Volume One, Chapter Five: How Did She Fool You All Today?

Since her return, every time she saw him, he was always with Wen Qianxue, yet she felt nothing inside—not even a ripple of emotion. In fact, at first, she hadn’t even realized this man was her fiancé.

“That’s enough. Haven’t you disgraced yourself enough already?” Wen Yuqin, who had been silent until then, suddenly barked out a harsh reprimand. He turned, his brows knitting as he looked at this daughter whose features so closely resembled those of his wife in her youth.

“Wen Xuyu, this mess is your doing, but fortunately, the third young master of the Lu family seems satisfied with you. I’ve already discussed it with their family. Tomorrow morning, you’ll go directly to the Lu family. Did you hear me?”

Wen Xuyu clenched her fists, her gaze sharp as a blade. “I will never marry into the Lu family,” she pronounced, every word deliberate.

“Never?” Wen Yuqin sneered, looking down on her as if she were an ant he could crush beneath his heel.

“You think you have a choice? Only the Wen family can afford your foster father’s medical expenses. Are you really going to just watch him die?”

Wen Xuyu couldn’t stop herself from trembling. “What have you done to them?”

Before she ran away, she had secretly arranged with her close friend, Shen Mo, to find a way to get her foster parents out. But seeing the situation now, she realized he must have failed.

As the patriarch of the family, Wen Yuqin’s word was law—no one ever dared defy him. Yet she had already overstayed her deadline by several days… She was truly worried for her foster parents, and for Shen Mo.

“Enough talking,” Wen Yuqin waved his hand impatiently. “Tomorrow morning, the Lu family will send someone to fetch you. If you dare run again… I’ll cut off all medical payments immediately, and as for your friend, I’ll make sure he goes to jail.”

The Lou couple were Wen Xuyu’s greatest weakness; there was no way Wen Yuqin would let them die so easily. He knew all too well that this biological daughter of his was worth far more than just this one benefit.

After all, he’d heard it personally from the Lu family patriarch: the third young master himself had insisted on marrying his daughter and was completely unbothered by her attempt to flee the engagement.

Hearing his unyielding decree, Wen Xuyu knew there was no room for negotiation.

She was locked in her room, with the doors and windows nailed shut, guards posted outside in case she tried to escape again.

Wen Xuyu lay on her bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. Hearing Wen Yuqin’s words, she felt reassured—her foster parents and Shen Mo should be unharmed.

As for the third young master of the Lu family… Wen Xuyu lifted her arm, where Wen Qianxue had just scratched her hard enough to draw blood.

There was someone else she seemed to have forgotten…

Never mind, Wen Xuyu thought, closing her eyes in exhaustion. She needed to come up with a plan.

……

Xuan Shui Bay Villa.

The maid set dinner on the table, then retreated to the side.

Bian Xunzhou sat at the head of the table. The moment he picked up his chopsticks, two blood-red scratches appeared on the back of his hand, followed by a sharp pain in his shoulder.

Lu Zhao, standing nearby, immediately grew tense. “Sir, are you all right?”

Bian Xunzhou’s dark eyes flickered. He stared at the wound for a few seconds, then beckoned a maid over.

“Go check what she’s doing.”

There was no need to specify who “she” was.

The maid moved quickly, knocking on the bathroom door and calling out, “Miss, are you still bathing? Miss?”

There was no answer. After a brief pause, the maid opened the door—only to find the room empty. She rushed downstairs in a panic.

“Sir, something’s wrong—the young lady is missing!”

Upon hearing this, Bian Xunzhou’s gaze grew colder and more dangerous, his lips curling into a twisted smile. He wiped the blood from his pale skin, his tone icy.

“Lu Zhao, find out where she is now.”

“Understood, sir.”

“So, she ran. Seems she took my words as nothing but idle wind.” His low murmur was hoarse and dangerous.

His elegant fingers clenched tightly, twisting the snowy white napkin into a crumpled ball in his palm.

“Call in the two maids who moved the cabinet today,” Bian Xunzhou ordered coolly, regaining his usual calm and self-control.

“Yes, sir.”

Soon, the two maids stood before him.

Bian Xunzhou lounged lazily on the sofa, long legs crossed, toying with a silver lighter in his hand.

The flame danced at his fingertips, casting shadows over his sharp profile and those fathomless eyes. Each click of the lighter was like a heavy hammer striking the soul, sending chills down the spine.

“Tell me,” he began, his voice low and slow, carrying an irresistible pressure. “How exactly did she trick you today?”

A faint, ambiguous smile played at the corners of his mouth.

The maids lowered their eyes, wringing their hands anxiously as sweat beaded on their foreheads. They had only just learned the young lady was missing.

“When I brought Miss her dinner, she seemed to have just woken up. She told me she didn’t like the cabinet and asked us to move it out on the dining cart.”

The second maid continued, “We worked together to load the cabinet onto the cart. Miss said she wanted a flower-petal bath, and asked us to fetch petals and leave them outside the bathroom.”

“When we returned, Miss was already gone. I saw steam and heard running water in the bathroom, so I assumed she was bathing. We took the cart and the elevator downstairs, and that’s when we ran into you…”

There was no need for them to go on; Bian Xunzhou could guess the rest.

He had clearly underestimated her.

“Half a month’s wages will be docked from each of you. Go,” he said.

The maids fled as if granted amnesty.

Now alone in the living room, Bian Xunzhou took a cigarette from its case, his slender fingers half-shielding the leaping blue flame.

He exhaled, a haze of smoke swirling around him.

Lu Zhao soon reported back with Wen Xuyu’s whereabouts.

“Sir, Miss Wen is at the Wen estate. Tomorrow morning, the Lu family will send someone to collect her, and the five hundred million transfer will go through immediately.”

“Five hundred million?” Bian Xunzhou gave a cold laugh. “She’s quite valuable.”

Lu Zhao suddenly found it hard to read his master’s thoughts and hesitated. “Sir, do we need to prepare to rescue Miss Wen?”

“Rescue her? She’s so good at running away—she probably already has a plan. Why would we need to save her?” Bian Xunzhou narrowed his eyes with an air of disdain.

“But, sir, aren’t you two still sharing sensations? If she’s in danger, you’ll—” Lu Zhao chose his words carefully.

As incredible as it seemed, he had fully accepted it as a competent assistant should. Over the past three days, they’d even traveled abroad to investigate the phenomenon.

The most reliable theory was that Mr. Bian and Miss Wen had undergone the same stimulus in identical circumstances, triggering a crossover of their senses—a neural phenomenon known as synesthesia.

As for a solution, it seemed to depend on fate. Perhaps it would vanish overnight, or perhaps it would last for decades.

“Lu Zhao, you’re talking too much today,” Bian Xunzhou said coldly, his eyes narrowing with a powerful sense of threat.

“Sorry, sir, it won’t happen again!” Lu Zhao felt the pressure mount. “Here is Miss Wen’s phone.”

He set it down and withdrew.

Bian Xunzhou’s thoughts drifted elsewhere, lost in contemplation.

Until a call came through.

“What is it?” Bian Xunzhou answered with a swipe, his tone cold to the point of hostility, barely concealing his disgust.

On the other end:

Shang Rongyuan bristled at the apathetic tone. “Is this the way you speak to your elders?”

Chen Lirong hurried to smooth things over, her voice gentle. “Don’t be angry—speak to Xiao Zhou nicely.”

Shang Rongyuan snorted. “Tomorrow, come to the Jinghong Grand Hotel for dinner. I’ve invited Uncle Bai’s family to discuss your marriage to the eldest Miss Bai. It would be best if you two got your marriage certificates this Sunday.”