Chapter Fifteen: This Won’t Be the Last Time

Mai Xijun’s gaze grew increasingly dazed, confusion flickering in her eyes. That sentence… it was just like that man on the night in Venice. He had said, “I only ask you to save me, to help me get through this ordeal. Whatever you want in the future, even a city, I will give it to you!”

And now, this stranger before her wanted her to return something to him? Aside from the item he mentioned, there was nothing else she could ask for that he wouldn’t give!

The sudden collision—the memory of that night in Venice—crashed through her mind, leaving it momentarily blank. He, however, remained perfectly composed, his gaze cold and remote, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine. Even in high heels, she was still a head shorter than he was, making her feel as if heavy storm clouds hung over her.

“You… you are—” Something seemed to flicker in Mai Xijun’s eyes. Her round, widened gaze, lashes fanning upward like brushes, trembled with uncertainty.

The more closely she scrutinized him, the more familiar he seemed. The contours of his face truly did resemble that man from Venice, but why was he seeking her out now? The suffocating feeling pressed in on her; the more she tried to reason it out, the more muddled her thoughts became, only making it harder to conceal her agitation.

She had never imagined she would see him again in this lifetime…

A knock on the door rang out—“dong, dong”—breaking the tension. Her eyes, stinging with fatigue, still locked onto him, while he continued to study her unabashedly.

“Young master, it’s time to take your seat.” A man’s voice, unhurried and steady, drifted through the door, as if finally offering her an escape.

Shen Yanlie released her chin with deliberate grace, moving like a slow, elegant panther but exuding the aura of a forest king. “This will not be the last time we meet,” he said.

With a faint smile on his lips, he turned the doorknob—his arrogance and wildness as pronounced as the aggression and dominance she remembered from that night in Venice. Only when his smile disappeared from view did Mai Xijun’s eyes finally fill with tears.

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Around eight-thirty in the evening, the exhibition was approaching its most important segment. Backstage, Mai Xijun was making her preparations. He Jingjing had already taken the stage, and she was next…

Her nervousness and unease felt painfully real; she could hear the pounding of her own heart. But she reminded herself that no matter what she lost, as long as she held on to her convictions, as long as she clung to her faith, it would not be the end—there would be no despair.

Right on schedule, she stepped onto the stage and presented her work. She was nearly at the end of the catwalk, her nerves just beginning to settle. Then, in the instant her eyes met his, panic swept over her again for no reason at all—so much so that she nearly twisted her ankle and tumbled from the stage, drawing a brief commotion from the audience below.

It’s said that a ballet dancer must always keep her gaze fixed on a point while spinning, to maintain her balance. If that focal point suddenly disappears, the dancer will fall.

Mai Xijun was no different now. If she couldn’t focus her gaze, she would lose all her confidence and courage.

When she first stepped onto the stage, the lighting made it difficult to see the guests seated opposite her, so she had simply chosen a single spot to fix her eyes. But now she saw clearly. That haunting voice echoed in her ears once more, leaving her breathless… This will not be the last time we meet…