But Lu Zhaokun's expression quickly returned to normal.
He withdrew his hand and looked at the girl in front of him: "...Why?"
Jiang Nian also looked at him.
Upon opening their eyes, they were told that they had lost their memories of the past year.
The tattoo on his back that had been erased by branding, the new phone number, and the lost contacts; Jiang Ren's restrained silence when facing her.
All of this convinced her that her father was hiding something from her.
Staying by his side is tantamount to staying under his control.
She wanted to find out the truth on her own, or recover her lost memories, and the first step was to stay away from him.
“I am an adult now, and I am capable of taking care of and protecting myself. I can live alone.”
Jiang Nian took a long time to speak.
Lu Zhaokun's expression remained unchanged.
I reached for my cigarettes, only to remember that I had already asked someone to throw them all away.
It was probably a withdrawal reaction; my heart stung a little, but my face remained expressionless.
"Do you know how many people outside want to find out the true identity and whereabouts of the hidden successor?"
“You’ve been teaching me how to kill and how to protect myself since I was eight years old,” Jiang Nian said, looking at him.
“If I am outside, my identity can be easily discovered or I can be killed, then I am not worthy to be the successor of the God of Disappearance.”
Immediately afterwards, Lu Zhaokun looked at her and said in a low voice.
"What if I said I wanted you to stay with me?"
Jiang Nian paused for a moment, somewhat surprised.
In her memory, her father would never say such a thing.
"Father, are you saying you can't bear to part with me?"
"Um."
He gave a faint reply.
To Jiang Nian's surprise, the man in front of her actually admitted it.
Lu Zhaokun said, "I'm getting old and don't want to be an empty nester."
"..."
Jiang Nian's heart, which had inexplicably been racing just moments before, immediately calmed down.
“My father is only thirty-seven years old this year, so he can be considered the youngest.”
"And with so many servants at home, there's never an empty nest."
"……Too."
Lu Zhaokun twitched the corners of his mouth, but there was no smile in his eyes.
Only a faint self-deprecating smile.
Jiang Nian didn't think that much about it.
"So, do you agree?"
“Hmm,” Lu Zhaokun raised his eyes, his face calm, “Since it’s what you want to do, then do it.”
"Go wash your hands and eat. I found a few Chinese chefs today, and they're all making Chinese food. Try it."
Jiang Nian then noticed that the dishes on the table today were not Western-style as they were in the mornings and before.
They were all Chinese home-style dishes, and all of them were her favorites.
"good."
*
Night fell.
Lu Zhaokun sat in his wheelchair, looking out the window at the floor-to-ceiling windows in the room.
The room was dimly lit, with the aroma of sandalwood wafting through the air. The heavy, intricately layered dark curtains fluttered occasionally in the breeze that drifted in through the window cracks.
Lu Zhaokun's most loyal subordinate, Chen Ji, carrying a glass of water and a few pills, carefully knocked on the door and entered.
"Sir, it's time to take your medicine."
Lu Zhaokun turned his head.
He had no expression.
He simply took the pills of varying sizes, put them in his mouth, and swallowed them with water.
Chen Ji hesitated for a moment.
"Sir, are you really going to make Miss move out? You went through so much trouble to get her back by your side."
"Your health... If I told you that you were sick, I think you would be willing to stay home and keep you company."
"Even if Miss recalls things from the past, as long as you tell her the truth behind those events, I believe she will try to understand you..."
"No need."
Lu Zhaokun coldly uttered three words, interrupting him.
What if there's more to the truth?
The fact is, he killed her friend without consulting her. What she resented and couldn't accept was not only her friend's death, but also his cruelty and cold-bloodedness.
Whatever you say won't make a difference in the outcome.
As for his illness.
It's nothing more than giving him a more justifiable excuse for his selfishness and possessiveness. It allows him to comfortably use such despicable means to keep her by his side.
But how could he not understand the girl he raised with his own hands?
She was never one to willingly be a caged canary.
The result of confining her in a meticulously crafted cage will only make her want to break free and escape.
"Then, should we send someone to watch over Miss afterwards?" Chen Ji asked.
“Have someone protect her safety,” Lu Zhaokun sighed heavily.
"Apart from that, whatever she does, don't interfere with her."
"……yes."
*
Jiang Nian spent several days finding a detached small apartment building.
This apartment building is not far from Hughes School, nor is it far from the headquarters of the Hidden Ones.
The area isn't very large, and there's even only one room, but the decor and environment are very comfortable. The living room has a soft sofa, and the courtyard even has a small garden.
In fact, if she wanted, she could always find a better place to stay.
But Jiang Nian didn't want her place to have anything to do with Shen Yin or Lu Zhaokun.
So she found the apartment herself and didn't use the money Lu Zhaokun transferred to her account; she couldn't even count how many digits the total amount was.
In the past few days, Joey and her relationship has progressed rapidly.
Apart from Annie, Jiang Nian has never been this close to anyone in all these years.
Joey was an unexpected turn of events.
Born into a prominent family, she possesses none of the spoiled arrogance often associated with wealthy heiresses. She is quirky, innocent, and adorable; one might enjoy being pampered by her, but it never becomes annoying.
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