Shen Lang pulled a pocket watch from his chest, and time seemed to reverse, his thoughts returning to an evening over a decade ago.
The sky was overcast, and the old streets were dim. A dirty boy huddled in an alley, his messy hair tangled with a few withered weeds, clutching a freshly stolen loaf of bread in his hands.
Pedestrians hurried by, rushing to avoid the rain, with no time to spare for such a young child.
"Boom!"
A flash of lightning split the dark sky, followed by a sudden clap of thunder. The boy's small hand trembled, and the bread slipped from his grasp, rolling to the corner of the street.
He hurriedly reached out to grab it.
"That" little girl walked over, her voice soft, her big eyes filled with concern.
The boy clutched the bread tightly and glared at the girl.
The girl pulled out a delicate candy box from her little bear backpack and said to the boy, "Do you want some cream cake?"
She looked to be around five or six years old, with two chubby little hands holding a box of cream cake wrapped in transparent packaging. Her pink cheeks blushed slightly with embarrassment.
The sky remained overcast, and the old street seemed like a scene from a fairy tale. This angelic little girl, as beautiful as an angel, became the only ray of light in the boy's eyes.
He knew where the girl had gotten the cream cake—it was from a pastry shop across the street, displayed in the highest and most prominent spot in the window.
"This is strawberry flavored, it's delicious, here you go."
The boy looked at the little girl's fair face and suddenly felt dazed. He shook his head immediately, but then, as if possessed, nodded.
His trembling hands took the cream cake from the girl's hands. The boy could smell the strawberry fragrance wafting from the packaging box.
He hadn't eaten anything all day and was very hungry.
The little girl nodded happily: "Next time you have time to come here, I'll give you another delicious strawberry-flavored one!"
The boy's lips moved slightly, and the world in his eyes seemed to freeze, filled with a warm current.
Just then, a black sedan slowly pulled up to the side of the road. The window opened, and the driver greeted the little girl.
"Miss, why are you here alone again? It's about to rain. Get in the car quickly!"
The little girl smiled傻笑着 and nodded, her skirt fluttering in the wind as she ran into the car like a little cloud.
However, as she ran, the girl dropped a pocket watch. The boy reached out to call her back, but the car had already driven away.
The boy walked forward and picked up the pure gold pocket watch. The background of the watch face was a photo of the little girl, innocent and adorable.
In the days that followed, the boy waited every day in that alley, hoping the little girl would reappear so he could return the pocket watch she had lost.
But after waiting for a month, the boy never saw the little girl again. Instead, he accidentally encountered an old man.
That old man was Shen Lang's master.
Without that girl, without that pocket watch, and without the month-long wait, Shen Lang might still be wandering the streets or might have already starved to death.
That girl was Su Ruoxue. It was she who changed the course of his life and was the first woman to bring him warmth.
Su Ruoxue probably no longer remembers this incident. Shen Lang had intended to keep it buried in his heart, but a chance encounter brought him and Su Ruoxue back into contact.
This mistaken engagement, of course, had its reasons. Su Ruoxue's grandfather and Shen Lang's master had a close relationship, and this engagement was arranged by them.
Su Ruoxue is currently in a difficult situation, being forced into marriage by a wealthy young man with deep connections. Her engagement to Shen Lang is actually a plan devised by Su Ruoxue's grandfather to protect his granddaughter from harm.
Shen Lang never imagined he would end up in a whirlwind marriage, but to protect this woman, he agreed without hesitation.
The ringtone of his phone interrupted his thoughts. Shen Lang picked up the phone and saw a familiar number.
"Little sister, what's up?"
"Can't I call just because there's nothing wrong? Lang Ge, do you miss me?" A voice as sweet as a silver bell rang out from the other end of the line.
Shen Lang sighed, "Little sister, I'm so lonely every night. I really miss you."
"Stop being so sarcastic. You're the one who's lonely? Don't you have that stunning fiancée to keep you company? Have her warm your bed every night."
Listening to the playful voice on the phone, Shen Lang found it both amusing and exasperating.
Although he and Su Ruoxue were engaged, they hadn't even held hands, let alone slept together.
Their current relationship wasn't even like that of engaged couples, let alone friends.
"By the way, Lang Ge, aren't you short on money? Should I transfer a few million to you?"
"No need. Your Lang Ge is a real man; I wouldn't dare ask a little woman for money."
"Who's the little woman?"
"Alright, alright, our Yao'er is a beauty."
After teasing his junior sister for a few moments, Shen Lang hung up the phone.
His mood improved slightly. Shen Lang actually wanted to nurture his relationship with Su Ruoxue, but he felt a bit overwhelmed.
Having not eaten anything that evening, Shen Lang was also feeling hungry. As he stepped out of the bedroom, he heard laughter coming from the living room.
The laughter was coming from Su Ruoxue, and it sounded very pleasant. Shen Lang was surprised—this ice queen actually smiled.
It must be said that Su Ruoxue looked truly beautiful when she smiled, but she had never shown such an expression to him before.
Shen Lang's hearing was different from that of ordinary people. Even from a distance, he could tell that the person on the other end of Su Ruoxue's phone call was a man.
"Wen Zhi, don't make fun of me. We haven't seen each other in years. How are you doing now?" Su Ruoxue asked on the phone.
Hearing a hint of concern in Su Ruoxue's voice, Shen Lang felt a surge of anger welling up inside him.
Although he and Su Ruoxue had no emotional foundation, he instinctively regarded her as his woman. His woman calling another man "Brother" and chatting with him made Shen Lang unable to tolerate it.
After Su Ruoxue hung up the phone, she glanced at Shen Lang as he approached and said indifferently, "I'm going out tonight to meet an old friend."
Shen Lang asked expressionlessly, "Who is he to you?"
"Why do you care so much?" Su Ruoxue furrowed her brows.
"I'm your nominal fiancé. Asking this question isn't too much, is it?" Shen Lang snorted.
Su Ruoxue frowned and said, "He's a classmate of mine named Zhang Wenzhi. Alright, have you finished asking?"
"No wonder others call him Brother Wenzhi. It's late at night. You wouldn't be going on a date with your Brother Wenzhi, would you?" Shen Lang sneered.
Su Ruoxue paused for a moment, then curved her lips into a teasing smile. "Oh, you're jealous of me? That really surprises me. Let me tell you, Shen Lang, you'd better mind your own business. Wen Zhi Ge is at least a hundred times better than you!"
That Zhang Wen Zhi was Su Ruoxue's university classmate, and he had asked her out several times before. She hadn't had time to go, but this time she couldn't refuse, so she was preparing to go to the dinner party.
She didn't expect Shen Lang to react so strongly. Su Ruoxue had already been annoyed with Shen Lang, so she took this opportunity to deliberately provoke him.
Shen Lang's lips twitched slightly, then he suddenly grabbed Su Ruoxue's delicate shoulder, his eyes flashing with anger.
"Shen Lang, what are you doing? Let go of me!" Su Ruoxue saw Shen Lang's domineering and arrogant gaze and suddenly felt a bit anxious.
"A hundred times stronger? Woman, I'll see how this man you're talking about is a hundred times stronger than me. If he isn't, just wait and see how I'll deal with you tonight!" Shen Lang said coldly.