Chapter 14

In the Japanese study room filled with a gentle breeze, Deng Lijun was holding a teacup, lost in thought. Although her eyes were looking forward, they clearly lacked focus.

As for what made her so absent-minded, one only needed to look at the scattered gaze, which fell upon the nine-branch vine, the family crest of the Kudou family.

For Deng Lijun, every time she recalled the past year, she always felt a sense of unreality.

Everything started when her fake passport was exposed. The RB police not only confiscated her Indonesian passport but also detained her.

Those were the darkest days of Deng Lijun's life. What kind of women were kept in the detention center of the RB police station? Prostitutes, thieves, even delinquent girls. They sized her up, mocked her, teased her, and even humiliated her.

Although her body was not harmed, the psychological impact was enormous. She had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, which was greatly amplified in such an environment, making her extremely anxious.

After two days of such torment, someone came from outside, accompanied by the police, and took her to a single room.

Deng Lijun remembered very clearly that it was a tall, thin middle-aged man, about forty years old, with a poker face. He introduced himself as Kyouhei Kudou.

He did not waste any words and got straight to the point: "My young master really likes Ms. Deng and wants to keep her for at least ten years. If Ms. Deng agrees, we will take care of all the current issues."

It was very straightforward, and it made Deng Lijun very angry. After seven or eight years in the industry, no one had ever spoken to her so rudely, even if it was just an act.

Moreover, making such a request at this time was like stabbing her in the heart, so she refused without hesitation.

Then, she was transferred to an even worse detention room, filled with gang members. Although she was not physically harmed, they criticized her, provoked her, and made her break down and cry several times.

Finally, someone came from outside, and she told them about the incident, but they found nothing. It seemed that the young master who wanted to keep her was just a prank, and bad news kept coming one after another.

First, the RB government planned to use her as an example to deter others, and then the places that should have protected her were filled with curses, wishing she would commit suicide to atone for her sins.

In such a state, with no one to support her, Deng Lijun, on the verge of a complete breakdown, finally agreed with tears in her eyes when Kyouhei Kudou appeared again.

Then, she was given a single room in the detention center and was bailed out the next afternoon, leaving very secretly without any reporters capturing her.

After that, the RB government announced that she had no issues, but they privately required her to leave the country immediately and not return for a year.

"Theresa?" As the knocking sound came, a familiar voice called out from outside, and Deng Lijun, who had been lost in thought, suddenly came to her senses and quickly stood up to tidy her clothes.

Thinking about what might happen next, she felt a mix of tension and embarrassment. She was just a mistress kept by a young man, so why did she have to come and meet his mother, who was Japanese, and even... why did she agree to it in the first place?

Although she had such thoughts, her actions were not slow. She took two steps to the door, but when she opened it, she didn't know how to address the young man in front of her.

Edward Lee was his English name, Kudou Yoshinori was his Japanese name, and he also told her that he had a Chinese name, Li Xu.

"Lee can be transliterated as Li, and Xu naturally comes from the Japanese word." He explained it this way.

Of course, Deng Lijun didn't know that the other person was also inwardly complaining: "Just because my previous life's name was Li Xu, does that mean I should be reborn to a Japanese mother and an American father with the last name Lee?!"

Although they were in Japan, the other person called her Theresa in English, which made Deng Lijun, who was already a bit flustered, even more confused.

"Edward?" She finally called his English name, following Li Xu's lead, and glanced worriedly at the woman behind him.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let me introduce you. This is my mother, Kudou Michiko." Li Xu said, seemingly unaware of her discomfort. "Mom, this is Deng Lijun."

He used Chinese for the first part, Japanese for the second, and English at the beginning, making Deng Lijun even more confused. Although she bowed, she greeted in Chinese: "You... hello, Mrs. Michiko."

"Hello, Ms. Deng Lijun." Mrs. Michiko nodded, her tone slightly cold, and her gaze was scrutinizing.

Deng Lijun didn't pay attention to the fact that Mrs. Michiko understood Chinese. Her heart sank, and she felt a bit embarrassed but couldn't think of anything to ease the tension. There was a certain aura about Mrs. Michiko, a commanding presence that made people feel inferior.

This aura was not obvious but easily noticeable, making people feel ashamed.

Deng Lijun had met many socialites and official wives, but none of them made her feel as cautious and helpless as Mrs. Michiko.

