Ruthless Romance

Chapter 2: Deep-Rooted

"Young Master, dinner is served." Butler Lin's voice resonated from beyond the door – words that sounded like divine intervention to Wen Yan's ears.

Having devoted decades of loyal service to the Mu family, Butler Lin had watched Mu Tingchen grow up from infancy. His words carried some weight, even with the young master himself.

Mu Tingchen withdrew his hand from Wen Yan's head, responding with casual indifference, "Noted."

Wen Yan seized the opportunity to open the door and flee, his earlier words still echoing in her mind...

"In half a month's time, you'll be nineteen, won't you?"

The implications of this statement left her heart in turmoil. What did turning nineteen signify? She knew all too well.

After dinner, Mu Tingchen left the mansion, allowing Wen Yan to finally breathe easier. She retired to her small bed in the storage room – a space she had called home for the past decade. The Mu residence had become her second 'home,' though the word carried a different weight entirely.

That night, her sleep was restless. In her dreams, she repeatedly questioned her father: "What really happened? Were they telling the truth?" Her only answer was the lingering image of her father's smile and his retreating figure before boarding that fateful flight.

The air disaster that claimed seventeen lives aboard the Mu family's private jet had left no survivors, including Mu Tingchen's parents.

Media outlets had extensively covered the incident, attributing it to pilot error. Some sources suggested the pilot had violated regulations by consuming alcohol before takeoff.

Wen Yan's father, Wen Zhiyuan, as the Mu family's private pilot, became the target of public condemnation, despite perishing in the same crash.

Her dream concluded with the memory of Mu Tingchen bringing her home, while everyone questioned his decision to take in the daughter of the man they blamed.

At nine years old, she had held Mu Tingchen's hand as he led her into the Mu household. In her childish innocence, she had thought perhaps their shared orphan status had prompted this act of kindness.

But the moment the main gates closed behind them, he had released her hand. Looking down at her with eyes as cold as winter frost, he had declared: "Your father is dead. You will atone for his sins."

At nineteen, his hatred had been so palpable it threatened to consume her. In that moment, she understood with crystal clarity – he had come to collect a debt...

When she awoke from her nightmare-filled sleep, daylight had already broken. Wen Yan touched her slightly feverish forehead and gazed through the small window at the falling snow. A faint smile crossed her lips. "It's snowing..."

"Yan'er, bundle up well. There's snowfall forecast today, and it's bitterly cold. With your delicate constitution, you can't afford to catch a cold."

Aunt Liu's concern remained unchanged over the decade. Regardless of the season, she always had words of care ready when Wen Yan awoke.

Wen Yan acknowledged her with a quiet response and donned her only winter coat before heading out. Seeing her, Aunt Liu's eyes welled up with emotion. "Yan'er... why don't you ask the young master for some money? You need new clothes. You've been wearing this coat for years now. A young woman your age should be able to spend money on herself, but look at you..."

Wen Yan stubbornly shook her head and mounted her nearly dilapidated bicycle, facing the wind and snow.

Mu Tingchen had strictly forbidden anyone from offering her charity of any kind, including money. If there were to be any handouts, they would come from him alone.

Since the age of nine, whenever she needed anything, she had learned to curry favor with him through whatever means possible.

The sound of a car horn pierced the morning air, prompting her to move closer to the curb. As a black Rolls-Royce glided past her, she briefly caught Mu Tingchen's gaze through the half-opened window. Their eyes met fleetingly before the car continued forward.

Suddenly, the vehicle came to a halt ahead of her. She instinctively stopped as well, one foot on the ground, both hands steady on her bicycle handlebars, silently waiting for whatever would come next.

The scene perfectly encapsulated their relationship – she, perpetually waiting in uncertainty, while he held all the power to determine what would happen next. The falling snow continued to blanket the world around them in white, much like the cold barrier that had existed between them for the past decade, growing deeper and more impenetrable with each passing year.

Through the swirling snowflakes, the imposing silhouette of the Rolls-Royce stood as a stark reminder of the vast gulf between their worlds – his world of luxury and power, and hers of servitude and atonement. The moment stretched out, heavy with unspoken words and buried histories, while the winter wind carried whispers of their shared past through the frozen morning air.