Chapter 6: Why Did You Leave Me?

I suddenly remembered the first time I met Xiao Jiu.

Back then, he had stood outside the bathroom door exactly like this.

Only his eyes were different now.

The innocent, obedient look he’d once had was gone, replaced by a calm, commanding presence that made it impossible to look away.

Water streamed from the shower, and steam quickly filled the room.

For some reason, the bridge of my nose suddenly burned.

All the emotions I’d been forcing down for so long came rushing back at once.

I wanted to cry.

Just then, strong arms wrapped around me from behind.

Jiang Yan pulled me into his embrace.

His movements weren’t particularly gentle, but neither were they cold.

He lowered his head and softly wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes.

His low voice sounded right beside my ear.

“Why are you crying? Don’t you want to see me?”

I instinctively shook my head.

Truthfully, I didn’t even know what I was feeling.

Was I happy?

Hurt?

Or simply unable to believe this was real?

He stared at me for a long time, his gaze so deep that I didn’t dare meet his eyes.

“Then why are you crying?”

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, but my throat tightened.

In the end, all I managed was:

“Just… leave me alone.”

There wasn’t even a hint of authority in my voice.

If anything, I sounded almost aggrieved.

Jiang Yan laughed softly.

“You still say one thing when you mean another.”

My eyes instantly reddened with anger.

The man standing in front of me was completely different from the Xiao Jiu I remembered.

Where had that obedient idiot who used to trail after me gone?

Now he was annoying.

And he knew exactly how to tease and bully me.

I turned my face away, but he reached out and caught my chin, forcing me to look at him.

Only then did I notice the faint scar between his eyebrows.

It gave his already handsome face a sharper, more untamed edge.

There was no trace left of the innocent boy he’d once been.

Jiang Yan stared at me intently, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

I couldn’t tell whether the expression was helplessness or reproach.

“Can’t you take a good look at me, Sis?”

He took my hand and laced his fingers through mine.

Then, slowly, he guided my hand to his face.

His voice was low, carrying a rare softness.

“Sis. Do you recognize me now?”

I stared at him blankly.

At those familiar eyes.

At the faint scar between his brows.

At that smile that somehow felt both unfamiliar and achingly familiar.

My heart suddenly pounded so hard it hurt.

So…

The person I’d been searching for all these years.

The person I’d never once forgotten.

The person who had risked his life to protect me…

Had always been the same person.

Jiang Yan.

He was Xiao Jiu.

I slapped him.

But he caught my wrist and lowered his head, pressing a soft kiss to my palm.

Then he guided my hand to the collar of his shirt, his voice rough with emotion.

“Sis, help me take this off.”

I grabbed his tie and pulled him closer.

He obediently bent down, brushing a light kiss against the tip of my nose before his lips met mine.

He took my hand and guided me through each button, slowly undoing them one by one.

As the fabric fell open, broad shoulders and a lean, muscular chest came into view.

There was also a faint red scar across his chest, the skin still new from the recent wound.

He lifted me onto the bathroom counter before kneeling in front of me.

His kisses fell slowly, patiently, one after another, until I didn’t know where to look.

His hot breath made my entire body feel like it was burning.

I instinctively tangled my fingers in his hair, my breathing growing quicker.

He looked up at me.

There was still something almost obedient in his expression, yet beneath it was an overwhelming sense of control I couldn’t quite describe.

His gaze was gentle, but so deep that there was nowhere for me to hide.

I instinctively drew my legs together.

He caught my ankle, gently kissing his way along my calf before murmuring,

“Sis… help me.”

After that, there was no distance left between us.

He held me tightly, burying his face against my shoulder.

His low voice came again and again.

“Why did you leave me?”

“Why didn’t you want me anymore?”

I wanted to answer him, but my throat was too tight.

I couldn’t form a single coherent word.

He gently stroked my hair.

“Don’t cry anymore. I’ll be gentle.”

I closed my eyes.

I didn’t believe him anymore.

This man was clearly nothing like the obedient little Xiao Jiu I’d known.

He was a certified troublemaker.

When I woke again, I found that I was dressed in clean clothes.

Jiang Yan lay behind me.

One hand was intertwined with mine while his other arm was wrapped tightly around my waist.

The moment I shifted slightly, he woke.

“Awake already?”

I turned to look at him.

“Are you really Xiao Jiu?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Then do you want me to be Xiao Jiu or not?”

I clutched the blanket and scooted away.

I hadn’t even made it a few steps before he pulled me back.

“Planning to run again?”

His hand gently rubbed my waist.

The movement was so familiar.

The pressure was just right.

Exactly the way he’d done it all those years ago.

Not a bit different.

“I’m hungry.”

I lowered my head and complained softly.

He laughed, casually pulled on a pair of pants, and walked into the kitchen.

The apron was loosely tied around his waist.

Not long afterward, the delicious smell of fried rice filled the room.

