"I... I've fallen for another woman. Her name is Shen Qi. Her sister Shen Yinyin was originally supposed to marry you. But on the wedding day, she took her sister's place, and I took yours—it was all a twist of fate..." He Yining's voice gradually grew steadier: "Later, I realized this woman fits the standards I've been looking for. I don't know why, but whenever I see her, there's this inexplicable sense of familiarity, like fate."
He Yiqi hadn't expected this either. He paused, then said, "But that girl has already flown over. Yining, why not meet her first? If you don't want to live the rest of your life with regrets."
He Yining gave a helpless smile: "I guess that's all I can do."
During the meal, He Yining was uncharacteristically quiet, not teasing or bickering with Shen Qi as usual. He sat there silently, lost in thought.
Shen Qi's ominous feeling grew stronger.
She sat quietly, asking nothing, saying nothing.
Was it because he had grown tired of her?
Or did he just see her as a pet, someone to amuse himself with occasionally?
A pet?
Like the two volcano rabbits she kept?
Right, he always liked calling her little rabbit.
It seemed she really was just a pet.
As a pet, she should know her place.
Asking nothing, saying nothing—that was the self-awareness of a pet.
She had survived in the Shen family all these years precisely by knowing her place.
So now, she should be self-aware and not make herself a nuisance.
After all, he had only said he liked her, never that he loved her.
Liking and loving were fundamentally different.
As Shen Qi sat there lost in her thoughts, He Yining across from her was equally conflicted.
Watching the quiet Shen Qi, He Yining's heart was tormented.
He admitted it—he was damnably drawn to her.
He wanted this woman, even for a lifetime.
But the beautiful dream from his childhood was also his Achilles' heel.
That year, she was five, he was eight.
He had been thrown into the deep mountains for wilderness survival training. When he was starving and barely alive, a little angel descended from nowhere, sharing her food and water with him.
Seeing his injuries, she clumsily plastered him all over with her band-aids.
When he woke up, the first thing he saw was the little angel's pure smile.
"Big brother, you're finally awake. Are you still hungry? I have more bread here." Her clear voice was like a heavenly melody: "You've been asleep for so long. Why are you sleeping here?"
"Little one, why are you here?" he asked with a smile, not revealing his identity.
"Because I live here." The little angel sat obediently beside him, looking up with a grin: "Dad brought me here for a vacation. See, my home is up on the mountain."
His eyes flickered. He had wandered out of the restricted zone.
"Who's your father?" Anyone who could live here wasn't ordinary.
"Everyone calls my dad Boss Lin." The little angel's eyes curved into crescents: "Will I be Little Boss Lin someday?"
Hearing such adorable childish words, he couldn't help but laugh out loud: "You will."
"Hmm, then why are you here, big brother? On vacation too?" The little angel tilted her head.
"I'll tell you someday." He couldn't resist reaching out to pat her head—so soft to the touch, such a delicate little doll.
"Then goodbye, big brother. I'll bring you food next time." The little angel scrambled to her feet and waved: "Be careful, big brother!"
He chuckled: "Alright, I'll wait for you here."
He Yining could have left; he had already passed the test.
But he refused the bodyguards who came to pick him up, inexplicably wanting to see the little angel again.
He waited a whole day, and she really came.
This time, she brought not only food and water but even more band-aids.
He Yining watched as her chubby little hands clumsily plastered him with band-aids. He didn't stop her ridiculous actions; instead, he found it endearing.
"Big brother, I asked the nanny for these band-aids. She said if you put them on, it won't hurt anymore." The little angel beamed: "I'll bring you even more tomorrow!"
So she thought band-aids were a cure-all.
What a cute little thing.
"Come on, tell big brother your name." He Yining pinched her cheek affectionately.
"I'm Lin Qi..." Before she could finish, urgent shouts came from afar: "Miss! Miss, where are you!"
The little angel's face changed. She quickly put a finger to her lips: "Shh, don't say anything! The nanny is looking for me! I'll tell you next time."
With that, she ran off.
When He Yining saw the little angel again, she was sitting on the ground, crying for a long, long time.
He looked at her in surprise, and she hugged him, sobbing heartbrokenly: "Big brother, my dad went to heaven. Does he not want me anymore?"
