The Young master's fake bride and her lucky system

In the middle of his long explanation, Alix jumped in and suddenly asked, "Did you have a dream, when you were younger? Did you ever think of doing anything else or being someone else?"

"Are you attempting to distract me?"

"No, I am trying to get to know my husband better." She answered.

Suddenly she tripped and almost fell forward. Her hands fluttered like birds wings and she screamed a little. The umbrella went flying from her hands and it landed in the snow.

"Careful." he told her quickly and grabbed a part of her coat.

She steadied herself and stood in one place for a few seconds. That was rather close. It would have been rather embarrassing if she felt flat on her face in front of him.

The bodyguards meanwhile had already reached and they were holding their hands out behind Alix just in case she tripped backwards. One of them picked up the umbrella and returned it to her.

Mo Sen slid in front and he stood in front of them. "Perhaps we should turn back now in order to avoid any unexpected injuries."

Caishen was all for it and he nodded. "Great idea. We can always walk around after winter, when it's safer." He sought Alix's opinion by looking at her.

She nodded and turned around.

"But we can move slowly as you answer my question." she told him. "What did young Caishen dream of?"

"Nothing." he answered.

"Mmmm," she responded and looked down at him, very doubtful.

"You think I am lying." he stated.

She didn't need to think about it to give him a response or an opinion. "I think we all have dreams, big or small."

"People that grow up in families like mine are not really allowed to dream. From the moment we are born, almost every aspect of our lives is planned out. Sometimes, even the person you marry, which happened in my case."

He looked up at her deliberately but she was looking in front so she didn't notice. His grandfather and her father had arranged their marriage when he was a boy. It was only that swap to Billi which resulted in his grandfather relaxing on the agreement. That's how he got the opportunity to date someone else and dream of a different future and yet fate had inevitably brought them back together. Some things could not be avoided, no matter how many roads one took.

"What about you as a person, outside of what your family decided you should do with your life. What did you dream of?" she asked.

"To see the world." he said, and then he laughed.

"Tch, that's so general that it's barely an answer."

"But it's what I dreamed of." He insisted. "To travel the world, see as much old architecture as I could and take pictures. I wanted to walk the streets of Rome and admire art of great painters. Now that I think about it, for about a year or so when I was twelve, I wanted to be a painter." He smiled wistfully as he recalled the silly hopeful moments of his youth. "I have no talent for it and no matter how much hard work I put in, I couldn't paint."

"See, now that counts as a dream. I am sure you had a few more, something sports related. Did you ever watch any sport and wished that you could be one of the players?"

"I race horses. That is the only sport I engage in." he replied. He looked at his legs and added, "Used to engage in, when my legs still worked. My friends and I are members of an equestrian club. I haven't been there since....you know. But I never dreamed of doing it professionally because it's more of a hobby."

They arrived at their building and she folded the umbrella and handed it to Bi Cang. Suddenly Caishen reached up and one of his gloved hands took her now free hand. She looked down at their joined hands and she smiled. Her gentle smile fell on his face as she tightened her own hold, squeezing his hand lightly.

Together, they got into the elevator.

"Tell me your dreams." he told her. "I have shared mine so your turn."

She pressed her own lips together and thought about her own dreams. They were rather simple and uncomplicated, a little bit ridiculous even.

"I have been honest, you should do the same." he said.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened so she stayed silent for a while and waited until they entered the house, greeted the nannies and both embraced their cats before disappearing into their bedroom.

As soon as they had privacy again, he looked at her expectantly, waiting patiently while she sat down and shrugged out of her coat. The world outside was cold but inside their house, it was warm.

"Did you dream of me?" he wheeled himself closer and he asked.

She laughed and shoved him gently in the shoulder.

"Dream on."

Caishen touched his chest and pretended to be hurt. "Ouch! now I am hurt."

She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. She figured that she might as well tell him.

"When I was younger my dreams were rather simple. One, I wanted to be rich enough to make sure that I could keep up with the payments at the columbarium where my mother's ashes lay and have enough food to eat.

Two, I wanted so desperately to wake up one day and my fingers would be magically healed.

Three, I wanted to someday win the international piano players competition just as my mother had done once.

Four, I wanted a family, people that loved and cherished me. People that would hug me and just tell me that everything would be okay even when the world was collapsing around me.

Five, I wanted a house of my own. A place where I could sleep in my own warm bed without being afraid of suffocation." She saw the pity in his eyes and looked away.

Then, she fell back on the bed to avoid seeing the ridicule on his face when she revealed the sixth dream she once had.

Looking up at the ceiling, she said, "Six, my last and final dream was for my father to love me. I used to dream that he would come home someday, give me a big hug and tell me that he was sorry for everything that happened. Then he would kick Jing Hee and Billi out of the house and we would live happily ever after."

For a while, she kept quiet as she brought to mind the image she had drawn up of that day through different ages. How many times had she dreamt about leaping into his arms and enjoying the feeling of having a father that loved her.

Then, she remembered his cruel face on the day that she was forced to marry Caishen. He had been without mercy.

"Right until the day of our wedding, I still hoped that somehow, just somehow, he would snap out of whatever hold Jing Hee has on him and for once, step up and be my father."

She smiled wryly and sat up, even she was feeling pity for herself. Rather than look at him, she chose to look at the empty space and mumbled, "I am stupid, right?"