A lingering kiss devoured all those impossible thoughts; the atmosphere grew tender and ambiguous again.
There was no Vinyl Record Player or Record in the bedroom, but there was a top-of-the-line Hi-Fi Audio System.
Zhuang Qiting connected his Mobile Phone, played Lam Tsz Cheung’s “Dare to Love, Dare to Act,” and turned off the lights.
Only darkness remained. The familiar melody flowed in the night, trembling with the rhythm of their breaths.
They kissed to the music, momentarily dazed, as if time had turned back.
The song just happened to reach the line—“The world turns to a wasteland, sun and moon shatter into meteors, yet we… will kiss in every century.”
*
The trip to Hu Cheng ended. Li Yaru returned to Hong Kong Island and immediately began organizing her son’s wedding without a moment’s rest.
Marriage was a major event—especially for families like theirs. It wasn’t just a ceremony, but a matter of grand spectacle and face.
To prepare the betrothal gifts for her son, Li Yaru returned once more to the Zhuang Residence.
Everyone there treated it as a major event, mobilizing with twelvefold enthusiasm to welcome the mistress home—such a display that Li Yaru was quite startled.
The moment she stepped in, lines of servants stood in two rows, bowing together and chanting, “Welcome home, Madam.”
For a split second, Li Yaru felt like she was in a washed-up Korean drama.
She didn’t know which genius came up with this over-the-top idea—she could only laugh and cry at once.
“All right, all right, don’t scare me. Act normal, all of you. Uncle Li, just let everyone get back to their work.”
“Yes, yes! Madam, I’ll have them all stand down.” Uncle Li gestured and followed behind her.
“Last night, I had people tidy up the collection room. Everything’s organized, just waiting for you to choose.”
“And the gold?”
“The gold’s being transported directly from the Shenghui Bank vault. It’ll be here the day after tomorrow. The red silk and envelopes are ready.”
Li Yaru nodded. “Gather all those kids from the family here the day after tomorrow to help.”
Uncle Li smiled. “It’s all arranged. The young masters are all eager to help.”
Li Yaru spent the whole day in the Zhuang Residence’s underground vault, where the family had amassed rare treasures for over a hundred years—countless antiques, priceless art, gold, jewelry, and jade.
She stayed there all day, only returning to the Li Residence after dinner with her three sons.
Today, Zhuang Qiting was away on a business trip to the mainland. Li Yaru found herself with rare leisure. After a bath, she sat in her study reading.
Liang Sijie knocked at that time. “Madam, do you have a moment?”
Li Yaru closed her book and called him in. She hadn’t had a proper conversation with Liang Sijie about his return to Japan because she’d been so busy.
Of course, Liang Sijie had been busy too—handling every detail of Zhuang Zhou’s wedding arrangements for her.
“I’ve been so busy lately, we haven’t had a good chat. Sit, Ajie.” She pointed to the sofa opposite.
Liang Sijie was still in his uniform, the tailored cut outlining his lean and powerful frame.
Years had settled on him; now in his early thirties, he was truly a mature and steady man.
“Madam, have you been well? Are you getting enough rest? I see you’ve lost weight preparing for Second Young Master’s wedding.”
“Being thin is good. I’ve been worrying about losing weight. Can’t show up at Zhou’s wedding with a fat face,” Li Yaru rolled her eyes at him.
Liang Sijie smiled, his eyes gentle and warm.
Li Yaru sighed softly. She never expected that the housekeeper she’d picked on a whim would accompany her loyally for nearly six years, handling everything with perfection.
She felt a pang at the thought of letting him go.
These six years weren’t just about master and servant, but something more—beyond the feelings between a man and a woman. It was the slow, deep warmth of constant companionship.
“Madam, I… may have to go back,” Liang Sijie said, finally voicing the words he’d held back for so long.
Li Yaru paused, then straightened. “Is it decided?”
His smile gave nothing away. “That person fell into the ICU a couple days ago. Not sure if they’ll make it. My mother’s urging me home.”
Li Yaru: “Good, going back is for the best. You and your mother have suffered all these years—you must reclaim everything. As for your cousins, they’re not so tough.”
She told Liang Sijie to wait, then went to her study’s secret room, took out a thick stack of documents from the safe.
“After I learned about your situation a few years ago, I had someone investigate the Yamazaki Family. All your cousins’ dirty secrets are here—see if you can use them.”
Liang Sijie’s throat tightened as he took the thick stack. “Thank you, Madam.”
“What’s there to thank? There’s no need between us. When are you leaving?”
“I’ve booked a flight in four days. I want to stay to help with Second Young Master’s betrothal. Don’t worry—everything’s arranged at the Li Residence. Zhuang Housekeeper is reliable, and I’ve trained him well. After I leave, he can hold things together until you find a new housekeeper.”
Li Yaru patted Liang Sijie’s shoulder. “Come back to Hong Kong Island often.”
“I’ll see you off at the airport. If you need anything, call me. If I can’t solve it, I’ll have Zhuang Qiting help. That guy’s sneered at you for so many years, and made you serve him behind the scenes—it’s only right he finally pays up.”
