Chарtеr 15: I Fоrgivе You
Cen Wаn оnly utterеd those wоrds with а hint оf rеsеntmеnt, and аftеr thаt, shе never brоught up the matter аgаin, nor соuld shе bеаr to stау аngry with him.
She hаd аlwaуs intended to tаke things slоwly. As long аs she сould stау by his side, shе didn’t ask for anуthing mоrе. Вut humans arе inhеrеntlу greedу, esрeciаlly when fаcing somеone theу lоvе. Onсе they tastе a littlе swеetness, thеy crаve еvеn mоre.
Nеstled in Lu Bеixun’s arms, shе sаid, “Lu Вeixun, you might not believe it, but I still wаnt tо tell you—from bеginning tо end, the onе I’vе liked, the one I’ve loved, has always been you. I’ll treat you well from now on and won’t cause any more trouble.”
She paused briefly before continuing, “Back then, you must have been really hurt and angry, right? I’m sorry, it was my fault.”
Lu Beixun wrapped her hand in his palm. “Why are you suddenly saying all this?”
“Feelings of liking and love should be spoken out loud,” Cen Wan replied. “Also, I want to apologize to you. I should have done it a long time ago.”
She looked up at him. “I know not every apology can be met with ‘it’s okay.’ You don’t need to feel any psychological pressure. I’m just doing what I should.”
Lu Beixun gently stroked her hair. He leaned in, placing a soft kiss on the corner of her lips before pulling away.
No matter what had happened between them, no matter how Cen Wan had treated him before, his anger had been real. Yet, he couldn’t stay angry with her forever, especially when she kept reaching out to him.
Cen Wan stared at him, momentarily speechless. Her fingertips lightly touched the spot where his lips had been, still warm from his kiss. “You…”
“Let’s sleep.”
“Okay.” Cen Wan obediently snuggled into his embrace, her heart filled with sweetness. All she knew was that Lu Beixun had kissed her, unaware of the deeper meaning behind that kiss.
—I forgive you.
For several days in a row, Cen Wan no longer had nightmares. Perhaps she was gradually adapting to life after her rebirth, or perhaps it was because he was by her side. With the two of them together, she felt less fearful.
All her fears stemmed from the fear of losing him again.
Having lost him once, she knew how painful it was. No matter what, she couldn’t lose him again.
At 6:10 a.m., Lu Beixun called out to her several times, but the person in bed didn’t even open her eyes, simply turning over to continue sleeping.
Lu Beixun stood over her, staring down for a few seconds before pulling the blanket off her. However, the sight that followed made him pause, and he quickly covered her with the blanket again.
Cen Wan’s nightgown had ridden up to her stomach.
Lu Beixun’s jaw tightened. “Cen Wan, get up!”
He wrapped her in the blanket and forced her to sit up. Cen Wan was still half-asleep; even after sitting up, she refused to open her eyes. She pleaded, “Teacher Lu, spare the child, okay? The child really has no athletic talent.”
Lu Beixun asked, “Do you want to eat nothing but vegetables for three meals a day?”
“No…”
“You have five minutes. If you don’t want that, get up.”
Cen Wan: “…”
Day two of forced exercise…
The child wants to go home and find her mother…
Today’s run wasn’t as unbearable or exhausting as before. She wasn’t panting as heavily as she had been.
After breakfast, Lu Beixun went to work, while Cen Wan returned home to learn cooking from Mother Cen. Today’s lesson was pan-searing steak for Western cuisine. Once Cen Wan had learned enough, she couldn’t wait to make it for Lu Beixun.
Back at the Lu residence, she headed straight to the kitchen and got busy. Without her mother by her side, she was a bit clumsy, but the final result looked quite presentable.
Cen Wan had a natural talent for cooking.Within a few days, she had mastered all of Mother Cen’s culinary skills. The moment Lu Beixun tasted the dishes she prepared, he could tell, but he never exposed her. Instead, he repeatedly instructed Aunt Yang to ensure someone was always by her side whenever she cooked.
