BDB Chapter 61

The cemetery was far from the ancient castle halfway up the mountain.

Jiang Rao had a bad habit of getting carsick. After just ten minutes of driving, she wanted to open the car window for some fresh air.

But just as her hand reached for the window control on the door, her left hand hanging by her side was grasped by the man’s palm.

She turned to see him say, “Are you feeling unwell? I almost forgot about your motion sickness. I’ll open the sunroof now.”

The air conditioning in the car was set high, and the sunroof was quite large. Opening it would quickly let the cool air out of the car.

Jiang Rao initially wanted to refuse, saying she just needed a small gap for fresh air. However, seeing the somewhat stiff smile on the man’s lips, she hesitated for a moment and softly said, “Alright.”

The sunroof was soon opened, and the deliberately sprayed lemon scent inside the car faded considerably.

Jiang Rao felt a bit better, but the relief from the motion sickness was still far less compared to the refreshing breeze from outside that could alleviate the stuffiness. Throughout the remaining journey, she wasn’t feeling very well, and towards the end, she rested her head against the seat back, pretending to doze off.

However, knowing that Li Jueyan had taken her out for an important matter, she didn’t completely relax and remained in a half-awake state during the trip.

When the car finally came to a stop, she immediately sensed it.

She was just about to open her eyes and ask if it was time to get off, when she heard the sound of the car window rolling down. After that, someone outside the window said, “President Li, the area has been completely sealed off; no reporters or media will get in. However, Miss Jiang heard you were here and drove straight in without hesitation, saying she wanted to see you.”

As soon as the voice outside finished, Jiang Rao felt the man’s gaze on her. Her action of opening her eyes paused for a moment, and then she heard him say, “Which one?”

His voice was cold and stern, completely different from the gentleness and caution he showed her.

The bodyguard hesitated, “Miss Jiang Tang.”

Li Jueyan furrowed his brows. “I don’t want to see her. You have five minutes to make her leave.”

The bodyguard outside replied with an affirmative, and the car window was rolled up again.

About five minutes later, feeling her arm gently shaken by the man, Jiang Rao slowly opened her eyes. She pretended to be sleepy as she turned to look at him, and he smiled slightly, saying, “Did you fall asleep just now? It’s uncomfortable to sleep in the car. Let’s finish what we need to do first, and then we can go home and rest, okay?”

Jiang Rao’s heart sank slightly, but her expression remained calm. “Okay.”

He smiled as he ruffled her hair, looking very pleased.

Jiang Rao’s mind, however, was already filled with countless questions.

Why did the man get so angry when she returned late in the morning? Why didn’t he want her to use the car window for ventilation? Why did he speak in this tone to others and handle her with such care? Who was this Miss Jiang with the same surname as hers, and why did he avoid meeting her?

But she couldn’t voice her doubts because his love for her didn’t seem to be fake.

If all of this were deceit, his goal was clear.

—It was to prevent her from leaving.

And to prevent her from leaving, she would never be able to uncover any truth from him through words.

Placing a sun hat on her head, he opened the car door for her and took her hand, leading her into the cemetery.

It was around two or three in the afternoon, the sun at its strongest.

Yet, the cemetery was lush with green grass and tall trees, with a new one every few meters.

Despite this, perhaps due to her recent illness or her weak physical condition, she began to sweat a lot after only a short walk.

She was wearing a sun hat, which Li Jueyan hadn’t noticed at first. It was only when he felt the slight sweat in the palm of his hand and intended to ask if she needed a break that he realized her forehead was already covered in a sheen of moisture. 

He thought for a moment, suddenly stopped walking, and withdrew his hand from hers.

Seeing her eyes wide with confusion, he crouched down and said with his back to her, “Why didn’t you say you were tired? Get on, I’ll carry you.”

Jiang Rao instinctively wanted to refuse.

But the man seemed to have anticipated her reaction and added, “Or I could carry you in my arms. It’s one or the other, Jiang Rao. Which do you choose?”

Previously, their kisses and embraces had been brief moments.

But carrying or holding was different—it required prolonged physical contact. So Jiang Rao didn’t want either option. “Can I choose to walk on my own?”

Li Jueyan turned around with a smile in his eyes, neither confirming nor denying.

Just the next moment, Jiang Rao felt herself lifted. When she realized what was happening, she found her chest pressed tightly against the man’s back.

The close contact made her stiffen. In this suspended state, her hands instinctively clung to the man’s neck.

She was somewhat annoyed by the man’s domineering attitude and also felt embarrassed about her current situation. Her voice naturally trembled as she said, “Li Jueyan!”

At this point, the man spoke, “My relationship with my parents is ordinary. They haven’t been very kind to me, but they should still care about me to some extent.”

“I’ll take my little baby to meet them. I’m sure that, seeing how I cherish you as my most precious treasure, they will come to value you just as much.”

“They have a good relationship. If we could get their blessing…” He paused, his tone becoming serious, “Jiang Rao, I want to grow old with you.”

He wanted to grow old with her, not for her to die and him to turn gray overnight.

