Chapter 1
"don't want."
When Sheng Baiyan looked at her with a frosty expression and coldly said those words, Su Jin knew that everything was over.
His worst fears came true.
Su Jin was arranged to marry Sheng Baiyan in place of Su Yiran.
He was an illegitimate child born to a collateral branch of the Su family. His mother died suddenly due to overwork in junior high school, and he and his younger sister depended on each other for survival.
He relied on his mother's savings and his daily part-time jobs to get into a prestigious university with excellent grades. He should have been able to enjoy the fruits of his labor, but his younger sister was diagnosed with leukemia when he was a sophomore.
Even with a large amount of donations raised, it still couldn't fill the bottomless pit of medical expenses.
Left with no other choice, even though Su Jin ranked first in her major, she ultimately chose to drop out of school.
He worked with an upperclassman to make student uniforms; the upperclassman wrote code and built websites, while he was responsible for promotion and sales.
Knowing about Su Jin's difficulties, the school recommended them as role models for college student entrepreneurship, and introduced their projects at the alumni exchange ceremony—hoping to secure orders if anyone was interested.
Su Jin was in terrible condition at the time. He had a severe cold and a drug allergy, and his face was covered with countless red rashes. Wearing a mask, he looked extremely ugly.
It was in that disheveled state that he first met Sheng Baiyan.
Tall and slender, with an indifferent expression.
He sat in the audience, his trouser seams as straight as violin strings, toying with a quicksand bottle in his hand.
The sky was dark that day, but a sliver of light peeked through the clouds and shone on his shoulder.
With deep-set eyes and a high nose bridge, he seemed to be a statue of a deity brought to life in a temple, gentle yet aloof.
Later, Su Jin learned that Sheng Baiyan liked to use the quicksand bottle because he usually left no more than 30 seconds for others to speak.
That's used for keeping track of time.
Su Jin often carried a copy of Heidegger's "Being and Time" with him—because his sister was chronically ill, and the futile struggle against the shadow of death was extremely exhausting, while philosophy provided a sanctuary for his soul.
After their speech that day, the audience was full of disinterested entrepreneurs. After all, the student formal wear market was small, and most of them did not take this business seriously.
When it came to Sheng Baiyan, he glanced at the book in Su Jin's hand and raised an eyebrow slightly, "The translation of your book is excellent; you can't find it on the market anymore."
The man handed the quicksand bottle to his secretary, and Su Jin quickly gave the book to her.
"If Mr. Sheng likes it, if he does," Su Jin handed the book to him, her tongue almost tied in knots, "it's for you."
Sheng Baiyan smiled, his expression softening the coldness in his eyes, like a thin mist swirling around a frosty sky and the dawn moon.
He said, "Your eyes are beautiful, like Black Olaf."
After the exchange meeting, they indeed received investment from Sheng's Group—this was a godsend, allowing Su Jin to continue her sister's second phase of treatment.
He wanted to thank Sheng Baiyan, but he never had the chance again—when they first met, he was covered in red rashes and wearing a mask, so the other man didn't even remember his face.
Unfortunately, the company later faced increasingly fierce competition and the rise of giants, whose profits gradually thinned, and ultimately it could not continue operating after three years.
Su Jin was once again under immense financial pressure. It was during an economic downturn, and many college graduates were unable to find jobs, especially since he had not yet obtained a formal diploma.
He worked three jobs but still couldn't make ends meet.
That day was my eight-year-old sister's birthday. Because of her illness, she had lost weight and weighed only about 30 pounds. The boy in the next ward was eating a strawberry cheesecake, while her gift was an egg.
The strawberries were as red as rubies, with an alluring color under the light.
"That stuff is too sweet and unhealthy," the younger sister said softly after staring at the cake for half an hour. "Luckily, I don't like it."
Su Jin was busy washing her feet at the time and didn't pay much attention, thinking that her younger sister was really sensible.
When he returned with the water, he found his sister had picked up the cake tray from the floor and was squatting in the corner of the bed, secretly smelling it.
Su Jin suddenly felt a sharp, agonizing pain.
With so many expenses in life, there's not even room for a small cake.
He rushed off to buy a strawberry cake, but on the way his car grazed it, turning the cake into a pile of rubble.
Su Jin knelt on the ground in vain, trying to gather up the debris, but was pulled up by someone.
That person came to him to make a deal.
The deal was simple: Su Yiran, the young master of the Su family, eloped with a musician, and Su Jin would marry him in his place.
This kind of family marriage involves too much financing and industrial acquisition assets, and they cannot tolerate the consequences of Su Yiran leaving.
Su Jin was someone who had long been forgotten by the Su family, but for this reason, they found her.
Without much hesitation, Su Jin agreed.
The scene I witnessed with Sheng Baiyan was merely an unintentional reflection of the moon on the water's surface.
It's like a fleeting dream, something I can't indulge in.
The person who came to pick him up raised an eyebrow and nodded in satisfaction, but a hint of contempt flickered in his eyes.
Su Jin didn't take it to heart.
