Chapter Sixty-Nine: Ranran, I Am Grateful

They returned after dinner here; it wasn’t far. As Shangguan Renran reached the path’s entrance, she saw the figure standing by the window—a tall silhouette, casting a shadow in the dim night.

The light in that direction flickered on and off, making it impossible to discern his expression, but she knew his gaze was fixed on her.

Quickly, she wrapped her arm around her grandfather, crossed the path, and entered the Ye family estate.

Once back in her room, she took out her phone and dialed.

The man at the window picked up the ringing call. “Renran?”

“Mr. Huangpu? Why are you still awake?”

“I was thinking about you, Renran.”

Huangpu Shenqing stood at the window, gazing toward the Ye estate, though it wasn’t clearly visible.

Shangguan Renran pushed open her window and could just make out his figure by the opposite window.

“I was thinking about you too, Mr. Huangpu,” she said quietly, the words echoing in Huangpu Shenqing’s heart like a thunderclap.

The shadow by the window moved. He leapt down into the night with remarkable speed, crossed the grounds, and soon appeared at Shangguan Renran’s window, managing not to alert a single soul in the darkness.

Still in shock, she stared as he climbed up.

Huangpu Shenqing gently pinched her cheek. “Gone silly?”

“Mr. Huangpu, you… what are you doing?”

“Aren’t you happy to see me, Renran?”

“But what if someone notices?”

Shangguan Renran was worried. At this hour, her grandfather hadn’t retired for the night, and there were guards patrolling the estate.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful,” he reassured her.

His enterprises here, on the surface, mainly revolved around mining—metal ores, iron, coal—and beyond that, the headquarters of oil and natural gas companies serving clients worldwide.

In the shadows, however, he owned dozens of underground gold and diamond mining companies, specializing in blue diamonds, padparadscha sapphires, alexandrite, taaffeite, beryl, jade, and more.

But this was all hidden; no one knew the true owner. The world believed they belonged to the legendary leader of a mysterious organization known as Massacre.

Today, Huangpu Shenqing had gone to inspect his holdings, and upon returning, saw that the lights here were still off. He knew she must have gone out that afternoon and had not yet returned, so he waited by the window.

Shangguan Renran hurried to close the window and draw the curtains. “Even so, accidents happen. If someone mistakes you for a thief or an intruder, it’d be awful.”

Huangpu Shenqing stepped into her room, taking in the cozy, soft blue décor.

“Renran, may I see your eyes?”

He longed to see what her blue eyes looked like now, how pure and lovely they must be.

“Hm? Of course.”

Shangguan Renran ran to a small blue cabinet, took out a little white bottle, and placed a drop in each corner of her eyes.

Her deep black irises transformed into a clear sky blue. She blinked, making her eyes appear even brighter.

She didn’t realize how adorable she looked in his eyes.

His memories of her as a child had grown hazy, yet in this moment, the image was vivid again. He wanted desperately to know what had happened to the little girl she once was.

But he realized she didn’t remember, and he’d never bring it up—what if it was a painful memory? The thought of finding out scared him.

Shangguan Renran turned and found him lost in thought.

“Mr. Huangpu?”

“Your eyes are beautiful, Renran—like the sea.”

His voice was hoarse, his eyes suddenly warm with unshed tears.

He pulled her close, gently kissing the corner of her eyes, then her brow, then lower still.

Shangguan Renran felt her face burn. Before she could protest, Huangpu Shenqing was already kissing her.

His lips rained down, his tongue seeking entrance with impassioned urgency.

She couldn’t keep up; her tongue felt numb and she tilted her face upward. “Mmph… Mr. Huangpu…”

“Renran, I’m so grateful,” he whispered.

So grateful to have found you again.

…

“Grandfather, why are you up so early?”

When Shangguan Renran came downstairs, she saw the old man sitting in the living room.

“Isn’t it Sunday? Your Uncle Ye’s family is back. Before you leave, we wanted to have a meal together.”

“All right, I’ll go change and come right down.”

Back in her room, she instinctively locked the door—a habit now.

These past few days, the man would vanish during the day, but always appeared at night, coming and going as he pleased. There were even men’s toiletries by her sink now.

She opened her wardrobe and chose an elegant little dress.

Uncle Li always handled her wardrobe—clothes, bags, accessories were all updated with the seasons, never repeating an outfit from the previous day.

She was vain, admittedly—a young woman who loved to dress up.

Those close to her knew her temperament; sometimes a little childish, sometimes feigning maturity. To strangers, though, she seemed cold and aloof.

Old Master Ye decided they’d eat out.

Ye Ziyan reserved a discreet venue. As a public figure, if he were photographed, unscrupulous journalists would have a field day.

Why did he still come back? Because if he didn’t, the old master would drown him in spittle.

He’d managed to clear his schedule for this, and luckily, his manager understood that this superstar never played by the rules.

Every weekend, he would vanish for a day.

His fans all speculated that this day was reserved for his girlfriend.

Shangguan Renran rode with her grandfather; Ye Ziyan drove alone at the rear, and up front were the Ye couple and Old Master Ye.

They stopped at a well-known Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of the city—fresh, quality food, though a bit out of the way.

They had reserved a private dining room on the third floor. Ye Ziyan courteously invited the two old gentlemen to order first.