Li Yeli stared at him.
“When I said ‘state what you want in return’… is this it? What you want in return?”
“Of course not,” Yu Yang replied calmly.
“That is merely a clause.”
“Fine. I’ll sign it. But I also want to add another clause.”
Yu Yang leaned back slightly.
“What is it?”
“One: we get permission from our families before the wedding.” A faint, cold smile tugged at her lips.
“That would make it more meaningful. Mo Ruyi, Li Yue, and Aecon Li…” Her eyes darkened.
“They all need to give us their blessings.”
Yu Yang looked at her quietly for a moment before nodding.
“Okay.”
Li Yeli lowered her head and added the clause neatly beneath the others before signing the paper without hesitation.
Yu Yang signed afterward and carefully slipped the contract back into the envelope.
His movements were unusually gentle.
As though he was handling something precious.
Paradise Peak.
“Contract!?” Linda exclaimed before quickly lowering her voice.
“Uhm—my apologies, sir. I was just… surprised.”
She frowned deeply.
“Why would you do such a thing? What if she never develops feelings for you and the time limit ends?”
“She will.”
Linda stared at her boss blankly.
“Why do I feel like you’re strangely confident?”
“Because I am.”
Yu Yang noticed the suspicious look she was giving him and added lazily, “Relax. It’s a fake contract.”
Linda became speechless.
“President Yu…” She sighed heavily.
“You’re honestly cruel.”
Yu Yang raised a brow.
“I don’t support this at all,” she continued.
“I still think you’re rushing things too much. Why not date first? Maybe she’ll slowly develop feelings for you before the wedding.”
“Why waste time?” Yu Yang asked plainly.
“The sooner the better. I want her out of that family as soon as possible.”
Linda rubbed her forehead.
“Fine. As you wish, sir. But I still think you should take this gradually.” She paused before suddenly remembering something.
“Wait… if she proposed to you herself, why insist on signing a marriage contract?”
Yu Yang remained silent for a second.
“As we suspected,” he finally said, “she’s doing this to escape that family.”
Linda’s eyes widened.
“So once she’s finally free, she’ll just throw you away?” She pointed accusingly at him.
“Sir, she’s using you!”
“I don’t mind.”
Linda froze.
“You don’t mind?”
Yu Yang’s expression remained calm.
“No Linda, not at all.”
“‘Linda…'” she mimicked bitterly.
“‘Good that you know I’m not just your secretary but also your friend.’ Sir, you’re absolutely going to get hurt if you continue like this!”
“I’ll be more hurt if I don’t.”
The room suddenly fell silent.
Yu Yang lowered his eyes slightly.
“I already waited too long.”
Linda’s expression softened briefly before she quickly caught herself.
“And besides,” Yu Yang added calmly, “the contract isn’t real, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Linda stared at him for a long moment.
Then she asked carefully, “What about her?”
“What if she finds out?” Linda continued.
“What if she discovers you lied to her?”
Yu Yang narrowed his eyes slightly.
“One, it’s not a lie.
Two…” his gaze sharpened, “…how would she find out?
Are you planning to tell her?”
“…No.”
“Mm.”
Linda muttered under her breath, “I can’t believe you’re getting married in two months…”
Then she suddenly looked up again.
“What does Old Granny think about this?”
“Grandmother?” Yu Yang paused.
“She doesn’t know yet.”
Linda nearly choked.
“You’re getting married without the family’s approval!?”
“Of course I’ll tell them,” Yu Yang replied lazily.
“When the time is right.”
“When? The day you walk down the aisle?”
“Probably.”
“President Yu!”
Yu Yang looked completely unbothered by her despair.
“It’s already written in the contract,” he reminded calmly.
“We need both families’ approval before the wedding. And I signed it.”
“A fake contract,” Linda gritted out.
Yu Yang tilted his head slightly.
“Is it?”
Linda instantly lowered her head.
“…No.”
“I’ll inform the family soon.”
Linda sighed helplessly.
“Good. Because I’m pretty sure Old Granny won’t support this whole ‘marry first, think later’ nonsense.”
Yu Yang merely smiled faintly.
Then Linda suddenly remembered something else.
“Mr. Yu?”
“What is it now?”
“Are you going to tell Old Granny who Li Yeli really is?”
The air around him subtly changed.
“…When the time is right, I will.”
Linda immediately sensed danger and wisely chose not to ask further.
Still…
“What about Li Yeli herself?” she asked carefully.
Yu Yang’s eyes darkened slightly.
“I’ll tell her everything once she’s emotionally stable.”
Linda went silent.
Emotionally stable?
Oh dear.
At this rate, that might take forever.
*
Darkness.
Cold wind brushed against Li Yeli’s skin as she slowly opened her eyes.
She found herself standing atop a hundred-story building.
The city lights below looked tiny—almost unreal.
Her chest tightened slightly.
Then a voice suddenly echoed behind her.
“Jump.”
Li Yeli frowned.
Jump?
Why would I jump? Visit g.com for the full chapter.
She tried turning around—
—but couldn’t move.
Her body became completely numb.
She couldn’t blink.
Couldn’t lift a finger.
Couldn’t even breathe properly.
Only her voice remained.
“What did you do to me?” she asked shakily.
“Jump.”
The voice became louder.
Closer.
“Jump.”
“Jump.”
“Jump!”
Suddenly—
A force shoved her from behind.
Li Yeli’s pupils shrank violently as her body plummeted downward.
The air tore past her ears.
Her breathing became uneven.
Her heart pounded painfully against her chest—
Then—
Her eyes snapped open.
She stared blankly at the ceiling above her while tears silently rolled down the corners of her eyes.
Another nightmare.
Her breathing remained unstable for several seconds before she slowly turned her head.
The moment she sensed another presence nearby, her expression instantly darkened.
Mo Ruyi stood beside her bed.
Li Yeli’s gaze immediately dropped lower.
A knife.
Mo Ruyi quickly hid it behind her back.
“…What are you doing here?” Li Yeli asked coldly.
“Nothing.” Mo Ruyi forced out calmly.
“I was passing by and noticed your door open. You were sweating, so I came to check on you.” She paused.
“Were you having a nightmare?”
Li Yeli scoffed.
“What a terrible excuse.”
Mo Ruyi’s fingers tightened around the knife.
“There’s nobody else here,” Li Yeli continued coldly.
“So stop pretending.” She slowly sat up.
“Tell me… what do you want?”
Her eyes met Mo Ruyi’s directly.
“My life?”
Mo Ruyi’s expression twisted slightly.
“Why would I want your life?”
Li Yeli laughed softly.
A bitter laugh.
“You’ve always wanted it.” Her voice was frighteningly calm.
“I’m not your real daughter anyway, so killing me should be easy.”
She paused briefly before adding lazily,
“Like drinking tea.”
Then her lips curled coldly.
“Except the tea has salt instead of sugar.”
Mo Ruyi’s face darkened instantly.
For a moment, the room became suffocatingly silent.
Then she abruptly turned and left.
The moment the door shut—
Her calm exp