In their previous life, due to his foolishness, they hadn’t received any blessings from anyone, not even a title. The shadowy, violent figure in her nightmares hadn’t given her anything.

Making a mistake once was enough.

It was already rare for them to have a chance to start over. Who would dare to hope for another chance?

After saying this, he continued walking forward.

The summer sun cast its light through the gaps between the trees, painting the ground with dappled shadows. But when the sunlight was directly above, it seemed to cover the whole person with a layer of light.

Jiang Rao glanced at the serious profile of the man and, after a moment, gently murmured, “Mm.”

Li Jueyan couldn’t help but smile.

They had already walked most of the way. The remaining distance was about five minutes at his own pace, but he deliberately slowed down, taking about ten minutes to finally reach the innermost part of the cemetery.

There, a group of bodyguards stood waiting.

Some held bouquets, others had fruit trays, some carried incense burners, and others had joss paper…

Li Jueyan set her down gently.

Jiang Rao had no past memories of visiting a grave and was bewildered by the sight.

She saw the man take a bouquet of bird-of-paradise and calla lilies from a bodyguard and handed it to her. “I’ll handle the complicated things. The most important task is yours.”

Jiang Rao instinctively reached out to take the bouquet. Once she realized the space in her arms was filled with flowers and the man had already begun his work, she understood his intention.

Not fully grasping what to do, she watched him, and noticed that the bodyguards had left at some point. The man had arranged everything in front of the tombstone.

He turned to her and met her gaze, smiling gently. “Come here.”

She approached, and he grabbed her hand holding the bouquet and stood up.

Facing the tombstone, he said, “Some people say that a marriage needs parental blessings to be happy and fulfilling. I’ve brought my little sweetheart baby to meet you.”

Jiang Rao blushed and tugged at his sleeve.

How could he be like this! She thought that terms like “little baby” and “little sweetheart” were only used privately to tease her, but he used them even in this situation…

Feeling the tug on his sleeve, Li Jueyan looked at her again.

He glanced at her, muttered a curse under his breath, and then placed a bouquet in front of the tombstone bearing the Li surname. “I will love her as much as you love my mother.”

He then turned his gaze back to the girl beside him.

The light here was excellent, and he could clearly see the shyness and uncertainty in her clean, innocent eyes.

Even though he knew his actions were despicable, he was eager to get a promise from her. “Jiang Rao, could you repeat what I just said?”

He was confident that she understood what he was hoping for.

Jiang Rao looked at him, seeing the intense light in his eyes. As he continued to gaze at her, her heart fluttered restlessly in her chest.

Feelings were hard to deceive.

She didn’t resist his touch; although she felt shy about his affection, she accepted it sweetly.

As his fervor seemed to wane and his smile looked like it was about to fade, she pursed her lips and glanced at another tombstone. “Hello, Auntie. I will love him as you loved Uncle.”

Her voice was soft and sweet, without a hint of hesitation.

The joy filled his eyebrows, and he lifted her up in his arms.

“Love whom?”

“You.”

“And who am I?”

“Li… Li Jueyan.”

Unable to hold back any longer, he leaned down to kiss her.

At first, Jiang Rao kept her eyes open, finding it amusing to see the formally dressed, stern-faced man behaving like a fool, which was completely out of character for him.

But gradually, his breathing became heavier, and his arms around her waist and legs tightened without her noticing.

The kiss, which should have been fleeting, took on a new intensity when his tongue entered her mouth.

Jiang Rao’s body tensed. Finally, when his tongue began to lick her upper lip, she bit him hard.

Although his breathing quickened, he paused, catching his breath before finally speaking. “Sweetheart, will you marry me?”

He held her close in a princess carry, their faces just inches apart.

His eyes were filled with seriousness.

Jiang Rao hesitated.

He loved her, that was certain.

She seemed to love him too.

But he was hiding something from her…

The intense light in his eyes had cooled by the time she hesitated, though his smile remained stiff.

Jiang Rao didn’t know how to answer the question. Just as she was about to look away, she suddenly heard the sound of a ringing phone.

“Your phone is ringing.”

“I¹—” Li Jueyan didn’t know whether to be angry or amused, but his frustration was evident. He nearly referred to himself as the arrogant “I” again.

“I heard it.” So what if he heard it? The phone wasn’t as important as this moment.

She, seemingly having no conscience at all and didn’t care about his reaction, said, “Well, answer it then.”

Li Jueyan fell silent for a moment, setting her down.

He took out his phone, pressed the answer button, and after a pause, his hand, which had been hanging by his side, unconsciously tightened. “Wait a moment.” After saying this to the caller, he turned to Jiang Rao’s black-and-white eyes. “Baby, it’s an important call. I need to take it. Please wait here for a moment.” Jiang Rao nodded.

Li Jueyan reached up to pat her on the head.

As he turned away, his eyes were shadowed with gloom.

——

1. TL/N: Please refer Chapter 4’s TL/N on the use of [ Lǎozi : father / daddy / “I, your father” (in anger, or out of contempt) / I (used arrogantly or jocularly). ] ↩︎