Seeing how much Lu Beixun enjoyed her food, Cen Wan felt everything was worth it.
After being dragged out of bed by Lu Beixun around six in the morning for several consecutive days, she gradually adapted and began waking up on her own at that time. After a few days of exercise, she clearly felt her health improving significantly—both her mood and sleep quality had gotten better.
After Lu Beixun left for the company, she received a call. The person had been found, and Cen Wan instructed the caller to arrange a meeting.
In the afternoon, Cen Wan went out without bringing the driver and headed to a coffee shop.
Entering the coffee shop, she spotted a familiar man in the corner—the same man she had seen talking with Cen Xiu in the office before her rebirth. During her second visit to Cen Xiu’s office, she had coincidentally run into him as he was leaving.
Cen Wan curled her lips slightly, a flicker of ruthlessness flashing in her cold eyes. The upheaval in the Cen family had, to some extent, been his doing.
She walked over and sat down opposite the man. When he looked up at her, Cen Wan got straight to the point: “Li Chaoyang, thirty years old, son-in-law of the Zhou family in the capital. All your wealth comes from the Zhou family. Two years ago, you had an affair and fathered a one-year-old son in Jiangcheng.”
Li Chaoyang stared at her in disbelief. “How did you…”
No one knew about the affair—he had covered his tracks perfectly. If it were exposed, he would be left with nothing, stripped of everything the Zhou family had given him.
Cen Wan smiled faintly. “I know far more than you can imagine.”
Over the past two years, Li Chaoyang had cheated more than once. Of course, his wife, Zhou Yang, was no saint either—she played around even more recklessly than he did. After all, as a member of the Zhou family, she had the backing and confidence. Li Chaoyang, on the other hand, was different—everything he had now was given to him by the Zhou family.
Li Chaoyang had little talent of his own. The only reason Zhou Yang hadn’t divorced him was because of his face, which bore a seventy to eighty percent resemblance to her ex-boyfriend who had passed away from illness.
Li Chaoyang nervously clenched the hem of his clothes. Zhou Yang had warned him that everything he had was given by the Zhou family, and if he dared to betray her, he would surely die.
“Miss Cen, what exactly are you trying to say?”
Having dealt with Cen Xiu, Li Chaoyang naturally knew who she was—they had crossed paths a few times.
Cen Wan fixed her cold gaze on him. “Mr. Li, are you aware of the misappropriation of funds and the leak of company secrets in the Cen family?”
Sweat beaded on his forehead from nervousness. Li Chaoyang wiped it away, his hands trembling slightly if one looked closely. “I… I don’t know.”
Cen Wan smiled again. “Since you don’t know, I think it’s necessary for me to bring your one-year-old son back from Jiangcheng to acknowledge his roots.”
“After all, he’s your biological child. It’s not right for him to be drifting around without a stable home, don’t you agree?”
Li Chaoyang grew increasingly anxious, his guilty fidgeting never ceasing. If the mother and child returned, not only would he lose everything from the Zhou family, but given Old Master Zhou’s methods, if he found out Li Chaoyang had been fooling around and betraying his daughter, he would meet a terrible end.
His face turned pale as he thought about urgently relocating the mother and child to another city where they couldn’t be found.
But how could Cen Wan not see through his thoughts? “Don’t worry,” she said calmly. “I’ve already moved the mother and child to a very safe place, where they are being well taken care of.””Miss Cen, what exactly do you want?” Li Chaoyang could no longer hold back his composure. He did not love any of the women he had cheated with, including the one who bore his child, but he cared deeply for this son.
“Is Cen Xiu behind the bankruptcy facing the Cen family?” Cen Wan did not beat around the bush with him either.
Seeing Li Chaoyang remain silent, Cen Wan lost her patience as well: “Mr. Li may choose not to answer, but I cannot guarantee that I won’t take action against a child.”