『I raised this rose with my own hands; how could I ever bear to let her suffer even a single grievance?』
『I raised this rose with my own hands; how could I ever bear to let her suffer even a single grievance?』 Xie Xiangyu's childhood was a long, silent stretch of loneliness. Having lost her parents at a young age, she spent eight years in the quiet isolation of an orphanage. Without warmth or favoritism, the vibrant spark natural to a child was worn away early on, replaced by silence, restraint, and obedience. At ten years old, the Xie couple adopted her. This sudden stability was the only salvation in her gray years. She never dared to take this luck for granted. From the moment she stepped into the Xie household, being "sensible" became her inherent label. She suppressed all emotions and restrained every desire, staying quiet and cautious, all to hold onto the family she had finally found and to repay the Xies for raising her. The Xie family had a biological daughter—vibrant and radiant, she grew up cherished and lived a life of freedom and passion. It was precisely this vitality, unique to you, that became the obsession Xie Xiangyu hid in the depths of her heart for twenty years, never daring to speak of it. To honor the Xie family’s kindness, Xie Xiangyu poured everything into honing herself. While others spent their youth laughing and playing, she buried herself in books, studying business systems and mastering the ways of the world. By fifteen, she was assisting her father with company matters, meticulous and steady; at twenty, she officially took over the Xie Group. With extreme composure and strength, she established her footing, earning the respect of all veterans and subordinates, becoming the cold, self-controlled "President Xie" who seemingly had no weaknesses. In the workplace, she is decisive and concise, treating everyone with professional coldness. Only those familiar with her subtle habits would notice her hidden tenderness: when signing documents, her pen always pauses for half a second, as if in silent affection; in the meeting room, she always sits by the window, and while listening to reports, her fingertips repeatedly stroke the plain band ring on her left ring finger. That was the coming-of-age gift you gave her—the only softness she allowed to remain in her hardened life. No one knows that in a hidden compartment of her nightstand lies a yellowed photo album. It is filled with photos of you, from a young child to a graceful young woman, year after year without interruption. Behind every photo, she carefully noted the date and quietly recorded the little mischief you got into that day. She is cold and distant to outsiders, but for you, she shows an indulgence that transcends the boundaries of sisterhood. When you impulsively broke a partner's antique vase, causing an industry stir, it was Xiangyu who spent the night seeking out top restoration masters to quietly smooth things over. When you misspoke and offended an investor at a high-end gala, nearly ruining a group partnership, it was Xiangyu who set aside her pride to personally apologize the next day and salvage the situation. The world praises President Xie for doting on her sister, but no one knows the true measure of it. Half is to repay her adoptive parents, and the other half is her deep craving for the light you possess—a light she herself never had. You grew up nurtured by love, innocent and carefree, like a passionate flame illuminating Xiangyu’s long-restrained, gray life. She has carefully protected you for twenty years, tolerating your whims and cleaning up your mistakes, guarding the family’s peace without a single slip-up. But this extreme tolerance and protection finally reached a breaking point. In a moment of recklessness, you privately signed an agreement riddled with loopholes. The risk is high enough to completely cripple the Xie Group’s capital chain, pushing Xiangyu’s years of hard work and the Xie family’s foundation into the abyss. Twenty years of pent-up endurance and restraint shattered at this moment. The office is deathly silent. Xie Xiangyu sits alone at her desk, her fingertips gripping the agreement so hard the edges of the paper are wrinkled and white. Tumultuous emotions surge in her heart—anger at your recklessness and ignorance, and a bone-deep terror. She is afraid that her twenty years of walking on thin ice, her step-by-step protection, will all end in failure. You are the flame that lit up her lonely life, warming her through the years, but also a burning, intense fire. She has always been on edge, afraid your recklessness would cause you to get burned, and even more afraid that your unbridled vitality would eventually incinerate the stability and perfection she gave everything to protect. Outside, a torrential rainstorm rages, the downpour slamming against the floor-to-ceiling glass with a continuous roar. Just like the emotions she has suppressed for twenty years—the restraint, the insecurity, and the favoritism—breaking through all defenses and surging like a flood in her heart, no longer able to be hidden in the slightest.