Shu Yu closed her eyes again, quietly. Her long, slender eyelashes cast shadows on her eyelids.
Shu Yu's face was still pale from the emotional surge of a moment ago. Now, with her eyes closed like this, she resembled a fragile porcelain doll, delicate and prone to breaking.
Shu Yu had not left the house for quite some time. She was truly not good at farewells.
It would be fine if Si Yiheng simply slipped away and left her behind. She might feel lost for a while, but she wouldn't stay rooted in that spot for long.
She had to leave this place too. She couldn't be threatened by the Shu family forever.
Shu Yu heard the faint sounds outside grow softer and softer, until finally, she heard the sound of the door closing. She thought Si Yiheng must have left.
Another half hour passed before Shu Yu stepped out of her room.
Si Yiheng's room was completely empty.
Shu Yu stood in place, staring blankly for a while. She knew full well that Si Yiheng had no obligation to her.
But after nearly a month of being together, suddenly not seeing Si Yiheng's figure anymore, Shu Yu still felt terribly unaccustomed to it.
It seemed like there was also a vague sense of loss.
Suddenly, the sound of the door opening rang out, and Si Yiheng appeared at the doorway.
"Baby Yu."
Shu Yu slowly turned around and saw Si Yiheng.
Si Yiheng walked over and gently ruffled her hair. "Did you wake up? Still feeling unwell?"
Shu Yu stared at Si Yiheng, dazed, and shook her head.
Suddenly, a surge of impulse rose in Shu Yu.
When Si Yiheng again brushed her cheek with his thumb, Shu Yu seized that impulse and spoke, "Si Yiheng, can you stay? Please don't go?"
Si Yiheng looked at Shu Yu, whose eyes were welling up with tears of grievance.
In a soft voice, he said, "Don't you want to come with me?"
Shu Yu: "?"
Seeing that Shu Yu looked a little confused, Si Yiheng explained patiently.
"We'll move. That way, your family won't be able to find you."
Shu Yu had been sad a moment ago, but now that Si Yiheng said he wanted to move with her, her mood lifted once again.
At that moment, Shu Yu understood more clearly than ever that she wanted to rely on each other together with Si Yiheng.
Shu Yu: "Okay, I'll go pack my things."
Si Yiheng followed her. "I'll help you."
The two of them spent half a day packing up everything.
Their new home had a three-bedroom, one-living-room layout, and the neighborhood was quite nice.
Si Yiheng had specifically found a place with a study, so that Shu Yu could work from home.
Shu Yu: "How much is the rent? I'll transfer half to you."
Si Yiheng: "Mm, okay."
Shu Yu: "..."
Mm, okay.
But he still hadn't said what the rent even was.
Si Yiheng was being playful again.
Shu Yu: "Is it because of what I caused..."
Si Yiheng gently pinched the soft flesh of Shu Yu's cheek, stopping her from continuing. "No."
"I wanted to move with you even before those people showed up."
"I don't want you to have to clean a soaking wet room together with me again on another rainy day. Experiencing something like that once is enough." Si Yiheng recalled that rainy night, and his gaze dimmed.
Shu Yu bit her lip. "Si Yiheng, do you... like..."
Otherwise, why was he always so good to her?
Si Yiheng's dark, deep eyes locked onto Shu Yu. "Yes."
Shu Yu's heart was racing.
Si Yiheng spoke slowly, "But I don't have anything yet right now. Wait until I've made plenty of money, wait until I have the ability to back you up—then you can try to like me, okay?"
He couldn't yet provide Shu Yu with a comfortable life.
He couldn't yet protect Shu Yu from being bullied and threatened, and he hadn't yet made those who had bullied Shu Yu pay the price.
Shu Yu nodded firmly, her eyes shining brightly. "Mm, we'll work hard together."
"I'll become someone great too."
Si Yiheng smiled, a hint of warmth at the corners of his lips. "Mm, our Little Painter will become a very great Great Painter."
Shu Yu's smile grew even brighter.
The next day, Mother Shu went to look for Shu Yu again, only to find that Shu Yu had disappeared without a trace. When she checked Shu Yu's information again, she could no longer find anything about Shu Yu's rental situation.
Mother Shu was so angry she gnashed her teeth.
Because the arranged marriage had failed, the Shu family had suffered no small blow.
Mother Shu and Shu's father both wore grim, iron-faced expressions for quite a while.
The stock that Si Yiheng had bought at rock bottom began to climb steadily upward from the moment he bought it.
In just one month, it tripled in value. Because of the stock's excellent performance, more and more people kept entering the market.
When the returns reached three hundred and fifty percent, Si Yiheng sold the stock.
A couple of days after Si Yiheng sold, the stock started to drop again.
Iron Egg: [...]
One month, and he made over a million by flipping stocks.
No wonder Si Yiheng looked down on Iron Egg's ten thousand.
Si Yiheng began juggling stock trading and entrepreneurship at the same time, leaving early and returning late, frequently traveling on business.
Every time he went on a business trip, Si Yiheng would bring Shu Yu a gift.
As Si Yiheng made more and more money, the gifts he brought back would get more and more expensive.
Shu Yu occasionally felt like every business trip Si Yiheng took was like a hunting expedition.
Every time, there would be a different surprise.
This time, Si Yiheng had gone to discuss financing.
From the moment Si Yiheng left, Shu Yu had been looking forward to his return home.
She also had a bit of good news she wanted to share with Si Yiheng, face to face.
During this period, thanks to the high quality of her illustrations, she had been receiving more and more orders.
Most importantly, she had signed a contract to work on a comic collaboration.
This was her first time collaborating on a comic.
