BDB Chapter 65

Two days passed quickly, and after returning to the ancient castle, Li Jueyan settled back into the routine he had before he stopped going to the office.

Except for sleeping, he spent every moment with her. Although he was constantly around her, he never felt bored or irritated.

As time went on, he couldn’t help but develop some doubts.

He wondered if that day had been a mistake in his perception.

Maybe she didn’t have any hidden motives. Maybe her slight trembling had been an accident or a coincidence.

However, on the night before the birthday party, she asked him, “Li Jueyan, with such a large house, did we used to live here alone?”

He was prepared for this question and responded calmly, “Of course not. There was also a butler and some maids. But they usually have paid annual leave. Because of your illness this time, I was worried about them, so I sent them on vacation and decided to take care of you myself.”

She remained silent for a long time after he finished speaking.

At that moment, Li Jueyan was peeling mangoes for her. Feeling something strange, he glanced back and saw her face scrunched up, like a steamed bun. “Li Jueyan, you never told me, and I never thought to ask—what illness do I have? I don’t have any visible injuries, so how could I have lost my memory?”

At her words, the knife he was using to cut the fruit paused for a moment.

He met her gaze and smiled, “Didn’t I also mention that you’re a big star?”

Jiang Rao nodded.

Li Jueyan continued, “Recently, you took on a new role, and the demanding schedule took a toll on you. Plus, the show was a bit dark, and after coming back from the set, you became somewhat absorbed in the script world and had trouble sleeping. A few days ago, you took too many sleeping pills. Fortunately, it was discovered early, and you were treated in time, so nothing serious happened. I thought amnesia might not be such a bad thing for you.” He had never told lies in his life.

Yet, this seemingly flawless explanation was one he had come up with in a flash.

He had already put down the fruit knife and grabbed a couple of tissues, crumpling them in his hand before speaking again. “Let the past be the past. Don’t think too much about what you can’t remember, okay?” Seeing that she still didn’t respond, he leaned in and embraced her. “I’m sorry, Raorao. I love you. Because I love you, and I think the entertainment industry isn’t suitable for you, I was afraid you might want to return to acting, so I didn’t tell you these things.”

The living room fell into silence. The only sound was the ticking of the wall clock, reminding Li Jueyan that time had not stopped.

He felt somewhat stiff, his emotions were complex and hard to describe.

There was fear—fear that she might discover he was lying.

There was bitterness—he had to rely on lies to keep her with him.

There was anxiety—would she believe him? Would she continue to question him?

The waiting felt interminable; he finally understood the saying “a minute felt like an hour.”

But eventually, he got his answer.

She wrapped her arms around his back and gently whispered in his ear, “I know. It’s okay, Li Jueyan.”

I know you love me. I also know that none of this really matters.

After all, everything you do is always justified as an act of love.

And you won’t change.

All of this has already happened.

You’ve been given many opportunities to be honest, but you chose to cling to your lies, deceiving both me and yourself.

Jiang Rao’s memory was still somewhat hazy. But the fragments occasionally surfacing in her mind told her that she couldn’t bear the weight of his love.

Because being imprisoned wasn’t love; keeping her tied to him wasn’t love; threatening her with a gun, threatening to break her legs if she tried to escape, and making her live like a disabled person wasn’t love!

She thought maybe the terrifying memories of the past were too much for her, leading her to selectively forget that part. So what had he done to her before that made her finally explode and wish to erase those memories?

But none of that mattered now.

She was leaving.

She was going to leave him the next day.

Such a devil, she couldn’t stay by his side.

It was around ten o’clock.

Li Jueyan was always disciplined, so it was time for bed.

He sent her back to her room and, after returning to his own room, he lay in bed but couldn’t fall asleep no matter how much he tossed and turned.

The bedside lamp cast a warm yellow light. He looked down at his hand and noticed a small scratch on the base of his thumb. It was from when he had accidentally pierced the fruit skin and scratched his palm with the knife.

It didn’t hurt, but it made him feel uneasy.

He had had such instincts before, which always kept him alert and prevented him from being fooled by seasoned business veterans who could have cost him everything.

After tossing and turning for a long time, he couldn’t help but rub his forehead and decided to go downstairs to get a glass of water.

Although the corridor lights made the entire building as bright as daylight, the ancient castle was usually silent at this hour. Tonight, however, there was a loud clattering noise coming from downstairs.

Li Jueyan frowned, and his expression turned cold. But when he realized that the ancient castle’s door wasn’t secured and she could easily open it from the inside, and that she wouldn’t need any noisy tools to try to escape, he softened his expression.

As he moved toward the source of the noise, he discovered that it came from the kitchen, which had been used frequently recently.

Except for keeping her by his side, he did everything else openly. Pushing open the half-closed door, he saw her in a white dress, wearing a comical machine-cat apron, decorating a cake that was taking shape.

