Wu Qingyi's gaze lowered, as if she could already picture him. "He is living alone in a small, old house. One tiny room… no garden, no fresh air, no warm sunlight. No place to breathe freely. No place that feels like home." Her eyelashes trembled slightly. "He deserves better." She slowly clenched her small fists, a stubborn light flickering in her eyes. "So, I'm going to buy him a good house. A place where he can live comfortably. A place where he won't feel lonely. A place where we can live… happily ever after."
The moment her words settled in the air, the convoy came to a violent halt.
"Screeeeechhhhhhh!"
Tires screamed against the asphalt as multiple cars slammed to an abrupt stop, the sudden jerk snapping everyone forward in their seats.
Small… old… single room house?No greenery? No facilities?
Inside each vehicle, bodies stiffened. Faces darkened. For a split second, the image that flashed through their minds was not some rundown shack, but the three-story private mansion their master currently resided in an estate so vast that the backyard alone could easily host a private stadium. The contrast was so absurd, it felt like a slap.
Wang Hao's heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he turned sharply toward her, "Are you hurt young madam?"
Only after seeing her perfectly fine, he glares at the driver and scolds "Drive properly!"
The engines came back to life, the convoy slowly rolling forward again, but his mind was still in chaos.
Small house?Single room? Impossible.
He looked at Wu Qingyi, unable to hide the disbelief in his voice. "Young Madam… who told you that Master lives in a single-room house?" She tilted her head slightly, her gaze pure and sincere. No mockery. No doubt. "I saw it in the news." Her fingers tightened softly over the edge of her seat. "You don't have to worry. Even if he lives in a small place, I won't look down on him." Her voice softened, turning almost quiet. "I just… feel bad for him." She lowered her eyes. "I've saved a little money from when I lived in the mountains. I want to use it… to buy him a warm, big home. A place where we can live happily."
The car fell completely silent. Wang Hao turned his face toward the window. For the first time, his chest tightened with something unfamiliar. She wasn't pretending. She was serious about protecting their master. And behind the earpieces, even the bodyguards who had been listening in quiet amusement… slowly tightened their grips on their weapons. Someone like her…was no longer just a bride. She was already starting to look like their true young madam.
Then it finally dawned on Wang Hao. She wasn't planning to spend his master's money. She wasn't greedy. She wasn't scheming. She had truly believed… that her husband was poor and even more shocking was that she intended to use her own savings. Her mountain-earned savings… to buy a house for the man the world called a cripple.
"She… doesn't even understand the capital's property prices," he thought. To a girl who had lived among trees and mist, a handful of savings probably felt like a fortune. She had no idea that a single brick of a capital estate cost more than everything she owned. If she walked into an ordinary property agency, she would be humiliated. Ridiculed. Her sincerity would be trampled.
He couldn't allow that, not when she was doing this for his master and not when her heart was so painfully pure. His eyes hardened and he leaned toward the driver and spoke in a low, decisive voice. "Change route." The driver asked. "Where to, Secretary Wang?" Golden light flickered across Wang Hao's gaze. "To Golden Crest Properties."
The driver's hands tightened around the steering wheel and the car turned smoothly on the road, heading toward the most elite real estate company in the capital. Behind them, the bodyguards exchanged silent looks through the rearview mirrors.
Golden Crest Properties rose before them like a monument of glass and gold, its towering façade reflecting the afternoon sun like a palace built for modern emperors. Inside, the air was cool and faintly scented, the marble floor gleaming beneath crystal chandeliers as miniature city models and illuminated property displays stretched across the elegant sales gallery.
Wang Hao guided Wu Qingyi to a velvet sofa near a massive sand-table display before turning away and heading toward the private executive area. His steps were brisk, his heart heavy with thoughts, as he went to meet the CEO - Shen Yiran, one of the young master's most trusted and powerful friends. Shen Yiran was unaware that a gentle girl from the mountains had just stepped into a world that was never meant to be small.
Shen Yiran's heart tightened the instant he heard the name Wang Hao at his door. Without delay, he instructed his secretary, voice taut with urgency, "Send him in." The moment Wang Hao stepped into the office, the air shifted. Before the door could even click shut, Shen Yiran surged to his feet and a storm of questions crashed from his lips. "Why are you here alone? Where's Lingxuan? Why didn't you call first? What happened? What emergency brought you here without warning? Is he hurt? Is he okay?"
His breath barely steadied before another thought struck him. "Wait… isn't today his wedding? Don't tell me the Liu family refused? Because of his condition?" His eyes darkened dangerously. "How dare they reject Lingxuan?" He let out a low, humourless laugh, sharp as a blade. "Is that why you're here? You want me to wipe them out? Collapse their businesses? Turn them to dust?"
Then he shook his head slowly. "No… for ants like the Liu family, you wouldn't need my help." Finally, he stepped closer, voice dropping to a chilling quiet. "Speak. What exactly happened that made you come to me like this?" The room felt suddenly suffocating, waiting for Wang Hao's answer.
Wang Hao was momentarily stunned into silence, then quickly felt a flicker of irritation rise within him at Shen Yiran's endless stream of words. Inwardly, he began to regret bringing the young madam here at all, if she heard such reckless chatter, she might be frightened before even stepping inside. Finally, he lifted a hand, cutting through Shen Yiran's rapid-fire rambling. "Master Shen," he said in a low, controlled voice, "if you don't stop asking questions, then I won't be able to answer even one of them."
The room fell into a brief, awkward silence. He continued calmly, "I've brought someone who wants to purchase a property under your company. I will take you to meet her. When she chooses a property, first only ask for her budget and sell it to her at exactly that price." He paused, his gaze turning sharp. "The remaining amount will be settled by the Wang family later."
Shen Yiran froze for a heartbeat, then slowly leaned back in his chair, his eyes lighting up with unmistakable curiosity. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he looked Wang Hao up and down, as if seeing him for the very first time. "Wang Hao," he drawled, his tone suddenly playful, "don't tell me that young lady is your girlfriend? When did you even get the time to date? With the way you work, I thought romance was extinct in your life."
Wang Hao's pupils shrank in pure shock. He took an instinctive step back, as if he had just been struck by lightning. "Master Shen!" he blurted out, both horrified and flustered. "Please don't speak nonsense!" His expression turned rigid, and his voice lowered, filled with absolute seriousness. "She is not my girlfriend… she is our Young Madam—our young master's bride."