A while ago, a friend of Xiao Cheng’s had sent over a bougainvillea plant. Lin Aiyun thought it was beautiful and had it planted in the front yard. Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves, casting lovely reflections—vivid in color and unique in shape, impossible to look away from.
But Shen Liang’an’s gaze never once lingered on it. He was looking at the girl standing beside the bougainvillea, even more charming than the flower itself. Her full red lips parted and moved as she chattered nonstop, her fair fingertips occasionally brushing against the pink-purple leaf tips.
Light fell on her profile—soft and beautiful.
“Are you even listening to me?” The girl suddenly turned to look at him, her beautiful eyes wide, her cheeks puffed out in an angry little ball, making one want to reach out and pinch them.
Shen Liang’an clenched his fists, suppressing that urge. His stern face showed no change in expression. He nodded in acknowledgment, but when he spoke again, his tone turned firm. “I will not agree to dissolve the engagement.”
Xiao Cheng had guessed right—Xiao Juan didn’t want to rush into marriage with a man she’d only met once. After what happened with Jiang Yan, she wanted a relationship and marriage built on mutual affection, not one-sided effort. That wasn’t fair to either person and would only breed conflict.
Work was already exhausting enough. She didn’t want to come home to a troubled marriage.
“It’s not about whether you agree or not…” Xiao Juan opened her mouth, unsure where to begin. She closed it again, thought for a moment, then tried once more.
“You’re very accomplished and handsome, but this is our first meeting. We don’t know each other—there’s no emotional foundation. Even if we got married, we’d still be strangers. So why force it? It would be a shackle for both of us.”
“We’re in a new era now. There’s no need to cling to the engagements our parents arranged.”
She paused, then continued, “I really think we should call off—”
But before she could finish the word “call off,” Shen Liang’an cut her off.
“We cannot call it off!” His tone was resolute and firm, as if he were making some earth-shattering vow.
Xiao Juan was startled by his loud voice. She clutched her chest and stepped back, swallowing instinctively, her long lashes fluttering.
Seeing this, Shen Liang’an took a deep breath, realizing he’d brought his military training intensity into the conversation and probably scared her. He quickly reined it in, attempting a smile at the corner of his mouth—he thought it was very gentle, but to Xiao Juan, it looked like a threatening sneer. She silently took two more steps back.
“…”
After a moment’s pause, Shen Liang’an slowly spoke the words he’d kept hidden for so long. Though they were just a few short sentences, they felt more difficult than marching into battle.
“Miss Xiao, thank you for… affirming my appearance. I’m truly delighted. For me, our engagement is not a shackle—it has always been the driving force that pushes me forward.”
“It was also because of you that I found the right direction in life. Thank you, Miss Xiao.”
Hearing this, Xiao Juan’s pupils contracted sharply. A trace of confusion crossed her face. She understood every word Shen Liang’an said, yet it felt like she understood nothing at all. After hesitating for a moment, she interrupted him.
“Regiment Commander Shen, are you mistaking me for someone else?”
He shook his head. “No mistake. I’ve always liked you—Comrade Xiao Juan. How could I mistake the person I love?”
“?!” Xiao Juan couldn’t believe what she was hearing. What did he mean by “I’ve always liked you”? If she remembered correctly, this was their first meeting, wasn’t it?
As it turned out, she might have been mistaken—or perhaps she’d simply forgotten.
Shen Liang’an stood tall before her, like a mountain, blocking out all the harsh sunlight and enveloping her in shadow. She was considered tall among girls her age, but before him, she looked so petite.
His voice was deep and powerful, each word drilling into her ears. “This isn’t our first meeting. We met ten years ago.”
“Ten years ago?” Xiao Juan repeated blankly. She had absolutely no memory of it.
“Yes. Ten years ago, you came to Shanghai with your uncle. You were only this tall back then.” As if recalling something amusing, Shen Liang’an raised his hand and gestured at waist height.
“That’s an exaggeration! At least this tall, right?” Xiao Juan argued back defiantly.
To her surprise, Shen Liang’an showed no intention of debating with her. Instead, he nodded indulgently and said, “Whatever you say is right.”
“…” Xiao Juan fell silent, waiting for him to recount the memory she’d long lost to the river of time.
Ten years ago, Xiao Juan’s father had brought her to Shanghai to visit old friends. She was ten then; Shen Liang’an was thirteen—both still half-grown children. She was innocent and carefree, while he was unusually mature for his age, locking himself in his room every day to memorize English because his family had told him he’d be studying abroad and needed to prepare early.
Back then, Xiao Juan’s guest room was right next to Shen Liang’an’s. One day, passing by, she saw this handsome, tall older brother and pestered the adults to make him play with her.
