Hua Lan was super nervous. This was the first she was going to confess her love. She stood right in front of Li Shen. Summer wind blew away her hair.
She tugged the strands of hair behind her ear. Then, she took a deep breath and tried to control her racing heartbeats. She began to say, "Li Shen, I know we haven't known each other for so long. You are the one who encouraged me to fall in love with something that I didn't like. You encouraged me to lunch a game which I never dreamed that I could do it. I'm so hard to get along but you warmed up to me. I also feel at ease when I'm with you. In these five months, for the first time in my life, I came to love a man with whom I can stay for the rest of my life. Li Shen, this is for you. It's a gift" She took out the disk with Car Race program in it and stretched her hands to give it to him. Her face flushed in embarrassment and nervousness.
And then what happened, it was more like a dream or nightmare.
Li Shen reached out his hand and hit the disk on her hands. It fell from her hand.
Hua Lan was flabbergasted. She bent down to take the disk, however, Li Shen put his right leg on her hand and pressed it hard.
The sound of bone breaking was so clear that even Li Shen heard it. But his didn't hesitate nor flinch. His cold eyes looked down at the slender finders which were all bloody.
Hua Lan was so shocked that she didn't feel any pain. She couldn't understand what was going on. She just wanted to protect her hard work but she saw her fingers getting injured by a familiar foot. She had a hard time believing that it was happening.
She slowly looked up to meet Li Shen's cruel eyes. His cold eyes were full of disgust. Her heart shook. She wasn't familiar with this Li Shen. Her heart shook in fear. She called out in a shaky voice, "L-Li Shen…?!"
Li Shen didn't reply to her. He sneered and then turned around and left without looking back at her even once.
"Li Shen?!" Hua Lan was not only shocked but also afraid. She never felt such fear before.
She thought about leaving everything, even her Cobra family just to embrace a new life, hoping she could be with Li Shen, the man she first ever loved; however, everything seemed to be gone, just like that. She didn't feel that it was real. Truthfully, it was just the beginning of her nightmare.
Hua Lan didn't give up. She absentmindedly went to the new apartment she bought and treated her wounds while trying hard to think where she made a mistake. She tried to find out why he behaved this way. She couldn't get anything at all. In the end, she called Li Shen. But his personal assistant Si Guen answered the call.
For the first time in his life, Assistant Si Guen had a problem talking in the phone. "…Um, little miss, boss is really busy now. He cannot answer your call. Is this urgent? I'll tell him after he is done."
Hua Lan tightly held her cell phone. She replied, "No, it's fine. Just tell him to call me after he is done with his work."
"I will." Assistant Si Guen answered.
That night, Hua Lan didn't sleep. She kept waiting for Li Shen's call. But he didn't call her back.
The next three days, she tried to call him but Assistant Si Guen answered the call and every time he said that Li Shen was busy with work or meeting. Every time she told him to tell Li Shen to call her back and every time, she had to wait.
On the fourth day, she went to Li Corporation. The secretaries tried to stop her, but who could stop her when she wanted to do something. She directly went to Presidential room. She didn't knock and went directly to the room. She found his alone, reading some documents.
"Li Shen!" Hua Lan breathlessly exclaimed.
Li Shen looked up and coldly observed her. "What are you doing here?"
Si Guen who was standing in the doorway began to shiver.
"You weren't answering my call. I was so worried." Hua Lan came closer. "Li Shen, did I do anything to make you upset? Why are you mad at me?"
Li Shen didn't answer. He ignored her words and began to read the documents.
Hua Lan stood there in silence for five minutes and then walked closer and stanch the file from his hands. If glares could kill, she would have died instantly.
"What do you think you are doing?" Li Shen stood up and coldly asked.
Hua Lan was scared but she didn't show it. She looked at his eyes directly and asked, "Why are you doing this? What happened to you suddenly? Did something bad happened or someone said something bad about me? Why have you changed so suddenly? You can talk to me if something is bothering you. I'll listen to you. Just don't shut yourself from me. I cannot take it." She nearly wept as she spoke.
Li Shen sneered. He said, "No one has to tell me anything. I know everything."
Before Hua Lan could ask what he meant, he told Assistant Si Guen, "What are you looking at? Take her away. If the guards cannot guard the company, fire them. I don't want useless staff."
"Yes, boss… I'm sorry." Si Guen hurriedly bowed and apologized. Then he glanced at Hua Lan helplessly and requested her, "Little miss, please leave this room with me."
