She was smart and studious, and her dream was to go to college. Unfortunately, even though she was accepted to a prestigious university, her adoptive parents tore up her acceptance letter and forced her to quit school and work as a laborer. After finally being taken back in by her birth parents, she was forced to marry someone else.
She could clearly have had a life of her own, but in the end, she was imprisoned in a place like the Giang family.
What a melodramatic and miserable plot.
It was okay. Nothing terrible had happened yet. There was still time to change everything.
“Why? Well…” I thought for a moment, then smiled at her.
[Of course, because you’re my little star.]
“Of course, because you’re my wife.”
Perhaps because she’d never heard anyone speak so frankly to her, she stared at me blankly, her eyes uncertain, as if she didn’t know what to say.
“All right, what would you like to eat?” I opened the fridge, pleased to see it stocked with all kinds of fresh ingredients. “I’ll make dinner and simmer some soup for you!”
“Anything’s fine.” She hesitated for two seconds. “Or maybe I could help you cook.”
“Tư Nguyệt.” I touched the back of my hand to her chilly forehead and said gently, “Go take a bath first, or you’ll catch a cold.”
She stopped at that, her expression suddenly changing.
The suspicion on her face lasted only a moment. She quickly lowered her eyes again and calmly said, “Okay.”
I was a good cook. Mạnh Tư Nguyệt seemed a little distracted as she ate, but she still ate with gusto.
“Is it good?” I smiled at her. “You’re too thin. You should eat more.”
Mạnh Tư Nguyệt nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
She paused as if she wanted to say something. “Actually, there’s something I…”
I’d just stood up, but I honestly sat back down.
“I want to go back to school and earn my bachelor’s degree.” Mạnh Tư Nguyệt lowered her eyes. “…Now I’m Mrs. Giang, but I only have a high school education. Staying that way wouldn’t reflect well on the Giang family, either.”
Her excuse was a little strained, but I didn’t care.
I knew how badly she wanted to go to school.
Years had passed since the college entrance exam, and she’d studied hard on her own every day, hoping to build a bright future for herself once she left her family. Sadly, things hadn’t gone as she’d hoped.
She’d been dragged back down into the mud, never to see sunlight again.
“Sure,” I said without hesitation, my eyes crinkling as I spoke warmly. “When the time comes, you can even take the entrance exam for graduate school.”
At my promise, Mạnh Tư Nguyệt lifted her head. Happiness was plain on her face, but above all, she looked relieved.
“Don’t worry about applying to a school,” I said, unable to resist ruffling her hair.
“I’ll take care of it for you.”
She’d only met me a few times and knew very little about me, which was why she’d made that request. If I were really Giang Mục Dã, I’d have refused her without a second thought.
“Is there anything else you want to do?” I couldn’t help saying. “You can tell me. I’ll do everything I can to help.”
In truth, saying something like that was a little too much for our relationship as it stood, but I really couldn’t hold back how I felt.
I couldn’t wait for her to know that I was on her side.
Mạnh Tư Nguyệt looked at me. Her dark eyes, still as a lake, rippled for a moment before going calm again.
She shook her head. “That’s enough. Thank you.”
I knew what she wanted most, but now wasn’t the time.
Mạnh Tư Nguyệt was in our master bedroom—but only because I’d never come back here before. Now that I’d returned today, of course things would be different.
As soon as I got into bed, Mạnh Tư Nguyệt was clearly a little nervous.
Even though she could see I was only going to sleep—my breathing was steady, and I made no other moves—her tense body didn’t relax.
The air conditioner was on, but the room wasn’t very cool. Cicadas chirred softly in the night, and the girl, exhausted from the long day, gradually fell asleep.
When she was fast asleep, I opened my eyes and turned to look at her.
I gently unfolded her curled-up hand, smoothed the crease between her brows, then turned and got up.
I stood on the balcony, my hair blowing in the wind.
There was a lot to do tomorrow.
I quietly closed the balcony door and traced a big crescent moon on the glass over her face.
Good night, my Tư Nguyệt.
2.
When Tư Nguyệt woke up the next day, I’d already packed my things.
She stared at me in surprise. “Giang… Giang Mục Dã, what are you doing?”
“Running away,” I said with a bright smile. “Leaving the capital.”
Her eyes gradually widened. This was the first time she’d shown such obvious surprise since yesterday.
