Attention Sir, I Have Your Heart Handcuffed!-Chapter 419 - 296: Falling in Love with You is My Mistake (2 more, 1)
The night was a deep blue, and the distant and nearby lights inside and outside the castle began to drift, floating in through the window and landing on his shoulder.
But nothing seemed to illuminate his face.
Silence silently moved between the two of them.
For a long time.
He finally took a gentle breath: "So you saw through it. I thought my jealousy had reached a transcendental level, even I believed I’d truly been deceived and was genuinely jealous, and not upset."
No questioning, no blaming, only his coolly clear voice, trying to hide the vulnerability lurking in the shadows.
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she looked up at him.
He stepped forward, bringing his face into the light: "I know Yanqing is an exceptionally charismatic man, difficult for any woman to resist, so even if the two of you have broken up, you would still find it hard to forget him. Moreover, your breakup was mentioned by him at the police station, and you passively accepted it, so it’s inevitable you’d remain emotionally attached to him for quite some time."
He drew a deep breath, each word spoken seemingly added to the pain.
"So even though you are with me, you would secretly meet with him behind my back."
Shi Nian froze. It turns out he knew everything.
Embarrassment and fear mingled in her heart, yet she did not want to abandon her stance, so she fixed her eyes on him: "Since you saw through my lies early on, why not confront me? I’m the one who deceived you; you could have argued or blamed me!"
He lowered his gaze, looking at her, and laughed sadly: "But if I did... I would lose you. You have your pride. You would certainly turn and leave, never to return."
Her throat became tight.
Previously, her fury and clarity of the malicious intent behind the white horse spurred an irresistible urge to argue fiercely with him. She had prepared for this, impulsively thinking that the worst would be for things to escalate disastrously... But she hadn’t anticipated that his response would be such humility and submission.
This wasn’t the mysterious, controlling Huangfu Huazhang from before.
In front of her, he was willing to lower himself to such a level.
She stubbornly said: "If I’m going to leave, I’ll leave. This world is so big and full of good girls; surely you can find someone better. Why subject yourself to such grievance?"
"Yes, I ask myself that too: why does it have to be you?" He stepped forward, shed all sharpness, and reached out to brush away the stray hair from her temples: "But there is no answer, only a resolute phrase within me: there is no reason, it simply has to be you."
Shi Nian felt a slight tremor, her nose tingling.
He stretched his arm, pulling her into his embrace: "What is love? It’s just something arising in a moment, born from a fleeting thought. But who’s to say that this fleeting thought, when it appeared in my view, didn’t happen to be you? It was you who made that thought arise, who made me unable to forget. I think this is what the heavens have ordained."
Her lashes were still damp. She inhaled between his arms: "But it’s me who made the mistakes; sir, blame me, don’t involve the innocents. I don’t like it when you smile and nod at me, only to turn around and vent your anger at the Tang Family. It’s unfair and makes me feel morally uneasy and makes me see you as insidious and frightening."
He sighed deeply: "I was wrong, I apologize. Give me the chance to rectify it, will you?"
Could he really answer like this? Shi Nian felt even more sorrowful inside.
"No, it was my fault; it was I... who met with Tang Yanqing secretly. I’m sorry, sir."
He laughed again, his laughter gentle: "Shh... it’s not your fault, it’s all my fault. Because—falling in love with you means everything is my fault."
Her nose suddenly congested, Shi Nian’s vision blurred, unable to continue refuting.
Huangfu Huazhang lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers: "Don’t leave, okay?"
She went through many struggles within her heart, made numerous hypothetical connections.
She still shook her head: "No. Mom and I moved in to spend the New Year holiday. Once New Year is over, we should return to our life. My mom always mentions Deep Valley’s patients, and my place still hosts my colleagues."
He took a deep breath and raised his head: "I understand your mother, she needs the company of old friends. But you, you’re eventually going to live with me."
Shi Nian looked up at him: "But... it’s too fast. I can’t just move in and never move out again; it’s not fitting for your status, and it doesn’t align with my own beliefs."
A hint of defiance flashed across his eyes, and he turned to ring the copper bell on the wall. In less than two minutes, Senmu appeared at the door, bowed, and asked: "What are your orders, sir?"
He raised his chin: "Pack the luggage, I’m moving back to her place with Miss!"
"Sir!" Shi Nian and Senmu exclaimed simultaneously.
Senmu bowed deeply: "Please reconsider, sir!"
Yet he kept his chin high, unwilling to compromise.