After eating, I wiped my mouth and stood up.

“I have to go.”

He caught my hand.

His dark eyes looked straight into mine.

“If I had a lot of money… would you stay with me?”

I thought about it for a moment before answering,

“Maybe. I’m pretty greedy when it comes to money, after all.”

When I returned to the Song family home, Mom Song looked me over from head to toe with obvious satisfaction.

Song Xue caught sight of the marks on my neck and immediately covered her mouth, pretending to be shocked.

“Sis, was Jiang Yan really that rough? Thank goodness Brother Jiang Cheng isn’t like that. He’s gentle and refined—the perfect heir to the Jiang family.”

She smiled smugly.

“Once I marry Brother Jiang Cheng, I’ll make sure he teaches Jiang Yan a lesson. An illegitimate son is still an illegitimate son. No wonder he was never properly educated.”

I couldn’t be bothered to respond.

I simply pulled my collar higher and went back to my room.

In everyone else’s eyes, Jiang Yan was the illegitimate son the Jiang family looked down on.

But selfishly, I still hoped he’d win the power struggle within the Jiang family.

We had both crawled out of the darkest places.

We’d worked too hard to finally make it out.

We shouldn’t have to spend the rest of our lives letting other people step all over us.

Besides…

When he met me back then, he had still been nothing more than a foolish little boy.

If he lost this battle, he could lose everything.

He might even lose his life.

Only then did I understand.

The so-called world of the wealthy was far colder and more ruthless than I’d ever imagined.

Song Xue and I were both tied to the two brothers of the Jiang family.

She was always looking down at me with that proud, superior expression.

So what if I was the Song family’s biological daughter?

In everyone’s eyes, I was still just a discarded pawn, someone who could never compare to her.

Song Xue seemed better than me at everything.

She’d been raised from childhood to be the perfect rich heiress.

Her parents.

Her wealth.

Her status.

Everything that should have belonged to me was now in her hands.

Even her future fiancé was an exceptional man who stood out from the crowd.

So, at the engagement party between the Song and Jiang families, she stood proudly like a white swan, waiting for her own prince charming to appear.

Instead, Jiang Yan suddenly showed up.

And he wasn’t alone.

The police were with him.

Jiang Cheng—the man everyone praised for being refined, accomplished, and graceful—was handcuffed right there in front of everyone.

In an instant, the favored son of heaven became a suspect.

“Jiang Cheng, you’re under arrest on suspicion of intentional assault, unlawful detention, and bribery…”

The entire banquet hall erupted into chaos.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes were bloodshot, his hair disheveled.

He struggled against the officers while screaming curses at Jiang Yan, completely abandoning the polished image he always maintained.

So much for being noble.

Song Xue’s shock lasted only a moment.

Very quickly, she returned to her usual poised and elegant demeanor.

Whether it was Jiang Cheng or Jiang Yan didn’t really matter.

As long as he was the heir to the Jiang family, he was worthy of her.

She smiled at Jiang Yan as though waiting for the perfect moment when her prince would come to rescue his princess.

Unfortunately…

I couldn’t lie to myself with clichés like a perfect match or two people destined for each other.

So I turned around and walked away.

My actions left everyone stunned.

Jiang Yan walked toward me one step at a time.

The lights behind him cast a hazy glow around his figure.

Then, right in front of everyone, he suddenly dropped to one knee.

In his hand was a ring box.

“Song Yi. Will you marry me?”

The bridge of my nose suddenly burned.

But I forced myself to remain calm.

I took the ring from him.

“Let me think about it.”

It was probably the first time Mom Song had ever looked at me with such warmth.

Dad Song wore a complicated expression.

But Song Yang immediately protested.

“Why her? Sister Xue is obviously prettier and sweeter! Jiang Yan really has no taste.”

Song Xue’s eyes turned red.

She looked at me pitifully.

“Sis, could you give Jiang Yan to me? I’ll give you anything you want in exchange.”

I looked at her calmly.

“Song Xue, don’t you think it’s ridiculous to offer me things that were mine to begin with?”

Mom Song sighed softly.

“Xue, wipe your tears. You look awful.”

Then she turned to me with a rare smile.

“Xiao An, you’re still my daughter, after all. Whichever one of you marries Jiang Yan, I’ll be happy.”

As she spoke, she reached out and took my hand affectionately.

I immediately pulled away.

Then I took several steps backward.

“But parents and relatives like you… I don’t need them.”

I’d already paid back the two hundred thousand yuan from all those years ago.

They hadn’t raised me for a single day.

So there was nothing for me to be sentimental about.

Walking away from this relationship was much easier than I’d expected.

All those years of longing for a family had vanished the moment I learned that the Song family had known about my existence for a long time.

They’d simply never wanted to bring me home.

They’d even allowed Zhang Hao to secretly watch me for years.

A family bond like that…

I didn’t want it anymore.