In that small photograph, his evident happiness was marked by a tiny smile—something that rarely came to him.
“Who is she?” asked Lu Yi.
He couldn’t remember a single thing about her. His parents, Lei Qingyi, and his grandpa…them he remembered. But he drew a blank when it came to this woman.
“You tell me,” said Ye Shuyun as she opened the wardrobe beside her. Inside were some of Yan Huan and Lu Yi’s old clothes. In the past two years, Yan Huan had not thrown away any of his belongings, even though everyone believed he was dead.
“She was the wife you had chosen. You had gone against your grandfather’s wishes to marry her, and for that, you were willing to take a nasty beating from him. Yours was a military marriage, and military marriages cannot be voided. You were pronounced dead, but not divorced. There will be no divorces in the Lu Family.”
She shut the wardrobe and walked up to him. From his hand, she took the photo frame away and carefully put it on the table.
“This is Huanhuan’s favorite picture. For a long time, she couldn’t sleep without it in her arms. And the rest of your belongings…she kept them all. Mom understands that Miss Sun has saved your life, but this marriage cannot happen.”
“Your dad and I will not allow it. Neither will your grandfather.”
Lu Yi’s pupils shrunk as he stared at the two in the photograph.
Married? Him? His wife was the best actress in the world… so why couldn’t he remember anything about her? He began pounding his head with his hand. But nothing came to him.
When Lu Yi left the room, Sun Yuhan was still sitting at the table. She wasn’t eating, though. Not like she had the appetite either.
Lu Yi sat down beside her and put a pair of chopsticks in her hand.
“Eat. The nanny is a good cook,” said Lu Yi. The nanny curled her lips, however. Who was this woman that came out of nowhere? Must be one of those shameless bitches hounding Young Master Lu. Mind her, Young Master Lu was married with the kind Miss Yan, who was well-liked among all the nannies.
She never gave them attitude or looked down on them. During festivals, she would give them days off and double pay. She always included them whenever she brought back presents too. Just a few days ago, Yan Huan had bought Sister Gu a house in the city area, telling her that it was a thank you gift for accompanying her during that one year of filming.
Sister Gu’s son had a successful marriage. With the house, they wouldn’t have anything to worry about in the future.
How could they let such a good person get bullied? She walked into the kitchen, deliberately ignoring Sun Yuhan.
“Let’s eat,” said Lu Yi, eating as though nothing had happened. They were the only ones at the table now. Lu Jin and Ye Shuyun had probably had their fill, but it would be a waste to let so many dishes go uneaten.
When they were done, Lu Yi steered Sun Yuhan into the guest room.
“Lu Yi…” Sun Yuhan suddenly pulled at his sleeves. “Your parents don’t like me, do they? Are they telling you not to marry me?”
“No, that’s not it,” said Lu Yi, looking down at her fingers. It was a complicated feeling. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to marry her, but that he couldn’t. He didn’t want to break his promise either.
He suddenly stopped, walked to the front of Sun Yuhan, and hunkered down.
“Yuhan,” he said. His dark eyes were dim with guilt.
It was more than Sun Yuhan could handle. She shook her head repeatedly.
“You are not going to marry me, are you? You promised to marry me before my operation! You promised! You can’t go back on your word like this, Lu Yi! I was the one who brought you home! For two years we relied on no one but each other! You can’t break your promise just because you remember you are from a rich family! If that’s the case, why bring me back in the first place? What do I even need this leg for anymore? Might as well have end up as a cripple,” she said as she began to hammer her leg with a fist. Lu Yi hastily stopped her from doing further damage.
He pressed his lips together tightly, but there was nothing he could say in return. He was the one in the wrong, the one who broke his promise. He shouldn’t have made the promise. He shouldn’t have given her disappointment after promising hope.
He himself never knew that he was married.
“Let’s run away, okay?” said Sun Yuhan. She had always sensed that Lu Yi’s parents did not like her, and that must have been why they didn’t let him marry her. Why would such a rich and powerful family want a commoner like her as their daughter-in-law?
They could go back to the Xun River, where they owned a few properties. They would never run out of money with Lu Yi’s stockbroking skills.
She kept whimpering on, waiting for Lu Yi’s okay, hoping that he would abandon everything for her sake. But what awaited her was disappointed. There were no “okays”, or promises of any kind.
I promise to marry you.
I’ll marry you no matter what.
You are the only one I would marry.
Those were the things she wanted to hear, but Lu Yi did not say them.
Tired from crying, she tugged at Lu Yi’s clothes to prevent any attempts at leaving, but he didn’t. Those dark eyes contained too many things she couldn’t understand. She didn’t even know the reason behind him breaking her promise. Everything was fine just a moment ago. What caused the sudden, incomprehensible change?
Lu Yi got up and returned to his room after Sun Yuhan fell asleep. He returned to his own room, a place he found most familiar yet somewhat foreign. Not much in the room had changed, except that there was a feminine touch to it. The curtains had been changed to a lighter hue with floral patterns. Something a woman would like.
The bedsheets were of a lighter shade as well, instead of his favorite grey or brown. There were two pillows, arranged neatly side by side, and a furry teddy bear on top of the pillow.
He walked over and picked it up. The bear had the look of an honest man. It was cute.
He set it down and opened the wardrobe. Ye Shuyun had stared at it for a long time. Was there something in there?
What he found inside made him melancholy. His brain might have forgotten, but not his feelings.
