Standing to the side, Su Nian finally couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. "Mr. Ma Rongde," she asked cautiously, "who exactly is Miss Wu Qingyi?" Ma Rongde looked at her apologetically and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Miss Su. That's not something I'm qualified to answer. If you wish to know, you'll have to ask Miss Wu yourself." Su Nian fell silent. With no further words exchanged, she followed Ma Rongde and the lawyer, walking beside her boss toward the regional director's office, her mind filled with questions she dared not voice aloud.
Inside the office, Ma Rongde placed a neatly arranged stack of documents on the desk and pushed them toward Fang Liyun. "Madam Wang," he said respectfully, "this is the share transfer agreement for twelve percent of Royal Meridian Mall. Please sign here to accept the shares under your name." Fang Liyun glanced down at the papers, her expression complicated. Still, under Ma Rongde's insistent gaze, she completed the required procedures - submitting her identification, signing where indicated, and finalizing the formalities. Once everything was done, she stood up with Su Nian, preparing to leave the office. "Madam Wang, please wait a moment." Ma Rongde's voice stopped them from leaving. He then turned toward Su Nian and spoke evenly, "Miss Su, you'll also need to complete a share transfer procedure."
Su Nian froze on the spot. "Me?" she blurted out in disbelief. "A share transfer? Why would I need that?" Ma Rongde replied matter-of-factly, as though stating something perfectly ordinary. "Miss Wu has instructed that three percent of Royal Meridian Mall's shares be transferred under your name as well." Su Nian's mind went completely blank. Three percent. Such an enormous windfall had dropped straight into her lap, so suddenly that she couldn't even process it. Instinctively, she shook her head. "No… no, I can't accept this. I don't deserve it."
Ma Rongde sighed, a trace of helplessness creeping into his voice. "Miss Su, this is Miss Wu Qingyi's order. I have no choice but to carry it out. Please don't put me in a difficult position by refusing." Su Nian looked helplessly toward Fang Liyun. Under her boss's reassuring gaze and with Ma Rongde's repeated insistence, she finally gave in. Still dazed, she sat down and completed the procedures, signing the documents with hands that hadn't quite stopped trembling, only then accepting the shares that would change her life overnight.
Once Fang Liyun and Su Nian completed all the share transfer procedures, they did not linger any longer. Then they headed straight to a high-end jewellery store within the mall to prepare gifts. After careful selection, Fang Liyun chose a lotus-shaped jade necklace, its craftsmanship exquisite and its meaning auspicious. The price alone reached twenty million, yet she purchased it without hesitation. Beside her, Su Nian selected a pair of pearl-and-diamond stud earrings, elegant and understated, priced at eight hundred thousand. In the past, such a purchase would have been far beyond Su Nian's means. However, recalling the ten million Wu Qingyi had transferred to her earlier, she no longer worried about spending.
Once the purchases were completed, the two women left the mall together and headed to the basement parking area. Su Nian unlocked her car, preparing to drive straight to Wang Lingxuan's residence, when her phone suddenly rang. She answered at once. The voice on the other end spoke in a low, urgent tone. "Secretary Wang Hao is currently in a remote residential area. I saw Young Master Wang there… and Aunt Qiao Fen as well. They are inside a small, single-room house." Su Nian's brows knitted together. "And the future young madam?" she asked. "She stepped out a while ago," the insider replied and continued "She doesn't seem to be inside the house at the moment."
Su Nian ended the call but did not start the car right away. She sat there in silence, her fingers still wrapped around the steering wheel, her brows knitted in quiet confusion. Fang Liyun noticed the change in her expression at once. "What happened?" she asked. Su Nian hesitated briefly before recounting everything she had just heard from her insider - Secretary Wang Hao's whereabouts, Young Master Wang's presence in a remote residential area, and Aunt Qiao Fen staying inside a small, single-room house. She also mentioned that the future young madam had stepped out and was nowhere to be seen.
