It was midsummer, and the sun was slowly rising, devouring the coolness of the morning and leaving only waves of heat in its wake.
Qiao Anran drove to Shengshi Haoting and immediately called to order all kinds of daily necessities and long-lasting food supplies.
After purchasing everything she needed, she sat in the spacious, empty hall and waited for the deliveries to arrive.
This was the three-story villa her mother had transferred into her name while she was still alive. It covered a full thousand square meters, yet no one had ever lived here.
Apart from two sofas and a coffee table, the silent living room contained no other furniture. Its emptiness made the place feel unbearably lonely.
She sat curled up on the sofa with her arms wrapped around her legs, her delicate V-shaped chin resting on her knees. Blinking her watery eyes, she gazed toward the windowsill bathed in sunlight and gradually sank into thought.
Before the white light sent her back here, she had only spent one month in the apocalypse, and she had nearly been eaten alive by zombies, leaving her barely able to escape with her bones intact. She did not know how long someone as delicate and physically frail as her would be able to survive this time.
For the past twenty years, all she had ever learned was how to play the piano, dance, and arrange flowers. When it came to handling everyday matters, she was completely clueless.
Even though her mother had passed away when she was fifteen and her biological father had torn away the last layer of his disguise, she had never truly suffered much hardship.
Her mother had been the only eldest daughter of the An family in Lu City. When her maternal grandparents learned of her mother’s death, they boarded a plane despite their illnesses and traveled more than two thousand kilometers to bring her back to the An family.
That was also the day her biological father brought Qiao Xinxin and her mother into the Qiao family, and she left Jiangcheng.
She was gone for five years.
Her maternal grandparents had passed away from illness a year ago, and she had stayed alone at the An family home for an entire year.
Until the day before yesterday, when her biological father, Qiao Yutang, called her and said that he had found the jade pendant her mother had lost years ago and asked her to come back and retrieve it.
Upon hearing that it was her mother’s keepsake, she did not think much of it. She flew back to the Qiao family in Jiangcheng yesterday after being away for five years.
However, the moment she stepped into the Qiao residence, Qiao Yutang told her that she could only have the jade pendant after changing into an evening gown and attending the Qiao Group’s banquet.
In reality, he was treating her like a commodity, intending to send her into the bed of the Third Master of the Zhou family, Zhou Sen, in exchange for helping the Qiao family rise even higher.
She had learned all of this the last time, after losing her virginity and rushing back to the Qiao family to expose Qiao Xinxin’s evil deeds.
It turned out that Qiao Xinxin had drugged the wine and instructed a waiter to serve it to her, all with Qiao Yutang’s tacit approval. His goal had been to send her to Zhou Sen.
However, after she was drugged, she encountered a strange man with the scent of sandalwood on his body while making her way back to her room and fell into his arms, preventing their plan from succeeding.
Yet, perhaps by some strange coincidence, someone with a figure similar to hers entered Zhou Sen’s room and slept with him.
Zhou Sen mistakenly believed that person had been her. The next day, he went to the Qiao family to demand that she be handed over to him, even declaring that he would approve the Qiao family’s business cooperation on one condition: they had to give her to him.
Knowing that she was alone and could not possibly fight them, she suppressed all her emotions and pretended she needed to pack her clothes before secretly escaping through a hidden passage.
The passage had been secretly dug when the villa was built, at her mother’s request, as a precaution for emergencies.
Her mother had only told her, her daughter, about it, leaving Qiao Yutang completely unaware.
Just then, the ringing of her phone interrupted her memories. She lifted her small head and raised a hand to wipe away the tears that had unknowingly escaped the corners of her eyes.
Holding one knee with one arm, she reached out and picked up the phone she had casually tossed onto the sofa.
The three enormous characters, “Qiao Yutang,” displayed on the screen made her pupils contract, and a faint trace of hatred appeared in her eyes.
She hung up directly, then coldly added his number to her blacklist.
Meanwhile, at the Qiao residence in Yiyun Shore, Qiao Yutang saw that his unfilial daughter had hung up on him, and the ingratiating smile on his face almost collapsed.
He sat on the sofa and forced a smile as he said to the cold man dressed in an ink-colored long robe, “Mr. Li, I’m sorry. My daughter may have pressed the wrong button. I’ll call her again.”
Li Cangchen sat on a single-seat sofa with his eyelashes lowered slightly. His handsome, icy face showed no expression whatsoever, and he did not even spare the other man a proper glance.
Yet his presence alone was powerful enough to make one’s heart tremble. Even sitting there silently, he gave off an intimidating aura.
Sweat had already begun forming at Qiao Yutang’s temples. This mysterious president of the Mujiu Group, who rarely showed himself in public, had suddenly come to his door, and the very first thing he had said was that he wanted to see Qiao Anran.
While puzzled, Qiao Yutang was also curious. His daughter whom he despised had only returned to Jiangcheng yesterday, so what extraordinary ability did she possess to know someone of such stature?
