"I do."
Upon hearing Qiu Sang's response, Ji Yanting's mind erupted with fireworks, an overwhelming joy enveloping him.
His feelings for Qiu Sang hadn’t been love at first sight—they had grown over time. After working together for so many years, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he had fallen for her.
That quiet fondness, fermented by time, had transformed into a love so intense it burned.
He reached out, cradling the back of her head, slowly closing the distance between them. Her lips held a fatal allure—he had longed to kiss them for ages.
But then—
Just a centimeter away from her lips, the woman in his arms suddenly trembled violently.
"No… don’t…"
"I can’t…"
Qiu Sang clutched her head, her entire body shaking as she crouched behind a tree.
"Alright, I won’t kiss you," Ji Yanting quickly reassured her, his voice gentle. "I shouldn’t have been so abrupt without your permission. Qiu Sang, calm down. Don’t be afraid."
His soothing tone gradually brought her back to her senses.
Her voice was hoarse. "I’m sorry, I…"
Before she could finish, a servant suddenly approached, shattering the moment. "Second Young Master, is this Miss Qiu Sang? Someone is asking for her outside."
Qiu Sang froze.
She had been working in the capital and barely knew anyone in Haicheng—who could possibly be looking for her?
And how did they even know she was at Hibiscus Manor?
An inexplicable sense of foreboding coiled in her chest.
Ji Yanting spoke up. "It might be someone from Ji's Entertainment here to discuss work. Come, I’ll go with you."
The two walked through the bustling banquet hall toward the manor’s entrance.
Under the shade of a century-old tree stood a boy, no older than thirteen or fourteen, dressed in a worn-out long-sleeved shirt and jeans, his sneakers slightly dirty.
When the boy turned around, revealing his face, Qiu Sang’s blood ran cold.
"What’s wrong?" Ji Yanting immediately noticed the shift in her demeanor.
"Y-Yanting, wait here for me," Qiu Sang forced out, her voice strained. "I’ll be right back."
Ji Yanting stayed behind as Qiu Sang took heavy, unsteady steps toward the boy.
A nightmare from over a decade ago surged back like a tidal wave, draining the color from her face and making her stagger.
Up close, the boy’s face was nearly identical to that man’s—the man who had ruined her at fourteen.
The boy stared at her. "So this is what my mother looks like."
"Shut up! I’m not your mother!" Qiu Sang trembled violently. "I already gave Wei Hua a million to cut all ties with your family! Why did he send you after me? Why?!"
"He didn’t send me," the boy said calmly. "I spent days tracking your schedule and followed you here. A place this luxurious—I couldn’t even dream of it, yet you walk in and out freely. You abandoned me for years. Isn’t it time you took responsibility as my mother?"
He extended a hand. "Our first meeting after all this time. Do you remember my name? Wei Xu. From now on, I’ll be counting on you, Mom."
The last thread of Qiu Sang’s composure snapped.
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
At fourteen, on her way home from night classes, Wei Hua had dragged her into an alley. She hadn’t dared to tell a soul.
But months later, her swelling belly betrayed her. Under her parents’ relentless questioning, she confessed everything.
Her father was a respected teacher, her mother a high-ranking bank manager—figures of status in their small town. She had thought they would fight for justice.
Yet to them, reputation and face mattered more than their daughter. With two younger brothers to consider, they couldn’t let the family become a laughingstock.
Still a student, she was forced into marriage with Wei Hua.
Her only demand was to continue her education. Wei Hua, fearing she might kill herself, agreed.
Pregnant, she struggled through high school.
After giving birth, she threatened suicide to keep studying, eventually making it to university. From then on, she never returned to that nightmarish village.
The day she left, the child—barely three—had stood at the village entrance, watching her from afar. She loathed that child. A child should be the fruit of love, not the product of sin.
She changed her name, shedding Li Chunhua to become Qiu Sang.
She had hidden so well—yet somehow, they had found her. Now, this father and son would haunt her forever. She would never escape.
She sobbed uncontrollably.
Until Ji Yanting’s voice cut through. "Qiu Sang, what’s wrong? Stop crying—you’re scaring me."
But the tears wouldn’t stop.
Ji Yanting’s gaze turned icy as he glared at Wei Xu. "Who are you? What did you do to her? What do you want?"
Qiu Sang jolted back to awareness, forcing out the words. "H-He’s… a relative’s child from my hometown. The relative passed away unexpectedly. I was just… upset by the news. He might need me to look after him for a while."
Wei Xu smirked. "Aunt Qiu, wherever you work next, I’ll study there. Enroll me in a school—I’m in eighth grade."
Qiu Sang’s voice was frosty. "My job requires constant travel. I can’t keep you with me."
Wei Xu stepped closer, whispering in her ear. "Should I call you ‘Mom’ in front of everyone? If you want to ruin the life you’ve built, go ahead. I’ve got nothing left to lose."
His mother had abandoned him. His father took out his rage on him with daily beatings.
Why should he suffer for his parents’ sins?
Qiu Sang dug her nails into her palms.
She had studied relentlessly, worked tirelessly, saved every penny—all to escape her past.
Just as she thought she’d broken free, the nightmare had returned.
At work, she was poised, capable.
But faced with these scars, she was powerless.
Ji Yanting spoke again. "Qiu Sang will be staying in Haicheng for a while. I’ll arrange for you to transfer to a local middle school."
Wei Xu pulled out his phone. "Uncle Yanting, let’s add each other."
Before Qiu Sang could stop him, she steadied herself. "Yanting, go back to your guests. I’ll get him settled."
Since Ji Yanting began taking over Ji's Entertainment, Qiu Sang had occasionally flown to Haicheng, renting a small apartment there.
It wasn’t large—two bedrooms, one converted into a study. She cleared it out, her tone detached. "You’ll stay here. I’ll contact Wei Hua to take you back."
"I’m not going back," Wei Xu said flatly. "I don’t ask for much. Enroll me, hire tutors—let me study in peace. Just like Wei Hua once did for you."
"Also, stop calling Wei Hua," he paused before continuing, "Right after taking the million you gave him, he remarried. Yes, in just a few days, he took another wife. His new wife won’t accept a stepson as old as me, so you might as well give up on that idea."
