On this end, Fu Shiyan closed his computer, ending the last video conference of the day.
He stared at the words "Good night" in the chat box, but ultimately he didn't send it and instead deleted it.
Today, he clearly felt that An Yan had a fondness for him, but given their age difference, he wouldn't flirt with a young girl.
After making reparations to An Yan, he should keep his distance from her.
He took off his silver-framed radiation protection glasses, rubbed his nose bridge, and stood up with his cellphone in hand as he walked out of the study.
Back in the bedroom, he took a quick shower, careful not to wet the wound on his back.
Dressed in a silver-grey silk pajama, he emerged with his freshly dried hair obscuring his deep eyes, lacking the cold and distant demeanor he had during the day.
As if drawn by some magic, he turned on WeChat again, opened the profile of a beautiful girl's side face, and looked at the good night message above; his thumb scrolled up once more.
In his mind, the image of the girl's delicate face resurfaced, along with that visually striking scene.
Was he really in need of a woman?
He took a deep breath, turned off the phone screen, and rested in bed.
The night was hazy.
A glass door separated the circular balcony from the noisy ballroom, creating two separate worlds.
In front of the balcony railing, the man in the wheelchair had a pronounced silhouette, his features carved like a fine painting, his skin sickly white, his gaze coldly and deeply fixed on the night.
After a while, he took out a shiny steel lighter and lit a cigarette, the scarlet flame flickering ambiguously in the night.
At that moment, someone pushed open the glass door, and the sound of high heels approached from behind him.
The man's thin lips parted irritably, "Scram!"
Instead of leaving, the woman walked up to him and sat down on his lap.
Her red deep-V evening gown made her skin look snow-white, her figure seductive like a midnight fairy.
She took the cigarette from the corner of the man's mouth with the tip of her finger, inhaled, and then blew a smoke ring towards him.
A vein bulged at the man's temple as he reached out and grabbed the woman's neck, "Looking for death!"
The woman smirked, her gleaming fingertips snuffing out the cigarette butt and tossing it on the ground.
She pried the man's long fingers apart one by one and suddenly leaned close to his ear, "It's me."
Hearing her voice, the man who was originally furious immediately softened. He stared unblinkingly at the woman's face, "I never thought you would be so beautiful."
He had fallen for her because of those beautiful eyes in the first place.
The woman cradled his cheeks with both hands and planted a deep kiss on his thin lips, "Thank you for saving me. Tonight is your birthday, and I've come to give you a gift."
The man's voice was husky, "What gift?"
The woman looked into his shimmering eyes and uttered a single word, "Me."
Snow covered the world outside the window, but inside, it was a scene of burgeoning spring.
The man knew she was in pain. Afterward, he kissed her for a long time, his sexy Adam's apple bobbing, "Can you stay?"
"I can't." The woman got out of bed, the party dress on the floor was torn and utterly unwearable.
She put on the man's shirt and draped his suit jacket over her shoulders. Walking to the bedside, she reached out and caressed his face, "Zaili, you will definitely succeed with tomorrow's surgery."
The man went silent for a moment then asked, "Brain surgery could potentially cause me to lose my memory."
"If you forget me, I will come to find you." The woman took the bullet pendant necklace from his neck and placed it around hers.
The man grasped her hand, "Do you promise?"
"It's a promise!"
Fu Shiyan suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils cold as he stared at the ceiling.
Another one of those dreams.
Except this time, he saw the face of the woman in his dream clearly—it was An Yan.
He let out a soft laugh. The influence of this young girl on him was simply too great.
A brief encounter had successfully replaced the leading lady in his dreams.
Since the surgery to remove the shrapnel from his brain, through dreams, he felt that he might have forgotten a woman, or perhaps a segment of memory about a woman.
Over these two years, he had had this dream no less than a hundred times; in it, he and she were entwined in a death-defying passion.
He couldn't make out the woman's face, but he remembered she had a pair of extremely beautiful eyes, like those of a doe.
He couldn't recall such a woman ever being a part of his life, but the sense of realism made it hard for him to ignore.
The reason he had rushed into the fire to save An Yan this time was that her eyes were strikingly similar to the woman's in his dream, which stirred his compassion.
He glanced at the time on his phone. Three o'clock in the morning, always this time.
For the past two years, no matter how late he went to bed, he would wake up at this time every day.
He placed his hand over his eyes, deep in thought. Could it be that the woman had left at three o'clock in the morning?
And why, of all people, had he forgotten only her?
Was that woman real?
If she was real, who was she?
If she wasn't, where had his necklace gone?
The next morning.
After washing up, An Yan shouldered her bag and went downstairs.
In the living room, An Zaili and Yang Suhua were sipping tea on the sofa.
An Zaili looked up at the sound of movement, "Going out?"
An Yan responded with a light hum.
"Wait a moment." An Zaili stood up and pulled out a card from his wallet, "Go buy some pretty dresses, don't skimp on yourself, it doesn't matter if they're a bit pricey. A girl should dress nicely. Your previous attire..."
He frowned deeply, "It's better left unsaid."
An Yan raised an eyebrow with a smile, "Are you asking me to buy dresses so I can go on a blind date tomorrow night?"
An Zaili said, "Dad is only thinking of your best interests. The Li Family's business spans across Hua Country, encompassing catering, bath services, entertainment, jewelry, and jade. If you married into their family, you'd enjoy endless wealth and honor."
An Yan twirled the card in her hand and sneered, "Dad, do you truly want me to go?"
An Zaili spoke earnestly, "Dad is only doing this for your own good. An Yan, it was my fault for sending you to the countryside. All these years, your dad has lived with that regret. Now that you're back, I hope to make it up to you properly."
Yang Suhua joined in, "Even though you weren't destined to marry into the Fu Family, we will take responsibility for your future, seeking a good marriage for you."
Upon hearing this, An Yan's heart no longer wavered.
Her father's favoritism, her stepmother's malice, her stepsister's shamelessness, and her grandmother's cold-blooded nature made her immensely grateful that she had only spent three months with this family. If she had lived here for the past fifteen years, she would've been reduced to nothing.
An Yan laughed inwardly. Li Family's crown prince, Li Rongwei, was addicted to abusing women. Recently, after inflicting abuse on his girlfriend that resulted in a ruptured uterus and severe bleeding, it was too late by the time she was taken to the hospital. Ultimately, her uterus was removed, and she lost the ability to ever become a mother.
The Li Family compensated the woman with a sum of money, managed to get the hot searches removed, suppressed public opinion, and sent Li Rongwei abroad to lay low. Now that the storm had passed, they had brought him back.
The An Family had indeed sought out a truly 'excellent' match for her.
An Yan shook the card, "How much money is in here?"