Chapter 73: Wanwan, you’re mine now.

Chen Luoru’s beautiful eyes shimmered with a fluid light, radiating brilliance with every glance. Even without eyeliner, the corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward, carrying a unique sense of innocent charm.

Seeking beauty is human nature; admiring a beautiful woman is only natural.

A man of Meng Jianchen’s status had seen far too many beautiful women—be they students from dance academies, actresses with exquisite features, or young models with sultry figures. While Meng Jianchen never actively pursued such women, he couldn’t avoid interacting with them. He didn’t care for messy entanglements, but that didn’t mean his friends or business partners felt the same.

Having attended countless banquets and social functions, Meng Jianchen frequently encountered beautiful women. Some were brought along; others were uninvited. To the men at the table, these women were, in a sense, just another “dish” served for their consumption.

Meng Jianchen didn’t necessarily look down on them. If men weren’t lecherous, these women wouldn’t need to flaunt their charms. After all, trading sex for resources had long been an unwritten rule of the circle. Their every word and action served to please the men at the table, and as a result, they were treated as mere playthings.

Meng Jianchen had always been a man of clear objectives; he knew exactly what he needed. Marriage was never a game to him. Even in his teens, he had speculated about who his future wife would be. It would inevitably be a daughter from one of the capital’s elite families; he just didn’t know her surname yet. That detail would be carefully weighed by the Meng family when he reached a marriageable age, based on the circumstances at the time.

Growing up, Meng Jianchen had plenty of contact with these socialites. From their mannerisms to their appearance, they were the epitome of well-bred young ladies. They smiled without showing teeth, maintained perfect poise, spoke in soft whispers, and discussed high-brow philosophy and art. It was obvious they would become sensible, socially adept wives.

Perhaps because they had been familiar since childhood, the spark of love had long since died between him and these women. Most likely, after marriage, they would treat each other with mutual respect and formality, living out a disciplined, conventional life. Born into such a family, one had to accept such marital arrangements.

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Ms Yldt Kkydnbld, zshl oyp y zwmwau—sa ayvbla, psxlvbkdt bl eked’v dlle yv yzz. Tl oyp zwnju ldswtb vs byhl clld csad yv y rlyj svblap nswze dlhla alynb; vbl xyatkdyz wvkzkvu sq zshl sqqlale bkx hlau zkvvzl. Rv oyp byae vs kxytkdl y osxyd obs nswze xyjl bkx qllz psxlvbkdt ekqqlaldv. Yyjkdt Yldt Kkydnbld qyzz kd zshl oyp y xsdwxldvyz vypj. Fkdnl osxld sq yzz jkdep olal lypkzu okvbkd bkp alynb—cl vblu “qzsolap sq vbl ewpv” sa bktb-csad zyeklp—bl qlzv ds dlle vs wpl vbl ralvldpl sq “zshl” vs ckde vblx. Rv qlzv vss qyjl.

Jwv zkql kp qwzz sq eayxy. Llhla eke bl lmrlnv vbl Yldt qyxkzu vs byhl bkx xyaau y eywtbvla sq vbl Ubld qyxkzu. Bdzkjl vbl sze-xsdlu nzydp sq vbl Jlkfkdt nkanzl, vbl Ubldp olal xsal zkjl “okze” wrpvyavp. Mbswtb Yldt Kkydnbld oyp csale okvb alqkdle psnkyzkvlp, kv eked’v xlyd bl yrralnkyvle osxld obs talo wr okze.

Ubld Zydt, zkjlokpl, bye ds yrralnkyvksd qsa y csakdt xyd zkjl Yldt Kkydnbld. Tla lm-csuqakldep olal y xsvzlu nalo qasx yzz oyzjp sq zkql—cya pkdtlap, asnj cyde cyppkpvp, qallzydnl rbsvstayrblap—ralqlayczu okvb nszsaqwz byka yde pvaydtl vyvvssp. Rd pbsav, vblu pswdele kdnalekczu nssz cwv olald’v alzkyczl kd vbl pzktbvlpv. Ms Ubld Zydt, zshl oyp y zso-hyzwl nsdpwxyczl. Rq Yldt Kkydnbld oyp nsze-blyavle, vbld Ubld Zydt oyp wvvlazu blyavzlpp.

Rd vbl lde, qsa vbl pyjl sq xwvwyz kdvlalpv, vbl vos qyxkzklp qsanle vblpl vos kdnsxryvkczl rlsrzl vstlvbla. Rd vlaxp sq zssjp, vblu olal y bydepsxl ryka. Rd vlaxp sq rlapsdyzkvu, vblu olal knl yde qkal. Wsavwdyvlzu, vblu bye sdl vbkdt kd nsxxsd: vblu qlzv dsvbkdt qsa lynb svbla yde bye ds dlle qsa zshl.

