Volume 1 Chapter 13: Donut
After receiving this text message, Ruan Yu felt somewhat puzzled. This phone had been purchased by Lu Yuan when she sent her to the Li Residence. She had never grown accustomed to electronic devices, and no one had ever sent her a message before.
How did Ruo Yan get her contact information?
Logically speaking, her phone number should only be known by Lu Yuan and Ruan Zhen, right…
Ruan Yu raised an eyebrow and began typing in the message interface.
“And you, how is everything at home?”
She didn’t reply directly, holding onto her doubts as she waited for the other party’s response.
The other side replied quickly: “It’s okay, but the madam and master have been getting angry a lot lately, as if they want to fire me…”
“Sorry, I said too much.”
There was almost no pause between the two messages sent by the other party, as if they had been premeditated.
Even stranger.
Seeing that she hadn’t replied for a while, Ruo Yan began reminiscing about the past, specifically bringing up the most humiliating moments from Ruan Yu’s three-year ordeal.
Ruan Yu took a deep breath. The lessons from three years ago had already made her vigilant. She continued sending: “Ruo Yan, what can I do to help you?”
After sending this message, Ruo Yan didn’t reply for five minutes. Ruan Yu put down her phone, her expression turning cold.
She recalled the first time Ruo Yan appeared at home—it was during the sixth month of her imprisonment.
At that time, only hatred remained in her heart. She thought she would give up everything, as long as she had a chance to get out, she would definitely make Ruan Zhen and Lu Yuan pay.
Hunger, cold, panic…
Day after day of torment, countless days and nights spent fearing who she would be sent to bed with.
Until Ruo Yan appeared, extending a helping hand to her. Sometimes it was a slightly moldy piece of bread, sometimes it was the staff meal from the Ruan family servants. These foods all had one thing in common: they were small in quantity and rather bland.
But for Ruan Yu, that was already a delicacy she could only dream of.
Ruo Yan also often secretly came to chat with Ruan Yu. Thinking back now, how did she manage to avoid Lu Yuan’s arrangements, appearing so many times, for so long outside her door without being discovered?
She had seen Ruo Yan’s hands—slender and fair, not like those of someone who often did manual labor.
And many other details… Ruan Yu couldn’t quite recall them all, but the seed of doubt had already been planted in her heart.
Following that was a subtle, fragmented pain deep within, after all, she had once regarded Ruo Yan as her only light, one of the few sources of warmth during those three years.
At that moment, Ruo Yan’s message came through: “I don’t want to trouble you… it’s fine, but if you could get close to Li Xuzhou and save me, that would be great.”
“Haha, I’m just saying, don’t take it seriously. The madam is calling me, I have to go now.”
Ruan Yu glanced at it and locked her phone.
The other party’s blatantly transparent words made Ruan Yu’s heart race with fear.
She kept comforting herself in her mind, thinking she might be overthinking it, but having already been tricked once by Lu Yuan, how could she be fooled again this time?
Ruo Yan was likely a pawn used by Lu Yuan to control her.
So, as early as this, she had already planned it all.
Ruan Yu pressed her hand against her chest, taking deep, heavy breaths until she felt her brain was sufficiently oxygenated before stopping.
After a long while, a cruel smile appeared on her lips.
Since Ruo Yan wasn’t in a hurry, then she didn’t need to worry on her behalf. She might as well just enjoy herself.
Ruan Yu was complex. She hadn’t changed before or after those three years—still natural and sincere.
However, three years of isolation from society had made her even more callous. She could no longer perceive subtle shifts in others’ emotions, nor could she naturally empathize or understand them.
Li Xixi’s pitiful appearance stirred not a ripple in her heart. At the time, she only felt a sense of relief, and while speaking to Li Xixi, her mind wandered to what she would have for supper that night.
She needed the nourishment of love, yet she was colder than most.
Li Xuzhou had given her the utmost tenderness during her most helpless moment. The memory of that night was exceptionally beautiful, gradually becoming an obsession in her heart.
Whether through honorable means or secret seduction, as long as she could possess him.
The door was knocked, and Xiao Qin reminded from outside, “Miss Ruan, the weather is lovely today. Would you like to take a stroll around the Manor? Desserts have been prepared in the garden.” She held a piece of paper in her hand, each word annotated with phonetic symbols in a sharp, forceful handwriting—prepared by Li Xuzhou.
Xiao Qin read it out word by word, then waited quietly for Ruan Yu.
“Is Mr. Li going?” Ruan Yu stepped out, wearing a trench coat.
Xiao Qin shook her head. “The young master and the old master are in the study.”
The Li Residence’s Manor covered an area of four thousand square meters, with the main house occupying only eight hundred square meters in the center. The rest was divided into areas like the Small Winery, garden, parking lot, swimming pool, Archery Range, and so on. These zones were not densely planned but scattered loosely in suitable locations.
The Manor was planted with tall palm trees, and the Koi Fish were plump, leisurely blowing bubbles.
Xiao Qin drove a Tour Vehicle, giving Ruan Yu a tour while explaining along the way.
When they passed the garden, she stopped the vehicle, her tone tinged with regret. “The young master plans to remove all these flowers.”
Ruan Yu looked over. The flowers appeared meticulously cultivated, delicate and beautiful.
“Why?” Ruan Yu also felt a bit sorry. She crouched down and gently touched a flower.
“The young master wants to turn this area into Farmland to grow vegetables,” Xiao Qin said, pursing her lips, unable to understand what the wealthy were thinking. She pointed to another plot of land. “That area is also going to be converted into a Livestock Farm to raise cattle and sheep. He already has Pastures in many countries.”
“Huh?” Ruan Yu was somewhat surprised. Did Li Xuzhou have a dream of returning to a simpler life?
Xiao Qin also found it unbelievable. Workers had been coming to take measurements over the past few days, and the warehouse was already filled with seeds for various vegetables.
Perhaps the wealthy all had some hidden quirks…
To the south of the garden, there was a Wicker Swing. Ruan Yu sat on it, holding a box of pastries as she swayed gently.
The sunlight was warm and not too harsh. She watched the light through the gaps between her fingers, feeling as if the bone-chilling cold of the past three years had receded somewhat.
Suddenly, she noticed a figure standing by the Floor-to-Ceiling Window on the fourth floor, quietly gazing in her direction.
His height of 1.9 meters was strikingly noticeable. His shirt clung to his robust physique, showcasing an excellent build and a straight, upright posture. A dark suit jacket was draped over his arm, and the muscles in his forearm strained against the Sleeve Garter, exuding a sense of power.
He looked… very tempting.
Ruan Yu couldn’t make out Li Xuzhou’s expression clearly. Instinctively, she smiled and waved at him, her demeanor relaxed.
She hadn’t expected Li Xuzhou to respond to her gesture, but the next moment, the man gave a reserved wave of his arm before turning and walking away.
“What’s this about?” Ruan Yu felt an inexplicable sweetness.
It was as if they had exchanged a secret. Without any physical contact, just a single gesture made Ruan Yu’s body tremble.
Her eyes lifted, noticing the shadow on the fourth floor. Beads of sweat formed at the tip of her nose. She picked up the donut, her fingers sinking into the soft bread, and brought it close to her rosy lips. Her tongue darted out to lick off the frosting, her body trembling slightly with excitement, as if she were treating the donut as the man secretly watching from upstairs.
Li Xuzhou had not left. His gaze lingered on the girl in the garden, half of his body concealed in the shadows, the surrounding air growing heavy.
He watched Ruan Yu’s flushed cheeks, his eyes beneath his brow bone deepening.
Ruan Yu—most captivating of all.