Ming Rusheng's bold words sent a shiver across Lu Lian's spine, and she felt her mind going blank and throat getting dry under his intimidating gaze.

She heard him say again, "But today, I would be a gentleman who wouldn't turn you into a mess. You can relax."

Lu Lian, whose hands already gripped the wine glass tightly, had a sip of wine trying to calm herself down. 'This man sure is a smooth, bold talker. Always catch me off guard.'

Ming Rusheng didn't mess with her more as later he had something important to talk to her about. The dinner arrived, and they had it peacefully while talking about the things here and there and about their families.

"How is Lan?" Lu Lian asked.

"You must know more about her than me. She doesn't have time to call her brother," Ming Rusheng replied.

Lu Lian nodded, smiling lightly, "I talked to her last week. She called to get an update on Bao's pregnancy, and she will deliver a baby. She seems more excited to see the baby even more than the mother herself."

"She is fond of kids and especially more since she had started helping underprivileged children."

"Hmm."

"Did she say when she would return?" Ming Rusheng asked.

Lu Lian chuckled. "Now, it's more strange that you are asking an outsider about your sister."

"We can solve that problem by not keeping you an outsider," Ming Rusheng commented.

Lu Lian ignored what he said and started blabbering to divert the topic, "Umm..she talked about returning soon...might be this month...ahh...I forgot, but I guess soon."

Ming Rusheng knew what she was doing and said, "It's fine. She is never certain about when she will return."

Lu Lian calmed down, and they finished the dinner quietly. When everything was done, the two stood up near the glass railing of the gallery.

"Everything looks beautiful from here," Lu Lian said as she looked at the view ahead.

"Hmm," Ming Rusheng agreed silently.

Lu Lian looked at the man standing beside her, who suddenly looked like he had turned silent.

"Is there anything wrong?" she asked, observing him closely.

Ming Rusheng turned his face to look at the woman standing beside her who looked happy at the moment. He could see she didn't regret coming here and liked it. Moreover, she might anticipate something more as they both knew what they felt for each other, which they had yet to express in words.

"I have something to tell you," he said.

She continued looking into those worry-filled and hesitant eyes. "Anything serious?"

Ming Rusheng couldn't look at her as he turned his face to look ahead and exhaled first.

Ming Rusheng looked at her. "You know what I feel for you, and I know you too feel the same."

Lu Lian couldn't deny it as she was as much aware of it as Ming Rusheng.

She nodded and thought shouldn't he confess to her instead of concluding things on both of their behalfs. She heard him again, "Before we move ahead, there is something that I want you to know."

She gave him a questioning look and turned to face him, which made him turn too as two stood facing each other.

"Things from the past," Ming Rusheng added.

"You are scaring me. What is it?" she asked.

"There was a time when I hated your family and especially your elder brother."

Lu Lian nodded. "Hmm. I don't know what it was, but I know both families didn't go along well. But it was all in the past."

"There is more to it," he said hesitantly, looking at her, who turned puzzled hearing what he had just said.

"What?" she asked.

"In the past, I hated Lu Qiang, and I entered into the business to destroy him."

"Given the conditions between two families, it should be normal," she said.

"It was after our families got together."

She smiled. "I guess it's a normal thing between the future heirs of two conglomerates to fight for power. This reason is acceptable."

"Reason was something else."

Lu Lian didn't find anything that serious and asked, "What?"

"Yuyan."

Now this made the smile on her lips disappear. "Yuyan?"

He nodded. "At that time, I liked her and hated the fact that she liked Lu Qiang."

This came to her as a shock, but still, she tried to be reasonable. "Such things happen when we are young. What matters is how we move on from them. After they married, I am sure you accepted it and moved on."

Ming Rusheng gulped to hear the last thing. The woman who was finding everything reasonable till now might get a shock soon.

"Even after they got married, I hoped she would come to me," Ming Rusheng said.

Not knowing what to say, Lu Lian looked at him, waiting for him to say everything. And even after she tried to understand him, he looked serious, which means there was something serious.

"Then?" Lu Lian asked.

"I know I was wrong at that time, but I just couldn't control myself from going the wrong way. I felt lost and felt as if I was nobody. I felt defeated and lost direction. I came to think that she went to Lu Qiang because he had power and everything while I was nobody other than the grandson of Mr. Ming Shihong and the fortunate heir of Ming industries who got everything without doing anything to earn it." Ming Rusheng, who never said this about his condition at that time, started pouring everything out without a stop.

"So?" She just wanted to hear him say what was bothering him so much and prayed it was not something bad.

"I decided to take him down by all means and tried to win projects by getting internal information using someone that... I should have not," Ming Rusheng held his breath, knowing what her next question would be.

"Who?"

"Lu Han."

Lu Lian looked at him in disbelief but then thought if her one brother had really betrayed her other brother. She was sure it could never happen.

"Did he help you?"

"Yes!" he replied.