Hua Lan's eyes filled with tears. "Why?!" She couldn't ask anything else because she was taken away.
Two weeks later, she was called to her aunt's house all of a sudden. She was already depressed, thinking of going there made her feel worse. Reluctantly, she went back to aunt Zhuang Lei's house.
Before she could ring the doorbell, Zhuang Lei opened the door. She dressed up and put on heavy makeup. There was a bright makeup on her face.
Hua Lan blinked a few times. Such brightness dazzled her eyes. It had been a while since she saw her aunt so joyous. But that happiness didn't affect her mood.
"Xiao Lan, you came! We have good news for you! Come inside quickly." Zhuang Lei grabbed Hua Lan by her hands and brought her inside. She took her directly to the living room.
Hua Lan's legs froze seeing Li Shen there, sitting beside Hua Rong, Zhuang Lei's husband. They were talking in a friendly way. In a second, her eyes were filled with hope.
Zhuang Lei spoke, "Li Shen, she is Hua Lan, my youngest daughter. She is studying in Beijing University. She is very talented. We lost her when she was only five. But Lord Buddha was with us. We found her when she was fifteen. Though she cannot remember what happened while she was gone, it's a good thing that nothing bad happened to her. She is a touch girl."
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Back then, when Hua Lan came back to China, she first went to the police station. As she was kidnapped ten years ago, the police had to look into her information and then directly called Hua Rong, her uncle. Zhuang Lei almost died in shook that Hua Lan was alive. She was scared to death. However, she had to go with her husband. When they went to the police station, the police already asked Hua Lan a few questions and the attorney who was taking care of her properties was also there.
No matter how much she was asked, she couldn't tell anything. She said that she could vaguely remember anything that happened ten years ago. She said that she heard the sound of gun and she was too scared to think of anything else. It was a dark night and she didn't see anything due to her shock. Then everything was blank. When she woke up, it was already ten years and she was in Tianjin sea beach. Tianjin was close to Beijing. When the police investigated it, they found out that she was indeed found in the morning by local residents. They didn't know how she ended up there.
When they couldn't get any information from her, Zhuang Lei sighed in relief from the bottom of her heart. She cursed Hua Lan in her mind and thanked Lord Buddha for her amnesia. But they didn't know that she could remember everything single thing. However, she didn't show it to anyone.
Afterwards, she was taken to the hospital for a check up and the doctor announced that she was perfectly healthy. She wasn't harassed by anyone nor she had suffered any physical torture. Though Zhuang Lei was disappointed, she didn't say it. However, she didn't forget to tell her neighbors in a dramatic way so that the neighbors saw Hua Lan in different way. However, this cheerful, caring, intelligent girl took their affection in a week. The neighbors were bound to change their way of thinking about her.
Zhuang Lei couldn't win. She was furious. That's why, when Hua Lan wanted to study Fine Arts, she didn't let her. She secretly filled the form of Computer Science thinking that Hua Lan would fail in that subject. When Hua Lan found it out, she took it as a challenge and in the whole university, no one was better than her. Zhuang Lei died in jealousy and she had fun out of it.
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But this time, it was different,
Zhuang Lei was a sly woman. In front of Hua Rong and Li Shen, she praised Hua Lan at first, but then indirectly told about her dark past so that Li Shen would have no interest in her or he would look down on her.
Zhuang Lei glanced at Hua Lan and nuzzled her with her elbow. "What are you standing there for? Greet your soon-to-be brother-in-law."
Not even the loudest thunder could make her startled the way she was shocked right now upon hearing the word 'brother-in-law'. If the ground divided right in front of her, she wouldn't have believed. If the sky broke apart, she wouldn't have believed. However, at that moment, she couldn't believe her own ears. The word 'brother-in-law' kept ringing in her ears. Her whole body became stiff, her head was spinning and her ears were buzzing.
"Br0-brother-in-law…?!" Hua Lan looked at Li Shen in disbelief.
Li Shen sipped the tea and glanced at her at the same time. His eyes were filled with mockery.
Hua Lan's uncle Hua Rong laughed and said, "Xiao Lan, I know you must be surprised. We are too. President Li suddenly came and said that he liked your elder sister and wanted her hand in marriage."
"…Are you sure it's my elder sister?" Hua Lan asked while clenching her fists.
Hua Rong and Zhuang Lei looked at her strangely.
Hua Rong asked confusedly, "Huh? What do you mean?"
