Chapter 443 Chapter Four-Hundred and Forty-Three: Hurt

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Shi Xiu stared at Lan Long, who was a few steps away from her, and smiled gently. Tears shone in her eyes.

“Shi Xiu, you’re so beautiful!” Lan Long commented sincerely.

Shi Xiu didn’t say anything. Whether it was the smile on her face or her bearing, she was dignified and noble—she was a beauty that couldn’t be profaned.

Lan Long slowly took two steps towards her, and Shi Xiu took two steps back at the same time. At this moment, despite standing in the bustling great hall, they felt as if they were far away from the crowd, isolated from the world around them.

Lan Long was momentarily stunned and stopped in his tracks. Shi Xiu smiled and reached out to wipe away the tears that had accidentally fallen before looking away.

“What’s wrong?” Lan Long asked, eyes filled with heartache.

Shi Xiu chuckled, “It’s nothing. I’m just a little sad to find out that I’ve been cheated. Today is my brother and sister-in-law’s big day. I shouldn’t be such a downer.”

“Shi Xiu, you’re the most beautiful and innocent girl I’ve ever seen. If someone hurt you, he definitely didn’t do it on purpose. Or maybe he has his reasons? You should give him a chance. At least let him die enlightened, right?” Lan Long remarked, his tone as gentle as ever.

Shi Xiu’s distant and cool attitude gave Lan Long a bad feeling, so he silently reviewed everything in his head. When he found that there were no flaws or slip ups in his interactions with Shi Xiu, he straightened his back confidently.

Shi Xiu looked at the man before her who’d moved her heart for the first time. It would be a lie she herself wouldn’t believe if she said that she wasn’t sad.

Lan Long self-convincingly thought he’d figured out the reason behind Shi Xiu’s anger, smiled and apologized, “I’m sorry I regretfully didn’t make it to your brother and sister-in-law’s official ceremony because I had to attend a last-minute international conference today! I truly am sorry! In order to express my apology, why don’t you—” he stressed the last word teasingly, “give me a chance to make it up to you?”

Shi Xiu looked at him and recalled how she’d been mesmerized by his smile and humility the first time she had met him. ‘I’ve been sincere with him, but he deliberately approached me from the beginning.’ At the thought of this, Shi Xiu felt relieved. ‘I was unsuspecting and he came to me with premeditated intentions…. That he succeeded in deceiving me was only to be expected. I didn’t lose disgracefully.’

She smiled brightly and replied, “Make it up to me, huh? Alright. After the wedding is over, can you accompany me to see my big sister-in-law?”

Lan Long’s smile froze, and his eyes narrowed. Shi Xiu pretended she didn’t notice his reaction and went on to sigh, “My elder brother came and attended the wedding alone. He said that my sister-in-law is attending an exhibition overseas and won’t be able to make it back in time, but it’s actually a lie. There are some things that shouldn’t be known to outsiders, after all. My sister-in-law got a terrible scare and is in no condition to meet outsiders yet.”

Shi Xiu sighed heavily again when she finished. Lan Long’s smile became livelier at her words. “Shi Xiu, does this mean you’re treating me as one of your own?”

Even his eyes had brightened; it was as if there were stars twinkling in his beautiful eyes. ‘I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve drowned in this shining gaze of his,’ Shi Xiu thought. She couldn’t help but smile wryly in her heart, but she was also secretly glad she became aware of his true character early on.

She took a deep breath before answering, “Yeah! I’ve always treated you as one of us.”

Lan Long took two more steps forward, his face full of joy. And Shi Xiu once again took two steps back at the same time.

Lan Long was stupefied. Staring at him, Shi Xiu smiled and asked, “Do you know Chang Yuan? He’s my older brother’s special assistant.”

Lan Long nodded. “I do. Special Assistant Chang is a rare talent.”

“He grew up with Shi Nian and is his best friend. I’ve always treated him like my own brother.” Shi Xiu’s expression was solemn as she added, “He didn’t come to the wedding today.”

Lan Long’s heart skipped a beat. He looked over towards Shi Nian’s direction. Indeed, Chang Yuan wasn’t there. For some reason, he had a bad premonition.

Shi Xiu sighed softly, “He must regret it a lot. After all, it’s his best buddy getting married. He’s an only child, so he treats me and my brothers as his own siblings.”

Lan Long frowned, unable to follow what Shi Xiu was getting at. He couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong with Special Assistant Chang? Did something happen?”

Shi Xiu stared intently at Lan Long. Only when it got to the point that Lan Long was bafflingly tempted to touch his face to check if there was anything strange on it did she nod lightly and answer, “Chang Yuan is injured, very seriously injured. Two of my big brother’s subordinates are also injured.”

Shi Xiu turned her body slightly to look at the lively scene in the great hall and said levelly, “My big sister-in-law was kidnapped and injured, and because of that, she has been staying in the hospital. And during this period, some strange things keep happening; it seems that someone wants to hurt her again.”

“And ‘coincidentally,’ my big brother happened to get seriously injured then. He couldn’t care for both himself and his wife, so he asked my elder brother to complete the mission in his place. Yun Nan covered for them while also protecting my big sister-in-law. She also had to maintain her image to the public.”

“Because even our family’s enterprise was being targeted. In the end, even my father and grandfather had no choice but to get involved and act in secret to protect our family.”

“And I’m the most useless one. I’m the one who’s completely fine, whole and healthy, yet needs everyone’s protection. I’m of no help at all.”

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