Volume 2 Chapter 38
by Need_More_SleepVolume 2 + Chapter 38: A Difficult Choice
“This is the past shared between the Young Master and me. I too have thought that such a life could hardly be considered happiness for him. But unfortunately, I lack the ability to change him. I could only watch helplessly as his heart grew increasingly cold and numb. I had already given up on the idea of changing him, intending only to help him to the utmost in my work. But then, you appeared!” Xiao Liu said to the Ouyang Qianxue standing before her.
“Me?” Ouyang Qianxue seemed puzzled.
“It was on the Young Master’s birthday. You gave him the first warmth in his life, and it gave me a glimmer of hope for changing him.”
“I just cooked him a meal and celebrated his birthday with him. Is it really that significant?”
“You couldn’t be more wrong if you think that was just an ordinary meal and an ordinary birthday cake. Do you have any idea what unfair treatment the Young Master suffered that day?”
“Betrayed by his own biological father?” Ouyang Qianxue lowered his head as he spoke.
“Oh? The Young Master even told you that? You should know, from the time I’ve been with him until now, I’ve never seen him speak about his own affairs to anyone. It seems your weight in his heart is even greater than I imagined.”
“…” Ouyang Qianxue fell silent upon hearing Xiao Liu’s words.
“When a person, long trapped in an icy world and beset by such hardship, suddenly receives warmth from another, do you know how precious that warmth becomes to their heart?” Under Xiao Liu’s intense gaze, Ouyang Qianxue looked down.
“I’m telling you, he would stop at nothing, exhaust everything he has, to protect that warmth!”
“So, to preserve the last vestige of warmth in the Young Master’s heart, I’m begging you, Ouyang Qianxue. I beg you, stay by his side, continue to give him warmth, please?” Xiao Liu grew more and more agitated as she spoke, finally grasping Ouyang Qianxue’s hands.
“I… I can’t promise that.” After a moment of consideration, Ouyang Qianxue answered. After all, if Wang Shiman were to find out he was unusually close to Bai Yuxuan, his employment with her could end at any moment, jeopardizing his mother and sister’s livelihood. So, gritting his teeth, he decided to refuse Xiao Liu’s request.
“Why? If you have any conditions, name them. As long as I can do it, I will go through fire and water for you.”
“No, it’s not about the conditions you can offer. It’s…”
“It’s because of Wang Shiman, isn’t it?”
“What? How did you…?” Hearing Xiao Liu’s words, Ouyang Qianxue was greatly alarmed.
“That day during your contest with Ning Caiwei, when asked about your relationship with Wang Shiman, you were very flustered. Although the Young Master covered for you at the time, he couldn’t deceive me. Let me tell you, I came prepared this time. Through investigation, I learned that eight years ago, Wang Shiman recruited a group of children for training. Using various connections, I found one of the children who participated in Wang Shiman’s program…”
Here, Xiao Liu glanced at Ouyang Qianxue, whose face was growing pale, and continued.
“And that child told me that among their batch, only one was chosen by Wang Shiman, and that child had distinctive golden hair. But based solely on the hair color, I couldn’t be certain it was you. Then I recalled the black-haired girl you met at the cafe before.”
“So I immediately looked into her family background. But through household registration records, I only learned that this girl supposedly had an older brother who died long ago. To discover the truth, while she was in class during the day, I quietly entered her dorm room. And on her desk, I saw this!”
With that, Xiao Liu took out her phone and opened a photo. It showed a desk in Qianyue’s dorm room, on which lay a family portrait of the four of them from the past.
“It turns out she never had a brother, only a sister. And that sister is you, Ouyang Qianxue!”
“What?” For a moment before those words were spoken, Ouyang Qianxue thought everything, including his gender, had been exposed. But it seemed the other hadn’t yet discovered his true gender. However, knowing his interpersonal relationships was dangerous enough.
“Don’t pretend. By visiting the black-haired girl’s former neighbors, they told me the Ouyang family always had two girls, never a boy!”
It suddenly dawned on Ouyang Qianxue. It seemed Xiao Liu’s misunderstanding about his gender stemmed from his old neighbors. He remembered that as a child, because he looked too delicate and cute, he was often mistaken for a girl by the neighbors. He used to cry and make a fuss about it as a child, and he hated those neighbors who loved calling him a ‘cute little girl.’ But given today’s situation, he really had to thank them.
“So, are you blackmailing me?”
“No. After all, I don’t want you to resent the Young Master because of me. I investigated you only to understand what kind of person you are. I didn’t want someone with an uncertain identity staying by the Young Master’s side. But now your identity is clear. I am sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, asking you to stay by the Young Master’s side. I know you obey Wang Shiman’s orders for the sake of your family. Rest assured, regarding your mother’s medical expenses, I will gather the funds for you. I hope you will consider this carefully.”
“I still can’t agree. It’s not just about money. Don’t you understand Wang Shiman’s influence in Xijiang?”
“Although the Young Master’s current power can’t contend with Wang Shiman, you could interact in secret.”
“I don’t want to take that risk. Let’s end our conversation here for today.” Having said that, Ouyang Qianxue turned to leave.
“Wait!” Xiao Liu urgently called him back.
“If you don’t agree, I’ll jump off this building today!” With that, Xiao Liu suddenly stepped up onto the ledge of the rooftop.
“Calm down! Don’t do anything rash!”
“This is my resolve. For the Young Master, I am willing to risk my life. Miss Qianxue, if you agree to my request, you will not only save my life but also save the Young Master. If he continues like this, his heart will one day shatter completely, and he will become nothing more than the Bai family’s ruling machine. I’m begging you!” Xiao Liu shouted at Ouyang Qianxue.
“Don’t force me like this!” Ouyang Qianxue’s heart was in agony. On one side were himself and his family. If he defied Wang Shiman, his family would surely be implicated. On the other side were Bai Yuxuan and a living life. He found it difficult to choose between them. Xiao Liu spoke again.
“Ouyang Qianxue, did you know that yesterday, after receiving Lin Tianyu’s text message, the Young Master’s first choice was to save you, and only afterward did he think of that plan? Because in his heart, you are more important than his position as heir!”
“Do you know what would happen to the Young Master if he lost his position as heir? His cold-hearted father would certainly banish him from the Bai family. And when the Young Master became the heir, he personally dealt with many members of the Bai clan. If they were to learn he had lost the family’s protection, they would surely try every means to retaliate against him. The Young Master knew all this perfectly well, yet he still chose you first!”
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