Chapter 239: The Engagement Is Fake

After returning to Beishi, my affairs began to multiply—first, I had to find ways to expand Baiyin Group's business; second, I had to occasionally deal with troublemaking from the Second Branch, so I rarely had any rest from morning till night.

I once tried to forget Ruoruo, knowing I would never have a future with her.

If she knew her father's illness was connected to me, she could never forgive me.

Even her family would not allow us to be together.

Yet whenever it grew late and quiet, standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows of Baiyin Group overlooking the myriad lights below, I would always think of that little girl whose smile crinkled her eyes.

I couldn't help but inquire about her news.

She had entered high school, her grades were excellent, she had new classmates and teachers, but she grew increasingly quiet, often reading alone, eating only sparingly, stretching her meal money.

I arranged for someone to create a "found money" opportunity for her, but she turned and handed it straight to the police.

I had people send her gifts, but she dared not accept them, fearing that if she did, she'd be forced to work for bad people.

I once told her, while she was shopping, that she had won a lottery ticket with a cash prize, but she rarely went shopping—her biggest expenses were still just the school cafeteria.

I couldn't have people follow her constantly, lest I frighten her.

After another three years, Ruoruo was admitted to university.

During these years, I multiplied Baiyin's business several times over, carried out countless charitable acts, yet all I truly wanted was to atone to Ruoruo.

I deliberately established many operations in Fengcheng so I could visit often.

I went to her university, sat at the same table as her reading, ate in the same cafeteria, and when she went to the lakeside to memorize English words, I read behind her.

She seemed never to have noticed me.

Until one day, she saw her with a male classmate.

At that moment, my heart felt as if cut by a knife.

I thought, it was time to forget her.

We were two rivers from different worlds—even if they briefly merged, they could never truly intersect again.

I returned to Beishi.

Yet I still couldn't help inquiring about her news.

I heard she and her boyfriend had only dated briefly before he dumped her, saying she was too conservative.

At that moment, my heart felt as if it had bloomed with bright flowers again.

After all these years, I know I can no longer live without her.

I again found time to return to Fengcheng, while also establishing business dealings with Bai Shunan's company, helping her resolve two professional crises—she took quite a liking to me.

Then I had my grandfather intervene, falsely claiming we were engaged, and I followed him to her home to propose.

This matter proceeded surprisingly smoothly.

Mainly because Lin Wanfen wanted the old house, worried the sisters would fight over it later, and since Ruoruo's thoughts were delicate and sensitive, she couldn't possibly fail to notice.

Ruoruo soon agreed as well.

We went to get the certificate, then I had her move into the house I had just bought.

Heaven knows how excited I was at the moment I received the marriage certificate—I returned to the new house, restless, alternating between exercise, pacing, and studying recipes.

That evening, Ruoruo came.

She felt embarrassed to enter, hesitating at the doorway for a long time.

I also imagined inside how I would meet her later.

Should I go out and give her a big hug? Or shake her hand and say welcome to my home?

After much hesitation, I did nothing—just opened the door, saw the unfamiliarity and tension in her eyes, and politely invited her in.

I helped her move her suitcase into the room, then stood at the doorway watching her.

Her suitcase was a mess—spicy strips, charger, everything in disarray.

But at that moment, my focus wasn't on that—I simply wanted to look at her.

At twenty-two, Ruoruo had grown tall and graceful, yet in my eyes, she was still that little girl from before.

She still hadn't recognized me.

She was too nervous, shoving everything into the closet in a heap.

I realized my presence here was making her uncomfortable, so I withdrew and went to the kitchen to cook.

The dinner menu was something I had pondered all afternoon to decide—I hoped she would like it.

Soon after, she came over, wanting to help me cook.

But she had always disliked cooking, and in the kitchen, her help only made things busier.

Though I longed to work alongside her in the kitchen, I feared she might get hurt, so I had no choice but to ask her to go sit down.

I still remember that night I cooked three dishes: lemon shrimp, minced meat with radish threads, and a pot of pork liver and goji berry soup—absolutely suited to Fengcheng palates.

She indeed ate with great relish, then wanted to eat spicy strips, but I stopped her.

I forced her to eat a large bowl of rice; she looked wronged, like a little kitten, which made me chuckle, then feel even more pity for her.

That night, I couldn't sleep at all.

Ruoruo was still in college—I couldn't force her to sleep with me; besides, I've always tolerated loneliness since childhood, so I didn't mind this period.

Although I had no experience in that regard, I knew how it worked.

Over these years, I would also think, secretly doing it alone—but in my mind, it was always her. Only thinking of her could I reach the peak.

……

Our cohabitation days passed peacefully and uneventfully—before I knew it, we had become like roommates.

I knew this was wrong.

Since we were married, we ought to have marital relations.

But despite my many hints—like having her shave my beard, having her work out with me, then deliberately showing off my muscles—Ruoruo simply didn't catch on.

For her, I even planned to move the headquarters of Baiyin Group to Fengcheng.

However, Ruoruo only came to the construction site once and thought I was a contractor; she even wanted to earn money to support me because my income was unstable.

During that time, my mind was filled only with Ruoruo.

I kept an eye on her, and when I learned she wanted to do an internship, I had someone contact the HR manager there and arranged a position for Ruoruo.

Ruoruo originally had excellent grades, and she was very suitable for that position.

Knowing she had been wronged and treated unfairly at the company, I would contact the people there and have them investigate the matter thoroughly.

Ruoruo is too kind; when she suffers injustice, she never speaks up, so I speak for her.

As Ling Feng would say, I am the one who is lovesick.

Perhaps because I have always restrained myself from touching her skin, in her eyes I somehow became gay.

At that time, I really wanted to see if this little girl's head was filled with water?

That day, I kissed her, but she bit me.

Later I found out that she had been frightened by her sister since childhood.

After her parents passed away, she had always been alone; her sister, to prevent her from being deceived by men, told her that being with a man in that way was extremely painful, which caused her to develop a psychological shadow.