Su Banxia and her mother chatted on the phone, discussing the news of Mu Ruxue’s pregnancy.
“Is that so?” Su’s mother replied nonchalantly.
Her lover’s heart had died, and the other person’s fate, whether they lived or died, had nothing to do with her. Su’s father had brought this upon himself.
Su Banxia had gained fame through her dance performance, thanks to the Moon Goddess’s blessing. Several companies approached her with offers, hoping to sign her, but she had rejected them all because she had her own plans.
She was also about to graduate from school in half a year and hoped that Shang Lu could return to China before her graduation.
She occasionally ran into Mu Ruxue at school, and lately, Mu Ruxue seemed to be going through a tough time. Her face didn’t look good.
Mu Ruxue had relied on her stepfather’s position to socialize in the entertainment industry, and she didn’t want to lose the stepfather she had won over.
The news that she wasn’t Su’s father’s biological daughter had been kept secret, and she had advised her mother to get an abortion to keep her stepfather. However, her mother refused to comply.
Her family life was unpleasant, and Mu Ruxue frequently encountered problems at the academy. She didn’t want to be just an ordinary dancer, so she used her connection with Shang Jingyao to sign with an entertainment company.
Shang Jingyao truly loved Mu Ruxue and spent money on her to provide resources, hoping to make her famous through the film industry.
Su Banxia had heard all of this from Lin Qingya and couldn’t help but smile. Mu Ruxue’s dancing skills were mediocre, and her acting was subpar. Unless the audience’s eyesight had deteriorated, making her famous in the entertainment industry would be extremely difficult.
As the graduation date approached, Su Banxia had some plans in mind.
The weather was scorching hot, so Su Banxia gave the butler a few days off and purchased two large bags of items to be delivered to her apartment. She planned to stay home for a few days.
As she was sorting out the cluttered items on the table, she heard some movement at the door. A mechanical voice kept repeating, “Incorrect password, incorrect password.”
She immediately became alert, took off her slippers, and stepped lightly on the floor, intending to check through the surveillance cameras to see who was trying to break into her home.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Startled, she grabbed her phone, intending to call the property management to report the situation. Just a month ago, there had been a major incident in the apartment complex, with reports of a break-in at one of the units, so she had changed her password.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“It’s me, Banxia,” came the familiar, chilly voice from outside. “Shang Lu.”
Su Banxia quickly checked the surveillance monitor, and when she saw the clear features of the man, her heart raced. She almost thought she was dreaming.
He had come back.
Shang Lu had told her that he might not make it back in time to take graduation photos with her, and she had felt disappointed at the time.
But now, he had returned earlier than expected.
What a pleasant surprise! She quickly opened the door and exclaimed, “You’re finally back!”
The man standing outside was dressed in a suit, and he had an air of restrained formality about him, giving off a slightly unfamiliar aura.
She wanted to rush into his arms but hesitated.
“I came back early,” Shang Lu said.
Su Banxia’s mind was in a whirl, realizing that she was in her pajamas and hadn’t even combed her hair. It was an unexpectedly awkward meeting.
“Well, come in,” she said, grabbing her shoes. “I gave the butler some time off, so I’m alone at home.”
Shang Lu changed his shoes and stood in the entryway, watching her flustered state.
“Banxia,” he called.
Su Banxia looked up at him. He looked thinner, and his deep black eyes gazed at her.
“Come here,” he said.
She hesitated for a few seconds, then awkwardly made her way over to him. Suddenly, he pulled her into his arms.
“Missed me?” he asked in a low, hoarse voice.
Su Banxia stayed in his embrace, her heart pounding. She missed him every day, worrying about whether he was eating properly, how his leg was feeling in changing weather, how his surgery was progressing, and whether it would affect him.
The scene in the entryway seemed frozen in time, like an eternal painting.
“Yes,” she mumbled.
Shang Lu’s presence still felt familiar to her. The crisp scent enveloped her, and after being held for a moment, she gently pushed away.
“Don’t stand here anymore. Aren’t you tired? How about taking a shower and getting some rest?” Su Banxia urged him towards the bedroom, then ushered him into the bathroom. She went to the closet, found some of his old clothes, and knocked on the bathroom door.
“Your clothes are on the chair outside.”
“Alright.”
As Shang Lu took a shower in the bathroom, she went to the living room and tried to tidy up the things on the table, her heart in turmoil.
He didn’t bring his wheelchair, did that mean he was completely healed? Would he never need to use a wheelchair again?
After a while, she heard some movement from the bedroom. She walked over and stood outside the door for a few seconds before entering. Inside, she saw Shang Lu, dressed in casual home clothing, using a white towel to dry his hair.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and she ran towards him, crashing into his arms. “Shang Lu, you naughty thing, you came back without a word.”