LittleFishSwimming: Si Yiheng, when are you coming home?
ATM: At most two more days.
LittleFishSwimming: Cat nodding.jpg
Si Yiheng looked at the chat history on his phone and typed.
—Do you miss me a little?
Si Yiheng typed the line, then deleted it.
He didn't know if Shu Yu missed him.
But he really wanted to see Shu Yu soon.
Fortunately, this round of financing went very smoothly.
In the early hours of the morning, Si Yiheng bought a plane ticket home.
While Si Yiheng was away, Shu Yu secretly stayed up late drawing at night.
Mainly because she had just signed the contract, Shu Yu was a little excited and couldn't help but draw a bit more.
At three in the morning, Shu Yu heard the sound of the door opening. She poked her head out and saw Si Yiheng.
Shu Yu was pleasantly surprised, running toward Si Yiheng and saying, "Didn't you say you'd be back in two more days?"
Si Yiheng caught Shu Yu steadily, a smile dancing in his eyes. "My estimate was off."
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"Asking when I'd be back—were you checking if you could stay up late?"
Si Yiheng teased. When he was home, he would gently forbid Shu Yu from staying up too late.
Shu Yu blinked lightly. "Of course, it's because we're soulmates, and I was waiting for you."
Si Yiheng knew perfectly well that Shu Yu was tricking him, but the smile at the corners of his lips deepened all the same.
"Then we must be quite the soulmates indeed."
Shu Yu: "Actually, it's because I signed a contract to draw a comic. I'm so happy."
"So happy I couldn't sleep, and I really wanted to share the news with you face to face, but you were away on business."
Si Yiheng ruffled the top of Shu Yu's head. "Baby Yu, you're amazing."
Shu Yu was already thrilled, and now with Si Yiheng's praise, she was even happier.
Shu Yu tiptoed up and kissed the upward curve at the corner of Si Yiheng's lips.
After the kiss, Shu Yu's earlobes flushed bright red. She turned to leave, saying, "Good night, I'm going to bed."
But she hadn't taken more than two steps before Si Yiheng caught her hand.
"Baby Yu, kiss me once more."
Si Yiheng still couldn't quite believe the kiss that had just happened.
This was their first kiss.
It felt too unreal to him, and he was eagerly hoping Shu Yu would kiss him again.
Because she was too shy, Shu Yu's fair skin was tinged all over with pink, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
Si Yiheng: "Then can I kiss you?"
Shu Yu nodded.
A kiss landed, lingering and tender, starting from a simple pressing of lips, to gentle nibbling, and then slowly deepening.
It left Shu Yu dizzy, lightheaded, almost breathless.
"I can't anymore…" Shu Yu panted heavily, her hand pressed against Si Yiheng's chest.
After a moment to catch her breath.
Si Yiheng pressed close again. "Baby, breathe."
Shu Yu was guided by Si Yiheng's rhythm to breathe, each breath followed by another kiss.
"Baby's so good, you learn fast."
"How are you this clever?"
Si Yiheng nuzzled against Shu Yu's thin, soft cheek, but Shu Yu felt her face burning hot.
Today, Si Yiheng had said "so good" twice—the first time was praising her for painting.
Now, it was praising her for knowing how to breathe between kisses.
Two years later,
Si Yiheng gradually established his footing in the business world, and Shu Yu had become a well-known painter in the industry.
On the day the company rang the bell for its IPO, Si Yiheng proposed to Shu Yu.
The fireworks for the proposal lasted all night long—the event was grand yet private.
Everyone knew that Si Yiheng, the new titan of commerce, had a well-protected fiancée.
Meanwhile, under Si Yiheng's deliberate suppression, the Shu family was struck off the list of minor aristocratic clans.
They could hardly even maintain their footing among the upper class.
Yet Si Yiheng's revenge did not stop there.
Soon, the Shu family's capital chain snapped, partners pulled their investments, banks called in their loans—they went bankrupt.
The whole family was buried in debt and disgraced, their lives no longer as glamorous as before.
The one who used to scare Shu Yu by racing cars was crashed into by another car during a race and lost the use of both legs.
Those who mocked and ridiculed Shu Yu were humiliated by Si Yiheng again and again until they no longer showed up at galas to show off.
The family that was originally arranged to be a marriage alliance with Shu Yu was also targeted until they went bankrupt in misery.
Some people truly couldn't understand how they had offended Si Yiheng.
Until they saw Si Yiheng shielding Shu Yu as he helped her into the car—they realized that anyone who had bullied Shu Yu had offended Si Yiheng to the core.
"Si Yiheng takes revenge like a madman."
"Who would've thought that the neglected second daughter of the Shu family would end up with someone standing behind her?"
"I wonder how Si Yiheng, with only his elementary school education… well, I guess Shu Yu made a smart bet."
"Don't say any more. Si Yiheng is extremely petty. If he hears you gossiping about Shu Yu, he'll come after you."
Shu Yu stood on the second floor looking down, occasionally catching bits of gossip.
Now, even in crowded places, Si Yiheng was always by her side.
Those not-so-pleasant memories felt like a lifetime ago.
Si Yiheng handed Shu Yu a small cake, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Sweetie, what are you thinking about?"
Shu Yu smiled at Si Yiheng. "I'm thinking about why you suddenly appeared in my world."
Their gazes met.
Si Yiheng's lips curved into a smile, his cold, handsome features soft with tender love. "I came for you."
Came for her.
That was the sweetest words Shu Yu had ever heard.
In this world where she had never been loved, Si Yiheng, who loved her, came for her.
From then on, happiness fell into her hands.
The End.