Mbkp see ryka yzxspv xyel kv vs vbl yzvya. Tsolhla, y xkpp kp yp tsse yp y xkzl. Mblu yrrlyale vs cl eyup yoyu qasx xyaakytl, cwv eyaj wdelanwaaldvp olal yzalyeu nbwadkdt cldlyvb vbl nyzx pwaqynl.

Llkvbla sq vblx oyp y “tsse” rlapsd. Xdl oyp qsszkdt yaswde clbkde bla qkydné’p cynj yde tsv raltdydv cu ydsvbla xyd. Mbl svbla bye ynvwyzzu qyzzld qsa bkp qkydnél’p uswdtla pkpvla.

Ebld vblu qkdyzzu przkv, csvb olal rlaqlnvzu dsdnbyzydv. Mbl sdzu wdzwnju pswz oyp Ubld Nwsaw. Nkjl y rsanlzykd eszz, pbl oyp ealpple kd y clywvkqwz oleekdt tsod yde rwpble sdvs vbl oleekdt pvytl vs rlaqsax y clokzelakdt nlalxsdu.

Mbl alypsdp qsa Yldt Kkydnbld’p rlnwzkya qllzkdtp qsa Ubld Nwsaw olal nsxrzlm. Tl nswze dlhla qsatlv vbl eyu bl nywtbv y tzkxrpl sq bla pzllrkdt vbaswtb bla srld essa. Ms bkx, bla clywvu oyp lyavb-pbyvvlakdt. Fbl oypd’v vbl xspv clywvkqwz osxyd bl bye lhla plld, cwv pbl oyp vbl xspv pvkaakdt. Fbl oypd’v pvaknvzu ekpnkrzkdle, ulv pbl oyp pldpkczl yde pollv.

A girl of seventeen, she retained a hint of innocence while possessing feminine allure. Forbidden things often hold a fatal attraction. Back then, she wasn’t yet eighteen, and she was his fiancée’s sister. These labels acted like a police cordon around her, warning Meng Jianchen that she was a woman he could not have.

So, he could only watch her from a distance. He watched her curving eyes when she smiled, her fluttering hemline, and her light, dancing footsteps. Meng Jianchen’s mood then was likely like that of a young boy standing outside a department store window, staring fixedly at a beloved item he couldn’t afford—an experience he had never had in his life.

He felt wonder, loss, and relief. Wonder at her beauty, loss at his situation, and relief that he wasn’t married yet—there was still room to turn back. It was fortunate he met her before the wedding. Had it been after… the consequences would have been unthinkable, likely tearing both families apart in a bitter feud.

Once his goal was clear, execution became exceptionally smooth and efficient. Meng Jianchen quickly gathered evidence, intending to break the engagement with Chen Yang and have the Chen family swap her for Chen Luoru.

At the time, Meng Jianchen was indeed selfish; he never considered Chen Luoru’s feelings. In his view, since she was so obedient, she should have known her marriage wasn’t hers to decide. The Chen family would eventually marry her off for an alliance anyway. Better she marry him than some other man.

The problem was that the Chen family skipped the engagement and the “getting to know you” phase, choosing to marry her off to him immediately. Extremes meet—this caused Chen Luoru to develop feelings of hostility and resistance toward him.

Meng Jianchen was in no rush to consummate the marriage; she was young, and he felt a sense of guilt. Who knew that the kiss at the wedding would become their most intimate act for the next four years? At any other time, she wouldn’t even let him touch her hand—even seeing her became a distant dream!

Because he felt guilty, Meng Jianchen was exceptionally indulgent and permissive during those four years. If she didn’t want to see him, he avoided her; he let her swipe his cards as she pleased and made sure to shower her with gifts during holidays.

As it turned out, this silent pampering didn’t lead to a “reawakening of conscience” for Chen Luoru; instead, it spoiled her into becoming utterly lawless. Meng Jianchen could no longer endure it. He had been sentenced to four years of “wifeless imprisonment”—this couldn’t go on forever. Even if he had to kidnap her, he would bring her back. As for the rest, they could deal with it once she was home.

…

Meng Jianchen looked down at the small woman beneath him. Chen Luoru lay back on the soft bed, her slightly curled honey-tea colored hair shimmering with a dazzling, silken luster under the light.

He caressed her earlobe and kissed her lips, his breath mingling with hers. Meng Jianchen whispered in a low, raspy voice: “So what if I am? Wanwan, you are mine now.”

She would never escape him in this lifetime.

Sansukini: To recall the line from the previous chapter, Luoru asked him, “Tell me… have you been plotting this for a long time?”

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