Chapter Three: Protecting Love

Grace’s mother was a Nordic noblewoman named Megan Venturi. In Yunzhou, she ran a vast jewelry city, and every piece in her collection came from the North. She was, in a word, outrageously wealthy.

By the time Shawn arrived, he had already given Grace his word, so he behaved with impeccable courtesy. Seeing Megan Venturi ask after Grace, he did not wait for Grace to speak and took the initiative to say, “Hello, Auntie. My name is Shawn. I’m Miss Grace’s friend. This is my first time meeting you, and I’m sorry I didn’t bring a gift.”

At first glance, Megan Venturi took to Shawn immediately. She hurriedly welcomed him, “Child, come sit down. I appreciate the thought.”

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Shawn was about to sit, but the man beside him refused to yield the seat and said dismissively, “In Yunzhou, I know most of the upper crust. I’ve never heard of any one named Shawn. I suppose you’re from some obscure little family.”

Shawn smiled politely. “And you are?”

“You’d be scared to death if I told you. My family is one of the four great families of Yunzhou, the Jin family. My name is Leo Jin!”

“Pleased to meet you.”

Seeing that Leo refused to move, Grace said again, “Leo, please switch seats. I want my friend to sit with me.”

Shawn waved a hand. “Miss Grace, it’s fine. Anywhere is the same.”

Calmly, Shawn took the seat directly across from Megan Venturi. But the elegant middle-aged woman sitting beside Megan Venturi spoke in a cool, indifferent tone. “Since he’s Grace’s friend, let him sit wherever he likes. Although it’s our Feng Ye treating tonight, we can’t treat him badly.”

This middle-aged beauty was Yelan, mother of Lucas Ye. For a woman to occupy a place among the four great families, she certainly had means. She had taken a fancy to Megan Venturi’s power; Megan’s influence was no less than that of the four great families, which was why Yelan had repeatedly brought her son Lucas to propose marriage. Now that she saw Shawn, whose build, looks, manner, and elegance all surpassed Lucas’s, she instantly understood that he might become a rival for Grace. That was why she had spoken as she did.

There was hidden menace in her words. Leo’s remark had also reminded her that there truly was no wealthy Shawn family in Yunzhou. What she meant was that this meal would not come cheap: was Shawn here to freeload, or could he show some real substance?

Shawn naturally understood Yelan’s meaning, but with his pockets light, he could not confront her head-on. He had to take a softer approach and play to his strengths. He smiled first, then said, “Aunt Yelan, your family’s Lucas is hosting, and I came without invitation, but in another sense, this is also your family’s fortune.”

Lucas, sitting right beside Yelan, immediately bristled. “Shawn, what do you mean by that? I’m treating everyone to dinner, and you’re here eating for free, drinking for free, and still acting all high and mighty!”

“Lucas, how much can this meal possibly cost?”

“Shawn, there’s no need for you to pretend to be rich here. Setting aside those cheap clothes of yours, just the poverty written into your bones alone means you’ll never in your life afford a meal like this. This dinner costs nothing much, only a million!”

Lucas was not bluffing. Forget a million; even if the price were cut in half, Shawn still could not have borne it. If he had fifty thousand, he would already have been married. But Shawn had also taken offense. If he failed to make Grace proud of him, then he would be waiting to be destroyed by her. So he remained calm and said, “Lucas, a million is easy for you to say, but I regard money as dirt.”

“Cut the nonsense. If you’re so capable, then take it out!”

“Lucas, I wonder how much Aunt Yelan’s life is worth?”

At first Megan Venturi had been rather fond of Shawn. But when she heard that sentence, her expression changed at once. “Shawn, what are you talking about?”

The two people sitting on either side of Shawn were Young Master Cheng, Cheng Qian, and Li Ao of the Li family. Both were top-tier young heirs of Yunzhou, so of course they had to side with Lucas. Almost in unison, they threatened, “I think you’re courting death!”

The others also erupted into noise, each with a different face from the one they wore inside. Grace, too, grew somewhat worried. But Shawn did not care in the slightest. He laughed at them. “Are you done speaking? If you are, shut up and listen to Aunt Yelan.”

Everyone turned at once to look at Yelan. With a grave expression, she asked, “Shawn, make yourself clear. What does this have to do with my safety?”

“Aunt Yelan, it has everything to do with it. Directly.”

“Stop beating around the bush. I want the result.”

Shawn nodded. “Fine. Then let me ask you this: have you recently been unable to sleep at night, and the moment you close your eyes you become agitated and fearful for no reason, even sensing that something is beside you, so much so that you don’t even dare to open your eyes?”

