If I could pry into other people’s minds, I might have known that Quan Jinnian had a car accident after our dinner together that day.
The accident driver smiled while looking at Quan Jinnian who was killed outright, as if his trick had worked.
Unfortunately, Quan Shaoze got the wrong information in his investigation and blamed me for his brother’s death.
Since then, he had been plotting revenge against me.
When I woke up the next day, I didn’t see Quan Shaoze. The photos in the drawer of the nightstand were also gone.
But I knew what had happened last night was real.
I didn’t want to wrest with myself anymore about why he hated me so much, so I stood up and put on the clothes he had prepared for me on the nightstand.
I was dying to see my brother, but I couldn’t find him in the villa. As the gate was locked, I was unable to leave either.
I went to some servants, trying to inquire about Quan Shaoze’s whereabouts, but they immediately ran away at the sight of me.
After a few attempts, I was certain that Quan Shaoze had ordered them to leave me alone.
I had to go back to the room and lay down again. Thinking that I could ask Quan Shaoze’s permission to see my brother after he returned at night, I fell asleep soon.
However, he didn’t come back until my feet allowed me to walk around freely a few days later.
It was late at night when he returned to the villa. Seeing that he was giving orders with a poker face to his men to carry things, I didn’t bother him.
It wasn’t until midnight, after he had sorted it all out, that I told him that I wanted to see my brother.
However, he refused me without even the slightest hesitation.
Then he threw delicate crimson cheongsam to me.
“Get changed.” He spat out the two words indifferently and then walked into the wing room.
I lifted my foot and was about to follow him, but after hesitating for a while, I dismissed the idea, came back to the room and obediently changed to the cheongsam as formal as a wedding dress.
I thought that as long as I followed his words, he would let me see my brother.
When I went back to the hall in the heavy cheongsam, I found its furnishings had totally been changed.
Quan Shaoze switched off all the lamps and lit up red candles around us. When I saw his tall and slim figure under the dim candlelight with something in his hands, I was suddenly seized by panic for no reason.
“I’m done. Can I see my brother tomorrow?” I went to him while asking cautiously.
However, before I could say anything else, my blood went cold as I suddenly discovered what he was holding was Quan Jinnian’s black-and-white portrait.
Out of politeness and to avoid upsetting him, I managed to hold my scream back.
He came back from the trance at my words. Looking down at me, he curved up his lips, forming a smile which made my hair stand on end. For the first time, he gently pulled me to the table in the middle with candles, fruits and incenses on it.
When I stood by his side, a paper cutting of the Chinese character “happiness” on the table caught my attention. “What are you up to?” I stared at him, pretending to be calm.
As soon as I turned to him, I suddenly caught sight of a few red paper flowers on Quan Jinnian’s portrait under the dim candlelight.
Associating the scarlet cheongsam with the spine-chilling furnishings in the hall, I couldn’t help sweating.
He turned his head and explained to me with a gentle smile which rarely appeared on his face, “Calm down. I just want you to marry my brother.”