"For the past while, Yoshinori has been taken care of by you." Mrs. Michiko's gaze swept over her coldly, and she continued in that slightly cold tone.

"Not at all, it's... it's Yoshinori who has been taking care of me." Deng Lijun, who had recovered somewhat, replied in Japanese.

Mrs. Michiko nodded, her gaze softening slightly, but the scrutinizing and superior look did not diminish. To put it bluntly, she was curious why her son would keep such a woman.

Realizing this, Deng Lijun felt even more bitter.

"Yoshinori, there's a party at Hengxiao's estate tonight. Can you take Ms. Deng with you?" Mrs. Michiko suddenly turned to Li Xu with a smile.

"Let's skip it. We just got off the plane, and I want to rest tonight." Li Xu said bluntly.

"Oh? Hengxiao is your godfather, you know," Mrs. Michiko blinked, her face showing exaggerated surprise. "Treating your godfather like this would be very impolite."

"I'm here on vacation, Mother." Li Xu rolled his eyes, still not being polite.

"Is that so?" Mrs. Michiko sighed, seemingly regretful. "But, Shigeru Morita will be there."

"I've already given up on him, Mother." Li Xu pinched his nose and sighed. "Instead, Hiroshi Yamauchi and Gunpei Yokoi are more sincere."

Before Mrs. Michiko could speak again, he raised a hand: "Mother, I'll say it again, I need to rest. So, I won't attend any parties these few days, and I don't want to be involved in anything work-related unless I think it's necessary."

"Really, Yoshinori, you don't plan to take responsibility at all?" Mrs. Michiko looked displeased.

"Also, we're only staying here for one night," Li Xu continued, "and we'll go to the Shizuoka area tomorrow. If we stay in Tokyo for a few days, we'll stay there."

"Is the house here so unpleasant that you can't wait to leave?" Mrs. Michiko asked immediately.

"Mother," Li Xu smiled, "if it weren't for work, would you stay here?"

"Yoshinori is completely selfish now, it's really heartbreaking." Mrs. Michiko said in a sad tone, wiping her eyes, and then... turned and left.

Deng Lijun, who had been watching from the side, was now speechless.

"It's okay, nothing to worry about," Li Xu sighed, closing the door, and waved his hand in front of Deng Lijun. "Hey, wake up, Theresa."

"Ah! That... Edward... I..." Deng Lijun finally reacted, but pointed at the door and then at herself, unable to form a complete sentence.

"It's okay," Li Xu said again, patting her head. "My mom is like that; she never speaks politely to outsiders, especially those she considers inferior. But in front of me, she's rarely serious and always likes to... tease me, so don't mind it."

Deng Lijun was taken aback, then couldn't help but laugh, but a bitter taste soon followed, filling her with mixed feelings.

Nothing had changed; he was still so straightforward and unreserved, yet it was impossible to be angry with him. She couldn't help but recall their first meeting. After being released from the detention center, she was directly taken to a luxury suite at the Four Seasons Hotel, where Li Xu was already waiting for her.

"I'm very sorry, Ms. Deng. I didn't expect them to use such methods to force you. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have let them do it. However, I really like you and your songs, so please understand." He said, his words sincere, whether in apology or in expressing his affection—more accurately, his possession.

At the time, Deng Lijun didn't think much about it. She had suffered a lot due to the fake passport incident, living in fear for many days. Now, she was being forced to be kept, and the object was a boy who was just a few months away from turning 17. She was filled with anger and sadness, but she didn't show it.

However, as she interacted with him more, her feelings became increasingly complex.

Li Xu treated her very well. In the U.S., he provided her with luxury cars, private jets, and a large entourage. The record company people treated her with great care—remember, they had threatened her with a large compensation if she didn't fulfill her contract in the U.S. during the fake passport incident.

In addition, he suggested she pursue further education and arranged for her to audit classes at the Berklee College of Music, even inviting several professors to provide private tutoring.

He was gentle, witty, and good at comforting people. As a mixed-race person from Japan and the U.S., he spoke fluent Chinese and could easily recall Chinese anecdotes. If not for the fact that he was not yet 18, he would almost be the perfect lover.

Except for one thing: the way he looked at her, the way he scrutinized her, was not the way lovers should look at each other. It was more like... the way one looks at a collection on a display shelf.