“…!!!” Wenwen, who was having the time of his life, felt like thunder suddenly struck out of the blue. No! He wasn’t ready! He hadn’t played enough!
Unfortunately, Fu Yunruo agreed to Si Yue’s proposal, thinking it made sense since Wenwen had already had over a week of playtime. Kids back home had already started school, and it was time for Wenwen to stop playing. So, ignoring the boy’s protests, she agreed to start his lessons.
Under the unyielding pressure of both parents, Wenwen had no choice but to stay home and attend classes with a group of specially hired tutors.
Seeing that Wenwen was settling into his lessons, Fu Yunruo didn’t stay by his side the whole time to avoid distracting him.
Finally, Si Yue found the chance to enjoy some alone time together. “I’ll take you to a place,” he said, sneakily taking advantage to take Fu Yunruo out when Wenwen was preoccupied.
The island was actually quite large, and up until now, they had mostly enjoyed beachside activities and indoor time within the castle. This time, Si Yue took Fu Yunruo for an island adventure. Dressed in neat casual attire and with backpacks slung over their shoulders, the two quickly got ready for the journey. Before leaving, Fu Yunruo hesitated, “What if Wenwen looks for me…”
“Let him stay home. There are so many people in the castle; don’t worry. Children need to learn to be independent and can’t cling to their parents all the time.”
Fu Yunruo was quickly persuaded by Si Yue. The two headed to the opposite side of the island, where the cliffs were steeper and the environment was kept in the most natural state.
Si Yue carefully guided Fu Yunruo up the path, getting her past through the challenging terrain. Fu Yunruo was glad they didn’t bring Wenwen along, as the trail might be too hard for a young child. Still, while exhausting, occasional hiking was quite pleasant.
After about an hour, Si Yue announced, “We’re here.”
Fu Yunruo was helped onto a large rock where they could overlook the vast sea. Not far below, waves crashed against the cliff and splashed on the rocks. Unlike the calm and beautiful sea on the other side of the island, this side’s rough waves added a sense of danger.
Si Yue sat next to Fu Yunruo. Looking around, she didn’t quite understand why Si Yue had brought her here. Though they could see the edge of the island extending out and the scenery was pretty, it wasn’t particularly breathtaking.
“Ruoruo.” Si Yue broke the silence first.
“Um?”
“Let me introduce myself properly,” Si Yue said seriously.
Fu Yunruo was puzzled. They had known each other for so long, what more was there to introduce?
“Not just superficially, but to fully understand who I am.”
“I am the current head of the Si family… You might not be familiar with the Si family, but we’re actually the owner of the Jinshi Consortium…”
At the mention of the Jinshi Consortium, Fu Yunruo immediately recognized the name. The top elite families all knew of this consortium’s existence, but the consortium was extremely low-profile, rarely revealing itself publicly.
The consortium’s history could be traced back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty. According to legends, a group of people, supposedly from the imperial Sima family, fled to escape the turmoil of war. Some of these people went overseas and gradually accumulated wealth and status. As the years passed, the true scale of their fortune remained a mystery, shrouded in secrecy as they kept their identities hidden from the public.
There were many rumors about them, some resembling urban legends. For example, the family that owned the consortium were descendants of the imperial lineage. For example, despite being of Chinese descent, the members of the family held multiple nationalities, secretly controlling several lesser-known countries with private armies…
Their descendants were said to be involved in various industries across the world, holding significant positions.
This setting wasn’t in the original novel; it seemed the world had automatically filled in details to justify Si Yue’s extraordinary existence, which made sense if you thought about it. After all, only such a powerful entity could counterbalance the main couple’s protagonist aura.
There were elites within the elites even among the wealthy, and those on the top of the pyramid were not within the reach of the ordinary. Clearly, the Fu family was part of this ordinary circle, as the original Fu Yunruo had only barely heard of such existence through rumors and hearsay.
