“The moment we sat down, Li Shan said, ‘Back then, Azhu came to me and asked me to do her a favor—to pretend to be her fiancé. The whole point was to force you to leave.'”
Fu Shiwen could not hide the shock in his eyes. His lips were pressed tightly together, and it took tremendous effort for him to force out three words: “Why?”
“Why? Why did she force you to leave? Of course, it was because Azhu didn’t want to hold you back, young master.” His tone turned somewhat mocking as he spoke. “You’re a rich young master, after all. Azhu said she wasn’t good enough for you and didn’t want to be a burden. She begged me for a long time before I agreed to help her. And what did you do, you heartless man? You didn’t even put up a fight—you just left!”
“Do you have any idea what kind of life Azhu has lived all these years? She’s too proud for her own good—she rarely even accepted the things I sent her. And you? Where have you been gallivanting off to all this time?”
Li Shan was genuinely indignant on Jiang Zhu’s behalf. If Fu Shiwen weren’t so tall and formidable that Li Shan couldn’t take him in a fight, he would have grabbed him and beaten him senseless long ago!
Fu Shiwen suppressed his emotions and asked again, “That child…”
Li Shan: “Of course the child is yours too. Who else could it be? Azhu has only ever been with one man—you.”
Fu Shiwen’s heart gave a violent lurch! He replayed the image of that little girl in his mind—she looked almost exactly like Jiang Zhu, which was why he had immediately assumed she was Jiang Zhu and Li Shan’s child!
So that was his daughter!
Fu Shiwen clenched his fists, his heart in turmoil. He asked, “Everything you’ve said—is it true?”
“Every word of it! If I’ve told a single lie today, may lightning strike me dead!” Li Shan said. “But young master, why are you here now? You’re already married. Don’t come bothering Azhu anymore. Just leave her alone.”
It was only then that he noticed the ring on Fu Shiwen’s ring finger.
How ironic. The man had been living it up in the capital, while their Azhu had been deep in the mountains, raising a child all on her own.
Fu Shiwen could no longer remain calm. Ignoring Li Shan’s sarcasm, he stood up and strode quickly back to the car, instructing the driver to go and personally giving directions.
He couldn’t wait to see her!
Seeing how urgent his master was, the driver pushed the car to its top speed. Half an hour later, the car came to a stop at the foot of a mountain—the road went no further.
The driver turned around and said, “Lord Shi, the path is too narrow. The car can’t go any further up.”
To get into the mountain, they would have to take the dirt trail.
Fu Shiwen looked at this familiar little path—it seemed hardly different from six years ago. Without a word, he got out of the car and headed up the mountain!
The driver quickly scrambled out after him and called out, “Lord Shi, are you going up the mountain? It’s getting late—why are you going up there? Please be careful, it could be dangerous!”
Fu Shiwen didn’t look back, leaving the driver with a view of his tall, upright figure.
The driver had no choice but to hurry to the trunk, grab some supplies into a backpack, and follow him up the mountain.
If anything happened to Lord Shi, he wouldn’t be able to answer to Master Xuan and the lady of the house.
Fu Shiwen walked quickly. The mountain was largely undeveloped, with only a single narrow footpath worn by travelers, and a steep one at that—yet he felt nothing, as if walking on flat ground.
The driver was already walking as fast as he could, yet he still fell a short distance behind Fu Shiwen—unable to catch up, but not falling too far behind either.
The sun slowly set, yet Fu Shiwen still did not stop. His pace had slowed only slightly from the start, and his breathing had grown a little ragged.
The driver looked at the endless mountain road stretching before him and asked breathlessly, “Lord Shi, how much longer until we get there?”
He didn’t know why Lord Shi wanted to climb the mountain at this hour, but he could guess it had something to do with the mother and daughter Lord Shi had met today.
Legend had it that Lord Shi had a moonlight—a beloved he could never obtain. For all these years, Lord Shi had remained chaste for her sake, and even his personality had undergone a drastic change six years ago!
The driver couldn’t help but connect the dots—that moonlight was the woman from today!
Fu Shiwen steadied his breathing, raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, and said, “Half an hour.”
In another half hour, he would reach the summit, and he would… see her.
Half an hour later, the two finally reached the top of the mountain and saw the dilapidated little wooden cabin standing there.
Fu Shiwen had no time to compare how much more rundown the cabin was than six years ago. He walked straight to the door, raised his hand, and knocked forcefully.
“Who is it?” A voice he knew well came from inside.
Fu Shiwen’s heart surged with emotion, his excitement barely contained. His voice came out somewhat hoarse: “It’s me.”
There was a moment of silence from within. Jiang Zhu did not open the door. Instead, she walked to the door with a complicated expression and said, “You… go back.”
“Open the door.” Fu Shiwen suppressed the urge to break it down.
Jiang Zhu repeated herself: “Go back.” This time, the words came out more smoothly, without the pause.
She had a slight stutter by nature, and living alone on the mountain for years, rarely speaking, her language faculties had somewhat deteriorated.
“Open the door!” Fu Shiwen’s tone turned harsher.
Jiang Zhu hesitated and struggled, torn in a thousand directions, unsure whether she should open the door.
She had the patience to agonize over it, but Fu Shiwen had no patience to wait. He raised his leg and kicked the door hard, producing a tremendous noise!
Jiang Zhu was startled, afraid he would break the door down, so she quickly opened it. Before she could even speak, she was pulled into the man’s arms, and his lips sealed hers.
His movements were urgent and fierce, roughly devouring her poor lips while also blocking them, leaving her unable to speak.
The driver behind him saw what was happening and quickly retreated, his eyes busily scanning the mountain scenery in every direction.
The little girl inside the cabin—their daughter, Niannian—also raised two thin little hands to cover her eyes.
Jiang Zhu was dumbfounded, trapped in Fu Shiwen’s embrace with no way out, her mind momentarily blank.
After a moment, she snapped back to her senses and struggled to push him away.
How could she possibly match Fu Shiwen’s strength? She was held fast, unable to move an inch!
Fu Shiwen kissed her with a ferocious intensity, as if trying to make up for all the years of absence!
Jiang Zhu was forced to remain in his arms until she was nearly out of breath. Only then did Fu Shiwen release her lips, pressing his forehead against hers and gazing into her eyes.
His first words were an accusation: “Why did you lie to me?”
Jiang Zhu gasped for air, too breathless to even speak.
Fu Shiwen had grown patient now. He raised a hand to caress her cheek, looking at the face he had dreamed of day and night, his hollow heart gradually filling with contentment.
Six years—he hadn’t seen this face in six years. This face, carved into the depths of his heart, he would never forget for the rest of his life!
A few minutes passed, and Jiang Zhu finally caught her breath. Her first words were not an answer to Fu Shiwen’s question, but rather: “Let… go of… me…”
Not only did Fu Shiwen refuse to let go, he pulled her even tighter, repeating his earlier question in a hoarse voice: “Why did you lie to me?”
Jiang Zhu remained silent, offering no reply. She looked at his face and knew that he had learned the truth—she just didn’t know how he had found out.
Just this afternoon, he still hadn’t known. What had happened in these few hours?