He was momentarily puzzled until she looked up and met his gaze. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she clutched her hands together, trying to hide the cake in front of her.

He suddenly understood her intention. She was making a cake for him? Fuck!

He couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten a cake. After turning ten, the couple who had been very fond of him stopped showing him any affection. His birthdays went unremembered for several years, and later, living with his grandparents, they didn’t celebrate with cakes, but they would always prepare a bowl of longevity noodles for him each year.

But in those years after he turned ten, he had still looked forward to cakes.

He walked towards her, and the girl quickly waved her hands at him. “Li Jueyan, why are you awake now? Wait a moment, don’t come over yet.”

His heart softened. “Isn’t this cake for me?”

Jiang Rao replied, “Yes, it’s for you, but it’s not finished yet. Wait until I’m done, and then you can see it, okay?”

“Why?”

“I wrote something on it, but it’s not completely finished yet. If you look now, it’ll be awkward, Li Jueyan.”

He wasn’t an insensitive man who misunderstood that when a girl said no, she actually meant yes.

Since she didn’t want him to see it, he refrained from doing so. He didn’t leave, however; he just leaned against the door and watched her.

Jiang Rao tried to urge him to leave a few times, but when she realized he wouldn’t budge, she finally gave up and focused entirely on the cake.

If his sense of time had felt like an eternity during the evening’s questioning, then the time spent making the cake made him feel like time was flying by.

Under his intense gaze, her cake was finally finished. But as he raised an eyebrow and prepared to check out the final product, she quickly grabbed a container and covered the cake with it.

“Please don’t mess around. It’s almost midnight. Can you wait until then to see it?”

Her tone was as soft as velvet, and no one could resist such a plea.

Having already waited so long, a few more minutes didn’t matter. Li Jueyan agreed to her request without much thought.

Time passed quickly.

During this time, Jiang Rao cooked the steak, prepared the wine, set up the wine glasses, and directed Li Jueyan to arrange the table.

When the antique clock’s hands reached twelve, she brought the cake out from the kitchen.

“Happy birthday, Li Jueyan.”

Li Jueyan looked up at the cake and saw that it had a comical little pig in the center. Above the pig were the numbers 27, and below were their initials, JR&LJY.

His eyes grew a little misty for a moment.

He didn’t need her to do anything for him. It wasn’t false modesty; he had everything except for her.

Yet, she had this thoughtful gesture, even though it was one he had stolen, concealed, and deceived to get. Still, he was overjoyed.

His heart raced as he heard her say, “Let’s eat first. After dinner, I’ll help you with the candles and make a wish?”

Her steak-cooking skills were clearly lacking; the black pepper sauce was too much, making it a bit too salty. Li Jueyan had intended to get some juice or a drink, but Jiang Rao pointed to the wine on the table.

“Aren’t you going to drink wine with the steak?”

He paused. “I can’t drink alcohol. I get drunk easily and lose my senses.”

Jiang Rao fell silent for a moment, her smile slowly fading. “Not even a little bit?”

Her words were always genuine, and her naturally soft tone touched his heart deeply. “I’ve prepared so much…”

He glanced at the bottle of wine. When her smile seemed on the verge of disappearing entirely, he spoke up, “A little is fine. Just one glass, no more.”

One glass was already enough.

In those chaotic memories, it seemed the butler had once said that even a sip of alcohol could make him drunk.

He was really quite pleasant when he wasn’t crazy.

Whatever she said, he would do.

It was obvious that after he drank that small glass of wine, his cheeks flushed slightly, and the dazed look in his eyes came unusually quickly.

He didn’t seem drunk yet, though, and urged her to help him with the candles.

With success just a step away, Jiang Rao couldn’t afford to reveal herself at this moment. She followed his instructions, placing three candles on the cake, lighting them, and then walking over to turn off all the lights in the living room.

When she returned to him, she saw that his drunken state had intensified. He said, “Raorao, sing me the birthday song.” His eyes were misty, and for some reason, when she looked into them, Jiang Rao’s heart skipped a few beats.

She turned her head away and sang to the cake, “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you~”

Her sweet voice echoed throughout the room.

When the last note of her song ended, she felt a large hand grip her waist.

Unexpectedly, a soft warmth blocked her final note with a kiss.

She suddenly felt a pang of unease.

It was hard to describe the feeling—there was sadness, reluctance. She felt she shouldn’t be feeling this way and reached out to push him away.

She thought she’d need to use some force, but to her surprise, a gentle push sent him falling to the ground.

She was a bit flustered, but when she remembered all the preparations she had made over the past few days, and all the efforts to numb him, she steeled herself, grabbing a jacket from the hanger and putting it on.

She left in a hurry but didn’t forget to change into soft, comfortable sneakers.

After she had walked at least five hundred meters away from the ancient castle, she took out the earphones she had hidden in her apron earlier and then in her jacket pocket. “Big brother, I’m out. Where are you?”

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