“It’s too chaotic here.” I zipped up my backpack. “If you want to study for the exam, we need to find somewhere quiet.”
That was exactly what I meant.
There were people from the Giang and Mạnh families here—some with malicious intentions, others waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
Like foxes, they smiled at the fragile girl, waiting for her to draw her last breath before killing her.
This was the malice the whole world had shown her. She had no one around her.
—I have to stay by her side.
I was the only one on her side.
Mạnh Tư Nguyệt was quiet for a while.
I looked up and saw the girl watching me under the light, her expression obscured by the darkness.
But a moment later, she tilted her head and asked, “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere you like,” I said. “Would you rather go south or north?”
Mạnh Tư Nguyệt’s eyes trembled. “The south.”
I snapped my fingers. “Then let’s go to Nam Thành.”
Mạnh Tư Nguyệt and I quietly went to Nam Thành without telling anyone.
As the heir and one of the people in power in the Giang family, it was easy for me to conceal my whereabouts.
I ignored the nonstop calls and messages, blocked Hứa Nhuận Ninh and the Giang family, and left the Mạnh family a little trouble of their own to deal with—so they wouldn’t chase after Mạnh Tư Nguyệt.
The people who came to my house early that morning and found nothing were so furious that they started searching all over the capital for Mạnh Tư Nguyệt and me.
Unfortunately, at the moment, we were in a real estate office on a bridge in a small town in Nam Thành.
Perhaps because we were so far from the capital, Mạnh Tư Nguyệt seemed more relaxed, her whole demeanor much more alluring.
Though she had always seemed composed, her pale face and delicate features had made her look lonely.
But now, standing beside me and asking about the price of the properties here in a warm voice, she wore a smile unlike the one she’d had in the capital.
I rented a house of our own. Of course, it was nothing like the bustling capital, with its sprawling shopping districts and seemingly endless highways.
There was only the gentle sound of running water and a succession of little wooden bridges.
This place wasn’t famous, and nobody knew Mạnh Tư Nguyệt or me.
Mạnh Tư Nguyệt was studying for her exam at home while I worked beside her.
She held a book while I typed at my keyboard. Neither of us said a word. We spent the whole afternoon like that, until the pale golden sunlight turned orange-red and slowly faded away.
We quickly got to know our neighbors. Dì Vương, who lived to our left, often brought over snacks she’d made herself.
Tư Nguyệt returned the favor by inviting dì Vương over for dinner.
She could cook, but today I took the lead. One of us washed the vegetables while the other chopped the ingredients.
Standing in the living room, dì Vương smiled and said, “You young newlyweds really are so sweet together.”
Mạnh Tư Nguyệt paused for a moment. When she met my smiling eyes, she hurriedly lowered her gaze.
After we married, she hadn’t known anything about the man she’d married and hadn’t dared to hope for much. Once she realized I meant her no harm, she was willing to trust me.
Chú Trần, who lived to our right, liked to invite me fishing. I wasn’t very good at it, but I was patient. I’d hold my fishing rod and chat with him.
We fished until noon, and I never let on that I was bored or impatient.
Chú Trần laughed and gave me some of the fish he’d caught. I didn’t refuse. I carried the bucket home and asked Mạnh Tư Nguyệt, “What do you think—fish soup or braised fish?”
Mạnh Tư Nguyệt looked up at me. The sunlight reflected in her dark eyes, and for a moment she seemed startled.
“Why?” she asked me. “I thought you liked Hứa Nhuận Ninh.”
“Why?” I echoed her, then asked, “After what I did to you, you still trust me?”
Mạnh Tư Nguyệt was stunned.
“You were a victim too,” she said, shaking her head. “You were drugged too.”
“I used to like Hứa Nhuận Ninh too.” I squatted down and scraped the scales off the fish. “But you married me.”
“People say the eldest young master of the Giang family is as gentle as jade,” Mạnh Tư Nguyệt said. “You… aren’t quite like I imagined.”
“Am I not gentle as jade?” I put on a defensive air. “Am I not handsome?”
At that, she couldn’t help smiling. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I’ll protect you.” I stood up and looked her straight in the eye. “I’ll help you with anything you want.”
Was it out of duty, or affection?
She didn’t ask again.
That evening, we sat on the rocking chair in the courtyard, gazing at the stars. A cool breeze drifted by. I was getting sleepy when I suddenly felt someone drape a jacket over me.