a bucket of instant noodles was only 3.5 yuan, and the prices of other goods were similar to the supermarkets in her previous life.
In other words, as long as she did not seek her own ruin, this sum of money was more than enough for her to lead Raphael in living a luxurious, comfortable life for the rest of their days!