The Mujiu Group had been established thirty years ago. In less than a year, it had risen to the top of the national rankings, and its market value had surpassed one hundred billion.
At first, everyone assumed that its founder, who never showed his face, must be a ruthless middle-aged man. Qiao Yutang had thought the same.
It was not until a year ago, when he attended a banquet in the capital with the Zhou family’s head, Zhou Sen, that he learned how young the founder of the Mujiu Group actually was.
He knew this so clearly because he had overheard Zhou Sen telling his subordinates that if they ever encountered the noble man who radiated an icy aura, they were not to provoke him. He was Mr. Li, the mysterious president behind the Mujiu Group.
Mr. Li was extremely mysterious. He had long hair and habitually wore vintage long robes, carrying himself like a noble young master from ancient times.
His perfectly sculpted features seemed almost unreal, and everyone who had seen him said that his appearance had remained unchanged for thirty years.
But despite his aloof, otherworldly appearance and seemingly desireless nature, rumors claimed that he was ruthless and decisive. Those who offended him would have no idea how tall the grass had already grown over their graves.
Remembering the rumors circulating throughout the business world, Qiao Yutang’s hand trembled slightly around his phone as he hurriedly dialed Qiao Anran’s number again.
This time, however, he could not get through no matter how many times he tried. He was stunned, only realizing several seconds later that the unfilial daughter had actually blocked his number.
He cursed inwardly, That unfilial daughter really has grown bold. How dare she block my calls?
He nervously raised his head and looked at Li Cangchen sitting opposite him. His lips trembled as he stammered, “Mr… Mr. Li, no matter what my daughter has done to offend you, it has nothing to do with the Qiao family. Please, show us mercy…”
“Dad, I’m back. Do we have a guest?”
A slightly hurried female voice interrupted Qiao Yutang before he could finish.
Dressed in a red dress, Qiao Xinxin hurried into the hall. When she saw the man who had immediately captured her heart sitting on the sofa with his eyes lowered, she quickly raised a hand to adjust her hair, took a deep breath, and deliberately slowed her steps as she approached him.
Before she could get close, Li Cangchen’s assistant, Qian Fei, stepped forward and blocked her with an outstretched hand.
“Please keep your distance.”
Qiao Yutang immediately reacted as well. He hurriedly stood up, grabbed his beloved daughter, and forced a smile.
“This is my other daughter. She is naturally innocent and did not mean to offend Mr. Li. Please forgive her.”
Qiao Xinxin’s eyes remained fixed on the elegant, otherworldly man behind Qiao Yutang. She asked in a small voice, “Dad, did he come here for a marriage alliance?”
“!”
Qiao Yutang immediately turned around and covered her mouth with his hand, his face turning deathly pale as his tongue trembled.
“Xinxin, don’t talk nonsense.”
There was another rumor about Li Cangchen: he hated women and had remained single for decades.
It was said that ten years ago, the daughter of a certain wealthy family had boldly volunteered herself, even placing an advertisement in the newspaper declaring that she wanted to marry him. That very night, the entire family disappeared without a trace.
Not only had the company gone bankrupt, but no one knew where its members had been taken. To this day, no one knew what had happened to them.
Since then, no one had dared to provoke him or even carelessly gossip about him, fearing that they would suffer the same fate as that family. His daughter saying such things now could only bring disaster upon the Qiao family.
Just as Qiao Yutang was about to say something to remedy the situation, Li Cangchen seemed to have run out of patience. He stood up and walked toward the main entrance without paying any attention to the two clowns.
Seeing this, his assistant Qian Fei immediately followed.
The black-clad bodyguards waiting outside saw their master emerge and immediately surrounded him on both sides.
The enormous living room was soon left with only the father and daughter staring at each other.
Qiao Xinxin unhappily pulled Qiao Yutang’s hand away from her mouth and stomped her foot.
“Dad, why did you cover my mouth? He’s the founder of the Mujiu Group! If I could marry him, I’d never have to worry about the rest of my life.”
Seeing that she was still saying things that could get her killed, Qiao Yutang hurried outside to check whether Li Cangchen had already left. Only after seeing that the courtyard was completely empty did he breathe a sigh of relief before returning and collapsing weakly onto the sofa.
After resting for a while, he glanced at his thick-headed daughter.
“Xinxin, since you know he’s the founder of the Mujiu Group, do you know how long this group has been around?”
Qiao Xinxin was suddenly caught off guard by the question. After hesitating, she answered, “Ten years?”
Qiao Yutang shook his head.
“Thirty years. It’s older than you are.”
“Ah? So he’s already in his forties or fifties? Then why does he look like he’s barely twenty?” Qiao Xinxin cried out in disbelief. She had thought he was around her age.
So… so he was actually an old man. Yet her heart still raced at the thought of him, and she still wanted him.
Seeing that his daughter was still lost in her infatuation, Qiao Yutang immediately poured cold water over her hopes to bring her back to reality.
“Xinxin, no one knows his true age. He could even be seventy or eighty, perhaps older than your father.”
