"What?" Li Hua shrieked.
Did she hear him right? Surely he didn't suggest marriage. That'd be absurd right?
"Well not actual marriage. Let's make a deal."
She looked at him with one eyebrow.
"What kind of deal?"
"I know about your current situation. I also know that you want to make something out of your life. However, your family won't let you get the chance."
He knew about the blacklist? I mean it wasn't hard to realize but he'd done research on her?
"Ok but what do you get out of it?" There was always a catch.
Su LingTian sighed and explained, "I've also found myself in an unfavorable situation. My parents think I've gotten engaged to some mystery woman."
Oh so she understood. By marriage he meant fake dating. A facade.
"I see."
"The arrangement won't last more then a few months. I'll provide you with any resources you need and in return you just have to pretend that we are a couple. My mother isn't doing very well so I want her to at least be happy even if it's a lie."
Li Hua looked at her hands, her heart beating fast. This was her chance! Her mind flashed back to what Li Yan said.
'you'll end up a home-wrecker like your mother'
The phrase made her blood boil. She was tired of being treated like a pet, like less then a human. All the years of abuse and poor treatment rushed back to her.
She looked up and reached her hand out.
"Deal."
Su LingTian smiled and shook her hand. However as he was about to let go her grip tightened.
"A few things. This is my fight, you are just helping me get a good start. I don't want any interference from you. Also as you stated this is fake dating. No romance is required besides from what has to be shown."
"Of course" he smiled.
He looked at his watch and realized he was running late.
"Looks like I have to get going. I'll have my assistant collect your things from the hotel and move them to my house."
"Your house?"
"I mean where else do you have to go? Plus it's more convenient. I'll talk to you later." He waved goodbye and walked out of the room.
Finally alone Li Hua plopped back into the bed. It was a lot to process. In the matter of seconds the playing board was flipped. Never would she have imagined it would be Su LingTian to change the game!
"Fake dating huh."
The idea seemed ridiculous. Why did he have to choose her? Surely there was some other person who would've worked? Maybe he chose her because he knew they could both benefit in the end.
Thinking back to the past she wasn't surprised. He always had a trick up his sleeve, some plan forming in his mind.
She reached over to her purse and pulled out her wallet. Inside and tucked away was a few crumbled up pictures along with a note.
7 years ago she wrote him a letter and she received one back a few months later. However, she didn't receive what she thought.
In the envelope were a few pictures. Each had a boy with a girl in them. She knew immediately the boy was Su LingTian but the girl? She didn't know her but it was obvious he did.
In the pictures he was very intimate with her. Holding her bags and patting her head. The last one was a little weird as it was from an angle but she didn't need to guess what they were doing.
The note attached was simply one line.
'I guess not everything is irreplaceable.'
When she saw this her heart broke. She knew she told him not to wait for her but it was all too soon. It had only been a few weeks since she left and they were already so close? The two of them took a moment to get together. At the time the only logical explanation was that he was cheating her. Playing her!
There she was a child, basically abandoned in a foreign place by her 'family' and now forgotten by the one person she loved the most. It tore at her everyday.
After that she tried her best to forget him. To forget the memories she had with him but it was too difficult. Every little thing reminded her of him but for him she was only a small part of his life.
She threw the papers away multiple times in denial only to dig them up again. She didn't know why but she always crawled back to them eventually resorting to putting them in her wallet.
Fate was a funny thing. The person she wanted nothing to do with had once again returned. Just walked back into her life as if they never left.
She wanted to hate him. She really did but why did she feel so nervous thinking about being with him again.
'It's fake' she thought to herself over and over again. She made it clear that there would be no real romance between the too. That this was just business only. The few months would pass and they'd part ways again. Forever.
~~~
Driving to work, Su LingTian felt conflicted. He was happy and sad at the same time. She had actually agreed to the deal. He should've been happy. However, he knew that anything that would happen between them was nothing but business.
Gripping the steering wheel, he stopped at a red light. Business or not, he was content with being in her life again.