Nanny Liu woke at the sound of footsteps. The corridor was dark, and only by the faint moonlight filtering through the window could she make out two figures standing before her — one of them was Dai Jing’s trusted attendant.

“Xin’er, what is this?” Nanny Liu asked, her voice guarded.

“This is Miss Shen. She has come to see Master Dai. She says she has a way to relieve his stomach pain.”

The moment Nanny Liu heard that, she said at once, “Then please, invite Miss Shen in quickly.”

“Nanny Liu, I’ll go in alone.” Seeing that Nanny Liu intended to follow, Shen Ruoxi politely stated her preference.

“This…”

Nanny Liu quickly looked toward the attendant, but the attendant could not make the call either. After all, neither of them knew Shen Ruoxi well, and if they let her go in alone, what if she meant harm to Master Dai?

“Is that Ruoxi?” Dai Jing’s somewhat weak voice suddenly drifted out from inside the room.

“Master Dai, it is me.”

“All of you, step back. Let Ruoxi come in by herself.”

Nanny Liu and the attendant exchanged a glance, then immediately withdrew.

Shen Ruoxi pushed open the door. The room was pitch black. Just as she stood wondering which direction to move, a lamp on the bedside table flickered on.

The lamp sat beside Dai Jing’s bed, and as the light came on, Dai Jing sat up in bed.

“Ruoxi? Why have you come?” The sight of her left Dai Jing both surprised and delighted.

Shen Ruoxi could see that Dai Jing’s face was deathly pale, a cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He was clearly in great pain, yet he was forcing himself to endure it without complaint.

“I heard you were ill, so I came to check on you.”

“Come, sit.” Dai Jing’s voice was laced with weakness. “It is truly embarrassing — on your first visit here, I cannot even receive you properly.”

After Shen Ruoxi sat down on the chair beside the bed, she opened her palm to reveal a small pill resting in it.

“This can relieve the pain.”

“Ordinary painkillers don’t work for me.” A hint of helplessness colored Dai Jing’s voice.

“It is not a cure,” Shen Ruoxi said, “but it can make you forget the pain. It is not an ordinary medicine, however — a small dose will stop the pain, but too much and it can kill.”

Precisely because it was no ordinary medicine, she had not let Nanny Liu and the others come in, so as to avoid unnecessary complications.

“Can there really be such a miraculous medicine?”

“Do you trust me?”

Dai Jing smiled, and before the pill had even left Shen Ruoxi’s palm, he had already taken it and placed it directly into his mouth.

Then his hand reached out: “Water.”

Shen Ruoxi had not expected him to be so decisive — he had not even paused to consider it.

Snapping back to her senses, she quickly retrieved the water glass from the table. The water in the thermos flask was warm and could be drunk straight away.

Dai Jing swallowed the pill with water, then looked at her with a smile. “Even if it were poison, I would still take it.”

The lamplight was dim, yet his gaze shimmered brilliantly in the glow, carrying with it a depth of boundless affection.

Shen Ruoxi was taken aback. She quickly looked away. “You really are bold — weren’t you afraid I might have been sent by your enemies?”

“If you wanted to harm me, you would have had plenty of opportunities. There was no need to come and do it yourself.”

Dai Jing gave a soft sigh. “Ruoxi, actually, the poison you gave me — I swallowed it long ago.”

Shen Ruoxi looked at him, puzzled.

“You are that poison,” he said. “I swallowed it, and now there is no remedy.” Dai Jing’s slender hand pressed over the back of Shen Ruoxi’s hand, and when she tried to pull back, he gripped it firmly.

Dai Jing’s deep eyes locked steadily on her face, his voice weak yet full of resolve: “Ruoxi, do you understand what I feel for you? From the first moment I heard you sing, I was drawn to you — your voice, your very being have made it impossible for me to let go. I know you must think this is nothing more than a passing interest on my part, but I tell you in all earnestness — no. What I feel for you is absolutely not a fleeting infatuation. Especially during my illness, I have pondered this question over and over, and I am very clear about my answer.”

Dai Jing tightened his grip on her hand: “Your coming here has made me truly happy. In the moment I saw you, I finally understood how much I had missed you — how much I wanted you by my side always. I once had a wife. She passed away from illness three years ago and left me no children. I am the head of the Dai family; everyone answers to me. I have the right to decide my own marriage, and for the sake of their own interests, they would not lightly oppose me.”

These words from Dai Jing left Shen Ruoxi deeply shaken. She could tell that he was not joking — every word he spoke came straight from his heart.

And yet, what virtue or ability did she possess that could allow her to accept his declaration of love — or even to become his wife?

Someone like her, who lived in the shadows of darkness — what right did she have to lay claim to the light?

“Master Dai.” Shen Ruoxi gave a self-deprecating smile. “I am nothing but a songstress — the lowest of the low, scorned by all. Even if Master Dai wishes me well, Shen Ruoxi cannot bear the weight of it.”

She firmly withdrew her hand, her expression cold and unyielding: “I am touched by Master Dai’s good intentions, but I ask that you put aside these impractical thoughts. You may be my guest — and only my guest. As for any other kind of relationship, it is not something I have ever considered, nor do I wish to see it go in that direction.”

“Ruoxi, you are different from other people.” Dai Jing said urgently. “I know it — you are not like ordinary women.”

“Master Dai, you are mistaken. I truly am nothing more than an ordinary songstress. I am unworthy of your affections, and all the more unworthy of the title of Madam Dai.” With those words, Shen Ruoxi stood up. “Master Dai, rest well after taking the medicine. I shall take my leave now.”

“Ruoxi.” Seeing her about to leave, Dai Jing anxiously reached out to stop her — but then his throat turned sweet, and he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, collapsing sideways off the bed.

“Master Dai.” Shen Ruoxi was alarmed. She rushed to support him with all her strength.

“Someone, come quickly! Come quickly!”

At Shen Ruoxi’s cries, the attendant Xin’er and Nanny Liu came rushing in.

“Quickly — help Master Dai back into bed.” With everyone working together, they finally got Dai Jing settled back in bed. His eyes were tightly shut; he appeared to have lost consciousness.

“What — what in the world happened?” Nanny Liu was beside herself with worry, and she could not help but eye Shen Ruoxi with suspicion.

Although it was Dai Jing himself who had called Shen Ruoxi inside, now that Dai Jing had vomited blood and fainted, Nanny Liu could not help but question her.

“Ruoxi…” The Dai Jing lying in bed suddenly murmured something. “Don’t go.”

His hand rose and swept through the air a few times, then fell limply back down. Before long, it rose again, reaching out frantically as though trying to grasp hold of something.

“Miss Shen.” Nanny Liu said through reddened eyes. “Master Dai does not want Miss Shen to leave. Miss Shen, please comfort Master Dai — his stomach condition is truly very serious.”

Thinking of the wounded look in Dai Jing’s eyes just moments before, and seeing now his face as pale as a sheet of paper, Shen Ruoxi felt a pang of unwillingness to leave him like this.

Dai Jing had helped launch her career, and his feelings toward her were genuine. Whether it was a momentary impulse or a steadfast resolve on his part, Shen Ruoxi felt she had let him down.

She reached out and let Dai Jing take hold of her hand. “Master Dai, I am here.”

Hearing her voice and feeling the warmth of her hand, Dai Jing gradually calmed.

He placed her hand over his heart and held it tightly.

“Miss Shen, thank you.” Nanny Liu hastily bowed to Shen Ruoxi. “We are sorry to put you through such trouble tonight.”

Shen Ruoxi shook her head. “Master Dai has shown me great kindness. This is the least I can do.”

“Why did Master Dai… why did he vomit blood just now?” Nanny Liu asked with deep concern.

“He took the medicine I gave him — that is a normal reaction.” Shen Ruoxi explained patiently. “He expelled the stagnant blood that had accumulated in his stomach, so the pain should not return. Though I can relieve him of pain temporarily, his stomach condition requires the utmost care. If it flares up again, I will not be able to help.”

Nanny Liu glanced over at the bed, where Dai Jing seemed to have fallen asleep — his brow smooth, a faint smile even playing at the corners of his lips.

Whenever Dai Jing’s stomach condition acted up, he could barely sleep day or night, suffering terribly. For him to be resting so quietly now was nothing short of a miracle.

All suspicion vanished from Nanny Liu’s mind; she could only bow repeatedly. “Thank you truly, Miss Shen. Master Dai has not closed his eyes for two days and two nights.”

“There is no need to thank me. Master Dai has helped me as well.” Shen Ruoxi glanced at her hand, which Dai Jing still held. She dared not try to pull it away.

Nanny Liu had said he had not slept for two days and two nights. Now that he had expelled the stagnant blood and fallen into a rare sleep, Shen Ruoxi could not bring herself to wake him.

Nanny Liu and the attendant tiptoed out, leaving only Shen Ruoxi and Dai Jing alone in the room.

Dai Jing was truly asleep, his breathing steady and light — a rare reprieve for a man who had gone two days and two nights without rest.

Shen Ruoxi watched the peaceful man as he slumbered, her heart surging with an ocean of thoughts.

In truth, she did not know Dai Jing well. Their interactions had amounted to nothing more than chess games and conversation.

For Dai Jing to have risen to such a position of power — calling the shots in Shun Cheng — he could not have been a man of wavering will or gentleness. Yet the face he showed her was always tender.

And by the same token, Dai Jing did not truly know her either. Between them, it was no more than a partial understanding of each other.

And yet, even so, he had spoken those words just now. It was hard for Shen Ruoxi not to be moved — and yet she knew, deep in her heart, that nothing between them was possible.

Once he had fallen into a deep sleep, Shen Ruoxi tried gently drawing her hand back — but each time she moved, the grip of his hand tightened a fraction more.

After several attempts, afraid of waking him, she finally gave up.

Meanwhile, beneath the apartment building where Shen Ruoxi lived, a car seemed to have been parked for quite some time. Its dark body blended seamlessly into the night.

The lights throughout the building had gone out, and the whole structure stood cold and silent in the winter darkness.

The window of the car was half open, and beneath it lay a scattering of cigarette butts on the ground — one of them had not yet gone out, flickering faintly in the dark.

Uncle Liu did not know how many times he had glanced into the rearview mirror, yet all he could see was the smoke that kept rising. Several times he had seemed on the verge of saying something, only to fall silent in the end.

The night retreated, and day came in its place — the sun and moon exchanging turns as they always do.

Shen Ruoxi opened her eyes in the morning light, the first thing she saw being the white expanse of the ceiling above her.

She reached a hand out to her side and felt the soft bedding.

After a brief moment of confusion, Shen Ruoxi remembered — she was still at Dai Jing’s home. The previous night, Dai Jing had kept hold of her hand without releasing it, and she had unknowingly fallen asleep herself.

—