Chapter One: Say You Love Me

The acceptance letter was handed to Chen Hongxu early in the morning by Xia Ruohe, who was clearly impatient after pacing back and forth at the door, waiting for him to return with Xue Xi. The moment Xia Ruohe gave him the letter, she turned and left, muttering “Shameless!” under her breath, leaving Chen Hongxu utterly confused.

After settling Xue Xi inside, Chen Hongxu finally had a chance to open the letter Xia Ruohe had given him. What he saw left him astonished—the letter was an official acceptance to XX University. He hadn’t even signed up for the entrance exam yet; how could he possibly be receiving an acceptance letter at this time of year?

While he was still bewildered, another sheet of paper slipped from the envelope—a medical examination form, both ordinary and not so ordinary. All the spaces were blank, except for an official stamp at the bottom: “Black List.” Suddenly, the early arrival of the acceptance letter made sense.

Wait a minute—this was inside a sealed envelope; how did Xia Ruohe know what was inside? Could she have opened it, seen everything, and then resealed it as if nothing had happened?

Shaking off these absurd thoughts, Chen Hongxu moved closer to Xue Xi and gently wiped the dewdrop from the corner of her mouth, careful not to wake the tempest who was notorious for her morning temper.

Xue Xi smacked her lips. After a long sleep, the effects of the alcohol had completely worn off. She glanced at Chen Hongxu, who quickly withdrew his hand, confused by his caution. Little did she know that he was simply trying to avoid incurring her wrath.

Blinking sleepily, Xue Xi looked around, then suddenly threw off the blanket, discovering that she was still dressed in her underwear. Pouting, she glared at Chen Hongxu with a huff. She wasn’t angry at him, but rather at Li Tao’s gang—how could they have failed to drink Chen Hongxu under the table yesterday? Out of so many people, not a single one succeeded.

She couldn’t say this outright, though she’d dropped plenty of hints. Unfortunately, she’d underestimated the respect Chen Hongxu commanded among the gangsters. If he didn’t want to drink, not even Li Tao or Liu Yixian dared to force him, let alone the others. Xue Xi was drunk; how could he dare get drunk as well? Someone had to stay sober and watch over her.

Chen Hongxu retreated to a corner, bracing himself for Xue Xi’s usual explosive awakening.

She glared at him, flailing her arms about in a wild pantomime. Her gaze landed on the paper in his hands, and she asked suspiciously, “What’s that?” A woman’s intuition is rarely wrong, and she suddenly felt a pang of unease.

“It’s a university acceptance letter. I’m a genius!” Chen Hongxu squinted his eyes, grinning with pride.

“Quit pretending!” Xue Xi scoffed, tossing aside her blanket. She leapt out of bed and snatched the paper from his hand. After reading for a moment, she exclaimed in surprise, “It really is an acceptance letter! And to XX University, one of the country’s top schools! How did they not accept me early? I may not be as outstanding as you, but I’m still pretty good!”

She paused. “Wait! Early acceptance?” The thought struck her, and she looked at Chen Hongxu. “How could they accept you so early? Did something happen?”

Chen Hongxu spread his hands, feigning ignorance, while Xue Xi eyed him suspiciously. She riffled through the papers, finding a second sheet—a medical form. Her expression darkened as she saw the stamp: “Black List.” She knew what that meant, and she was well aware of the dangers that came with formal assignments for reserve and Black List members.

Her face hardened as she glared at Chen Hongxu. “What’s the meaning of this? You were planning to sneak off on a mission without telling me? I’m telling you, absolutely not. No. I won’t allow it.”

Her voice grew softer, shifting from fierce to pleading. Reading the worry in her eyes, Chen Hongxu stepped forward, pulling her into an embrace and gently pressing her head to his shoulder. “If I refuse, I lose my value, and then all sorts of things could happen. I’m not strong enough yet to do as I please. The nation doesn’t need an uncontrollable ‘superman.’ Do you understand?”

“I don’t care! If there are so many concerns, let’s just leave the country. I have money, plenty of it. I’ll take care of you—that’s really all I want!”

“If I guess right, every country has organizations like this. Otherwise, with people like these in our nation, those hostile countries would have fallen into chaos long ago. Elsewhere, it’s even less predictable and more dangerous for us.”

“When do you leave?” Xue Xi realized she couldn’t change his mind and didn’t insist further. She had never wanted to hold him back. “When you’re in danger, remember to think of me. Remember, there’s someone silently waiting for you. If—just if—anything ever happens to you, I won’t go on living.”

...

At the international airport in HJ City, a row of Bentleys lined up in front of the departure hall.

Getting out of the car, Chen Hongxu watched Xue Xi directing the bodyguards as they unloaded his things from the trunk. He gave a helpless smile. “I won’t be gone long. Are you trying to pack up an entire shopping mall for me?”

“Remember to charge your phone every day. Don’t flirt with pretty women—no, don’t even look at them! Recite my name a hundred times a day. Drink plenty of water—they say it’s dry in Beijing…” Xue Xi rattled on, ignoring everything else.

Chen Hongxu nodded solemnly to every instruction.

Then the boarding announcement echoed through the terminal. Xue Xi’s composed face crumbled; tears welled up in her eyes. With her head down, she clutched Chen Hongxu’s coat like a child, choking back sobs. “Say you love me!”

“I love you,” Chen Hongxu replied, softly and tenderly, wiping away her endless tears.

“I love you too,” Xue Xi replied, taking a deep breath and letting go. “Go on. When you arrive, ask Fan Grasshead to take good care of you, and call me as soon as you get there. I’ll send your things by air freight—just have Fan pick them up. And… I suddenly have so much I want to say to you!”

Her tears, which she’d just managed to stop, burst forth again. Waving him toward the gate, she sobbed, “Go on, get inside! I look awful when I cry!”

Chen Hongxu nodded. Turning to De Shuo, standing behind Xue Xi, he said gravely, “Take good care of her for me.” The truth was, his instincts were as sharp as Xue Xi’s; he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was about to happen. But with friends in both the underworld and the authorities, plus the Xue family’s bodyguards, nothing should go wrong.

“With my life,” De Shuo replied simply.

Assured, Chen Hongxu turned and walked away. Just as he entered the waiting area, Xue Xi’s voice rang out behind him.

She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Chen Hongxu!”

He turned and looked back at her.

“I love you! I’ll always love you! Chen Hongxu!” Love should be shouted for all to hear. Xue Xi paid no heed to the jealous and admiring stares around her. In her eyes, there was only Chen Hongxu—she could never look enough.

He fought the urge to drop his bag and run back to her. Sometimes, a man has things he simply must do, even if the choice doesn’t feel right at the time.

He watched her stand there, waving farewell with a serene smile after her outburst. Swallowing hard, he buried his words deep in his heart, nodded, and turned away. If he had known this turn would be their last, would he have stayed just a moment longer?

Some people, with a single careless turn, a brush of shoulders, a simple goodbye, are gone from your life forever…