Once upon a time…
Yuanyuan had unexpectedly taken his hand and given him his favorite lollipop.
“Brother Shen Li, can you help me?”
The lollipop was sweet.
Her hand was soft.
Completely unaware of what was happening, Shen Li found himself standing amid shattered antique vase fragments.
Then he saw his furious grandfather.
Three cane rods had been broken across his back.
The half month he spent lying in the hospital afterward had been agonizing.
Later, Yuanyuan had wrapped her arms around him and said,
“Brother Shen Li, my dad doesn’t approve of my relationship with Pei Jin. Can you help cover for me?”
She smelled wonderful.
And Shen Li had never been able to refuse her.
Chairman Ning had appointed him as her tutor and watchdog, strictly forbidding Yuanyuan from getting involved with other boys.
Yet he could only stand by and watch as she secretly dated Pei Jin.
He watched her give everything to someone else.
Watched her cry for someone else.
And in return, after everything came to light, the usually approving Chairman Ning looked at him with nothing but disappointment.
So this time…
What new way had Yuanyuan come up with to torment him?
“Three months is far too rushed. No, absolutely not.”
“Old Ning, I still think three months is perfect. Honestly, even three months feels too long to me.”
Mrs. Shen’s face glowed with happiness.
She reached for Ning Zhiyuan’s hand, only to stop midway and withdraw it.
“Yuanyuan, what do you think?”
The earlier disturbance hadn’t affected her mood in the slightest.
She had watched this girl grow up.
A little spoiled and lively wasn’t a bad thing.
In fact, she thought Ning Zhiyuan was perfectly matched with her overly serious son.
Mrs. Shen loved beauty.
Elegant and graceful, her appearance was so well maintained that no one would believe she was already in her forties.
In her previous life, Bai Cuilan had repeatedly hinted to Ning Zhiyuan that Mrs. Shen and her late mother had once been close friends.
After Ning Zhiyuan’s mother died during childbirth, Mrs. Shen continued dressing beautifully every day.
Bai Cuilan had whispered that she was trying to seduce Chairman Ning.
She had warned Ning Zhiyuan not to get too close to her.
As a child, Ning Zhiyuan had believed it.
She grew to dislike Mrs. Shen and intentionally avoided her several times.
Afterward, Mrs. Shen stopped trying to touch her.
Yet her kindness never changed.
Mrs. Shen added gently,
“I’m not trying to rush you. Ultimately, it’s up to the two of you.”
Compared to her father, Shen Father looked even more like the handsome gentleman described in rumors.
Mrs. Shen blinked playfully at her husband.
Standing together, they looked like a perfectly matched couple.
With the Shen family’s status and Shen Father’s qualities, how could Mrs. Shen possibly have been interested in her father?
She had truly been blinded.
How foolish had she been to believe such nonsense?
Since she was going to marry Shen Li eventually anyway…
Mrs. Shen would one day become her mother-in-law.
Being called upon, Ning Zhiyuan fell silent briefly before replying,
“I think three months sounds pretty good.”
Chairman Ning sighed dramatically.
“My daughter really can’t be kept at home anymore.”
Just as Mrs. Shen was about to settle the matter, Shen Li suddenly interrupted.
“Let’s make it six months. Three months is too short.”
Chairman Ning immediately agreed.
“Six months sounds good. It’s settled.”
Mrs. Shen glared unhappily at her clueless son.
“You’re always so busy with work. You barely spend any time with Yuanyuan as it is. If you wait that long before getting married…”
“Mom, stop worrying about it.”
Shen Li knew very well that whether it was three months or six months, it made no difference.
Yuanyuan would never marry him.
As for emotional distance…
They had never truly been close in the first place.
Looking at Shen Li’s indifferent expression, Ning Zhiyuan pouted.
His handsome face remained calm.
It was as though they were discussing someone else’s wedding date.
How could he be so unconcerned?
If she hadn’t witnessed him avenge her and die for her in her previous life…
Even she would have been fooled by his cold demeanor.
Six months was too long.
And far too many variables could arise.
Ning Zhiyuan still held onto Shen Li’s hand.
Ever since her rebirth, she couldn’t bear to be apart from him.
She didn’t want to waste the precious time she had regained.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind.
Turning toward her father, she said,
“Dad, I think Auntie Shen is right. Six months is too long. How about Brother Shen Li moves into our house?”
Chairman Ning actually considered it seriously.
“Our house is too far from Shen Group headquarters. Commuting would be inconvenient. Honestly, it would make more sense for you to move into Shen Li’s place.”
A triumphant smile immediately spread across Ning Zhiyuan’s face.
“Dad, I’ll do as you say. I’ll move in with Brother Shen Li!”
Chairman Ning stared at her in shock.
Before he could respond, Shen Li spoke first.
“No.”
He looked at Shen Li’s serious expression.
Then at his secretly smiling daughter.
The refusal that had reached his lips was swallowed back down.
As a result…
Shen Li’s one-sided objection was completely ignored.
Mrs. Shen was overjoyed.
She looked at Ning Zhiyuan as though she were already her own daughter, her happiness impossible to conceal.
Meanwhile, Chairman Ning developed a headache.
A grown daughter truly couldn’t be kept at home.
At this rate, they might as well get married in three months.
What if the two of them produced a grandchild during those six months and showed up to the wedding with a baby on the way?
