From the day three-year-old Su Nian’an smeared candy all over Gu Yanshen’s face, she became his “exclusive possession.”
To outsiders, Gu Yanshen was an untouchable, ice-cold CEO, ruthless in business. But when it came to Su Nian’an, who lived right next door, he was helpless, or rather, more than happy to indulge her. He did her elementary school homework, fended off her high school admirers, and cleaned up the messes she made in college. He even kept her discarded illustration drafts carefully locked away in his safe.
“Gu Yanshen, don’t you have anything better to do?” Su Nian’an complained through a mouthful of the strawberries he’d brought her.
The man was organizing her art supplies. He glanced up calmly. “I’m not free. Your affairs just take top priority.”
Everyone knew that CEO Gu carried a young woman in his heart. When she was scatterbrained and got into trouble, he covered for her. When she hit a wall looking for work, he paved the way for her overnight. When she smiled at another guy, he could spill enough vinegar to sour the whole street.
Su Nian’an always thought of Gu Yanshen as a caring older brother. It wasn’t until one late night at work, when she caught the poker-faced CEO grinning foolishly at one of her doodles, that she belatedly realized his gaze had never been that of a brother looking at his little sister.
“Gu Yanshen, I heard you’ve called me your ‘child bride’ since we were little?”
He wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on her head, his voice low and amused. “Yes. I said I’d take care of you for the rest of your life. I can’t go back on my word.”
From the days when they wore split-crotch pants to the years when she blossomed into a graceful young woman, he spent eighteen years waiting in exchange for her one “I do.”