As such, after Si Yue shared his family background, Fu Yunruo began to understand his world better. With such a background and Si Yue’s protection, her Wenwen surely would have a joyful and carefree life.
After introducing his lineage, Si Yue talked about himself next, including his height, weight, hobbies, and personality. He concluded by saying, “You’re the first person I’ve ever liked and the first I’ve pursued. I know I’ve been doing a poor job…” Seeing Fu Yunruo’s amused look, Si Yue paused. It was uncharacteristic for him to be so hesitant. The two looked at each other for a while, and suddenly broke into laughter.
This moment seemed to significantly narrow the distance between them. Fu Yunruo felt that Si Yue was much more relatable now. Previously, she always felt a barrier between them, perhaps due to her lack of understanding of who he truly was.
Fu Yunruo could tell that Si Yue was a man with a deep thought. Such a person tended to rarely let others close to his heart. And so, despite his kindness, Fu Yunruo had never really understood Si Yue. But now she felt reassured, realizing that he too felt nervous and anxious because of her.
“Rainbow!” Fu Yunruo’s gaze drifted apart, and she exclaimed with surprise.
Si Yue turned in the direction she pointed, smiling, “Seems we’re quite lucky.” The terrain here was special; when sunlight hit at a certain angle, it occasionally created a rainbow, though the timing was unpredictable.
Fu Yunruo hadn’t seen rainbows often, so the sight filled her with joy. Unfortunately, the rainbow didn’t last long, fading in less than five minutes.
After enjoying the beautiful sight, Si Yue asked, “Did you like it?”
“Yeah,” Fu Yunruo nodded.
“There’s something I need to be honest about,” Si Yue suddenly said.
Fu Yunruo: “?”
“My parents came here without my consent.”
Fu Yunruo’s eyes widened in surprise, “You mean…”
“They didn’t intend to disturb us and just wanted to sneak a peek at first. However…” Si Yue looked at Fu Yunruo meaningfully.
“But what?” Reading Si Yue’s expression, Fu Yunruo had a bad premonition. Had she already met them without realizing it?
She quickly recalled all the people she had interacted with on the island — aside from the castle’s servants and the gardener in the garden, she hadn’t met many others. Filtering through her memories, she soon thought of someone. “Aunt Yun?” she guessed.
Si Yue nodded.
Fu Yunruo stared at him blankly, then covered her face. Now, she could only pray she hadn’t done anything embarrassing. She had clicked with Aunt Yun instantly and felt a good vibe from her, but who would think…
Seeing her reaction, Si Yue chuckled, “She didn’t intentionally approach you. Just like you, she enjoys gardening and wanted to see Wenwen.”
Fu Yunruo mumbled from behind her hands, “I know…” It was she who had approached Aunt Yun first. Oh god, why hadn’t she realized it? Thinking back now, Aunt Yun obviously didn’t look like a gardener — which gardener was that elegant and beautifully maintained?
“My mother likes you a lot. She even threatened to kick me out if I can’t get you to agree to marry into the Si family.” Si Yue put on a pitiful look, “Whether I still have a home or not depends entirely on you.”
Fu Yunruo’s face flushed. “Don’t talk nonsense.” She stood up in a fluster, “It’s getting late, we should head back. Otherwise, Wenwen will make a fuss if he doesn’t see me.”
Seeing her hurriedly walking away, Si Yue quickly followed, cautioning, “Walk slowly, don’t fall.”
Fu Yunruo slowed down.
The two safely descended the mountain. When returned to the castle, they immediately faced a sulking little boy, arms akimbo and a pout on his face, standing in the middle of the entrance like a statue.
“Where did you go without me?” As soon as Wenwen saw Fu Yunruo, he demanded indignantly, then he glared at Si Yue. It’s clear who the culprit is! His mom wouldn’t leave him behind otherwise!
Wenwen felt incredibly wronged. He had been studying hard under various tutors, but Si Yue sneakily took his mother off to have fun behind his back. Too despicable!
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