Lu Jianshen stayed in China for only two days.
On the second day, just before his departure, his phone rang.
He picked it up—it was a photo sent by the butler he had arranged. In the picture, a little girl as delicate as a flower bud gazed at a box full of sugar figurines, her eyes crinkling with laughter, her lips curved into a smile, as innocent and adorable as an angel.
Lu Jianshen silently saved the photo.
He was very busy, with no time to spare for this rosy-cheeked “little wife.”
She was delicate, and the entire Hua family couldn’t bear to let her leave the capital city, let alone travel abroad!
So…
“Let’s go!”
Lu Jianshen strode forward and boarded the private jet bound for the United States…
If we were to speak of Lu Jianshen and Hua Rui’s formal meeting, it should have been at Hua Rui’s eighteenth birthday celebration.
The same hotel! Hua Rui’s coming-of-age ceremony was hosted by the Lu family.
A mature twenty-eight-year-old man, dressed in a shirt and suit pants, his gaze cool and distant, his long legs captivating.
Two buttons of his dark-toned shirt were undone, revealing a prominent Adam’s apple and a sharp, elegant jawline, creating a scene that sparked the imagination.
The well-tailored suit pants hugged his long, straight legs.
His black leather shoes were spotless, reflecting the owner’s meticulous nature.
Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs—a perfect supermodel physique.
“Mr. Lu, the flowers at the venue have all been arranged according to your instructions!”
The man slightly raised his eyes, a fleeting hint of gentleness in his deep, hawk-like gaze.
His fingers, distinct and slender, were smooth and fair, as clean and refined as a fine piece of art.
With a light tap of his finger and a sweeping glance from his hawk-like eyes, his commanding presence made the person reporting to him quickly lower their head.
“Go pick up Miss Hua.”
“Yes!”
At the Hua family’s ancestral home.
“Mom, I don’t really want to go!” A soft, melodious voice, like the gentle chirping of a nightingale.
“Ruirui, this coming-of-age ceremony for you was arranged by your Uncle Lu. It’s also a sign of respect for our Hua family. I heard Jianshen came back from abroad especially for this!” Mrs. Hua patiently persuaded.
“Is it Little Uncle?” The girl in the room pouted.
A graceful young woman with cascading black hair sat before the dressing mirror.
In the mirror, her doe-like eyes, glistening with moisture, shone with the unique dreams and shyness of a young girl.
Her delicate nose was high and refined, her lips like plump pink cherries, and her skin as white and smooth as snow.
At the center of her forehead, a peach-colored petal-shaped birthmark, the size of a bean, added a touch of delicate charm and ethereal beauty to the girl.
This unique, breathtaking beauty had long become the legendary “once-in-a-millennium” appearance whispered among the nobility of China.
If it weren’t widely known that the Hua family’s youngest daughter was already betrothed to the Lu family, the wealthiest in the country, the Hua family’s doorstep would likely have been worn away by suitors.
“Don’t call him Little Uncle anymore. You’re an adult now, and you should know that the second son of the Lu family is your future husband.” Mrs. Hua affectionately patted Hua Rui’s head.
The young girl’s face flushed slightly as she lowered her head.
“But I don’t really know him, and he’s so much older, almost thirty…”
Mrs. Hua tapped her head lightly.
“What do you know? Marrying Jianshen means you’ll never have to worry for dozens of lifetimes! When I married your father, wasn’t he almost forty?”
“Mom, you’re really brave!”
Mrs. Hua was momentarily speechless. Oh, this child!
“Hua Rui!”
In the courtyard, a clear, bell-like laugh rang out.
A radiant woman in her twenties, with snow-white skin, red lips, and features as delicate as a painting.
“Sister Xiaolu!”
The young girl in the living room hurriedly stood up and took small, quick steps to the door.
Lu Xiaolu, the third daughter of the Lu family, had been sent by her brother to pick up Hua Rui.
Since childhood, she had played with Hua Rui, who was four years younger, and they were the closest of friends, like sisters!
“Little sister-in-law, you haven’t even changed your clothes yet? Are you deliberately keeping my second brother waiting?” Lu Xiaolu playfully pinched Hua Rui’s adorable little nose.
“I’m not, and stop calling me little sister-in-law!” Hua Rui’s face flushed pink as she clung to Lu Xiaolu, acting coy and playful.
“Save your energy—you can go snuggle up to my second brother later!”
“Lu Xiaolu, if you keep this up, I won’t talk to you anymore! And I definitely won’t go!”
The girl’s tender face turned as red as a cloth, and her deer-like eyes grew misty.
Oh no, she’s about to cry! This little crybaby is really upset.
Lu Xiaolu took her hand:
“Rui Rui, just think of it as going to a party—beautiful flowers, delicious food, elegant music, a dreamy atmosphere…”
The mist in those beautiful deer-like eyes cleared, replaced by a gleam of anticipation:
“Sister Xiaolu, I want to go…”
Madam Hua smiled:
“Aunt Zhou, bring Rui Rui her gown!”
…
In Lu Jianshen’s hands were a stack of documents and an exquisite photo album.
Inside, it recorded every stage of Hua Rui’s growth, from infancy to her eighteenth year as a young woman.
The young Hua Rui was already a sophomore in the Chinese painting program at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
The little delicate one was clever—she had skipped a grade.
Extremely artistically gifted, she had won many prestigious awards and held her own painting exhibition during high school.
The little delicate one also minored in fashion design and had collaborated with high-end luxury fashion brands on multiple private custom collections.
Lu Jianshen looked through the documents and flipped through the photos in the album one by one.
The woman in the photos was said to have grown into the most beautiful face in China…
A rare smile touched Lu Jianshen’s lips as his flawless fingers gently traced the crimson peach blossom mark on the young woman’s forehead.
He took out his phone and opened the photo album, where there was an encrypted folder.
With his slender, well-defined fingers, he tapped lightly. Inside the folder were thousands of photos, all candid shots from everyday life.
The subject of the photos was a woman with a crimson peach blossom birthmark on her forehead. From childhood to young womanhood, the timeline was clear…
He had missed Hua Rui’s growth, but he had never forgotten the “little wife” who had made a “childhood promise” with him.
Among the betrothal gifts he and his family had given Hua Rui was a matching lock necklace, chosen by him.
Inside the diamond lock core were hidden two words: Jian Rui! (Meeting Hua Rui)
A sound came from outside the door.
The butler reported: “The third young lady has brought Miss Hua over!”
The smile on his lips instantly vanished as Lu Jianshen cleared his throat lightly: “Understood.”
He took a deep breath, straightened his clothes briefly in front of the mirror, and then strode out.
The graceful young woman, led by Lu Xiaolu’s hand, wore a bright smile that outshone all the flowers around her.
The custom-made diamond-encrusted gown hugged her slender, graceful figure.
With full breasts and a narrow waist, her figure was perfectly balanced—neither too voluptuous nor too thin.
Lu Jianshen, the son of the wealthiest man who remained unflappable in any situation, now felt an inexplicable sense of nervousness rising within him.
“Second Brother, Fairy Hua Rui has been brought over!”
Lu Xiaolu’s clear voice finally brought Lu Jianshen back to his usual aloof and distant demeanor.
“Hua Rui, long time no see!”
Lu Jianshen’s eyes were deep as he politely extended his hand.
A faint blush quickly spread across Hua Rui’s face, yet she maintained the graceful composure befitting a young lady of good upbringing.
She reached out and lightly touched Lu Jianshen’s hand:
“Uncle, we meet again!”
…