Where would he put his old face then?
Still…
He couldn’t find fault with this future son-in-law.
“Shen Li, I need a word with you.”
In a quiet corner, Chairman Ning pulled Shen Li aside and repeatedly warned him.
“Shen Li, I’m not some old-fashioned conservative. What you young people do is your own business, and I won’t interfere.”
“But there’s one thing.”
“Don’t you dare give me a grandchild before the wedding.”
“You need to exercise restraint. Yuanyuan doesn’t know any better. You’re the older one, so you have to act responsibly.”
Shen Li listened absentmindedly.
His eyes remained fixed on Ning Zhiyuan in the distance.
She was looking at her phone.
Whatever she saw made her smile brightly.
Moments later, she hurried out of the banquet hall.
Shen Li exchanged a glance with Assistant Qi.
Immediately, Assistant Qi led people after her.
Back at the company, Shen Li received a phone call.
“Boss, Miss Ning went to Nightshade Club to meet Pei Jin.”
Shen Li stared blankly at his phone.
Everything suddenly made sense.
Why had Yuanyuan suddenly suggested living with him?
So she could use him as a cover.
So she could secretly meet Pei Jin.
But he was already prepared to let her go.
Why couldn’t Yuanyuan believe that?
The heart he thought had become numb suddenly felt as though an enormous hand were squeezing it mercilessly.
Pain shot through his chest.
Again and again, he reached the point of complete disappointment.
Yet somehow…
He always left room for one last hope.
Only to be disappointed even more deeply.
“Boss, should we keep following her?”
“Don’t alert her. Just protect her from the shadows and make sure she’s safe.”
Assistant Qi hung up.
Looking up at the glowing Nightshade Club sign, he let out a long sigh.
His boss loved too deeply.
And Miss Ning was far too heartless.
When Ning Zhiyuan arrived outside the private room, the door wasn’t fully closed.
The noisy conversation inside drifted out.
“Xiaoxiao, don’t worry. I’ll help you get revenge. What is Ning Zhiyuan anyway? She isn’t even worth a fraction of what you are.”
“Good Xiaoxiao, stop crying. Your tears are breaking my heart.”
Pei Jin spent a long time comforting Bai Xiaoxiao before finally calming her down.
The rich young men surrounding him quickly joined the conversation.
“Pei Jin, Ning Zhiyuan’s already late. Don’t forget our bet. That Bentley is mine now.”
“But she’s already engaged. Do you really think she’ll come?”
Pei Jin downed half a bottle of liquor and loosened his collar.
“She called me herself and said she’s on her way.”
“I’d like to see how she’s planning to apologize after making me lose a Bentley and bullying Xiaoxiao.”
“Later… I’ll get angry first… then you’ll…”
Ning Zhiyuan curled her lips into a cold smile.
Listening to the two of them openly plotting, she almost wanted to praise them.
It was an excellent scheme.
Make her feel guilty.
Get her drunk.
Take compromising photos.
Release them publicly.
At that point, Shen Li would have no choice but to cancel the engagement.
In Pei Jin’s eyes, her reputation was worthless.
“Pei Jin really is amazing. He has Miss Ning wrapped around his finger. Shen Li can’t compare. So what if he’s powerful? His fiancée is still just a pathetic lapdog following you around!”
Bang!
Before the words had fully fallen, Ning Zhiyuan kicked the door open.
The young man who had been speaking immediately darkened his expression before forcing a laugh.
“Miss Ning, you’ve arrived.”
Shen Li’s reputation in their social circle was terrifying.
If Ning Zhiyuan reported his insults, he would be finished.
Meanwhile, Pei Jin sprawled lazily across the sofa with one foot resting on the coffee table.
His alcohol-clouded eyes didn’t even lift.
“Ning Zhiyuan, you’re late.”
“I won’t get back together with you.”
He spoke as though reconciling with him were some kind of reward.
A man three parts drunk could act well enough to make someone cry.
In her previous life, she had genuinely fallen for it.
Now she only felt blind.
How could Pei Jin possibly compare to Shen Li?
Appearance.
Figure.
Family background.
Personality.
In every category…
He lost completely.
Seeing Pei Jin’s confidence, the young man relaxed.
What was there to fear?
Ning Zhiyuan had always listened to Pei Jin.
“Zhiyuan, do you know how long Pei Jin has been waiting for you?”
“How could you get engaged to Shen Li?”
“Watching the woman he loves get engaged to someone else has broken Pei Jin’s heart.”
“And you know perfectly well that Xiaoxiao is Pei Jin’s younger sister. How could you bully her?”
Bai Xiaoxiao was Pei Jin’s sworn younger sister.
Back then, Ning Zhiyuan had wanted to become his sworn younger sister too.
Pei Jin had refused.
He told her that a younger sister was a younger sister.
A girlfriend was a girlfriend.
Looking back now…
That so-called sibling relationship was probably just another game between the two of them.
Ning Zhiyuan cooperatively raised her chin.
“And how exactly should I apologize before you’ll forgive me?”
Seeing everything unfold so smoothly, the young man eagerly mixed several different liquors together and poured them into an oversized glass.
“How about this? Pei Jin, give me some face.”
“As long as Zhiyuan drinks this entire glass, we’ll consider it her apology to both you and Xiaoxiao.”