A Butterfly Kept in Secret

Shu Wu's parents had both died. She could no longer pay her tuition, and she had run out of money for living expenses. She thought of her older sister, who had eloped for love, and decided to borrow some money from her. After traveling a thousand miles, she arrived in Wuhai. Her sister had told her she lived in a huge mansion, married to a man who was tall, handsome, and rich. But when Shu Wu actually saw the mansion described in the letters, she was so shocked she couldn't speak.

She cautiously stepped forward and rang the doorbell. The man who opened the door was tall and handsome, with a silver-gray ring on the fingers of his right hand.

With her bright, sparkling eyes fixed on him, she called out in a clear, sweet voice, "Brother-in-law?"

Brother-in-law?

*

Lu Xingyao was of mixed Chinese and foreign heritage. He had returned to China with his mother to settle down a few years earlier. His Chinese was poor, and he didn't understand what "brother-in-law" meant. He only thought the girl in front of him was pretty and cute, like a cat he kept. He wanted to keep her.

Lu Xingyao really did "keep" Shu Wu.

He gave her lots and lots of money.

Shu Wu kept saying, "Thank you, brother-in-law. I'll definitely pay you back someday."

Someday?

He didn't want some someday. He wanted now, this very moment.

*

The lie was soon exposed. When Shu Wu realized she had been deceived, she fled from Lu Xingyao in a panic. Apart from making her regular monthly payments, she had nothing more to do with him.

Coming had been easy, and leaving was easy too. But shaking him off was impossibly hard.

Shu Wu always felt someone was watching her. Whether she was in class, looking for a part-time job, or even eating, there was always a pair of eyes fixed on her.

After finally getting a boyfriend, he disappeared without a trace just a few days later.

One rainy night, she came out of her part-time job to find a Rolls-Royce parked outside. The car window rolled down. The man's emerald-green eyes fixed on her like a hawk catching its prey. He rested his long, well-defined fingers on the window and smiled at her. "How much longer are you going to hide from me, darling?"

[What can I do? The first time I saw you, I wanted to devour you, inside and out, without leaving a drop behind. - Lu Xingyao]

A scheming, cruel, possessive boyfriend / a sweet, cute college student.

Rich man & poor student

Screenshot saved on 2024-12-13

Theme: Advance notice