Xue Guangli went home, lost in thought.

w.a.n.g Weimin didn"t intend to give her the stores because he wanted to own it?

Why?

w.a.n.g Weimin had called her 15 times, but she ignored it. Eventually, she turned off the ringer and didn"t bother answering.

She collaborated with her sisters on their new approach going about managing the stores until the night had fallen. Xue Guangli stayed behind to close the store when w.a.n.g Weimin appeared behind her suddenly.

She fisted a hand over her chest. "You startled me," she said, still shaken; her heart pounded.

"Why have you been ignoring my calls?" he asked, irritated.

Xue Guangli shrugged. "I"ve been busy," she said.

w.a.n.g Weimin nodded, he then encircled his arms around her, hugging tightly. Xue Guangli caught a strong whiff of alcohol exuding his body. She nearly retched.

She then backed away from him.

"Weimin," she said.

w.a.n.g Weimin let go of her, dropping his arms; his attention piqued.

"I need to ask you something," she continued.

w.a.n.g Weimin slowly lifted his eyes, looking at her, directly.

"What is it?" he asked her.

Xue Guangli swallowed, but she set her jaw and held up her chin high. "Did you intend to buy the stores?" she asked him forthright.

w.a.n.g Weimin knitted his brows. "Of course. I am planning to buy them for you," he said.

Xue Guangli smiled grimly. "But you were planning to buy it under YOUR name. All the a.s.sets and revenue would have gone to you, not me," she said, her voice rising.

w.a.n.g Weimin sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. "Well, we are getting married. I can invest in your company and keep it stable," he said.

Xue Guangli scoffed, brus.h.i.+ng a hand through the strands of her hair. "You don"t get it, w.a.n.g Weimin. The store has been in my family for generations. I can"t let you have it. It belongs to me," she retorted.

w.a.n.g Weimin looked confused. "Yes, I was going to do that so I can take care of it and you can stay at home and—"

He didn"t finish because Xue Guangli began to laugh darkly.

"w.a.n.g Weimin! I get to make that choice. If I wanted to stay home, I would. If I want to work, I will. Why can"t you understand that you shouldn"t make that decision for me!"

She then grabbed the prenuptial agreement from her desk and pushed it against him. "I didn"t sign it," she began. "Because there is nothing to sign. I"m breaking up with you," she finished.

Xue Guangli then began to take her things with her, including her purse. She would throw back the engagement ring at him, except he never bought one for her. When they got engaged, it was at the moment during a stroll.

She then said, "I need you to leave. I am locking the shop...unless you would like the police to come to the premises."

w.a.n.g Weimin scoffed. "Are you threatening me? You won"t make it far without me. You only wanted to marry me because I would have helped you and your sisters from debt. You"re not innocent, nor is your family. You"re a killer"s daughter," he spat.

Xue Guangli froze, clenching her fists.

What happened to him?

w.a.n.g Weimin used to be sweet and gentle with her. Or was it just a fabrication of fragments. She recalled her memories as hazy the last few years since her mother"s death. It took a toll on her.

"You"re right," she said confidently. "I"m not innocent. But I also thought that I liked you—loved you. But don"t forget Mr. w.a.n.g, that you expected me to heal you—save you from your misery because of what happened to your family. But I can"t do that, not while I"m healing, too," she said.

Xue Guangli"s expression and voice softened.

"Weimin. I think it"s best for both of us. We"re both broken, and we can"t glue the pieces onto each other while we"re falling apart."

w.a.n.g Weimin nodded, seeming to understand. He kept shaking his head. "You just want to be with him? Don"t you."

Xue Guangli knitted her brows. "What are you talking about?"

w.a.n.g Weimin was red with rage and embarra.s.sment.

"I see the way you look at him—He ruined my family!" he said.

"Are you talking about Long Huojin?" Xue Guangli laughed. "He has nothing to do with our relations.h.i.+p."

"You will crawl into his bed once you leave me, won"t you?"

Xue Guangli couldn"t believe what she was hearing. "Is this how it"s going to be? Are you gaslighting me just to avoid the fact that you can"t confront your own issues?"

"It"s not me, Guangli. Did Long Huojin offer you something better? More money?"

Xue Guangli gritted her teeth. "He hasn"t offered me anything. So don"t insult him or me," she said.

"So you have seen him?" he asked cruelly.

Xue Guangli sighed. "I won"t deny it. He"s been around me my entire life! But that doesn"t mean I am with him or going to be with him. He"s a friend."

"A friend!?" w.a.n.g Weimin scoffed, taking a step back. "He"s driven, Guangli. Motivated by pure self-interest, once he casts you out, you"ll be alone. And you"ll need me after; I"ll wait until you fall, and your sisters will pay, too."

Xue Guangli clenched her hands. "Is that a threat? You can do anything to me," she began and approached him carefully. "But stay the f.u.c.k away from my sisters."

w.a.n.g Weimin straightened, his expression arose with cold anger. He then walked pa.s.sed her, brus.h.i.+ng her aside harshly.

After he left, Xue Guangli slumped to the ground; she felt horrible. She didn"t intend for their argument to happen, and yet, it left her with shame. She was ashamed of herself.

She loved him, but in the end, she was going to marry him for money but not because she was a conniving Letcher. But because she was desperate. She would do anything for her family; she would have gladly sold herself. But what w.a.n.g Weimin wanted would have left her sisters nothing. Then what was the point?

She did like him. He was kind to her, for the most part. But now, but now... It wasn"t the same; the air between them s.h.i.+fted to hostility. She may have used him, but he had used her, too, for the healing she couldn"t give him.

After locking up the store, Xue Guangli began to walk home.

It was dark outside, nearly pitch black. Only the faint streetlights illuminated. Xue Guangli realized that she kept walking, her legs grew heavier; she grew wearier. She slumped on the sidewalk to her knees.

It was raining hard, pouring. And she felt herself getting sick.

She drenched from head to toe; her hair plastered on her face.

She took her phone wanting to call Xue Teegan, but she was afraid to freak out her sisters, and more so, she didn"t want to face them. She was ashamed; she felt like a horrible person.

w.a.n.g Weimin was right. She wasn"t innocent. She was quite the opposite.

Xue Guangli felt helpless, and she didn"t feel like getting up; it was all too much.

She then dialled a number.

"h.e.l.lo?" a deep voice answered.

Xue Guangli didn"t say anything, but she began to cry.

Long Huojin didn"t hang up the call. He stayed on the line with her, and within ten minutes, Xue Guangli saw the bright flash of a car through the pouring rain.

A man had stepped from the car in his well-pressed suit, now soaked. His black hair also plastered against his face.

"Xue Li," he called out to her worryingly.

Xue Guangli didn"t say anything, but in her delirious state, she began to fly. But she wasn"t flying; someone was carrying her.

The next thing she remembered was that it wasn"t raining anymore—or she wasn"t getting wet, because she still heard the hard patter of rain from outside. She felt a blanket envelop around her.

The same sweet-smokey voice she remembered from her childhood, from all her life, saying: Drive quickly!

But she fell asleep in someone"s arms; she remembered that it felt warm.