The last thing I heard was Shen Weilin’s calm, steady voice: "Ying, don’t be afraid."
The men dragged us into a rickety shack on the edge of the fields and threw me roughly to the ground, slamming the door. Darkness smothered the space no windows, no cracks, no escape.
Shen Weilin quickly shifted closer, his voice steady, though I could feel his pulse racing. "Are you hurt?"
I shook my head.
"Don’t be afraid," he said firmly, placing himself beside me, close enough that I could feel the heat of his arm. "My father will pay. They won’t harm us."
But my chest tightened. Fear for him, not myself, churned within me. Pressing my shoulder against his, I whispered, "Don’t worry, Young Master. I’m here. I’ll protect you."
Because he feared the dark I knew ever since he fell into a pit as a boy. So, in that stifling room, I filled the air with my voice, retelling old village legends about fox spirits, heroic hunters, and mischievous mountain ghosts.
To my surprise, he listened intently, as if each word anchored him in the suffocating dark.
Then, the door burst open. Two men entered, their faces half-hidden under shabby caps.
"You’re Shen Weilin, aren’t you?" one sneered. "Call your father. Tell him we don’t hurt people; we just want money."
Shen Weilin’s calm voice didn’t waver. "Then let her go. She’s only the housekeeper."
The men shifted attention toward me. My blood surged.
Before I could think, I jumped to my feet, placing myself squarely in front of him. Words spilled from me, sharp and desperate.
"I’m not just a housekeeper. I’m his… his girlfriend."
His voice lashed out immediately, sharp with disbelief. "Su Lanying." It was the first time he’d ever called me by my full name.
But I didn’t stop. I glared at the kidnappers through tears. "Don’t hurt him. If it’s ransom you want, my family’s rich too richer than the Shens. Take me instead. I’m just a girl, easier to control. Leave him alone."
The two men exchanged uncertain glances.
One muttered, "I thought he already had a fiancée? Zhao family’s eldest daughter? Never heard about a girlfriend"
And that moment, reckless, driven by a force I didn’t recognize I turned, seized him by the collar, and crushed my lips against his.
The contact froze us both.
His breath seared hot against mine. His lips, soft as cream mousse, trembled beneath the clumsy press of my own. My pulse thundered, roaring in my ears so loud I thought I would faint.
I pulled back, voice cracking. "Now you believe me? I’m the only one he loves. He’ll break the Zhao engagement soon enough. Don’t you dare anger the Zhao and Shen families both. Take me. Let him go."
The men faltered, caught in hesitation.
Beneath me, Shen Weilin’s hand suddenly found mine. His long, slender fingers curled around my palm, strong and warm.
And in my ear, that quiet, clean voice: "She’s right. So release her. Shen family will pay you double."
To this day, I still don’t know what part of my plea he meant. Was it the claim I was his love? Or only the practicality of saving me by barter?
The men left to argue outside. Silence returned.
And my fear tumbled over my shyness. Quickly, I whispered, "Turn around, I’ll untie you. Then you can escape and bring help."
He said nothing.
I assumed his silence meant consent.
Clumsy though I was with emotions, I was good with knots. Childhood games with Yan Ming had charmed me into becoming the bandit chief more times than I could count. My fingers worked with practiced ease. Rope loosened. Freed, he stretched his wrists.
I urged, "Go. If they see you gone, they’ll have me as proof. Give me something of yours to show them. You’ll fetch help quicker if they think you’re still tied."
Without hesitation, Shen Weilin slipped the pendant from around his neck. Carefully, solemnly, he fastened it around mine in the pitch dark.
"Keep it," he whispered. "Don’t lose it. It means a great deal."
He rose to leave.
Alone, I clutched the cool metal at my throat. My heart burned with the echo of his words: It means a great deal.
But when the kidnappers stormed back, finding only me, their rage erupted. They cursed, raised fists, drew closer only for shadows to burst through the doorway.
He had returned.
A stick in hand, blows flying, Shen Weilin hurled himself back into the dark room. Even now I cannot describe the wild relief that tore through me. In that instant, I knew if death waited in the black, if it was with him, I would go willingly.
Later, when the police arrived, we were rescued.
At the hospital, Madam Shen pressed her son to undergo exams at the best facility. He turned to me. "Come with me."
But I couldn’t.
The memory of that kiss burned too hot, seared too deep. My shame and longing collided, choking me into flight. In the chaos of people milling, I slipped away unseen.
I kept the pendant. I couldn’t let it go. For days, I touched it as though it bound him to me.
But when I finally dared to think of returning it, I made a discovery that shattered me.
Yan Ming had written a love letter.
And it wasn’t to me.
It was to Zhao Yulan.
The paper cut my soul like a blade. Rage, betrayal, grief. I tore it apart piece by piece until nothing but scraps rained at my feet.
When I next saw him, I nearly screamed, "How dare you? How dare you write that?"
My voice broke. "Miss Zhao is promised to Young Master Shen. They are perfect together. Don’t you see? You can’t, you can’t steal that away."
But in his eyes, raw pain gleamed.
Still, I refused to see it.
Yan Ming clutched his hair in anguish, his voice raw.
"But what if I....?"
I cut him off sharply, my desperation spilling into every word.
"Yan Ming, Zhao Yulan is a graduate of a prestigious university overseas. She grew up alongside Shen Weilin theirs is a bond nothing can break. The Shen and Zhao families have been close for generations. From appearance, to character, to intellect, don’t you see? They are perfect for one another."
My voice shook as I pressed on, crueler than I meant to be. "What would you give her? To sit by a river and fish? To follow you in backbreaking labor? Do you really think you can snatch the moon down from the heavens and offer it to her with bare hands?"
The fire in his eyes dimmed. The brightness that had sustained him for years sputtered and faded. His shoulders slumped.
After a long silence, he asked in a broken whisper, "Then tell me the truth. Do you still like me?"
Tears burned at the back of my eyes. I bit my lip, fists trembling. Finally, the truth cracked from me like glass shattering.
"Yes. I like you."
And then silence again.
Behind us, faint footsteps retreated. I whirled, heart splitting, but saw only a glimpse of a white sleeve vanishing around the corner.
Shen Weilin.
He had heard everything.
Chapter 05
*
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