Tang Zhelan was stunned by what she heard. She had never thought that such an event in the past would lead her to saving Zhao Jing's life. She surmised that Zhao Feng was in a tight spot back then so she didn't think twice and helped him, with the intention of keeping him by her side.

  "I see." She stared down at the warm teacup in her hands.

  Zhao Feng smiled at her in return.

  "You might not know it, but you really helped us back then. If Jingjing's parents were still alive, I have no doubt that they would thank you personally, themselves, but since they aren't here with us anymore, let me thank you in their stead, Miss Lan."

  "I didn't even know I was helping them." Did she even deserve their gratitude? She had helped Zhao Feng for her own personal reasons, so Tang Zhelan felt she didn't deserve their thanks.

  "I should have listened to you back then when you said I should be saving money for my future." It was only after Zhao Jing's successful surgery did he start practicing and managing his personal finance.

  "At least you know better now." Tang Zhelan nodded, and then glanced around the beautiful courtyard they were in.

  Unlike the busy and fast-paced life in the city, Lijiang was a very relaxing place to enjoy a slow pace of life. If only she could stay in this place far from her family's influence, but Tang Zhelan knew better that it wouldn't be easy.

  "You can stay here as long as you want, Miss Lan," Zhao Feng said as if he knew what she was thinking at that moment.

  "I would if I could, but you know I cannot run away from them forever. They would eventually find where I am." She wouldn't dare delude herself that they would leave her be.

  Silence ensued between them as both were preoccupied with their own thoughts, wondering what was waiting for them in the future. They were peacefully enjoying the scenery when Zhao Jing came with a plate of snacks in her hands.

  "Miss Lan should try this," the girl said excitedly, but Tang Zhelan pursed her lips and stared at the buns Zhao Jing brought with her.

  Zhao Feng paid attention to her expression and sighed inwardly. His Miss was still a calorie counter. It wasn't like eating one bun would hurt her, but he also knew that breaking habits was hard to do. When he was still working at her family household, it had been a pain to convince her to eat something without arguing.

  As he looked at his Miss, he thought that even in simple clothes, Tang Zhelan still looked like a queen. Her hair was pinned on the right side of her, keeping her hair away from her face that seemed to glow in the afternoon sunlight. She smiled at them, but it never reached her eyes. Zhao Feng rarely saw her smile— a genuine one, anyway.

  Something about the troubled way she looked at the offered food made Zhao Feng want to hold her, keep her for himself. He swallowed a curse and chastised himself. He shouldn't be thinking like this towards Tang Zhelan.

  Seeing that the two were waiting at her expectantly to pick one, Tang Zhelan sighed to herself.

  "I guess one wouldn't hurt." She took one bun and bit it. It was warm and delicious, something she hadn't enjoyed in the past.

  In the past, she rarely ate without worrying about her calorie intake. Ever since she reached puberty, her mother had been breathing down her neck, reminding her to watch out for her figure.

  Staying here wasn't so bad, after all, Tang Zhelan thought. No one could force her to do what she didn't want, nor to make her feel inferior and useless. Far from her parents' nagging, Tang Zhelan decided to enjoy this short break from her strenuous life back in Shenzhen.

  No one would miss her anyway. At least, here, she could relax and not worry about the things happening in Tang Enterprise. Unless Tang Moyu dragged her back for a lawsuit then she wouldn't have to worry about now. There was no point worrying over a problem that hadn't existed yet.

  "Miss Tang was really cool earlier," Zhao Jing's comment took her attention. "I decided to want to be like you when I grow up, Miss Tang!"

  Tang Zhelan's brows shot up in surprise. This… She didn't know how to react to the little girl's words. No one had ever complimented her this way. She had met a lot of people in her life and with all due modesty, most of them liked her at face value, but once they spent time with her, they would realize that the only thing she was good at was to look pretty.

  So for Tang Zhelan to hear the little girl admire her, this made her feel uncomfortable. She was aware that she was never the nicest person and not many people liked her.

  "It's not that hard, Xiao Jing," she told the girl and bit her lip. "You only need to pay attention to your classes more."

  Zhao Feng's head came up and frowned. There she was again. He hated it whenever she discredited and shrugged off compliments like this, when in fact she deserved it. Her family and life were messed up, and it pained him to think that no one was coming forward to protect her at all.

  Tang Zhelan was a person who was too scared to be nice. If anybody got too close, they might realize that she was nothing but a sham— nothing to offer but her beautiful facade. She would rather look contemptible than to look pitiable. Her pride wouldn't allow her to accept pity and sympathy from anyone.

  Zhao Feng's heart ached for her. It didn't matter if she wasn't the nicest person. Who was perfect anyway? Somehow, people would easily remember the things you've done wrong than what you did right for them. He couldn't even understand why she had to be subjected to the ridiculous tradition the Tang family had.

  But as he looked at her right now, he promised to himself that no one would be able to hurt her while she was with him.