The Devil who devoured Snow White

309  Little Bride Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Lu Mengjie squinted her eyes open only to find herself in the room Cian locked her into. It was dark since it was already nighttime.

"That dream…" She mumbled.

She could remember her dream so clearly. She was just seven years old back then while he was twenty-four. They were almost two decades apart. To be exact, they were seventeen years apart. He was in his college while she was just a grade school student.

A small smile appeared on her lips when she thought about it. "I married an old man."

What she remembered was not a dream, she was sure of it since she recalled what happened next.

Yong Liwei, Cian, and Cecilia accompanied her and brought her to an arcade to play when they realized that they couldn't leave her alone when she refused to give them her address.

While her companions played, it was Han Yizhou who noticed how down she was. When she told him that it was her birthday, he won a rabbit stuffed toy from a crane machine game. He gave it to her as a gift.

...

(Flashback)

"You don't like it?" Han Yizhou asked, blinking a few times after he had handed the stuffed toy to her.

Mengmeng pursed her lips as she looked at the rabbit plushie. Her eyes were filled with tears. "M-Mengmeng loves it…"

Picking her up, Han Yizhou carried her in his arms. "It's your birthday, you should be happy. Why are you crying?"

During that time, Mengmeng felt like she didn't deserve to be happy even if it's her birthday. "It's… papa's death anniversary… I shouldn't be happy today."

Han Yizhou was taken aback by her words. He noticed how the little girl's body trembled when she hugged the stuffed toy.

"You know, I'm sure that your father will prefer you to smile and enjoy your birthday right now." He gently patted her head.

She had heard those words so many times and yet, as easy as those words were said, she had a hard time doing it.

"Don't cry, don't cry." He gently hushed as he caressed his thumb against her cheeks to wipe her tears.

"How about this? I know a great pastry shop. Should we ditch them?" He suggested it to her.

Mengmeng turned towards Cecilia and Cian who were racing against each other. "But they're your friends…" she pouted.

"Well, you're supposed to be my little bride, right? I think I know who I should prioritize first."

A faint blush appeared on the little girl's cheeks. He truly was like a prince! Even if he was a stranger, something inside her told her that she could trust him

"You have to give me a ring if Mengmeng is going to be your bride!" She demanded as she puckered her lips into a small, adorable pout. Despite having such a reaction, the excitement in her eyes did not go unnoticed by the man who was carrying her.

"Ah, yes. How can I forget the ring?" He chuckled in amusement. "What kind of ring do you want me to give you?"

Little Mengmeng paused as she gave it a thought.

"Do you want a ring with a big diamond on it?" He inquired as he turned and began to take her out of the Arcade Center.

The young girl instantly shook her head. She was not interested in having a huge diamond on her ring.

"You don't like diamonds?" He looked at her, raising a brow.

"I like diamonds but I like snowflakes more!" She smiled shyly at him. "I want to have a ring like the necklace my papa gave me!"

"Can I see your necklace then?"

Mengmeng paused as she realized that she didn't have the necklace with her. "It's… at home. It's safer at home."

Her shoulders shrank when she was reminded of her other father. "Ah…" Han Yizhou was quick to notice the change in her expression."Can you describe the necklace to me then?" He asked with a gentle tone in his voice.

"It's a snowflake shape… with small diamonds. It's pretty!" Her mood lightened up when she began describing the pendant.

(End of flashback)

...

Lu Mengjie recalled how gentle and kind Han Yizhou was that even though it was her first time meeting him, she instantly fell in love with him. Not only did he have gorgeous looks, but his princely attitude towards her was enough to steal her heart. It was different from how she felt when she first saw Si Hongqi. That day, Han Yizhou treated her like his little bride, took her to the places she wanted to go. He was treating her with kindness even though they were strangers. Sadly, after that day, she never saw them again. It was as if the hours she had spent with him were just like a dream. When she soon got busy with other things as she grew up, she ended up forgetting about him. Their paths never crossed, not after sixteen years. Not once.

Thinking about it, she never even tried to look for him again. She ran after another man, chasing someone's shadow in Si Hongqi, and yet, she never tried to look for Han Yizhou despite falling in love at first sight with him.

She never thought that her first love all this time was actually the man who spent a few hours with her just so they could celebrate her seventh-year birthday.

Lu Mengjie had forgotten him. She felt guilty when she realized that she was not able to recognize Han Yizhou, nor did he recognize her.

What would he say if she asked him about that day? Would he recognize her?

She knew that he called her his 'little bride' just to appease her childish crush… her love at first sight for him. He may even found her pitiful that time so he decided to play along with her little self.

Their paths should have never crossed again but who would have thought that they would end up being together after years of separation? Who would have thought that she really would end up becoming his little bride?