chapter 1

Uncle Chen, the butler, has always been efficient in his work.

The “Brother Xu” that Su Wantang mentioned soon appeared before me.

He was brought in while I was reading through his file.

Xu Sixian.

His looks are outstanding-even his ID photo is strikingly handsome. Just his features alone could easily outshine that popular young idol whose posters are plastered all over the city.

But his current state is far from ideal. He looks exhausted, with a faint air of weariness about him.

I understood, guessing he must have run into some trouble.

Xu Sixian lost both his parents, comes from a poor family, and has only his grandmother, who was just diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer and is now lying in a hospital bed.

He has always excelled in both character and academics, working part-time to support his family, and was admitted to University A as the top science student.

Everyone who knows him sings his praises; his resume is flawless.

Su Wantang is his neighbor and younger sister figure-they grew up together as childhood friends.

But a girl’s feelings are hard to hide.

I can see her admiration for him.

No wonder Cheng Song is so furious about it.

Cheng Song is usually a calm and indifferent person.

I’ve never seen him have any intense emotional fluctuations, but lately he’s been distracted and his gaze has grown darker.

Yesterday, before I even entered his office, I overheard him on the phone.

The advice from an elder, lofty after years of experience, was both admonition and warning.

He said, “Tang, the exams are coming up. You should focus on your studies and be mindful of your interactions with classmates. After all, you never truly know someone.”

His usually cool and steady tone couldn’t hide the burning jealousy underneath.

My hand, raised to knock, paused.

I had originally asked Auntie to make some soup to bring over, but suddenly I lost all interest in having dinner with him.

Over the years, his attitude toward me has been visibly perfunctory. Even his greetings are strictly businesslike. He never cared who I was with or what I was doing.

But he’s like that with everyone.

Until I heard the news that he was sponsoring a poor student.

Cheng Song is not someone who enjoys charity work.

But he planted an entire sea of flowers for her, took her out to sea to watch the sunrise, strolled with her through every corner of the city, and spent a fortune to secure her a spot as an exchange student.

He even gets jealous like a young, inexperienced boy.

Everyone jokes that he’s hiding his beloved in a golden house.

At first, I was displeased, then I wanted to cut off this relationship.

After all, I’ve been persistent about him for so many years.

“Miss,” Uncle Chen frowned, hesitating to speak, “about Young Master Cheng sponsoring that girl…”

Uncle Chen was specially chosen by my family to be our butler-loyal but not rigid, and sometimes his methods aren’t exactly aboveboard.

His gaze was heavy, clearly intending to help me deal with Su Wantang, this “stumbling block.”

“Let’s go.” But I interrupted him.

Forget it.

Making a scene is pointless; it would only make me look like a resentful woman.

I’m too tired to bring this matter out into the open.

He deliberately kept it from me, but what does it matter now that I’ve found out the truth?

Should I throw the evidence in his face and force him to admit it?

From his perspective, that would be forcing him to choose.

He might choose me-after all, that’s what he’s always done before.

The He Family is a towering tree, and its only daughter, He Lingyue, is a cripple with a strange personality.

I’m a piece of fat meat that everyone covets.

Or, to put it another way, I’m like a soon-to-rot corpse-no matter how foul I smell, a flock of vultures circles around me, eager to tear me apart.

I’m the marriage prospect everyone picks at but can’t resist pursuing.

Even if Cheng Song is unwilling, he still maintains this nominal relationship.

Just like in the past, when my moods would suddenly flare up at him, he would only endure it calmly, watching me in silence.

Then, once my anger subsided, he’d send me a gift as an apology.

The gifts were probably chosen by his assistant-sometimes a handbag, sometimes jewelry, never particularly thoughtful.

But I never needed him to say anything; my anger would dissipate easily.

After all, everyone says I like him, that I love him deeply.

I’ve never denied it, because I thought so myself.

But now, just thinking about that possibility, I suddenly feel a slight sense of nausea.

It feels disgusting.

But I never felt this way before.

The glass reflected my features, pale and bloodless.

I stared at myself in a daze.

Seeing that I had no intention of speaking, Uncle Chen said nothing more and pushed my wheelchair, taking me away.