Shine on Me

"Miss, we're here."

"Miss?! We've arrived!"

It wasn’t until the taxi driver called out to me a second time, louder this time, that I snapped out of my thoughts. I pulled out my wallet, paid the fare, and stepped out of the car.

Right in front of me was Lin Yusen’s neighborhood.

After leaving the place where I’d met with my dad, I had practically rushed into a taxi without hesitation to come here. But now, standing in front of his door after walking through the complex, staring at the wooden door, I hesitated to press the doorbell.

I stood there, fixated on the grain of the wood, for a full half hour.

What was I afraid of?

Afraid the truth would be too ugly?

No, no—I believed in him. Something like this would never happen with Lin Yusen. Even if I didn’t trust his character, I should at least trust his intelligence.

But why was my father so adamant?

I took a deep breath, deciding not to let my thoughts spiral any further. Just as I raised my hand to ring the doorbell, the door suddenly swung open from the inside. Several people walked out, led by a tall man who was mid-sentence.

"Hey, using their own force against them—this time, we’ll make sure they can’t swallow—"

When he saw me, his voice cut off abruptly. Everyone turned to look at me at once. Lin Yusen was at the back. He looked surprised, but a faint smile quickly surfaced in his eyes as he stepped forward.

"Xiguang? What brings you here?"

My gaze dropped to his clothes. "There’s something I need to ask you."

He paused for a few seconds before responding with a quiet, "Hmm."

The others took the hint and quickly excused themselves. Lin Yusen walked them out a few steps before returning, studying me for a moment before sighing.

"You’ve met with President Nie?"

I didn’t answer him. Instead, I cut straight to the point. "Lin Yusen, do you know Ma Nianyuan?"

I didn’t ask if he had "pursued" Ma Nianyuan—the very idea was so repulsive I couldn’t even bring myself to say it.

His frown deepened instantly. "Who is that?"

The tension inside me loosened all at once, and I nearly smiled in relief. But something still felt off. Why would my father tell such an easily exposed lie? At the same time, Lin Yusen wouldn’t resort to such a low-level deception either.

So where exactly was the problem? Though the thought of that mother and daughter made me sick, I forced myself to explain.

"You know about my family situation, right?"

Lin Yusen nodded. "I’ve heard a little."

"So, Ma Nianyuan... is practically my father’s goddaughter. My dad said you met her at my godmother’s banquet two years ago, and then she invited you to Wuxi to see the plum blossoms..."

His expression suddenly turned terrifying.

I was so startled by his reaction that I couldn’t even finish my sentence.

He suddenly gripped my shoulders tightly. "What did you just say?!"

I was too stunned to speak. His gaze bore into me as if he were forcing out each word: "It wasn’t you who invited me to Wuxi?!"

I snapped out of my shock. "H-how could it be me? I didn’t even know you back then."

His eyes searched my face, as if trying to confirm something. Then, slowly, his grip on my shoulders loosened. It was as if he had already pieced everything together, but he still asked me with a sliver of hope, "Two years ago, we met at Madam Yu’s banquet. I went with my grandfather. Think carefully—do you really not remember at all?"

Did... did we?

My godmother’s parties were always lively, with a constant stream of guests and crowds of people. I really had no memory of it."Hmph." He probably got the answer from my expression and finally lowered his arm.

He clenched his fist as if trying to restrain his emotions, but ultimately failed. He punched the wall hard and slowly spat out four words.

"Utter humiliation!"

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. After a few breaths, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

I didn’t know who he was calling, but his voice was terrifyingly cold.

"Where are you?"

...

"I’ll be right there."

He hung up and walked over, grabbing my hand directly.

"Come with me."

His expression and attitude left no room for refusal, and his steps were so fast that I stumbled along, dragged all the way to the car. Everything was unfolding beyond my imagination. Only after the car had driven a considerable distance did I gather my wits enough to ask, "Where are we going?"

"We’ll be there soon."

He drove in silence, soon entering the highway. Based on the roadside signs, I guessed our destination was Shanghai. A little over an hour later, as dusk fell, the car stopped in front of a villa in Songjiang. Lin Yusen took out his phone and coldly uttered two words: "Come out."

Soon, a young man ran out, hastily buttoning his disheveled clothes.

"Vincent, you should’ve given me a heads-up a few days ago so I could’ve prepared a proper welcome."

The man looked vaguely familiar. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Shao Jiaqi, the son of my godmother. However, he had gone abroad at a young age and lived overseas for a long time, only returning recently. We weren’t particularly close.

"Jiaqi?"

"Xiguang?" He was equally surprised. "How did you..."

He glanced between me and Lin Yusen, clearly confused.

Lin Yusen cut short our reunion. "Shao Jiaqi, two years ago, before my car accident, did you call me and ask me to go to Wuxi?"

Shao Jiaqi immediately grimaced. "Ah, why bring this up again? I know I owe you for life."

"Repeat exactly what you said to me on the phone that day."

"God, buddy, spare me, alright? I know I was wrong. If I’d known what kind of woman she was, I’d never have introduced you. Damn it, I’ve already cut ties with her. And when I told her you got into a car accident on the way, she didn’t even bother to visit."

"Enough. Just repeat what you said word for word."

Jiaqi scratched his head in frustration. "How could I possibly remember?"

Lin Yusen’s gaze turned icy. "Fine. I’ll repeat it, and you confirm if I’m right."

"You said, ‘Buddy, you’re in for some luck. There’s a beauty at Mom’s party the other day who’s taken a liking to you. She’s inviting you to Wuxi to admire the plum blossoms. You free this Saturday? Come to Wuxi to meet me first, and I’ll take you to see her.’"

His tone was cold and calm as he repeated those somewhat flirtatious words, creating an eerie atmosphere.

"I said, ‘Not interested. I have an important surgery on Saturday.’"

"Was that how it went?"

Shao Jiaqi nodded repeatedly. "Your memory’s too sharp, man. That’s exactly how it was."

"It’s not my memory. After the accident, I lay in bed unable to move, replaying those words countless times," Lin Yusen said. "Then you said, ‘A real beauty—Nie Chengyuan’s daughter.’"I suddenly raised my head and looked at Shao Jiaqi. He glanced at me, then said dejectedly, "Yeah, I had just returned to the country back then. That woman pretended to be pitiful, and I was misled into thinking she was Uncle Nie's illegitimate daughter."

At this point, he gave me another apologetic look before suddenly realizing something, his expression changing drastically. "Damn it, heavens, how did you two end up together? You didn't think Xiguang was the one who asked you out, did you?! Oh no, no way—you didn't take revenge on her, did you?!"

I was at a loss for words and instinctively turned to look at Lin Yusen. He met my gaze, his eyes filled with unconcealed bitterness and pain.

Perhaps affected by our mood, Shao Jiaqi also fell silent, leaving a heavy atmosphere between us.

After a long pause, Lin Yusen started the car and said, "I'll take you home."