Chapter 3: The Escape

That evening, He Shiyan’s phone kept lighting up.

Wen Wanting had added him back on WeChat and was bombarding him with nostalgic messages.

“Do you still remember the road we used to walk together?”

She even sent him the song If Only Back Then.

He Shiyan stepped out of the bathroom and found me in the middle of my little murder investigation. He merely tossed his phone aside and leaned down to kiss me.

“What was college like for you?”

I pressed my lips against his, stopping him.

“Hm?”

“I never went to college. Just curious.”

“Next time, I’ll take you and let you experience it for yourself.”

He smiled suggestively.

And that so-called “experience” lasted until midnight.

That bastard.

…

The next day, I went into the study to look for something and accidentally spotted a ring box inside a cabinet.

His engagement ceremony was tomorrow.

I quietly opened it.

Inside was a stunning diamond ring—the exact one I’d once spent ages admiring through a jewelry store window.

I slipped it onto my finger. It fit perfectly.

It was so beautiful I couldn’t bear to take it off.

Too bad…

It wasn’t mine.

There was nothing in this house I couldn’t take with me.

Except that ring.

He Shiyan attended his university’s anniversary celebration as an outstanding alumnus. I secretly went along, wearing a mask and sitting in the very last row.

Watching him onstage—cold, dignified, radiating effortless authority—I couldn’t help thinking about those same hands, which had been gripping my waist just that morning.

Right then, the host announced:

“Please welcome Wen Wanting, the former campus beauty!”

She stepped onto the stage, gentle and pristine as a white lotus.

“This time, I came back… to rekindle an old love.”

The auditorium erupted in applause.

During the Q&A, a female student boldly raised her hand.

“President He, are you engaged yet?”

He Shiyan held the microphone, his voice calm and measured.

“For now, she isn’t my fiancée.”

My heart gave a little tremor.

But then the corners of his lips curved.

“However, I’m preparing to propose. If nothing unexpected happens, it should become official in a few days.”

The entire auditorium exploded.

I clenched my hands, my mind filled with the diamond ring in that cabinet.

It really was beautiful.

Beautiful enough to make me furious.

After the speech, reporters swarmed around the two of them.

Wen Wanting’s face glowed with happiness. He Shiyan, meanwhile, stood beside her with his usual icy composure, his shirt sleeves rolled up in a way that was unfairly attractive.

I shook my head and got to my feet.

All right. Stop thinking about it.

Tomorrow, he would be someone else’s fiancé.

Whatever this relationship was, it was time for it to end.

…

“Excuse me… do you have WeChat?”

The male student sitting beside me blushed all the way to his ears.

I laughed and generously pulled out my phone.

“Sure. Scan my QR code.”

Just then, a large hand suddenly snatched the phone from mine.

His fingers closed around my wrist. The familiar pressure was enough for me to know who it was without turning around.

He Shiyan stood behind me, his breath cold against my ear.

“You came here without telling me?”

The student immediately looked like a mouse caught by a cat. He mumbled an apology and scurried away.

The reporters from the stage had also caught up by then, their eyes gleaming at the sight of fresh drama.

I immediately put on my most polished smile and turned to He Shiyan.

“Brother-in-law, standing this close is probably inappropriate. Your fiancée might get jealous.”

The reporters began whispering about his “kept canary” and the upcoming engagement ceremony.

He Shiyan didn’t bother explaining. He simply dragged me out of the auditorium, then lowered his head and leaned close.

“Come here. Give me a kiss.”

“Go kiss your fiancée!”

I dodged him, but the corners of his eyes curved with amusement.

He Shiyan and I wandered around campus.

Assistant Chen—who also happened to be his former classmate—revealed that President He had once been a frequent name on the university’s… complaint board.

The food in the university cafeteria was so good that after eating, I wanted to collapse right there.

I pretended my legs were tired so he would carry me.

With my arms around his neck, I lightly brushed my fingers against the small mole at the base of his throat.

His breathing grew heavier. His heartbeat pounded against my chest.

It was a wordless secret between us.

But inside, I kept reminding myself:

Tomorrow… I was leaving.

I was an orphan. I’d grown up collecting recyclables off the streets.

The first time I met He Shiyan was two years ago, when he stepped on the empty soda can I was about to pick up.

I bit him.

Then I ran.

The second time we met, I was fighting a stray dog over a bag of steamed buns.

He chased the dog away, handed me two hot loaves of bread, and asked:

“Want to come home with me?”

I nodded immediately.

It was the first time in my life I’d eaten enough to feel like crying.

Being with him made me greedy.

It made me willful.

I knew I was only a canary, but once I’d tasted sweetness, I had no desire to suffer again.

On the day of the engagement ceremony, He Shiyan left the house early.

I received a call from Wen Wanting, delivered in the unmistakable tone of a wife conducting an inspection.

She told me about the past, about how she had once changed a wild He Shiyan—the kind of man who smoked, raced cars, and lived recklessly.

“I know A-Nian only treats you well because he’s angry with me! Once he gets over it, you’ll be worthless to him!”

I hung up, my heart heavy.

To drown out the unpleasantness, I took his black card and went on a shopping spree, clearing out half the mall.

The plan was simple:

Take everything I could and disappear.

No regrets. No lingering attachments.

A little after nine that evening, I finally got home.

The house was pitch-black. I assumed the butler was busy handling the engagement arrangements for his master.

But the moment I opened the door, a cool voice drifted out of the darkness.

“Back already?”

The lights came on.

He Shiyan sat on the sofa, still impeccably dressed in his suit. His eyes were deep and unreadable.

I stood frozen.

He hadn’t gone to the engagement ceremony?

“Not a single tear? I’ve been taking care of you for so long, and you really are one heartless little thing.”

The burlap sack stuffed with designer bags slipped from my hand and hit the floor with a heavy thud.

I stammered.

“You… didn’t go to the engagement ceremony?”

He Shiyan rose and walked toward me, one measured step at a time.

“Grandma arranged it without my permission. I canceled the engagement a long time ago. And the whole WeChat thing? She tricked me into adding Wen Wanting back and sending those messages myself.”

I stared at him, stunned.

So Wen Wanting had been putting on a show all by herself?

But why hadn’t he explained?

Then I saw the self-mocking shadow settle over his eyes, and I fell silent.

“I just didn’t expect…” His voice was low. “That you really wouldn’t care at all.”

His gaze dropped to the handbags scattered across the floor. The corner of his mouth lifted.

“So? You really planning to run away with all this stuff?”