Xie Zhang's eyes widened in disbelief, "No way, boss, you can't be expecting me to walk back, can you? I can't take a taxi, I have mysophobia! I…"
Before he could finish his sentence, the Maybach had already vanished into the thin mist of rain.
Xie Zhang stood rooted to the spot, wracking his brain but unable to comprehend the temper this ancestor had just shown on returning to the country.
Bian Yue went to the Mazu Temple to offer incense and kneel in prayer, but after a long time, she still wasn't sure what to pray for and ended up taking a long walk alone by the seaside until dusk fell.
Hong Kong Island is hilly, and the Li Family's ancestral home is built on a mountain in the Central and Western District, where land is gold; overlooking the undulating coastline and the patchy lights of Hong Kong Island.
By the time Bian Yue got home, the sky had completely darkened.
Li Sihe was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his back to her.
He was wearing a simple white shirt tonight, just like the first time Bian Yue saw him at the age of 16.
But now, he had a maturity and rigor that the young him did not possess, with his sleeves fastened by armbands, and the glow of his wristwatch cold. The light coated him in a layer of gentle luminescence, a very faint color.
Others, seeing him for the first time, might think Li Sihe is a refined gentleman, but only Bian Yue could discern his indifferent rationality beneath the veneer of gentleness.
Bian Yue's eyes felt inexplicably sore, and she sat down on the nearby sofa.
Li Sihe still had his back to Bian Yue when he spoke, his gentle voice unable to hide the coldness, "Did you go see Shi An'an?"
"Yeah, and what about it? She's the first one to make a scene in front of me. What, do you love her so much that you've emboldened her like this?" Bian Yue laughed coldly, and seeing that Li Sihe didn't respond, she gazed at his back.
"Li Sihe, let me kindly remind you, visiting her was doing you a favor. The Li Family can't afford to lose face, and I don't want to see your scandal on Gang City's front page!"
Li Sihe was not angry, his voice flat and mild, "Shi An'an is the new jewelry spokesperson for Fengcheng Group. During the jewelry release period, I hope you won't have conflicts with her."
Bian Yue raised an eyebrow, her eyes filling with irony, "When did you, Li Sihe, start caring about the profits from a few seasonal luxury jewelry collections? If you really care about the money, I'll give it to you. Just call Shi An'an over here, let me scold her and vent my anger!"
"Enough!" Li Sihe seemed to have reached his limit, his tone abruptly colder as he turned around.
He looked at Bian Yue, and once again in the desolate light, he spoke with an executioner's gentleness, a colder force: "I never thought Shi An'an would go to you. She's naïve; I apologize to you on her behalf."
Bian Yue laughed in her rage, "You apologize for her? Are you two playing the tragedy-stricken lovers, and I'm the one beating the mandarin ducks?"
The response was dead silence.
As Bian Yue laughed her tears started falling.
"When did it start?" Her hands trembling, she wiped away the tears on her face, her eyes thoroughly red, she asked softly, "Li Sihe, when did you stop loving me?"
"Is it still meaningful to pursue these questions now?" Li Sihe's gaze lowered, a brief silence, then he spoke in a low voice, "Yes, I've changed. Bian Yue, that's why I hope we can end our engagement here."
He finally spoke those words.
Bian Yue thought her face must look awful, like an unclaimed body that had been soaking in the open sea for many days.
They were clearly so familiar with each other, yet looking at him, Bian Yue felt his features starting to become vague and abstract.
"You want to break off our engagement? Fine! You can!" Bian Yue's mouth twisted into a semblance of a smile, her voice quivering, "But I want my inheritance!"
Bian Yue was a minor when she was adopted, and the Bian Family's inheritance had been deposited in a Swiss Bank account, jointly named after the Li Family and Bian Yue, where it was managed long-term, with just the annual interest amounting to astronomical figures.
In the past, it didn't matter where the money was deposited given Bian Yue's engagement to Li Sihe.
But now, this engagement is going to be broken.
"Li Sihe, I am 22, not 3. You shouldn't even dream of touching the Bian Family's money!"
Li Sihe looked at Bian Yue calmly, as if tolerating an ignorant child.
He said, "You also know that without your signature, no one in the Li Family has the authority to use that money, so rest assured, no one will touch your money."
His manner of slowly explaining was more persuasive than the most seasoned teacher explaining a question. Bian Yue really wanted to find an opening in a middle school for him, to let him teach students.
Li Sihe, as if unable to see her fury, continued, "I will have a fake marriage with you. Once you receive your money, we will then announce our divorce."
Bian Yue slammed her hand down on the armrest of the sofa, causing a noise.
"I am the great Miss Bian; the rich young masters pursuing me line up from Tunmen to Victoria Harbor. There are plenty who would die a thousand times over for me! I don't need one less!"
Bian Yue's eyes were as red as a ghost's, but her words were tough as she said each word distinctly, "Li Sihe, what right do you have to ask me to have a fake marriage with you!"
"Bian Yue," he called her name, so rationally, "I see you as the most important person. No matter what, I don't want you to hate me."
After saying this, Bian Yue felt utterly disappointed. She stood up resolutely and hurried upstairs.
In less than a quarter of an hour, she came downstairs pulling a large suitcase.
Li Sihe was still seated, motionless, his gaze falling on the suitcase at her feet, kindly offered: "It looks heavy, let me have someone carry it for you."
There was no attempt to retain her. Perhaps he had long wished for this, day by day praying to God that she would roll out of his life, making room for his numerous admirers.
"Thank you, Mr. Li, no need!"
Bian Yue's lips turned white, her grip tightened on the suitcase handle, "Rest assured, as soon as I retrieve my inheritance, I will announce our engagement is broken. We can part on good terms!"
Li Sihe nodded, his indifferent words spoken gently, "Then I won't see you off."
As expected.
Bian Yue's heart was cold and turned to ashes. She sneered, the sourness in her eyes welling up again, yet she stood tall with a straight back, striding outside.
She didn't realize Li Sihe was watching her.
The open door let the wind rush in, carrying the chill of the night, and it ruffled Bian Yue's hair.
She left with no regrets, not in a sorry state, but rather heroically.
Li Sihe's gaze was focused, and only when Bian Yue had gone far, did he retract his gaze, and in a calm, indifferent voice, instructed the butler to close the door.
The butler, still gazing outside, looked up to see the downpour.
"Young master..." The butler couldn't bear it and hesitated, "In such heavy rain, the miss will get soaked and sick."
Li Sihe's forehead showed faint creases, his gaze lowered as if in thought, his demeanor unchanged, his expression relaxed, he said quietly, "She won't let herself be wronged. If she is, she knows how to come back."
The butler, hearing this, felt it was a bit too cold.
But Li Sihe truly understood Bian Yue; she was not the type to let herself be wronged.
Miss Wen Jiao drove her sports car, taking Bian Yue for a ride in the rain, "Have you lost your mind?! Going out alone with luggage in the rain! Do you think you can gain any advantage by clashing head-on with Li Sihe?"