Shang Lu put down the towel, held the soft petite woman, and sat her on the sofa.
“Banxia, I missed you so much.” He cupped her face, lowered his head, and kissed her. She choked up, her voice silenced by his kiss.
They didn’t bother with dinner; his warmth overwhelmed her.
It started on the sofa.
Then, they moved to the bed, and eventually ended up on the window sill covered with blankets.
Su Banxia was exhausted, her eyes reddened, displaying a seductive charm.
Shang Lu held her close, kissing her eyelids, his eyes filled with tenderness. “Banxia, I won’t leave you for so long again in the future.”
Su Banxia hummed a few words, her words slurred.
Shang Lu’s chest burned with emotion, but he suppressed it, repeatedly kissing her, as if he wanted to devour her.
Later in the night, Banxia woke up groggily, leaning against Shang Lu’s chest. She inquired about his rehabilitation and treatment abroad.
She asked, and he answered, even sharing amusing anecdotes about the doctors. They also talked about their plans to travel once she graduated, something they had agreed on before – to go hiking and watch sunrises and sunsets when he could walk again.
In the winter, they would watch the snowfall together in the open space at their old house, building snowmen and getting covered in the falling snowflakes, growing old together.
Though Shang Lu was physically exhausted, hearing her talk about the things they planned to do together with such a clear and melodious voice filled him with happiness.
There was a time when he thought he would live a life of numb solitude forever. Now, he had the woman he loved beside him, someone he wanted to cherish and adore for the rest of his life.
“Banxia,” Shang Lu said in a low and tender voice, “I love you.”
With her head buried in his chest, Su Banxia held onto his waist tightly, her earlobes tinged with red as she proudly replied, “I know.”
In truth, he had already said those words that night. She hadn’t heard them clearly at the time, but she replayed those few words in her mind countless times afterward.
He had confessed his feelings to her in a moment of emotion.
…
Su Banxia fulfilled her wish by taking many photos with Shang Lu at the school. While they were taking pictures, it attracted a lot of onlookers.
The news of Shang Lu’s recovery of his legs quickly spread and was reported widely. There were those who were happy for him and others who were less pleased, and the battle for control within the Shang family continued to intensify.
While Shang Lu was undergoing leg treatment abroad, Shang Jingyao made significant moves within the company, resulting in the company splitting into two factions.
That winter, the Shang family was hit by a scandal when Shang’s father was found dead in a car with a young lover, both of them unclothed. This incident had a profound impact.
In front of the whole family, Shang’s father’s lawyer declared that he had left 70% of his inheritance to Shang Lu.
Mrs. Lu Yurou was so distressed that she wanted to pounce on and tear up the inheritance document. The lawyer had to restrain her, and he announced another matter.
Mrs. Lu Yurou had committed adultery during her marriage, and as a result, Shang’s father’s death had automatically dissolved their marital relationship.
“How could he do this to me? I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!” Mrs. Lu Yurou went insane, her eyes bloodshot. “Shang Fu, you have no heart!”
“Hahaha, I spent my whole life with you, and I ended up like this.”
Mrs. Lu Yurou didn’t receive a single cent, and Shang Jingyao lost his right to compete for the Shang family. He was sent to overseas markets.
On the day of Shang’s father’s burial, it was drizzling, and the gloomy sky made it hard to breathe. People in black umbrellas stood in the cemetery, watching him being buried in the cold earth.
Next to Shang’s father’s grave was Shang Lu’s mother’s grave.
After the funeral, as people left one by one, Su Banxia stood next to Shang Lu, holding an umbrella, and the atmosphere was suffocatingly silent.
Shang Lu’s voice was hoarse as he continued, “When I was a child, he loved my mother deeply. Later, he cheated on her and had Shang Jingyao with my aunt. My mother couldn’t bear it and ended her own life.”
“He was indifferent to me, regardless of how outstanding I was. He didn’t care at all.”
“After my legs were disabled, he treated me like a worthless person. If it weren’t for me showing aptitude in business, he wouldn’t have cared whether he had a son like me or not.”
Su Banxia didn’t interrupt him, she listened quietly.
“Why do you think that is?” The will had been set ten years ago and never changed, indicating that Shang’s father had initially planned to leave most of his wealth to Shang Lu.
Was it guilt, compensation, or love?
Su Banxia thought that perhaps, at the beginning, Shang’s father truly loved his wife and son. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have named his son Shang Lu, a name representing their past love, despite the numerous mistakes.
Shang’s father believed that his wife and child had died. He had a child with her sister due to a scheme, and in the end, his wife couldn’t bear his betrayal and committed suicide.
While sorting through Shang’s father’s belongings, they opened a small secret code box. Inside were not money or jewelry, but some small items.
