Years ago, Old Master Yu had accidentally saved Xie Jingmo’s grandfather. The two elderly men hit it off immediately, chatting happily whenever they met. They even arranged a marriage between their grandchildren.
And so, Xie Jingmo became the fiancé of the Yu family’s biological daughter.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans.
Yu Zhiwan had been switched at birth and didn’t return to the Yu family until she was sixteen. Even after her return, the fake daughter, Yu Xiangxiang, wasn’t sent away.
Yu Zhiwan’s parents and her two older brothers all favored Yu Xiangxiang and wanted her to fulfill the marriage agreement instead.
They even deceived Yu Zhiwan into personally telling the Xie family:
“I don’t like Xie Jingmo. I don’t want to go through with the engagement. I’d like my younger sister Xiangxiang to marry Xie Jingmo instead.”
But the Yu family’s status and influence were nowhere near comparable to the Xie family’s.
Yu Zhiwan could tell that someone as outstanding as Xie Jingmo had extremely high standards. He clearly disliked the idea of marrying Yu Xiangxiang and had little regard for the Yu family either.
Remembering how much Xie Jingmo disliked the Yu family, Yu Zhiwan instinctively stepped back and avoided the hand that was still resting around her waist.
“Thank you for catching me just now.”
“You?”
Xie Jingmo glanced at the way she had stepped away.
“Do I look that old? Or particularly kind and gentle?”
Yu Zhiwan: “…”
Of course not.
He was only a year older than her.
Apparently, he didn’t like such formal pleasantries, so Yu Zhiwan quickly corrected herself.
“Thank you.”
The man rubbed his fingertips together, his tone difficult to read.
“You broke up with Gu Chengfeng?”
Yu Zhiwan froze.
How did he know?
Then again, when she had broken up with Gu Chengfeng, she had forgotten to close the door to the private room. With all the commotion they had caused, it was entirely possible that Xie Jingmo had happened to walk past and overheard them.
Yu Zhiwan honestly nodded.
“Yes. We broke up.”
At her answer, Xie Jingmo’s brows lifted almost imperceptibly.
His lazy, flirtatious eyes rested on Yu Zhiwan, and the corners of his lips curved into a meaningful smile.
“Congratulations. A man like Gu Chengfeng, who doesn’t know how to behave himself, is definitely not worth keeping.”
“…”
Doesn’t know how to behave himself?
Yu Zhiwan was momentarily stunned. She couldn’t believe she had actually heard such a phrase from him.
Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Xie Jingmo let out a quiet sigh, sounding almost wistful.
“Sometimes, I envy someone as carefree and spoiled as Gu Chengfeng. He can acknowledge one younger sister today, find two older sisters tomorrow, wander freely among women, and leave romantic debts everywhere.”
He paused.
“But I can’t do that. I just don’t have it in me.”
Yu Zhiwan: “…?”
Why did that sound so strange?
Was he… being deliberately coy?
But there was no denying that Xie Jingmo was exceptionally disciplined when it came to women.
He was also famous for keeping his distance from the opposite sex.
After Old Master Yu passed away several years ago, the relationship between the Yu and Xie families gradually became more distant. Since their engagement had never been publicly announced, very few outsiders even knew about it.
Putting aside Xie Jingmo’s prestigious family background, his exceptional appearance alone was enough to attract countless wealthy heiresses and socialites. They all scrambled to get close to him. Some were even willing to ask for nothing in return, hoping only for one night with him.
Unfortunately for them, although Xie Jingmo possessed a pair of naturally flirtatious eyes, his overall aura was cold, aloof, and aristocratic, keeping everyone at a distance.
He had never been involved in a single romantic scandal.
Yu Zhiwan remembered an incident from a banquet several years ago.
A real estate tycoon surnamed Zheng had tried to give Xie Jingmo a woman. He had even secretly drugged Xie Jingmo’s drink.
Later, when Xie Jingmo returned to his temporary hotel room, he opened the covers and discovered a beautiful woman in a nightgown lying on his bed.
Despite the seductive scene before him, Xie Jingmo showed no interest whatsoever.
Instead, he discovered a hidden miniature camera in the room and immediately figured out that the entire thing had been orchestrated by the real estate tycoon, Mr. Zheng.
Mr. Zheng had originally planned to secretly record Xie Jingmo and use the footage to blackmail him.
But his scheme was exposed.
Terrified, he immediately begged for mercy. He even grabbed a bottle of red wine and smashed it against his own head to show how sorry he was.
Blood mixed with red wine as it streamed down his face, while shards of glass scattered across the floor.
The scene was horrifying.
Xie Jingmo merely raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at the broken glass on the floor. Casually playing with the miniature camera he had removed, he spoke in his usual indifferent tone.
“Since you’re not afraid of dying, I’ll give you two choices. Swallow those pieces of glass, or the Zheng family is finished. Choose.”
Mr. Zheng was so terrified that he wet himself and promptly passed out.
After that incident, Xie Jingmo’s ruthless reputation spread throughout their circle.
No one dared to harbor any inappropriate thoughts about him again.
Many people secretly speculated that Xie Jingmo had both power and wealth. If he wanted a woman, he could have anyone he desired.
