SQUEAK!

The back door of the villa slowly opened. Su Xuan and Edward stood outside, each wearing a different expression. Edward was thrilled, while Su Xuan's was… odd. An elderly, respectably dressed Western man immediately snuck out from behind the door.

"My, my, why do you want to see Alice in the middle of the night?" he asked the moment he saw Edward standing by the car.

"I have something important to discuss with Alice," Edward said, pulling out a stack of cash and stuffing it into the old man's hand. He then pointed to Su Xuan. "And I also want to introduce a very special friend to her."

"HUH!"

The old man was stunned at the sight of Su Xuan, shaking as if he'd been electrocuted. He shoved the money back at Edward, turned around, and tried to slam the door shut. This bizarre reaction left Edward bewildered. This old man was known to love money more than his own life! What on earth was going on?

But the old man didn't get the chance. Su Xuan simply pushed the door open and stepped over the threshold, with Edward right behind him.

"What's the matter with you?" Edward didn't understand why the old man had tried to shut them out just at the sight of Su Xuan. He complained, "We're not here to rob you, so what are you afraid of? I'm from a noble family, and my master is nobler than any noble. Even my own father has to show him the utmost respect. Do we look like we'd sneak into a house to steal things?"

"Master…" The old man's lips twitched, his expression one of utter disbelief. But he didn't ask any more questions. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and led the two into the villa, reminding them to tread lightly.

"Let's just forget it!" However, as they neared Alice's room, the old man stopped at a bend in the corridor and refused to go any further. "Why don't you find a legitimate reason to make an appointment with Miss Alice tomorrow! Tonight is really not convenient because… because…" As he spoke, the butler peeked around the corner at Alice's door.

Su Xuan followed his gaze and saw two burly bodyguards standing motionless outside Alice's door.

Just as I thought… Su Xuan murmured to himself. She really is being held captive.

"What's going on?" Edward, looking utterly confused, asked the butler, "Alice is an adult. Does she really need to be guarded like this? Or is she in some kind of trouble that requires around-the-clock protection?"

"No, no…" The butler shook his head, glanced up at Su Xuan, and said with difficulty, "The truth is, Old Master Richard is afraid the miss will run away from home…"

"What?!" Edward's jaw dropped. He simply couldn't fathom the reason. Alice had just taken over her father's business empire. Why would she run away? It made no sense!

He quietly asked the butler what was going on, but the old man refused to say another word. He just kept glancing at Su Xuan, as if terrified of him.

At that very moment, Su Xuan moved. He darted out from the corner of the corridor, leaped up onto the wall, and landed silently in front of the two bodyguards.

The bodyguards were startled and immediately reached for their waists, but it was too late. Su Xuan pressed a hand to each of their heads and slammed them against the wall.

BANG!

The two carefully selected guards' eyes rolled back as they crumpled to the floor unconscious.

"Sleep tight," Su Xuan said without a second glance at the unconscious men, reaching out to push the door.

"Master, wait!" Having witnessed Su Xuan's power once again, Edward hurried over and grabbed his arm, panicking slightly. "This isn't like before! Why did you attack them? This is going to be hard to explain to Alice!" The butler, meanwhile, had vanished.

"It'll be easy to explain," Su Xuan said, raising his hand again to push the door. It was locked from the inside. After a moment's thought, Su Xuan simply applied force. As Edward watched in shock, he broke the door open.

CRACK!

The lock shattered, and the door swung inward.

Su Xuan stepped into the room, a warm smile spreading across his face. A beautiful woman sat at a table, cradling her face in her hands as she gazed intently at several framed photographs. They were all candid shots of Su Xuan. In one, he was feeding Big White; in another, he was in the courtyard practicing Tai Chi with Butler Liu; in yet another, he was at the dining table, wolfing down his food without a care for his image. None of them were posed—they had clearly been taken secretly with a phone.

She gazed at the photos, a beautiful smile on her lips and her lovely eyes filled with nostalgia. She was so lost in the sweet memories that she was completely unaware the door had been forced open. She was beautiful, and so were her memories.

Edward followed Su Xuan into the room and was stunned by the sight. He nearly drooled. It was the first time he had ever seen such a gorgeous smile on Alice's face; in public, she was always cold and distant to everyone, including him. Intoxicated by her beauty, Edward's attention was completely captivated by Alice, and he failed to notice the photos on her desk. He opened his mouth and said, "Alice, I'm here! Aren't you surprised?"

Su Xuan, who had also been about to speak, could only shrug.

"Edward, please stop pestering me. It's impossible between us," Alice said without looking up, her eyes still fixed on the photos. "I know you paid off my butler. You can take him with you. Let him go be your butler."

"No… wait!" Edward began to explain, but Su Xuan patted him on the shoulder. Then, Su Xuan walked slowly to Alice's side, gently raised his hand, and laid it on her shoulder.

What is Master doing? Edward was baffled. Is he some kind of master pickup artist, too? Is he going to give me a personal demonstration?

But what happened next left him completely dumbfounded. Su Xuan's hand slowly settled on Alice's shoulder. "Alice," he said gently, "I'm here."

"You've gone too far!" Alice assumed Edward had gotten brazen enough to touch her and instinctively moved to pull away. But when she heard that familiar voice, her entire body jolted. She whipped her head around and saw him—the man from the photographs, the man who filled her thoughts day and night.

"Su… Su Xuan!"

Her lips parted as if she had a thousand things to say, but she couldn't form a single complete sentence. Instead, large, crystalline tears began to roll down her cheeks, the very image of someone who had suffered endless grievances!

Su Xuan steadied her shoulders and drew her into his embrace.

Finally, Alice choked out, "I've been waiting for you!"

Su Xuan nodded. "I know. That's why I came."

Alice turned and wrapped her arms around Su Xuan, holding him tightly. She clung to him fiercely, as if afraid he would vanish, as if fearing this was all a dream.

Just then, the sound of chaotic footsteps rushed in from outside the room…

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