Hearing this, even Fang Liyun fell into deep confusion. Why would everyone gather in such a rundown area instead of heading straight to the Civil Affairs Bureau? And more importantly… where had her future daughter-in-law gone? After a moment of hesitation, Su Nian voiced the doubt lingering in her heart. "Madam… could it be that the future young madam doesn't want to marry Young Master and… left on her own?" The moment those words left her mouth, Fang Liyun's expression darkened. Her lips curled into a cold scoff. "So, what if she left?" she said disdainfully. "Do you think my son is desperate for her? With the Wang family's status, I can find countless better brides for him. He can choose whoever he likes. It's not as if he's dying to marry that girl." She straightened her posture, her tone firm and decisive. "Let's go to that remote place first. I want to see exactly what's going on." Su Nian fell silent for a few seconds. Then, without another word, she started the engine and drove toward the location sent by her insider, the car disappearing into the flow of traffic as an unspoken tension settled between them.
Meanwhile, inside the single-room house, the air was frozen so cold as it seemed to seep into the bones. The chill had begun the moment the driver returned alone after dropping Wu Qingyi at the mall. Young Master Wang's gaze lifted slowly to the man standing before him. His expression remained composed, but beneath the calm exterior, his heart had already tightened. "Where is she?" he asked. The driver hesitated, then answered in a low voice, "Miss Wu Qingyi asked me to return first. She said she would come back on her own."
On her own… The words echoed mercilessly in Wang Lingxuan's mind.
So, she chose to leave him behind. A familiar bitterness rose in his chest, one he had thought he'd long grown used to. Ever since the accident, people had been leaving him quietly, politely, decisively. He had told himself that it no longer mattered. Yet now, for some reason, it hurt more than he expected.
Why would she stay?What reason does she have to choose someone like me?
The room fell into an unnatural silence. Even the sound of breathing felt too loud. Wang Lingxuan remained seated, his back straight, his hands resting loosely on his knees, betraying nothing. Only he knew how tightly his fingers had curled beneath his sleeves. From that moment on, an invisible pressure descended upon the room. It was as if everyone were treading on thin ice, each step taken with extreme caution, afraid that the surface might shatter at any second.
Wang Hao couldn't bear it any longer and was the first to break the suffocating silence. Carefully, he stepped forward and asked, "Young Master… should I arrange for someone to keep an eye on Young Madam? To check if she's still at the mall?" For a brief moment, Wang Lingxuan's heart wavered. He wanted to know. He wanted to be certain she hadn't left for good. He wanted reassurance, something he had never dared to ask for since the day his legs stopped responding to his will. But in the end, he forced himself to remain rational. If she truly wished to go, monitoring her would only make him look pitiful.
"No, if she wants to leave," he said quietly, "I can't stop her." He understood better than anyone, in his current state, no woman would willingly stay by his side. "Don't monitor her," he added, his voice was calm, almost indifferent.
I have no right.
The words he didn't say were heavier than the ones he spoke.
With my scarred face… my useless legs… what right do I have to hold her back?
Wang Hao immediately lowered his head. "Yes, Young Master."
Aunt Qiao Fen stood off to the side, worry etched deep into her features. She wanted to say something or anything but the oppressive silence pressed her lips shut. Outside, the bodyguards stood alert, their eyes sharp, but even they couldn't shake the uneasy feeling weighing heavily in the air. Now, Wang Hao, Aunt Qiao, and the guards shared the same unspoken prayer – That the future young madam would return soon… Because if she didn't… No one knew what kind of calamity would descend upon this fragile household.
Wang Lingxuan stared at the door unconsciously.
He told himself he wasn't waiting… He told himself he didn't care…
Yet deep in his heart, a quiet, fragile thought surfaced the one he didn't dare acknowledge aloud…
Come back…
Not as an order, neither as an expectation, but as a hope he was afraid to have….