He was willing to do anything to save Su Yan.
He received about six months of training, covering background knowledge, walking and lying down, facial expressions and tone of voice.
The feeling of slowly scraping away at one's soul is not pleasant; Su Jin felt like she was wearing a painted mask, but the Su family was very satisfied.
“Aside from blood type, no one can tell you apart from Aran. From now on, all your examinations must be done at Su’s private hospital. We will naturally cover for you.”
Su Ruhai, the head of the Su family, was very satisfied.
"You can meet with them tomorrow."
For some unknown reason, Su Ruhai refused to tell Su Jin who the other person was.
The restaurant where we met was decorated in a French style, with red roses spreading like fire without wind in every corner of the restaurant.
When the man appeared in front of Su Jin, she couldn't control herself and stood up abruptly, almost knocking over the water glass in front of her.
A chance encounter can be a wonderful start, if not for being under someone else's identity.
My heart felt constricted by the overgrown vines, and even breathing became difficult.
What? It's Sheng Baiyan.
Su Jin couldn't remember the details of that day; he kept talking and barely ate anything.
The conversation started with the patterns on plates, then moved on to decorative paintings in art history, and finally to Schrödinger's theory, starting with the complexity of patterns.
Because he knew that as soon as he stopped, the pain would spread.
——
Sheng Baiyan treated him extremely well, a stark contrast to his harsh and strict treatment of his subordinates.
The man valued one thing the most. There was a veteran who had worked with him since the early days of the company. Because he concealed something in his business dealings, the man kicked him out of the company.
"I cannot tolerate deception and betrayal."
Sheng Baiyan took off his glasses, his gaze as cold and sharp as inorganic glass.
"No matter who it is."
Su Jin nodded, clenching her hands tightly.
But Sheng Baiyan's preferential treatment quickly made him forget about the matter.
When we go on a date, I always open the car door for him. It's a chilly autumn day, and the seats are even preheated.
When we eat together, I will pull out a chair for him first.
When he learned that Su Jin had a stomach problem, he personally cooked soup and delivered it to her every day during the busiest noon.
Su Jin resisted the centripetal force of the stars, telling herself every day that she should not be greedy for the warmth she had borrowed.
He can lose his dignity, but he cannot lose his heart.
But on that birthday that no one knew about, Sheng Baiyan took him to an auction, where Su Jin saw a ring, and the sharp edges of the ruby accidentally scratched his heart.
That was the only piece of jewelry her father ever gave to her mother. Later, because her younger sister fell ill, he had no choice but to sell it.
Strangely enough, several people took a liking to the ring that day, but Su Jin only looked at it for a few seconds and didn't even ask for it, yet Sheng Baiyan paid ten times the price to buy it.
I got back very late that day.
The moon is like a pearl quietly rolling out of a seashell, its luster carrying a gentle, unseen glow.
Su Jin and Sheng Baiyan drank alcohol for the first time during their meal.
"You always seem unhappy."
Sheng Baiyan's eyes were filled with a glint of light, like a wishing coin that could not be retrieved from the bottom of a deep lake.
"In ancient times, King You of Zhou played with the feudal lords by lighting the beacon fires for Bao Si. How can I make you smile?"
The alcohol loosened the tension, and Su Jin said with a grin, "Kiss me."
He said, "I will be happy as long as you kiss me."
That day, Su Jin crossed the line and broke the rules she had set for herself.
Sheng Baiyan's absinthe tasted like a blue whale in the deep sea, sweeping him into a raging storm.
The cool fragrance of white plum blossoms permeated the bones of both of them.
After that chaotic incident, Su Jin began to deliberately distance herself from Sheng Baiyan.
He just didn't expect that the medicine wouldn't work.
Three days later, Sheng Baiyan appeared before him, having somehow received some news.
The man wore silver-rimmed glasses, his lotus-shaped eyes held a cool, aloof angle, and even the light seemed to freeze.
He said, "No."
Su Jin's mind went blank, as if a string had snapped, and a deafening buzzing sound filled the air.
"Baiyan." His vision blurred, and he tried to explain, "Listen to me, I didn't mean to hide it from you."
“Su Yiran—oh, no, Su Jin.”
Sheng Baiyan suddenly smiled, his eyes seeming to hold the fangs of a venomous snake.
"Five million? Do you think you didn't sell it for enough?"
As if cursed, it turned into an ice statue, and then was suddenly struck.
Cracks appear inch by inch.
A sharp whistle rang in Su Jin's ears. By the time he came to his senses, Sheng Baiyan had thrown down a black card, slammed the door shut, and left.
He looked at the card and felt as if his heart had been slammed to the ground.
Using five million to buy a life—how cruel Sheng Baiyan is.
It's better to leave.
Su Jin packed all her things into her suitcase and sent a message to Sheng Baiyan before leaving with her luggage.
"Thank you for the gift, Mr. Sheng." He felt a surge of resentment and pain in his chest, and his hands were still trembling as he typed. "I will send you an invitation when the banquet is held."
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