Chapter 111: Promise

Late at night, all was quiet.

Ye Ziqiu snuggled in Lin Jian’s arms as the animated feature film from Japan, "Your Name", played on the projection screen. It was a heartwarming film about a boy and a girl swapping bodies across different timelines and space, ultimately searching for and finding each other. By the end of the movie, Ye Ziqiu was crying a river of tears, deeply moved by the love story and yearning for that kind of romance.

Lin Jian gently patted her back. Although he seemed to be merely watching the movie, his mind was occupied with many thoughts. Ye Ziqiu might not come back! But he didn’t want this love to end. Just like in the movie, as long as they searched for each other, they would eventually meet.

"Lin Jian, if there comes a day when you can’t find me, what would you do?" she asked, nestling in his embrace.

Lin Jian thought for a moment. "I will keep searching. Just like in the movie, we will meet again someday, won’t we?"

"Mm-hmm!" Satisfied with his answer, Ye Ziqiu wrapped her arms around Lin Jian’s neck.

At this moment, her heart was racing wildly. She looked delicate and enchanting. Gently biting her lower lip, her cleavage was fully on display. And at this very moment, she finally broke through the constraints in her heart and took the initiative to kiss him!

"HAA." The two instantly held each other tightly, caressing one another. Naturally, Lin Jian captured the high ground once again, and this time, he claimed both peaks! She didn’t even stop him when he lifted her pajamas over those peaks. At this moment, she was like a blooming crimson lily, bright and stunningly vibrant! Her body was as stiff as a board. And Lin Jian finally tasted that stunning, vibrant crimson!

"Lin Jian... Lin Jian, hold me. Carry me back to the bedroom!" she urged, overcome with passion. Or rather, she wanted to give herself to this love, to let Lin Jian taste her forbidden fruit. Sweeping her up into his arms, Lin Jian strode into the bedroom!

A moment later on the bed, she covered her face with her clothes. It was simply too embarrassing—far too embarrassing! Meanwhile, Lin Jian acted like a proud lion inspecting his newly conquered, bare, untouched territory. Unbeknownst to him, a stream of hot blood trickled from his nose. Burning with intense desire, he was on the verge of bursting a blood vessel! However, a rare sliver of rationality made him gently pull the blanket over her instead.

Ye Ziqiu’s tense body suddenly relaxed. Confused, she pulled the clothes off her face and looked at him in bewilderment. Lin Jian hugged her gently, letting her lean against his chest. "I know what you’re thinking." Before she could speak, he continued. "You’re just thinking that once you return to America, you might not be able to come back. Your family will definitely force you into an arranged marriage, and you’ll feel like you’ve let Lin Jian down. So, you want to give yourself to Lin Jian today to make up for it, and to stop him from getting these nosebleeds, right?"

"Don’t say it. Please don’t say it, I..." She wriggled coquettishly, whining softly. Lin Jian had hit the nail on the head—that was exactly what she had been thinking!

"But I don’t want that." Lin Jian looked at her seriously. "You want to put a period on our relationship, but I won’t allow it! Is our love really that fragile? Are you truly going to marry someone else once you go back?"

"No, no, I just... I just..." Ye Ziqiu was at a loss for words.

"Won’t you wait for me?" Lin Jian asked, holding her gaze.

"I will," Ye Ziqiu burst into tears, nodding vigorously. "Of course I’ll wait for you. I’ll wait for you to suddenly appear in front of me. I’ll wait for you to give me a massive surprise, but... but can you really do that? Besides, I don’t want you to be in danger. My uncle has deep ties with the Mafia in America."

"The Mafia?" Lin Jian shook his head. "Right now, you only need to tell me one thing: will you wait for me for three years?"

"Three years?" Ye Ziqiu looked at him in confusion.

"Yes." Lin Jian nodded. "Wait for me for three years. Don’t agree to any arranged marriages set up by your family. Resist them for three years. Three years from now, I will openly and honorably walk into the Ye Family and take you away. I keep my promises!"

Ye Ziqiu stared at him blankly. Even though Lin Jian sounded so certain, he couldn’t possibly do it. He didn’t understand what kind of colossal behemoth the Ye Family was! Investing tens of billions domestically seemed massive, but in reality, it was just a small battlefield they had opened up on the Continent. The Ye Family had tremendous investments in numerous countries across North America, Europe, Africa, and beyond! It was no exaggeration to say that the overseas branch of the Ye Family was a colossal conglomerate worth hundreds of billions! For Lin Jian to openly and honorably marry her was nothing short of a pipe dream!

But... looking at his resolute expression, her heart swelled with profound emotion. "I will. I will wait for you. If you don’t come in three years, I’ll run away from my wedding and come find you!" Ye Ziqiu hugged him tightly. At this moment, she was willing to do absolutely anything for him!

Lin Jian took a deep breath. In three years, he needed to build a business empire—one that could stand shoulder to shoulder with the overseas Ye Family! And he firmly believed he could do it! Because he had an innate cheat ability, he could use it to endlessly mine for gold! Naturally, there was no need to tell Ye Ziqiu any of this right now. All he needed was her promise. A woman like her took promises extremely seriously. Therefore, within three years, he would soar into the sky like a dragon!

At some point, Ye Ziqiu fell into a deep sleep in his arms. Teardrops still clung to her cheeks. Occasionally, her body would twitch in her sleep, as if she were tense or afraid.

Although he didn’t fully understand Ye Ziqiu’s status within her family, through their interactions, he had noticed that she lacked the arrogance and domineering nature typical of other wealthy heiresses. On the contrary, her character and refinement were exceptional. This was undoubtedly tied to the environment she grew up in. Her mother had remarried, and her father had disappeared. After being raised by her grandfather for a short time, she had been sent away to a boarding school. Therefore, she definitely harbored a deep-seated sense of inferiority, and she didn’t have the slightest air of a true master in that household.

In layman’s terms, she had no real standing in that family. She probably wouldn’t even dare to speak up if she simply wanted a plate of dumplings. Without her parents around, she had absolutely no leverage to be capricious. Lin Jian gently stroked her long hair. She was actually quite a pitiful person, having lived her entire life in a rigid, dull, and utterly heartless household. He, on the other hand, brought her joy, a profound sense of security, and even instilled in her a yearning for life. Thus, his heart ached for her, and he wanted her to live happily for the rest of her life!

An hour later, around one in the morning, she was completely lost in dreamland, sleeping soundly. Lin Jian quietly got out of bed, returned to his room to get dressed, opened the window, and leaped out! Naturally, he didn’t jump straight down from the twenty-fifth floor. Instead, he dropped onto the balcony of the twentieth floor, then quickly bounded down from the twentieth floor to the twelfth floor... After repeating this a few times, he successfully landed on the lawn below. Quickly blending into the darkness, he sprinted out of the courtyard and disappeared into the night!