He Yining's heart ached inexplicably.
He cupped her face seriously and said, "How could that be? Your dad loves you the most! Look, didn't he send me to take his place and love you?"
"Really? Will you love me, big brother?" the little angel sniffled.
"Yes! How about this—grow up quickly, little one, and when you're grown, marry me, okay?" He Yining coaxed her with a smile: "When I grow up, I'll be really handsome. I won't want anyone else, just you, okay?"
"Big brother is already handsome now." The little angel's tears turned to laughter: "Then you can't lie to me! When I grow up, you have to marry me!"
"Alright." He Yining smiled faintly: "Come on, don't cry. Your dad in heaven doesn't like seeing you with a runny nose."
The little angel suddenly stood on tiptoe and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek: "Sealed with a kiss. No regrets."
He Yining was amused.
When she left, she waved at him: "Big brother, next time we meet, I'll tell you my name!"
But the little angel never showed up again.
He Yining waited at that spot for a whole month, but she never returned.
After he left, he searched everywhere for a local wealthy man named Lin, but found nothing.
Clearly, this Mr. Lin wasn't a local—just someone vacationing there.
Snapping back to the present, He Yining noticed Shen Qi had eaten very little today, looking preoccupied.
Just as he was about to ask, Shen Qi stood up on her own: "I'm full. I'll go back to the study to review my lessons."
With that, she fled before he could respond.
Shen Qi admitted she was a coward.
But she couldn't help it.
She was terrified of being abandoned.
She had been abandoned her whole life.
Her father's death, her brother's autism, her biological mother's rejection.
Even the first love who grew up with her was now gone forever.
The pain of being abandoned by the one you love most—it cut to the bone, beyond words.
That pain had become Shen Qi's deepest taboo.
She really couldn't bear to be abandoned again.
If abandonment was inevitable, she would rather flee first.
He Yining was about to go after her when the butler strode in and whispered, "Young master, a girl claiming to be Lin Xi has arrived. She says she's looking for someone."
Shen Qi, just a few steps away, froze.
The unease in her heart surged back, stronger than ever.
She clearly remembered Feng Manlun telling her that He Yining had always been searching for a childhood playmate.
Feng Manlun had also said that girl was the one He Yining had loved for over a decade.
So this Lin Xi...
Shen Qi dared not think further.
In that moment, she hated how clear her thoughts were.
Maybe it wasn't her?
But the next second, He Yining's answer shattered her hopes.
"Show her in. Have her wait for me in the reception room," he said calmly.
Shen Qi closed her eyes.
A dull ache spread through her entire body.
Had He Yining found this girl?
Why else would he have her wait in the reception room?
Had he never stopped searching for her?
Then what was she to him?
What did his "like" even mean?
Shen Qi, what do you do now?
You've lost your heart—can you ever get it back?
She quickened her pace, almost fleeing.
She wanted to be an ostrich, burying herself away, so she wouldn't have to face the terrible truth, so she wouldn't get hurt.
He Yining watched her retreating figure, his phoenix eyes darkening.
His own mind was in turmoil.
He thought he had forgotten the past, but with Lin Xi's arrival, he realized that memory had never left him.
The little angel was the only bright spot in his dark childhood.
Those days with her were the most vivid part of his grueling training.
Unforgettable, etched into his bones.
He Yining turned and walked toward the reception room.
He had to see if the woman his brother found was his little angel.
As soon as he entered, before he could get close, a petite figure rushed over, wrapped her arms around his waist, and called out sweetly, "Brother, I finally found you."
He Yining stiffened.
His first instinct wasn't to embrace her in joy, but to push her away!
He suppressed the revulsion and pulled the girl off.
She had a pretty face, a perfect figure, and flawless makeup.
"You're Lin Xi?" He Yining's phoenix eyes narrowed, unreadable.
Lin Xi looked at him with adoration: "After all these years, have you forgotten me, brother?"
He Yining said nothing.
Lin Xi continued, "But I've never forgotten you. I'm sorry—I didn't mean to leave without saying goodbye back then. There was a reason. Does the promise you made to take care of me for life still count?"
Shen Qi, who had come to deliver tea, happened to hear that last line from outside the door.