Liang Sijie chuckled. “That… won’t be necessary.”
He would never accept help from that man. To be indebted was to be lesser, and he refused to be less than Zhuang Qiting.
That was the stubborn dignity in his heart.
When the day came to send Liang Sijie off to Japan, Zhuang Qiting was in an excellent mood, dressed in a stylish light-colored suit, acting all proper.
“Ah Rou, it’s only right to see off Miss Liang. Should I come with you?”
Li Yaru knew exactly what he was thinking—he’d love nothing more than to set off firecrackers at the Li Residence gate.
“I’ll see him off myself. You do what you need to do, and don’t get any funny ideas. Ajie’s gone, but there’ll be a new housekeeper. Don’t think you can rule the roost in my territory.”
Zhuang Qiting raised an eyebrow, his gaze snakelike as it swept her face.
Li Yaru, annoyed, pinched his cheek. “I’m leaving.”
Zhuang Qiting glanced at his watch. “I’ll pick you up at the airport in half an hour—let’s have lunch together. Go send him off, but don’t stay too long. He’s a grown man, not a child.”
Li Yaru rolled her eyes and elegantly got in the car.
The airport was bustling, but the VIP Lounge in the terminal was an oasis of calm, a place where a proper farewell could be had.
Liang Sijie had finally taken off his classic British-style butler uniform, donning a more dignified three-piece suit. It was formal and not travel-friendly, but perfect for the most dignified of goodbyes.
“This is the first suit I gave you, isn’t it?” Li Yaru smiled as she recognized the faint silver pinstripes in the fabric.
“Yes, it’s the one you gave me. I never wore it after that first time,” Liang Sijie said, looking down at the suit—pressed and spotless, not a wrinkle to be found.
It had been perfectly preserved, just as new as when he’d received it.
Over the years, Li Yaru had given him many gifts, but this suit was special.
She sighed. “You don’t need to use formal language anymore. You’re no longer my housekeeper. Just call me Eleanor, or Yaru, either is fine.”
“Eleanor.” Liang Sijie said the name softly, warmly.
A smile rippled on Li Yaru’s lips. The two pearls at her ears shimmered as brilliantly as ever.
There was still half an hour before boarding, and the announcement for check-in was already playing.
“Thank you for not despising me when I was thrown in the doghole. You know, after that night, they never dared to put me in there again.”
In truth, after that night, he’d caught a nest of rats, starved them for five days, and let them loose on that cousin’s bed.
The rats bit off a chunk of that man’s leg.
He was, by nature, someone who repaid grudges tenfold.
His muddled existence was just because he’d lost hope in life.
Li Yaru’s appearance gave him something to look forward to—he wanted to enter her world.
A bittersweet ache twisted in Li Yaru’s heart. She stepped forward and grasped his hand.
“Ajie, there’s no one in this world who can bully you.”
Liang Sijie smiled, a gentle warmth coating the back of his hand like spring breeze.
Looking into her eyes, he said, one word at a time, “Madam, I like you.”
After nearly six years, he finally said it aloud.
Li Yaru’s breath caught for a moment. She had known for a long time. “I know.”
Liang Sijie: “I knew you knew.”
Like a riddle, the two looked at each other, then both laughed.
He knew his feelings weren’t just love between a man and a woman—they contained admiration, gratitude, hope, self-salvation.
After all these years, they had only grown deeper.
“This time I’m going back. I don’t know when I’ll next return to Hong Kong Island and see you.”
“Whenever you come back, I’ll welcome you.”
Time slipped by, second by second, until the boarding announcement sounded again, urging Liang Sijie on.
He took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and said, “Madam, can I have a gift?”
“What kind of gift?” Li Yaru’s eyes sparkled. “If it’s within my power, I’ll give it to you. But we’re short on time—I may have to mail it to you.”
“Could you… kiss me?” Liang Sijie’s fingers tightened nervously as he gazed at her.
“Kurt says you’re his Muse Goddess, but in my heart, you’re my Lucky Goddess. Give me a lucky kiss as a farewell.”
Li Yaru was surprised, then couldn’t help but laugh. “Ajie, you’re putting me in a tough spot.”
She tiptoed up and, before Liang Sijie could react, kissed his cheek.
The scent lingered, and in an instant she was gone.
Liang Sijie felt as if an angel’s wings had brushed his face.
“Madam…” He touched his face, fingertips trembling slightly.
“Go on, Ajie. When you come back, I hope to see a brand-new you.” Li Yaru patted his shoulder.
She didn’t put her sunglasses back on until Liang Sijie had passed security and vanished from sight, then turned and walked away.
Bodyguard Young Master Rui followed quietly behind.
She hadn’t made it out of the VIP Lounge when a tall figure blocked her path.
All she could see was a white suit, a matching linen shirt with the collar slightly open, revealing a sexy Adam’s apple.
Looking up, her eyes met the man’s sharp gaze.
Zhuang Qiting stared at her, raising his wrist to show her the time.
His voice was particularly low and deep. “Miss Li, I told you not to linger. It’s been forty minutes.”