After Ling Shen returned to the public eye and snatched the precarious Ling Group back from outsiders, he began searching for the little girl from back then.
But from the age of eighteen to twenty-one, for a full three years, Ling Shen still couldn't find the little girl.
That day, I met Chitose in the park and saw her telling fortunes among the crowd.
Every gesture, every smile, and even the beauty mark under her left eye—all of it matched the little girl in my memory.
He had always thought he had found the little girl, but now Chitose was telling him that she was not the girl he remembered.
His mood plummeted.
Qian Sui was focused on eating Tianping, and the wine Ling Shen brought her tasted better than before. As she was drinking, she inadvertently looked up and saw Ling Shen's eyes.
The thousand-year-old's hand paused slightly.
She put down the pastries, sat up straight, looked at Ling Shen, and asked, "Are you unhappy because I'm not the person you're looking for?"
The thousand-year-old has always retained the innocence of a child, so the questions he asks, though seemingly simple, often strike the deepest chords.
Ling Shen felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart, experiencing a dull ache.
He tried to laugh casually as usual, but his aching heart told him that he couldn't pretend to be indifferent.
His smile carried a hint of bitterness.
He shook his head and said, "No."
Qian Sui saw the bitterness in his eyes. Although he tried to pretend not to care, Qian Sui still noticed.
Chisui encountered many animals on the mountain, and the eyes of those animals all expressed different meanings. As Chisui observed more, he gradually came to understand the meaning of those eyes.
But the look in Ling Shen's eyes now doesn't convey the fact that everything is alright, as he claims.
Qian Sui suddenly remembered all the care Ling Shen had given her.
Everyone says that the real Ling Shen is cold-blooded and ruthless, even somewhat morbid, but the Ling Shen that Qian Sui saw was very easy to get along with, always smiling at her when she was given delicious food.
Moreover, Lu Jiayan was always around her at school.
Although Lu Jiayan said he wanted to visit her, Qian Sui believed him at first. However, later she saw her older brother Qian Ci's assistant. Without her brother's instructions, he wouldn't do anything else during work hours.
So Lu Jiayan's constant visits to her must be Ling Shen's doing.
She had always thought that Ling Shen treated her differently because he considered her a friend.
But now it seems that's not the case.
Ling Shen was kind to her because he mistook her for someone else.
These good things were given by Ling Shen to someone else.
Chitose suddenly felt a sense of guilt, as if she had taken something that did not belong to her.
Qian Sui lowered her head, like a child who had made a mistake, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, and said, "I'm sorry."
Qian Sui's soft "I'm sorry" made Ling Shen's heart skip a beat.
Chisui was like a child who had made a mistake. She didn't dare to eat the fruit wine and dessert that she had liked earlier. She just sat on the sofa like a frightened little animal.
Ling Shen was indeed slightly disappointed just now because Qian Sui said that she was not the little girl in his memory.
But seeing Chitose like this now, I feel inexplicably sorry for her.
Ling Shen relaxed his tense body and composed himself, giving Qian Sui his usual smile.
Ling Shen said, "You don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."
Upon hearing this, Qian Sui gently raised her eyes to look at Ling Shen, but her gaze was no longer as lively as before. Like a frightened fawn, her eyes always carried a timid meaning.
Qian Sui's eyes conveyed one thing: she was now somewhat afraid to face Ling Shen.
Ling Shen: "Although I can't be sure if you are the person I think you are, I am sure that a large part of my kindness to you comes from the feelings you bring me. Because of your existence, I feel very happy, so I try my best to be good to you."
Your existence makes me very happy.
Upon hearing these words, Qian Sui's previously dejected eyes regained some brightness.
Qian Sui looked at Ling Shen: "Really?"
Ling Shen nodded firmly: "Yes, I admit that part of the reason I'm good to you is because I think you are the person I envision, but a large part of it is because your very existence brings me joy."
This statement eased Chisei's unhappiness.
Qian Sui wasn't one to hold grudges, nor was she particularly cunning. Since Ling Shen said so, she believed him and continued eating happily.
Seeing that Qian Sui was no longer frustrated, Ling Shen felt a little relieved.
As Qian Sui was eating, Ling Shen's phone rang. Ling Shen glanced down and saw it was his father calling. He looked at Qian Sui and then said to Lu Jiayan, "I'm going out for a bit. Keep an eye on things."
Lu Jiayan nodded, indicating that he understood.
Ling Shen stood up and said to Qian Sui, "I'm going out to take a call. You stay here and behave yourself."
Qian Sui's mouth was stuffed full, and his cheeks were bulging like a hamster's. Hearing Ling Shen's words, he nodded repeatedly.
Ling Shen walked out, leaving only Lu Jiayan and Qian Sui in the room.
Qian Sui and Lu Jiayan are old acquaintances. When Ling Shen was around, Lu Jiayan didn't dare to act rashly, but now that Ling Shen is gone, Lu Jiayan is much more carefree.
He walked up to Qian Sui and said, "You look very beautiful today."
Qian Sui considered Lu Jiayan a friend, and upon hearing his praise, she happily showed off her clothes, her tone carrying a hint of pride: "These clothes were bought for me by my second brother."
Lu Jiayan knew that Qian Sui's second brother was the teacher Qian Hao, who was known as the most popular person in the school. Lu Jiayan recalled the few times he had met Qian Hao, and in his memory, Qian Hao did have very good taste.
Chisui always went without makeup and dressed very simply at school, but even that appearance was enough to earn her the title of school beauty, so imagine how Chisui looks now with makeup on.
As Ling Shen's assistant, Lu Jiayan didn't actually know about the girl deep in Ling Shen's memory. At first, when Ling Shen asked Lu Jiayan to investigate Qian Sui, Lu Jiayan thought that Ling Shen was only interested in Qian Sui's beauty.
He also said that his son, Mr. Ling, who only has his career in mind and doesn't look like a teenager in his early twenties at all, has finally come to his senses.
Just now, as Lu Jiayan stood by the door, he vaguely overheard Ling Shen and Qian Sui's conversation. Only then did Lu Jiayan realize that Ling Shen was so attentive to Qian Sui because he thought she was the girl from the depths of his memory.
For someone as cold-hearted as Ling Shen to remember a little girl he met in his childhood for so long, it's clear that something very important must have happened back then.
That incident continues to have an impact to this day.
As for what happened at that time, only Ling Shen himself and the little girl probably know.
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