Shi Nian had to lightly sigh, stepping forward with a soft plea: "Let’s find a compromise solution: in the future, how about you come to my house for dinner every Wednesday, and I come to the castle to be with you on weekends. On other days, we’ll focus on our work during the day, and can plan to have dinner together outside during the evenings."
He lowered his head in anguish and stubbornly pressed his forehead against hers: "... Marry me. Once we’re married, you won’t have these concerns anymore."
Shi Nian laughed, lowered her head: "Sir, I made a vow: only after solving the case from four years ago, catching the real culprit for my Dad, can I pursue my happiness. The incident from four years ago is a nightmare for our entire family, my mom and I are still trapped within it. Even if married within the nightmare, we wouldn’t be able to genuinely smile, just like the past four years with Xiang Yuan... I don’t want myself and my mom to be trapped in that nightmare forever unable to escape."
His gaze deepened: "So you’ve decided, you must solve that case before marrying me, is that right?"
Shi Nian took a deep breath: "I said the same thing to Tang Yanqing."
Huangfu Huazhang straightened up, that familiar pride rippling in his eyes: "But he couldn’t do it."
Shi Nian hesitated, but still nodded: "Yes, he couldn’t do it."
Huangfu Huazhang then laughed: "Alright, I promise you. I’ll help you solve that mystery, and then, I’ll rightfully marry you as my wife."
.
Once the New Year was over, the police began a major operation, interviewing people listed by Father. Each of them was either wealthy or noble, clad in splendid attire. But when Yanwu Square was mentioned, they all showed signs of panic. The media was penetrating, reporting on this matter. Although neither the police nor the interviewees would disclose the specifics of the conversations, the media astutely pieced together several possibilities, including the Yanwu Square case in their reports.
Far away in Singapore, Tang Yanqing read the newspaper, merely raised his eyebrows, displaying no visible emotion.
Seeing his expression, Meng Chuyan felt a surge of inexplicable fury.
"Mr. Tang, you asked me to return to M Country with you, and I did; during the big party, you returned to the police station on the pretext, and I accompanied you and gave my statement at the police station... I’ve done everything you’ve asked me to do, what more do you want? Why do you still cling to me?"
Tang Yanqing sat on the sofa, stretched out his long legs, and gave her a charming smile: "Because I can’t bear to lose you."
Meng Chuyan angrily picked up a cushion and threw it at him: "Disgusting man, you’re driving me crazy!"
With Tang Yanqing’s constant proximity, Meng Chuyan hadn’t had a chance to sneak out for a smoke or a drink at night; she felt she was going insane from being cooped up.
Tang Yanqing put away his teasing smile and looked at her calmly: "I don’t mean to annoy you, I just promised to protect you. You’ve seen the news too, Yanwu Square’s case is being expedited; the truth will be revealed soon. Until then, endure it, or else you may be in danger."
Meng Chuyan laughed as she looked at him: "Really, the truth will be revealed soon? How long exactly? One year, ten years? Mr. Tang, I’m 20 years old; I was abducted by them when I was 12, and no one has saved me since. I’m tired, I just want to find even a moment’s chance to experience freedom."
Tang Yanqing raised his eyes: "Freedom and life, sometimes you can only choose one."
Meng Chuyan laughed sadly: "I choose freedom. As for life... Haha, no need to hide, when I was 12 years old, and an old man pinned me down, I was already dead. Mr. Tang, sitting in front of you now is just a wandering ghost, the real Meng Chuyan died when she was 12."
Tang Yanqing felt a stab of pain in his heart as well. This is the responsibility of a police officer; as long as there’s crime and harm in the world, officers will blame themselves for not being able to protect them.
Yet he hid his sorrow and only pretended to shiver as if cold: "Uh, turns out we are shooting a ghost film now."
Meng Chuyan impatiently stood up and walked towards the bathroom: "I’m going to take a shower, please go back to your own room!"
Meng Chuyan lingered in the bathroom for an hour before returning to her room, finding Tang Yanqing had indeed left. She absentmindedly sat on the sofa where Tang Yanqing had previously sat.
These past few days felt like living a dream. He had introduced her solemnly to his family, calling her his girlfriend. He had accompanied her back to Asia, from Hong Kong, Malaysia, and then to Singapore. Throughout the journey, the media had been desperately capturing photos of her and him together. Because of him, her worth and popularity had soared.
Throughout these years, she had many wealthy and powerful admirers, but everyone sought her for her youth and beauty, while he protected her.
However... she’s all too aware, this is only a dream.
