Chapter 44

Even though Zhang Yi had discovered him, Xiao Sheng still made a last-ditch effort with his facial expressions, but he underestimated a woman's special ability for 'revenge'! The term 'vengeful woman' might be a bit too harsh for Zhang Yi, although she was nearly thirty, her alluring figure had only been seen by this heartless man in front of her. Whenever the two were deeply in love, Xiao Sheng always had various excuses to hastily escape, and the last time was in Zhang Yi's boudoir. This ungrateful man fled for six years, and it was only after much crying and fussing that she managed to get some information from her father, who revealed that the man had 'hidden' in the special forces.

Six years, the most beautiful six years of a woman's life. Whenever it was quiet at night, Zhang Yi would hide in her room, office, or even a private room in a bar, crying her eyes out. As the child of a military family, she understood better than others the kinds of tasks the special forces carried out every day. Even though she resented his sudden departure, she was more worried about his safety.

Zhang Yi and Xiao Sheng weren't exactly childhood sweethearts, but they were close! Zhang Yi's grandfather and Xiao Sheng's grandfather were comrades who had crawled out of a pile of corpses together, and this friendship sometimes surpassed family ties! The two families often interacted and gathered together, and Zhang Yi, who often tagged along, developed a relationship with Xiao Sheng through these interactions.

Zhang Yi, who was three or four years older than Xiao Sheng, often considered herself a big sister. She frequently led the then much shorter Xiao Sheng out to play, running around all day, jumping up and down, and getting into all sorts of mischief! But what truly left a deep impression on Zhang Yi was when she was eleven years old. The mischievous Zhang Yi, taking advantage of the nanny's distraction, slipped out of the family compound. The freedom of the open sky made the two siblings forget themselves and escape the watchful eyes of others. However, the Zhang family, a giant in Lingnan, had many enemies. In the political environment of the country, failure meant permanent downfall. But who could have predicted that one day, the children of the political enemies defeated by the Zhang family would extend their evil hands to the Zhang family's offspring?

Once people lose their reason, they can do crazy things. The two children's ignorant behavior also sowed the seeds of their own suffering. When a man in his thirties, wielding a sharp knife and with a deranged look, lunged at the then-grown-up Zhang Yi, Xiao Sheng, who was holding her hand, did something no one could have imagined. As he used all his strength to push Zhang Yi away, the knife that was originally aimed at Zhang Yi plunged straight into Xiao Sheng's chest. Despite the pain, Xiao Sheng did not retreat and shouted at Zhang Yi:

"Sis, run..."

The deranged man tried to pull out the knife, and Xiao Sheng, who was hanging on to his arm, bit down hard after shouting. The knife turned in Xiao Sheng's body, but his full-strength bite made the man release the knife in pain and turn to chase after Zhang Yi. However, how much willpower does a boy have? Anyone would have laughed at him! But as Xiao Sheng fell to the ground, his relatively thin arms tightly clung to the man's ankle. Even as the man beat and kicked him, Xiao Sheng, who had fainted, did not let go.

Zhang Yi, who had fled at Xiao Sheng's shout, turned back and screamed in madness. Picking up a stick from the ground, she rushed back and charged at the man without hesitation. She might die there, but she was not afraid. A boy named Xiao Sheng, who often had a runny nose and tagged along, had once used his life to protect her. That was enough, even though she was only eleven and he was only seven.

Fortunately, the nanny, upon discovering the two missing, promptly reported it to the Zhang family, who mobilized the police. They found the two before the deranged man could strike again. After the man was shot dead on the spot, everyone could still see that a seven-year-old boy, in his final moments of consciousness, still had his hands tightly gripping the man's ankle. The bloodstains on the ground showed that he had been dragged nearly three meters. The girl in the floral dress, covered in blood, was lying on top of him.

After that incident, Zhang Yi's grandfather and Nalan's grandfather resigned and retired, leading to a purge of certain major families, including the Liu family in the northwest, who had opposed the Zhang and Nalan families.

After waking up, Xiao Sheng was taken by the grandfather to live in seclusion in the mountains. From that moment on, Nalan's grandfather devoted even more effort to teaching Xiao Sheng. This lasted for eight years, during which Zhang Yi's grandfather often brought Zhang Yi to visit them.

As Zhang Yi grew older, she became the center of attention, but this alluring 'poppy flower' only bloomed for Xiao Sheng.

There are some memories that can never be erased. When Xiao Sheng pushed her away, blocking the knife for her, and shouted, "Sis, run...," and when he still clung to the man's ankle even as he lost consciousness, Zhang Yi knew that he was her man. She didn't ask for exclusivity, but she hoped he would always be there.

With tears glistening in her eyes, Zhang Yi stared directly at Xiao Sheng, who was standing opposite her. Xiao Sheng was a bit flustered, looking around at the 'intense' gazes of the people around him. Swallowing hard, he steeled himself, extended his right hand, and said:

"President Zhang, it's been a while. I didn't expect you to remember me..."

Hearing this, Zhang Yi giggled, her laughter making every man present tremble with excitement!

Zhang Yi placed her hand in Xiao Sheng's palm, stopped smiling, and said something that made Xiao Sheng want to bang his head:

"How could I forget? I'd recognize you even if you turned to ashes..."

This suggestive statement immediately made everyone start to speculate. Xiao Sheng, with a dry mouth and a forced smile, led her to the dance floor, gently turning his head to glance at Dai Muxue, who had been standing next to him, acting quite 'intimately.' He asked softly:

"Did you use the money I gave you to raise a child?"

In the silent atmosphere, Zhang Yi's words sparked endless speculation. Xiao Sheng nearly slipped, his eyes wide as saucers, gesturing wildly, trying to explain but not knowing where to start. Damn, how did he end up with such a woman!