A pond full of blooming flowers, an ultimate addiction.

Jiang Yi and Chi Ruiche ordered several dishes and sat by the window in the lobby. Chi Ruiche sat upright with his back straight. Jiang Yi lazily propped his chin up, a few strands of hair hanging down, half-covering his profile.

Chi Ruiche reached out to gather her hair, which aggravated the injury on her back. He frowned and, despite the pain, tied it back up for her.

Jiang Yi noticed Chi Ruiche's unusual behavior. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing?" Chi Ruiche smiled faintly.

Jiang Yi sensed that Chi Ruiche was acting strangely today. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but the scent was masked by his perfume. She knew he was hiding something from her: "Che, don't you really have anything you want to tell me?"

"What's wrong? Why are you so serious all of a sudden?" Chi Ruiche pinched her cheek, his tone calm.

"I don't want to eat anymore. Let's pack it up and go to your office." Jiang turned her head away.

"it is good."

Jiang Yi walked ahead, not waiting for Chi Ruiche, and started walking on her own. She felt that she was being unreasonable, but she also felt that Chi Ruiche was hiding something from her.

"Xiao Si?" Abu greeted Jiang Yi as they approached.

"Abu."

A woman stood next to Abu, and they exchanged a strange look.

"You came with the boss?" Abu glanced at Chi Ruiche and asked in a low voice.

"I'm leaving now." Jiang Yi wasn't in the mood to care about Abu, and his tone was somewhat perfunctory.

Chi Ruiche stepped forward and took her hand, but Jiang Yi deliberately avoided him. The two walked into the elevator.

"Yi Yi?" Chi Ruiche asked cautiously.

Jiang strode into the office, crossed his arms, and sat down on the sofa. "You're injured?"

Chi Ruiche swallowed hard, sat down next to her, and said calmly, "No, don't overthink it."

"Chi Ruiche, you'd better tell the truth." Jiang Yi frowned, his eyes filled with dissatisfaction, clearly telling him that he was very angry.

"Do not lie to you."

"I can smell the disinfectant on you, are you still going to deny it?" Jiang Yi's voice suddenly rose as he glared at him.

"Yi Yi?" He thought he had concealed it well, but alas, his little one was so clever. Chi Ruiche's eyes were full of affection, and his tone was gentle, "You still found out. It's been dealt with, it's not serious."

"Let me see." Jiang Yi's mind went blank; he only wanted to know how badly he was injured.

Chi Ruiche turned around helplessly, unbuttoned his shirt, and his back was covered with dense marks. The whip marks were dark purple, and some were even oozing blood.

Jiang Yi couldn't breathe for a moment. Chi Ruiche's wounds were even more glaring in the sunlight, the scars blooming on his back. How much pain must he be in? Yet he still forced himself to come and pick her up.

A wave of heartache washed over her, her eyes welled with tears, and she bit her lip, not daring to even touch his back.

"It must hurt a lot."

Chi Ruiche finished dressing, wiped away her tears, and said softly, "It's okay, the medicine has been applied. It looked scary."

"If I don't ask, are you going to keep it from me? What if I accidentally run into you?" Jiang Yi took a breath.

"How could I possibly fool someone as clever as you?"

"Did Grandpa Chi hit him?" Jiang Yi had seen Chi Ruiche being punished once before. Chi Ruiche knelt in the courtyard without uttering a sound, and the rattan cane was continuously whipping his back again and again.

Chi Ruiche's expression was gentle, with a slight upturn of his lips, as if he was used to this.

Jiang wanted to hug him, but she was afraid of hurting him, so she held his hand tightly, trying to soothe his heart.

Chi Ruiche and Jiang Yi looked into each other's eyes. Her eyes were like stars, sparkling with endless emotions, conveying love to him in every moment.

Chi Ruiche kissed her passionately, his love as if he wanted to melt her. He stroked Jiang Yi's back; her slender frame had shielded him from the cane.

That day, the scorching summer afternoon sun beat down on the earth. Chi Ruiche knelt in the middle of the courtyard, his back straight, something he was already used to.

At first, his parents couldn't bear it and pleaded with his grandfather. Gradually, they became indifferent to everything, even believing that he wasn't good enough. After he was beaten, they would repeat over and over again, "You are the heir of our Chi family. You need to do better."

When he was so badly beaten that he was physically and mentally numb, Jiang Yi appeared. She descended like a goddess and embraced him.

That kind of protection was the first and only time.

She was his goddess, and from then on he willingly submitted to her.

"Yi-yi, thank you." This was said to 21-year-old Jiang Yi, and also to 14-year-old Jiang Yi.

"From now on, we'll rely on each other. Your pain will hurt me, and you'll protect my dreams." Jiang smiled, her eyes crinkling with sincerity. "Tell me anything, don't hide anything, okay?"

"Okay, I promise you." Her smile always made Chi Ruiche feel incredibly comfortable and warm.

Aside from work hours, Jiang Yi would visit Chi Ruiche whenever he had free time, watching Zhao Mingyang apply the medicine.

After Zhao Mingyang discovered that the two of them took turns getting injured, their reactions were remarkably similar, leading him to conclude: "A pair of love-struck fools."