When had this spoiled princess ever considered anyone else’s feelings? She whined and threw tantrums. The hosts didn’t want to offend their guests, and given the special relationship between the two families, even though they were reluctant to let Shen Liang’an waste time running around and neglect his studies, they had no choice but to agree.
During that time, Shen Liang’an’s task was to keep Xiao Juan entertained, well-fed, and safe.
As they spent time together, he found that this “fiancée” of his could talk more in one day than he would in a whole year. And it was true what they said—a woman’s heart was as unfathomable as the bottom of the sea. Her moods shifted constantly; one moment she’d be laughing, the next she’d pout and cry, throwing tantrums for all kinds of snacks.
Every day, he trailed behind her, cleaning up messes and running errands. His English studies fell by the wayside, and even his playfulness grew. He even started thinking that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to just keep playing with her forever.
Was it annoying? Actually, no—if anything, he felt a quiet happiness, unlike anything he’d ever known.
Before bed each night, Shen Liang’an would silently repeat to himself: She’s my future wife after all—so what if I spoil her a little?
Day after day, through this self-convincing, he no longer just followed behind her like in the beginning. Instead, he actively took her to all sorts of places, and their bond gradually deepened.
One day, they saw a news report about the war in the newspaper. Xiao Juan’s face was full of admiration as she said her father had once been a soldier, and that her future husband would have to be one too.
Shen Liang’an frowned. But silly girl, your fiancé was supposed to become a scientist… Ah, forget it—he’d go along with her. He’d join the military instead.
But before he could voice his decision, Xiao Juan left Shanghai with her father. It was sudden—so abrupt that she didn’t even get to say goodbye.
Later, Shen Liang’an was forcibly sent abroad by his family. He wasn’t brought back until five years later. The first thing he did was go to Beijing—but by then, she had already forgotten him.
It made sense, really. She was beautiful, lively, and outgoing—never lacking for playmates. Why would she remember him?
But he was her fiancé!
Even if she’d forgotten, he’d make her remember. But just as he was about to go find Xiao Juan, the Xiao family had begun a long period of closing their doors to visitors. Outsiders didn’t know the reason.
He grew frantic, fearing something had happened to her. After great effort, he finally managed to uncover the truth.
But the answer struck him like a blow to the head. Xiao Juan had someone she liked—and had been caught in bed with him by her father…
None of that mattered to him. What mattered was Xiao Juan herself. If she was happy, if she enjoyed it, what did it matter if she had a fling with someone? He knew her well—she had a short attention span for everything.
He just had to wait until she lost interest.
In the end, the one marrying her would be him—Shen Liang’an.
Everyone else was just a passing amusement.
Once he’d sorted out his thoughts, Shen Liang’an left Beijing, returned to Shanghai, joined the organization, and began his five-year military career.
Though he wasn’t in Beijing, he’d always had people keeping tabs on Xiao Juan—and knew roughly how things had developed between her and that man. This time, he’d misjudged—he hadn’t expected her feelings to last this long. He’d originally planned to intervene this year, but it turned out she’d figured things out on her own.
The moment he got word, Shen Liang’an arranged his return, planning to use this opportunity to finalize their marriage.
Of course, he didn’t tell Xiao Juan the whole truth—especially not that he’d been monitoring her.
When Xiao Juan heard that Shen Liang’an had come looking for her only to learn about her and Jiang Yan, her expression shifted slightly with discomfort. She hadn’t thought much of it before, but now, with her “fiancé” standing before her, she felt a strange sense of betrayal—and even a flicker of guilt.
“I was young then—I don’t remember much. I didn’t know you’d come looking for me…” As Shen Liang’an recounted the past, fragmented images surfaced in Xiao Juan’s mind. Vaguely, she recalled something like that, but the details were fuzzy.
Just as he’d said, she’d never lacked companions. Every place she went, she made new friends. With a limited memory, how could she possibly remember everyone? Besides, Shen Liang’an had gone abroad after that, and they’d had no contact at all—there was no way she’d remember him.
“None of that matters to me.” Shen Liang’an, surprisingly, was the one comforting her. He added, “The only thing that matters is whether we can get married.”
“I love you, Ajuan. In this lifetime, you’ll be my only love, my only wife.”
“Will you give me a chance to cherish and protect you?”
His words were resolute, each one striking her heart. Her mind was in chaos—she still hadn’t fully processed that someone had quietly loved her for over a decade, and that this person was her nominal fiancé.
Xiao Juan rubbed her forehead, feeling helpless. Not knowing what to say, she grasped at small talk. “You were calling me ‘Miss Xiao’ just now—now it’s ‘Ajuan’?”
“It’s more intimate that way. Besides, that’s what I called you when we were kids—Ajuan, little sister.” He said the nickname with such seriousness that it made her ears burn.
Ajuan, little sister? Just hearing it gave her goosebumps.
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