Lin Xujia stared intently at Ye Yunchen. "Even if I'm being unreasonable, it's only because I love you so much. Do you understand?"
Hearing this, Ye Yunchen's brow furrowed tightly. In his heart, there had only ever been Xia Yan. As for Lin Xujia, she was at most a friend to him.
"I know what you're thinking, Yunchen. Why can't you just face reality?" Lin Xujia said softly.
"Xia Yan and I—this doesn't concern you."
"Yunchen," Lin Xujia called his name gently, hesitating for a long time before pulling an envelope from her bag and placing it in front of him. It contained the results of her specially arranged surveillance on Xia Yan. She had originally hoped to learn Ye Yunchen's whereabouts from Xia Yan, but instead stumbled upon an unexpected discovery: Xia Yan had been frequently meeting with Lu Zhengting in private.
Seeing Ye Yunchen refuse to take the envelope, Lin Xujia wasn't angered. She opened it herself and held up the photos one by one in front of his eyes. "Ye Yunchen, why won't you look? Who's in these photos? Xia Yan and Lu Zhengting—oh, and Lu Zhengting's son. Don't they look like a family of three?"
"Get lost."
"Ye Yunchen, just look! Look! This is the person you can't stop thinking about. Right now, she's probably lying in Lu Zhengting's arms, tangled up with him. Ye Yunchen, I'm telling you to look!" Lin Xujia shoved the photos viciously in front of his face, screaming hysterically, her emotions spiraling.
In response, Ye Yunchen angrily slapped her hand away, sending the photos scattering across the floor. The person who had taken them was undeniably skilled—every single shot made the two of them seem deeply in love.
Lin Xujia tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on the photos on the ground, a mocking smile curling at her lips. "Can't even handle looking at photos?"
"Lin Xujia, you're insane!"
"Yes, I am insane! You drove me to this! Why do you keep avoiding me? Do you know how much I think every day about ways to make you stop? Finally, I figured it out."
"..." Ye Yunchen stared at the woman, now teetering on the edge of madness, his expression unreadable as he remained silent.
Lin Xujia blinked, leaned in close to Ye Yunchen, and smiled. "From today on, if you keep avoiding me, I'll tell Xia Yan everything that's happened between us, word for word."
"Don't do anything reckless."
"As long as you don't avoid me, I won't." Lin Xujia knew Ye Yunchen had caved, and her mood instantly brightened. She suddenly leaped up, wrapping her arms around his neck and crossing her legs around his waist, tilting her head back to look down at the grim-faced man.
"Why aren't you smiling?"
Ye Yunchen couldn't muster a smile. Anger simmered inside him—the company was a mess, leaving him feeling helpless, and Xia Yan's relationship with Lu Zhengting only added fuel to the fire. Now, Lin Xujia's sudden threat stoked his rage even further. He loathed her clinging to him but had no choice but to give in.
Everything around him stirred the deep-seated inferiority buried in his heart. He cupped Lin Xujia's buttocks, squinting as he suddenly squeezed hard. Her reaction was one of sheer excitement. She lowered her head, shifting her grip from his neck to cup his face.
The two of them, locked in a fierce embrace at the doorway, stumbled into the living room and then the bedroom. Ye Yunchen's eyes glazed over as he looked at the naked woman beneath him, a flash of cruelty crossing his gaze. He leaned down, pulling Lin Xujia tightly into his arms, and whispered hoarsely in her ear, "Xia Yan, I love you..."
The moment the words left his mouth, Lin Xujia's body, immersed in Ye Yunchen's tenderness, went rigid. She opened her eyes and stared fixedly at the man still thrusting above her, realizing that all those passionate, gentle movements weren't meant for her. As she endured Ye Yunchen's fierce assault, she also bore the emotional blow he dealt her.
Was this the love she had begged for at the cost of her dignity?
******
At the Xia residence, Xia Minghui had been tirelessly scheming to get his hands on Xu Guang's belongings from Xia Yan. But lately, Xia Yan was always with Lu Zhengting, leaving him no opportunity to act. Suddenly, a new idea struck him. He handed something to his secretary, whispered a few instructions, and sent her out.
The next day, the headline of Jiangcheng's entertainment tabloid read: "Lu Zhengting's Mysterious Girlfriend Appears."
The front-page photo clearly showed Xia Yan's face, with the supermarket as the backdrop. Their hands were tightly clasped, Lu Zhengting's son sat grinning in a shopping cart, and their expressions resembled those of a couple deeply in love.
The news instantly ignited every corner of Jiangcheng. That morning, as soon as Xia Yan stepped out of her apartment complex, she was met by a swarm of reporters, all holding microphones, pressing in on her like a dark cloud. Never having faced such a situation, Xia Yan was frozen in shock.
She was completely baffled, not even knowing what had happened.
"Miss Xia, have you and Mr. Lu set a wedding date?"
"Miss Xia, please look at the camera and answer our questions, okay?"
"Miss Xia, can you tell us how you and Mr. Lu met?"
"Miss Xia..."
Xia Yan's only sensation was a buzzing in her ears; she couldn't make out what they were saying. And she was burning up! Trapped by the crowd with no way forward or back, she raised a hand to rub her temples and fell silent for a long moment.
"Could you please move aside?" Xia Yan struggled to push through the crowd to leave, but their blocking skills were too formidable. She had no choice but to concede defeat.
After struggling in the crowd for a while, just as she thought she might be done for, a group of tall, imposing men suddenly pushed through the crowd and approached her. Startled, she stared at these strangers and stammered, "What is this?"
"Miss Xia, please come with us."
Hearing this, Xia Yan glanced at the terrifying reporters around her and, without a second thought, followed the sudden black-clad men. They formed a protective circle around her, keeping the reporters at bay. Once she finally broke free, before she could even thank them, she spotted a familiar Maybach parked at the corner not far away. She squinted at the license plate—Lu Zhengting...
A row of black-clad men stood behind her, and feeling the curious stares from onlookers, she twitched her mouth. Anyone would think she was some big star filming a movie here, especially with those looks of intrigue.
She couldn't let her guard down. Without hesitation, Xia Yan walked toward Lu Zhengting. As she approached the car, the men behind her quickly stepped forward to open the door.
"Get in."
Xia Yan frowned, glancing back at the reporters trailing her. Having experienced their ferocity, she didn't dare face them again. Without even looking at Lu Zhengting, she dove into the car as fast as she could, slammed the door shut, and ordered the driver, "Drive, now!"
Seeing this, Lu Zhengting couldn't help but smile. He caught the driver's questioning look and gave a slight nod.
The car started and drove away from the crowd. Xia Yan turned to look at the dark mass behind them until it faded into the distance, then let out a full sigh of relief. She turned back and noticed Lu Zhengting's gaze on her. Remembering the reporters' questions, her face darkened. Glaring at the expressionless man, she asked, still shaken, "Why were all those questions about you?"
"What did they ask you?"
"When are you getting married..." Xia Yan stopped mid-sentence, realizing how strange it all was. She paused, looked away from Lu Zhengting, and quickly pulled out her phone from her bag. Something felt off.
She opened Weibo and clicked on trending news, scrolling through several pages without finding anything useful. