The Billionaire's Hidden Affection

Chapter 787 - 784: After Darkness, Light 7_1

BANG! The trunk sprang open...

Despite being full of worries, Yan Xixi couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Xu Xiaoya also clutched her sides, unable to stop laughing.

They reached their destination. The driver, still chuckling, stopped the car. "Ladies, I wish you both a pleasant time."

The two of them were truly delighted.

These days, bringing joy to strangers is a true virtue.

It wasn’t even nine o’clock when she got home.

Yan Xixi walked slowly and alone along a tree-lined avenue.

Many people were out for a stroll. Luxury cars were parked everywhere in front of the surrounding upscale bars, clubs, and teahouses. Suddenly, she didn’t feel like hurrying home. Instead, she wanted to sit amidst this unceasing flow of people.

She was leaving tomorrow.

Soon, she would have to face life in a foreign land.

Harvard is so wonderful, so beautiful, so prestigious—but you’ll be all alone there, with no one you know.

Just then, her phone screen lit up.

Her heart skipped a beat. A message had arrived.

But when she opened it, disappointment immediately set in. It was just a pointless group chat where someone had shared a short story. She glanced at it casually.

The story told of a young couple traveling in a small country. They went shopping and entered a clothing store. The woman took a few clothes into the fitting room, but she never came out. The man thought it was strange, so he went to look. But there was no one inside. The staff all said they hadn’t seen her, so the woman simply vanished into thin air.

The man was heartbroken and searched for her relentlessly, looking in many places. Years passed, and he eventually gave up in despair. One time, while traveling in a small Southeast Asian country, he came across a circus performing there. One of the acts was billed as "The World’s Strangest Human Exhibition."

Curious, he bought a ticket and went in.

Sure enough, the exhibition showcased people with deformities, a myriad of grotesque forms better left undescribed. He suddenly noticed one cage. Inside was a dwarf, limbless, with disheveled hair and a grimy face, unable to speak, only wailing incoherently.

The announcer beside the cage, smirking, said, "This person was born without limbs and is one of the strangest people in the world..."

The surrounding audience members all clicked their tongues in amazement.

The man, also curious, drew closer to get a better look, scrutinizing the figure.

And then, he saw a pair of large eyes, so familiar he could never forget them. Those eyes were staring intently at him, filled with despair and sorrow.

He was utterly aghast. This person was his long-lost love.

It turned out she had been abducted by an international human trafficking ring, tortured in countless ways, and reduced to this state.

...

Yan Xixi’s mood, already at rock bottom, plummeted further after reading this story. She felt sick to her stomach.

She promptly turned off her phone, her heart POUNDING wildly in her chest.

Weak-kneed, she leaned against the long bench, her sense of security completely shattered.

Deep down, a pang of regret struck her. If I’d known, I would have just agreed to go with Li Zhen, she lamented internally. Her hand even hovered over the phone, but she stopped herself. No, absolutely not.

That was completely out of the question.

It’s easy to invite a god but hard to send one away. If he really went with her, he would effectively be her boyfriend.

The weather was sweltering, and people constantly milled about, yet a chill ran through her entire body, as if the sense of security she relied on had utterly vanished.

After an unknown amount of time, she slowly opened her eyes.

She started. The person opposite her—she had no idea how long he’d been standing there.

She felt a flutter of panic and stammered, "Xiaojue... Xiaojue... wh-why are you here?"

He gazed at her.