“Stop. Shawn, don’t frighten me. I don’t believe in those things!”

Seeing the terror on Yelan’s face and hearing her words, the others felt that there might really be something to it. Megan Venturi had also caught on to the implication. “Yelan, what exactly is going on?”

“Don’t listen to his nonsense!”

“Aunt Yelan, if you don’t believe me, then I won’t say more. But I must warn you: you are in grave danger. Meeting me today is your fortune. If Grace hadn’t brought me here, you would never even know how you died.”

Yelan had already gone pale with fear. Though she desperately refused to admit it, her expression had betrayed her. Lucas, to his credit, was actually rather filial. He immediately pressed, “Shawn, I believe you. Go on.”

“Lucas, you do have some filial piety after all. Today, I’ll help for free.”

“What exactly is wrong with my mother?”

“Eat first. The cause is not in Aunt Yelan herself. After the meal, I’ll take you to find it.”

“See that you’re not lying to me.”

Shawn smiled faintly. “Lucas, if I save Aunt Yelan, what will you do?”

“If everything you say is true, and you really save my mother, then name your price.”

“Good. Then eat.”

Yelan could tell from his tone that Shawn was absolutely certain about her illness, and this eased her considerably. “Shawn, what you said earlier—what is all that about? I’ve seen many doctors, and they all said I wasn’t sick at all.”

“Aunt Yelan, let’s enjoy this meal first. We can only settle everything once we get to your home. The cause of the illness is not in you; there is nothing I can do yet.”

“My home?”

“Don’t ask. You’ll understand when the time comes.”

“Then do you know who wants to harm me?”

Shawn shook his head. “No.”

“Then how could you have sounded so certain just now?”

“I already said it: everything has to wait until we get to your home. I can explain nothing right now.”

Grace crooked a finger at Shawn. “Come here.”

Shawn felt awkward, but he could not afford to offend her. She was holding his marriage certificate in her hand, so he could only go obediently to her side and ask in a low voice, “What do you want?”

“You make it sound so mysterious. Can’t you tell me first?”

“No…”

Grace glared at him. “You’d better not regret this.”

“I really don’t know yet. At least let me see the scene before I tell you, all right? Spare my life!”

Megan Venturi was amused by Shawn’s pitiful expression. She had not expected him to be so afraid of Grace. “Child, Grace just likes to act like a spoiled young lady. Don’t take it to heart. You don’t need to be afraid of her.”

“Auntie, I have to be afraid. She really would kill me.”

“And you just let her bully you?”

“Auntie, please don’t ask about the matter between us. I’m only afraid that the more you try to help me, the faster she’ll kill me.”

“Well then, all right.”

Megan Venturi never would have guessed that Grace was holding Shawn’s marriage certificate. Yelan, sitting beside her, knew nothing of it either. Yet even though Yelan had learned that Shawn could save her, she did not give up on Grace. She said earnestly, “Shawn, if you save me, I will repay you. But Grace was already the one Lucas had his eye on. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Auntie, that isn’t quite right. It’s not as though whoever takes a fancy to my Grace sister gets to marry her. She has the right to choose for herself. Loving whoever she wants is her freedom.”

After saying that, Shawn even glanced at Grace with confidence, as if to ask how he had done.

Grace was secretly delighted at being called sister, though on her face she still looked displeased. “Shawn, what did you just call me?”

“Sister. Isn’t that a little more affectionate?”

“When it’s just the two of us, see if I don’t pull out your tongue first.”

“Oh, Sister, don’t be like that…”

Watching the two of them flirt openly, Lucas could not keep his face. He said angrily, “Shawn, if you’ve got the guts, then let’s compete on real ability for Miss Grace’s favor!”

Megan Venturi had already taken a liking to Shawn, and now that he seemed able to perceive what others could not, she liked him even more. But she did not know he was penniless. Seeing Lucas about to lose his temper, she changed the subject. “Let’s eat first. This afternoon, seeing Yelan’s illness is the most important thing. We can discuss the rest later.”

Since Megan Venturi herself had spoken, the others found it hard to say anything more. They could only eat, though each harbored his own schemes. Only Shawn remained light and unconcerned, and throughout the meal he kept toasting Megan Venturi and Yelan. “Aunties, may you both stay forever young and beautiful!”

Megan Venturi was naturally very pleased. “Child, there’s no need to be so polite.”

Seeing him so sensible, Yelan could no longer say anything else, no matter how much hostility she still felt toward Shawn. After all, he would be treating her illness in a moment. So she could only force a smile. “Shawn, drink as well…”