At that time, Li Shen spoke, "I like Xiao Mei. I saw her dramas and checked her background. Since my family approved of her, I didn't delay any further."
Hua Lan's lips trembled. "I see." She couldn't say anything else.
Zhuang Lei and Hua Rong found her attitude weird. They knew nothing about Hua Lan knowing Li Shen. Thinking that Li Shen was handsome and rich and many women wanted him, they thought that Hua Lan was also one of those admirers. Zhuang Lei looked at her resentfully and to hide her hatred she said, "Xiao Lan, why don't you go upstairs and talk to your sister? It's been a while since you two last had some fun."
Hua Lan didn't know how she responded and how she went upstairs. Her head was totally blank and wasn't working properly.
After that, she tried to think of many reasons of Li Shen's sudden change of attitude. She couldn't find any because she had never encountered Li Family in the past. Even if it was for revenge, there wasn't any. In the end, the only thing she could think of was he was laying with her.
'If that's the truth, then why did he take me to his house to meet his family?' Her heart was bleeding. 'No matter how brave he is, as long as a man plays with a woman's heart, he will never take her to meet his parents. Then why?'
She cried and thought of it. At last, she wiped her tears and told herself, "So what he plays with me, I love him. And as long as I love him, I'll fight for it. He isn't married yet. I still have a chance."
The next day, she went to meet his in Li Corporation again. However, this time, she didn't go through the main gate knowing fully well that the guards wouldn't let her enter. She hacked the security and entered from the emergency door. She didn't climb stairs but used her wind power to go to the top floor.
It was lunch time and so she saw no one. She entered Li Shen's office room without any problem. Li Shen was having lunch. Seeing her coming inside, his face darkened. He coldly asked, "What do you want?"
"What do you think?" She leaned back on the closed door.
He asked, "How did you enter?"
Hua Lan's heart shattered into pieces. She chuckled. "Is this what you are supposed to say?"
Li Shen sneered. "You women are so cheap. Just because I was a bit good to you, you fell for my charm."
She asked, "If you knew that would happen, why didn't you stop before it was too late?"
Li Shen raised an eyebrow. "Did I stop before you could do anything?"
She shook her head. "No, you stopped after I confessed to you."
He asked her back, "Are you telling me to respond to every woman's confession? I'm not a playboy."
Hua Lan walked closer. "You know that I'm different from them."
Li Shen agreed. "Indeed. You are almost throwing yourself to your future brother-in-law. Not many women have that courage."
Her eyes filled with tears. "Is this the way you think of me?"
"Enough already. You should get out of here before I call guards. I'm being kind to you because you are going to be my family soon." He stood up and tried to walk past her.
"Wait!" She grabbed his wrist.
He shoved her away. She stumbled and fell on the floor. She quickly grabbed his right leg. "What is there you are not satisfied with me? I'm beautiful and intelligent with good family background."
Li Shen looked down at her and coldly sneered. "Everything about you is unsatisfactory." Saying that he kicked her harshly aiming her stomach.
"Hkk!" Hua Lan rolled on the floor. She nearly fainted while enduring the pain.
Li Shen left the room without giving her a second glance.
After that, she appeared before him unless it was family gathering. Li Shen was very gentle towards Hua Mei. They would flirt occasionally making her heart bleed. She was polite and never looked at him directly. He even threatened her to attend the wedding when he found out that she was trying to leave the country. He said that if she didn't attend the wedding, he would expose her feelings for him in front of everyone.
Hua Lan was forced to personally accompany Hua Mei to choose wedding gown and accessories. She had to do the make up of Hua Mei on her wedding day. She was forced to witness everything.
Hua Lan was guilty towards The Cobra, so she didn't contact them. Slowly, she began to drift apart. But it wasn't enough for Li Shen. He forced her to go with him and his new family in Italy.
And Hua Lan said goodbye there. She ended her life to save him and his beloved family.
Farewell…
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"Lan! Lan! Wake up!" A man called her name urgently.
Mu Lan opened her eyes. She couldn't see the person who was in front of her as her eyes were brimming with tears. She was in agony. She couldn't believe that she endured so much in China. It was too painful to breathe properly.
The man cupped her face tenderly and gently wiped her tears. "Lan, why are you crying? Are you in pain?"
She knew this voice. She sniffed and called out, "Li-Liang?"
"Yes, it's me. Sorry I'm late. I couldn't protect you properly-" Before Mu Liang could finish his words, his lips were sealed with a kiss.