The white envelope lay among the scattered items. There were no sentimental words inside, just a note saying that it contained the belongings of Shang Lu’s mother, which he had kept all these years and now left to Shang Lu.
Su Banxia looked at Shang Lu, whose eyes were red, and reached out to embrace him.
…
Su’s father was diagnosed with cancer and admitted to the hospital. She found out only after the attending doctor called her.
She didn’t rush to visit her father immediately. When he fell ill, he remembered his children. She wondered where he had been before and why he didn’t let that mother-daughter pair take care of him if they were capable.
But Mu’s mother had no time to take care of him. She was wholly devoted to her son and another man who turned out to be the real father of her child. When she was with Su’s father, she found a younger man.
In Su’s father’s absence, she had an affair with her lover, using Su’s father’s money to support him. Once their relationship was exposed, her relationship with Su’s father completely deteriorated.
Some time ago, Su Banxia sent evidence to her father that proved that Mu Ruixue had no blood relation to him. This caused her father to have a falling out with the mother-daughter pair and stop giving them any financial support.
Shang Jingyao was sent abroad, and Shang Mingkai’s cards were frozen due to causing trouble. Mu Ruxue faced difficulties in the entertainment industry.
At first, she didn’t realize that her system had been taken away. When she finally realized that she couldn’t call out to her system, she was panicked and at a loss. She went without sleep for several days and nights, going crazy trying to find Su Banxia.
Now, there was a world of difference in their social status between her and Su Banxia. She couldn’t even get close, let alone see her in person.
Later on, she heard that Mu’s mother’s lover had run away, leaving her alone to raise her child. Since Mu’s mother had no job skills and was also taking care of a baby, Mu Ruxue had to support her mother and little brother, all while not even being married yet.
After Su Banxia graduated, she didn’t rush to establish her own studio. Instead, she joined an art dance troupe and became the lead dancer, thanks to several outstanding performances.
When Su’s father was diagnosed with cancer, Su Baiyang had to end his studies early and return to China for development. This guy kept coming to the apartment to harass her and Shang Lu once he took over the company.
Su Baiyang was still a newcomer in the business world, and he needed guidance to avoid making mistakes. Shang Lu provided him with assistants and secretaries to help him stabilize the Su Group.
Su Banxia had been quite free recently. When she wasn’t practicing dancing, she would go see Shang Lu, and they would leave work early together.
Just shortly after entering the elevator, there was a sudden violent shaking, the lights went out, and Su Banxia was quickly pulled into Shang Lu’s arms. She felt the elevator descending, and her whole body went weak.
After a moment, the elevator stopped, and everything went pitch black.
“Shang Lu,” Su Banxia gradually regained her composure and hurriedly asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, how about you?” Shang Lu supported her shoulder.
Su Banxia leaned against him, surrounded by darkness. “What just happened?”
Shang Lu checked his phone but found no signal. He held her tightly and reassured her in a soothing tone, “Don’t worry, it’s just an elevator malfunction. Someone will come to rescue us soon.”
Su Banxia chose to believe him.
Waiting in darkness is always the most agonizing.
Shang Lu’s gentle voice comforted her fear, “Don’t be afraid; I’m right right here with you.”
“You said you wanted to go abroad to watch a fashion show, right? Have you thought about when you’d like to go?” Shang Lu asked.
Su Banxia’s fear diminished a bit. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“You take your time to think, and I’ll make time to accompany you.”
Time passed by.
“Shang Lu, if…”
Before she could finish her sentence, there was another violent shaking.
Su Banxia lost consciousness, and she had no idea what happened afterward.
When she woke up in the hospital, Su Banxia’s mind felt foggy, as if she had been struck by a heavy hammer. She immediately asked, “Where’s Shang Lu? How is he?”
Due to her intense emotions, the doctors had given her a sedative after she was admitted, forcing her to sleep.
Upon waking up again, she found her mother and stepbrother, Su Baiyang, by her side. Zhou, the special assistant, informed her that Shang Lu was mostly fine. She insisted on seeing him, so they arranged for her to be taken to Shang Lu’s hospital room.
Both of them had been trapped in the elevator during the rescue. When the elevator was descending, Shang Lu’s head was bleeding, and he wasn’t fully conscious. He had even instructed the rescuers to get her out first. Fortunately, they managed to rescue Shang Lu later.
Su Banxia took care of the unconscious Shang Lu in his hospital room, her eyes teary, realizing how deeply he loved her.
The next afternoon, Shang Lu woke up.
Su Banxia looked at him with clear eyes, smiling softly.
“Shang Lu, it’s snowing.”
— End of the story.
<<It’s done!!! I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. It would have been better if there was more detail on the Father Su problem and Li Qingya’s situation. Any thoughts?>>
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