After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, the fake heiress binds herself to a rough-looking man

"I call this dignified and elegant."

"Dignified." Jiang Yu'an repeated, then closed the file.

Jiang Yu pursed her lips. She couldn't accept it.

Once you take the bait, he'll get you hooked.

"So, are you going to let me wear it or not?"

Jiang Yu'an leaned back in his chair and looked her over.

"You specifically chose this one to show me."

Jiang Yu kept a straight face.

"So, where is the one you're actually going to wear?"

"This is the one."

Jiang Yu'an looked at her.

Jiang Yu looked back without blinking.

Whoever blinks first loses.

Three seconds. Five seconds.

Jiang Yu's eyes gradually began to sting.

Jiang Yu'an looked away first.

He picked up a pen and signed the document.

"Anything is fine with me."

Jiang Yu couldn't believe it.

"But," he added, "if on Saturday I find out you're wearing a different dress than tonight—"

He didn't finish speaking.

Jiang Yu quickly retreated upstairs.

I walked to the top of the stairs and looked back.

Jiang Yu'an had already looked down at the document again, and tapped his fingers on the paper with the pen.

She ran even faster.

Back in her room, Jiang Yu took off her black dress and hung it back in the closet, then sat on the edge of the bed, panting.

The tiny ball of light peeked out from the crack in the pillow.

[Host, acceptance successful.]

"Passed my ass." Jiang Yu hugged her knees. "He didn't believe it at all."

But he let them through.

"He released the fishing line, not the line."

9:40.

Huo Li said to look out the window at ten o'clock.

She turned off the overhead light, leaving only the small nightlight by the bedside.

I walked to the window and pulled the curtains open a crack.

The windows on the third floor face the back garden.

At the end of the garden is a row of low walls, outside which are planted several sycamore trees.

Behind the sycamore trees is a narrow alley leading to the hillside road.

The moon was half-hidden by clouds.

It was pitch black in the garden.

Nine fifty-eight.

Jiang Yu pressed her forehead against the glass, her nose touching the cool windowpane.

10 o'clock sharp.

Outside the low wall, under the tallest sycamore tree, a glimmer of red light shone.

Cigarette butt.

It lit up briefly, then went out again.

Jiang Yu pressed her fingers against the glass.

My phone vibrated.

Huo Li: [You saw it?]

Jiang Yu's hands were shaking a little as she typed.

Did you get in by using a VPN?

Huo Li: [Didn't go in. Outside the wall.]

Jiang Yu leaned on the windowsill, straining to look outside.

In the darkness, nothing could be seen except for a faint glimmer of light occasionally emanating from the spot where we had just been.

She replied: "You came all this way just to squat by the wall and smoke?"

Huo Li: [Just confirming.]

[What are you confirming?]

A few seconds passed on the other side.

You're alright.

Jiang Yu stared at these three words.

My finger lingered on the screen for a long time.

She typed: "Of course I'm fine."

Half a minute later, he texted: 【How is your brother treating you?】

This is a strange question.

Jiang Yu hesitated for a moment: "They're strict. Everything else is fine."

Another silence.

Huo Li: [Don't worry about Jiang Yu'an investigating me.]

Jiang Yu leaned on the windowsill, her chin resting on her arm.

[You seem unfazed. He said your file shows signs of being overwritten twice, and the original documents are top secret.]

She regretted it as soon as she sent it.

This was tantamount to telling Huo Li directly that she knew there was something wrong with his identity.

There was silence on the other side for almost a minute.

Jiang Yu's heart was pounding, and she was about to add, "I just said it casually."

Huo Li's message popped up.

There are some things I haven't told you yet.

But not now.

I'll contact you after Saturday.

Jiang Yu held her phone, her fingertips tracing the edge of the screen.

She didn't ask any further questions.

She typed: 【Okay.】

Outside the window, that red light flickered again.

This time it shone for a longer time, as if taking a deep breath.

Jiang Yu suddenly opened the window.

The night breeze carried the scent of osmanthus trees from the back garden.

The wind was stronger on the third floor than downstairs, making her hair fly wildly.

She didn't call his name.

He simply stuck his hand out of the window and waved it twice.

The cigarette butt went out outside the low wall.

In the darkness, a tall silhouette emerged half a step from behind the shadows of the trees.

A sliver of moonlight peeked through a gap in the clouds.

She saw him.

He wore a black coat, his hands were in his pockets, and his head was tilted slightly back.

Separated by an entire garden, Jiang Yu couldn't see his expression.

But she knew he was watching her.

My phone vibrated again.

Huo Li: [Close the window. It's windy.]

Jiang Yu didn't turn it off.

She replied: "You go first."

Huo Li: [You close it first.]

Jiang Yu stared at the screen.

The little ball of light quietly peeked out from behind her shoulder.

[The physical distance is approximately 47 meters. This does not meet the conditions for effective life-sustaining contact. However, the host's heart rate has reached 103 beats per minute.]

Jiang Yu mentally kicked it: "Can you please stop reporting data at times like this?"

She took a deep breath and closed the window.

The moment the glass closed, she glanced out again.

The silhouette had already receded into the shadows of the trees.

The phone vibrated one last time.

Huo Li: [See you on Saturday.]

The next one is right behind it.

There are some things I need to take care of. Once they're done, this won't have to continue.

Jiang Yu stared at the words "No need to do this anymore," and felt a strange tightness in her chest.

No need for anything else? No need for anything else, sneaking around anymore?

She wanted to ask.

But Jiang Yu didn't know what their situation was now.

I typed it three times and deleted it three times.

In the end, only one word was sent.

【it is good. 】

Jiang Yu stuffed her phone under her pillow and pulled the blanket over her head.

A small ball of light peeked in from the corner of the blanket, its pale blue light illuminating her face.

[Host, the target for extending your life is now very attentive to you.]

Jiang Yu blinked.

"What do you mean?"

He may have developed romantic feelings for you.

Jiang Yu threw off the covers and sat up.

"Does he like me?"

The small ball of light spun around once, its light flashing twice.

Judging from his behavior, that's the case, so he wants to change his current situation.

Jiang Yu clutched the corner of the blanket, her mind a complete mess.

She remembered the first time she met him at the auto repair shop.

His phone was always oily, he had a terrible temper, and he lived in a shared apartment in an urban village.

But the way he took her hand was so steady, unlike someone who does manual labor.

The way he looks at people doesn't seem like it either.

Jiang Yu lay down again.

The blanket was pulled up to his chin.

The wind was very soft outside the window.

Huo Li should have already left.

She touched the red string on her wrist; the small metal tag pressed against her wrist bone, its temperature warmed by her body heat.

"Wait until after Saturday," she whispered, repeating his words.

The little ball of light sat by the pillow, its light dimmed to the lowest setting.

[Host, go to sleep early. You still have to deal with Jiang Ruoruo tomorrow.]

"you're right."

Jiang Yu closed her eyes.

She opened her eyes again after a few seconds.

"system."

【exist. 】

"If he really does have some extraordinary background..."

She paused.

"Then why is he working at the auto repair shop?"

The little ball of light did not answer.

Jiang Yu waited for a while, then turned over.

Forget it.

He said he would talk about it after Saturday.

Then wait.

She closed her eyes.

The red string on his wrist was pressed against the pillow, and the character "砺" on the metal plate was pressed into his palm.

Downstairs, the light in the second-floor study was off.

The entire villa was plunged into darkness.