Yet he remained so devoted and untouched by scandal.
Could it be that there was someone special in his heart—a woman he loved but couldn’t have, his precious “white moonlight”—for whom he was saving himself?
The Yu family and Yu Xiangxiang were thrilled by this speculation.
Xie Jingmo and Xiangxiang were engaged. If he was so devoted and disciplined, it obviously had to be because of Xiangxiang!
But Yu Zhiwan didn’t think so.
After all, Xie Jingmo clearly disliked his engagement to Yu Xiangxiang, and his attitude toward her had always been cold as ice.
How could he possibly be doing it for Yu Xiangxiang?
Perhaps he really did have a beloved woman he couldn’t have.
Or maybe he simply wasn’t interested in relationships between men and women.
In fact, Yu Zhiwan had even secretly wondered before whether Xie Jingmo might have… certain difficulties in that area.
Now, faced with Xie Jingmo’s advice that “a man like Gu Chengfeng, who doesn’t know how to behave himself, isn’t worth keeping,” Yu Zhiwan sincerely took his words to heart.
Her beautiful eyes gazed at him.
“Thank you. I understand.”
Yu Zhiwan and Xie Jingmo weren’t close. At most, they were acquaintances who exchanged polite greetings when they happened to meet.
She was about to leave when her phone suddenly vibrated.
A WeChat message from Gu Chengfeng had arrived.
[Yu Zhiwan, you don’t know this yet, do you? On your first day back at the Yu family, you drank something containing pineapple juice and broke out in a rash all over your body. You nearly went into shock. Your two brothers did it on purpose!]
[They just wanted to teach you a lesson so you wouldn’t act like some proud biological daughter in front of Yu Xiangxiang! If you don’t believe me, go ask them. Let’s see if your two brothers dare deny it!]
[The entire Yu family combined isn’t as good to you as I am! Think carefully about whether you really want to break up with me!]
Yu Zhiwan’s pupils contracted violently.
Her fingers tightened around her phone until her knuckles turned white.
The meal she’d had when she first returned to the Yu family…
Someone had mixed pineapple juice into her drink.
She had broken out in a severe rash, her throat had swollen until she could barely breathe, and her heart rhythm had become dangerously irregular.
She had nearly died.
And her two biological brothers…
Had done it deliberately?
Just for Yu Xiangxiang, they had deliberately caused their own biological sister to have an allergic reaction that nearly cost her life?
Seeing that something was wrong, Xie Jingmo asked in a low voice,
“What happened?”
Yu Zhiwan wasn’t close enough to Xie Jingmo to tell him about such a private matter.
She shook her head. Her eyes were slightly red, revealing a stubborn vulnerability beneath her usual cool composure.
“Just a personal matter. I’ll leave first.”
With that, she hurried away.
Xie Jingmo watched her slender figure disappear down the hallway. His flirtatious eyes narrowed slightly, his expression impossible to read.
“President Xie, I’m back!”
At that moment, his assistant, Tang Yi, came running back, slightly out of breath.
Actually, the billiards club in the city center belonged to Xie Jingmo as one of his private properties.
Xie Jingmo had come over that day to inspect the place.
When he was about to leave, he happened to pass by the VIP private room and overheard Gu Chengfeng calling his girlfriend and asking her to make him a bracelet.
President Xie had stopped walking.
He suddenly changed his mind and said there was no need to leave yet and that they would wait another half hour.
He had also specifically told everyone not to accompany him.
So Tang Yi went off to look around.
When he came back, he saw President Xie leaning against the corner of the hallway.
And just as Yu Zhiwan walked past…
President Xie casually stuck out his leg and tripped her.
Then he caught her and pulled her straight into his arms.
Tang Yi’s mouth twitched repeatedly.
He had truly seen it all now.
As President Xie’s special assistant and unofficial “personal little cotton jacket,” Tang Yi was very good at reading the room.
He immediately turned around and pretended he hadn’t seen anything.
Only after Yu Zhiwan had left did Tang Yi return.
With a cheeky grin, he said,
“President Xie, I’m back! I didn’t see anything just now!”
Xie Jingmo shot him a sideways glance.
Tang Yi immediately smiled and swore,
“Really, President Xie! I didn’t look at anything. Nothing I should or shouldn’t have seen!”
Xie Jingmo gave him a half-smile, his tone suddenly dangerous.
“I think you have quite a lot to say. Are you looking to find yourself another job?”
Tang Yi’s smile disappeared instantly.
“No! Absolutely not! I would gladly give my life for President Xie, devote myself selflessly, walk through fire and water, and follow you to the very end! I have absolutely no desire to work anywhere else!”
The flattery came one after another.
More importantly, President Xie paid him extremely well.
That was his golden ticket for life. Of course he wasn’t willing to give it up.
Xie Jingmo couldn’t be bothered to listen to his nonsense.
He raised his wrist and glanced at his watch.
Without even looking up, he said,
“Enough. Go get the car ready.”
Once business was mentioned, Tang Yi immediately stopped joking and became serious.
“Yes, President Xie. Are we heading back to the company now?”
The man’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“To the Yu family.”