Contract Over: Heiress Unmasked

Chapter 17: Perhaps He Was the One

After lunch, Jiang Shixu accompanied Ruan Chutang down to the underground garage. As she approached her sleek blue Bentley, he spoke up, his voice low and curious.

"How does she handle?"

Chutang tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her fingers brushing against her skin. "I took her out last night. She’s perfect. Thank you, Shixu."

"Then I’ll leave you to it?" she added, jingling the keys in her hand. She paused, a sudden thought striking her. "Wait, I have something for you. I meant to give it to you last night, but it slipped my mind."

"Oh? A gift?"

"It's back at the hotel in my suitcase. I'll get it for you later."

Jiang Shixu reached out, his hand gripping the driver’s side door handle. "I’ll go with you. I’ll drive."

"What?" Chutang blinked, momentarily stunned, before finding her voice. "You can come, but let me drive. You should rest."

He had flown all the way from Jiang City to see her, then driven twenty kilometers at the c***k of dawn just to fetch her breakfast. He had to be exhausted.

A faint smile played on his lips. He could see the genuine concern etched in her eyes, and it warmed him more than he cared to admit. "As you wish, my lady," he murmured, circling the car to slide into the passenger seat.

As they hit the highway, the steady hum of the engine filled the silence.

"Is your hearing today open to the public?" Jiang Shixu asked, breaking the quiet.

"It is. Just a contract dispute, nothing confidential. Thinking of sitting in?"

"If I may." His voice was soft, laced with a vulnerability he rarely showed. "I’ve never seen you in your element."

Chutang felt a flutter in her chest. They were engaged, after all; letting him into her professional world felt like a natural step. "Of course. Do you have your ID? You'll just need to fill out a form for a visitor’s pass."

"I have it." He’d kept it on him, a silent hope that he might get this very chance.

Chutang focused on the road, unaware of the way he was looking at her—his gaze heavy with a tenderness that bordered on reverence.

The silence stretched between them again, comfortable yet thick with unspoken thoughts. Finally, Chutang spoke the question that had haunted her for three years.

"Shixu... why did you agree to this alliance?"

In Jiang City, the Jiang family was more than just wealthy; they were untouchable. His grandfather held a high-ranking political office, and his mother came from a powerful dynasty. He could have had anyone. The Ruan family was successful in business, but in the hierarchy of the elite, they were leagues below him. This match was, by all accounts, an upward climb for her family.

Jiang Shixu stared out the window, his eyes darkening. "By the time I took the reins, I no longer needed an alliance to secure my family’s status."

The answer was cryptic, leaving Chutang more confused than before. "Then why didn't you choose someone you actually loved?"

He turned to her then, his voice dropping to a gravelly depth. "If I didn't want this, Chutang, no one on this earth could have forced my hand."

Her breath hitched. The implication hit her like a physical weight. She forced herself to look away, her heart racing. He was good—too good. She wondered how many women he had charmed with that effortless intensity. Since the day she’d agreed to the marriage, he had been nothing but attentive, his every gesture perfectly calibrated. If she wasn't careful, she was going to fall for him.

***

Inside the courtroom, Ruan Chutang was a force of nature.

She moved with a lethal grace, her arguments sharp and her logic impenetrable. She didn't just speak; she commanded the room. Every question she fired at the opposing counsel was a surgical strike, leaving them stumbling and defensive.

From the gallery, Jiang Shixu watched her, a fierce sense of pride swelling in his chest. His Chutang was brilliant. She was a star.

When the session ended, he was waiting for her with a bottle of water. "Drink," he said softly.

"Thanks." She took a long swig. "The verdict is pending, but I’m confident."

"Chutang, you were electric," he said, his eyes locked on hers. "The way your eyes lit up when you were debating... I couldn't take my eyes off you."

She flushed, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "Really? I feel like I become a different person when I’m in there."

"You were incredible," he insisted. "You’re going to be one of the best in the country."

Her smile widened, but the praise sparked a bitter memory. For three years, Gu Zechuan had never cared about her work. He hadn't even known what cases she was handling, dismissing her salary as "pocket change." He didn't respect her ambition; he only tolerated it.

She remembered telling him about winning a five-million-dollar settlement. He had laughed, a cold, mocking sound. *"My company signs ten-million-dollar contracts over lunch, Chutang. Why are you killing yourself for such small stakes? Just quit. I’ll take care of you."*

From that day on, she had never shared a single professional victory with him. He had loved her face and her body, but he had never understood her soul.

Standing here with Jiang Shixu, she realized for the first time that maybe—just maybe—he was the partner she actually deserved.

As they stepped out of the courthouse, Jiang Shixu’s phone buzzed. He took the call, his expression hardening into a mask of cold fury.

"The milk," he said, turning back to her. "It was spiked with a heavy dose of laxatives."

Chutang’s eyes turned to ice. "I figured."

"Do you want me to handle it?"

She shook her head. "No. I’ll settle this debt myself, in my own time."

She knew it was Chen Wan. The timing was too perfect; she wanted Chutang to humiliate herself in court. There was no hard evidence for the police, but that didn't matter. This was personal.

***

The next few days were a blur of shared moments.

She took him to her favorite spicy noodle shop. Jiang Shixu couldn't handle the heat, sweating through his shirt, yet he didn't stop until his bowl was empty. They visited tourist spots, taking photos and getting lost in the history of the city. For the first time in years, Chutang felt genuinely happy.

Meanwhile, Chen Wan had been in the hospital for five days, and Gu Zechuan had stayed by her side.

But his mind was elsewhere. Every few minutes, he found himself checking his phone, waiting for a text or a call from Chutang. Nothing. His screen was filled with messages from his friends or work alerts, but the one name he wanted to see was missing.

He couldn't take it anymore. His thumbs flew across the screen as he typed out a message.

*[Haven't you had enough of this tantrum yet?]*

At that moment, Jiang Shixu was holding Chutang's phone, ready to take another photo of her against the sunset. The notification popped up, and his gaze turned murderous.