Chapter 9
Mrs. Shen sat before me, looking considerably more haggard than last time.
She watched me, something dark in her eyes.
“What can I do for you, Auntie?”
“I haven’t contacted Shen Zhuo since we spoke. You don’t need to worry.”
I sat and spoke politely.
A reasonable benefactor who’d given me ten million yuan was someone I had no need to antagonize.
After some hesitation, she finally said, “Could I ask you to see my son? He’s not doing very well.”
“Not very well?” I savored the words, then slowly shook my head. “Auntie, I understand that my family isn’t a match for his. I’d better keep my distance.”
With a faint smile, I declined her invitation.
But she caught my hand. She lost some of her composure and, under my gaze, finally lowered her head in humiliation. “He doesn’t want to go abroad. He’s tried to kill himself at home. Please go and see him. He’s my only son.”
“If he dies, his father’s illegitimate son will be brought into the family. Keep him stable for three years, and you can come work at Shen Group. I’ll give you one percent of the shares.”
An undisguised invitation into high society lay before me.
She was certain no one could refuse that temptation. I only shook my head gently. Just as disappointment appeared in her eyes, I said, “Take me to him.”
As I’d suspected, a boy with Shen Zhuo’s personality couldn’t have grown up in a loving home.
So the first person he fell in love with would be especially hard to forget.
He’d go to see them even with broken arms and legs.
I found him tied to a hospital bed by all four limbs. A carer sat beside him, helping him drink water.
An IV was attached to his left hand. His right leg was in a cast, his right hand bandaged, and there was even a lump on his forehead.
He looked as though he’d been through a desperate struggle.
The moment the door opened, he shouted, “Get out! I’m not marrying Zhao Mingzhu! I don’t want to see her!”
I looked at him restrained there and went over to untie him.
He quieted. Frowning, he avoided my eyes, unwilling to let me see him in such a state.
“You know I’m a liar. Why come see me?”
His voice was hoarse.
I stroked his hair as I always had. “I’m going to Qing University.”
“Congratulations. First in the province.” He turned his head away and buried it under the blanket. His voice was muffled. “Don’t you hate me for lying to you?”
He’d never fooled me. What was there to hate?
His mother was watching me from behind.
I gave my usual gentle, forgiving smile. “It’s all in the past.”
He lifted his head sharply, hope glimmering in his eyes.
I didn’t give him a chance to speak. I left the room.
Mrs. Shen stood beside me and offered another invitation. This time, the position was Shen Zhuo’s fiancée.
I looked at Zhao Mingzhu arriving at the hospital with flowers and fruit. Beside her stood my mother, staring at Mrs. Shen and me as though she’d seen a ghost. I smiled brightly.
“All right.”
A new deception began. This time, I was the one behind it.
His Side of the Story