“Moreover, the most frightening thing about him is his power. To this day, no one knows the extent of his hidden strength. The last woman who tried to marry him ended up leaving no remains behind.”
Hearing the last few words, Qiao Xinxin’s face turned deathly pale, and she immediately abandoned all her foolish thoughts.
Meanwhile, the “old man” they had just been discussing was already sitting in the back seat of his private car. With his eyes closed, Li Cangchen used the mental supernatural ability he had possessed since birth to sense Little Jiu’er’s presence.
This time, the barrier placed around her had been broken, and he could finally sense her aura clearly.
Before long, he opened his eyes, his pale red lips parting slightly.
“Go to Shengshi Haoting.”
“Yes, Mr. Li.” His assistant Qian Fei, seated in the passenger seat, responded respectfully.
The vehicle immediately turned around and headed toward the villa district in the suburbs.
Li Cangchen turned his head and looked out the window at the buildings rushing past. Tomorrow, this place would be corroded by acid rain, its surfaces becoming pitted and battered, stripped of its former glory.
Perhaps this was heaven’s punishment for those self-righteous humans. They recklessly cut down forests, discharged heavy-metal wastewater, and destroyed the ecological system. Now, they would have to suffer the consequences of their own actions.
He then withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes to the wooden hairpin that had appeared out of thin air in his palm, gently rubbing it with his thumb as he silently thought:
Little Jiu’er, it has been a thousand years. When will you finally finish this hairpin?
Images from a thousand years ago gradually surfaced in his mind, as vivid as though they had happened only yesterday.
His Little Jiu’er wore a pink ruqun and held a half-finished hairpin carved from red sandalwood as she threw herself into his arms, her smile radiant.
“Brother Prince, I’ve thought of what birthday gift I want to give you. Look, I carved this myself. Give me a few more days and I’ll have it finished, just in time for your birthday.”
With one arm around her waist, he lowered his head and looked at the “wooden stick” in her fair palm. It had only taken shape roughly, resembling a lotus flower.
A trace of amusement immediately passed through his deep eyes as he asked gently, “Is this a lotus?”
“Yes. In my heart, Brother Prince, you’re like a lotus, pure and aloof, untouched by the filth of the mortal world, and always so beautiful that you make my heart flutter.”
“Also, I once read in a book that the lotus symbolizes beautiful love. I hope that there will always be only me in your heart.”
She extended her index finger and poked his left chest through his python robe.
“No matter how many years pass, this place is only allowed to hold me…”
The memory gradually faded, and his eyes had already reddened slightly. His icy face now carried a faint trace of warmth.
Even though a thousand years had passed, every moment he had spent with her remained etched into his heart. As time went by, those memories only became clearer.
Half an hour later, a convoy of black cars stopped outside Villa No. 66 in Shengshi Haoting.
The car door opened automatically, and he stepped out alone. With a slight furrow between his brows, he opened the unlocked wrought-iron gate and walked along the bluestone path toward the tightly closed front door before pressing the doorbell.
Qiao Anran was sitting in the hall, hungry enough to clutch her stomach, and when she heard the doorbell, she assumed the takeout she had just ordered had arrived. She immediately slipped on her slippers and walked toward the door.
She was so hungry that she felt dizzy, and without checking who was outside, she opened the door.
When those handsome features, as if personally carved by God, entered her eyes, she froze slightly. Her first thought was, Have the standards for delivery workers become this high? Or is this some handsome guy who likes ancient-style fashion?
But when her gaze moved downward and she saw that he was carrying nothing in either hand, she realized she had misunderstood. She raised her head again and met his deep eyes.
She was about to ask what he wanted when his words left her rooted to the spot. His cold gaze remained firmly fixed on her.
“After sleeping with me, you don’t want to take responsibility?”
Qiao Anran’s hand tightened abruptly around the doorframe. She looked him up and down again, simultaneously catching the scent of sandalwood emanating from his body.
A trace of nervousness appeared in her beautiful eyes.
“…May I ask who you are?”
Seeing that she had “lost her memory,” Li Cangchen stepped toward her one step at a time, his possessive gaze never leaving her face.
His presence was overwhelmingly powerful. She instinctively swallowed, then stepped backward until her back pressed against the wall and she had nowhere left to retreat. Only then did she raise her small hand against his chest to stop him from coming any closer.
At that moment, even the air-conditioning inside seemed to have been swallowed by the scorching sunlight outside, making the room unusually hot. A faint blush had already spread across her fair cheeks.
He raised his long, slender fingers and lifted her delicate chin, lowering his head to stare into her brilliant eyes.
“Who am I? Your husband.”
“!”
Those final three words instantly brought Qiao Anran back to her senses. She immediately pushed him away and retreated several steps, staring at him warily.
“Don’t talk nonsense. If you dare try anything, I’ll… I’ll…”
Li Cangchen looked at her flushed little face with interest.
“And what will you do?”
Qiao Anran’s hand hanging beside her clothes clenched tightly around the thin fabric.
“I’ll call the police and tell them that last night you…”
“What happened last night?”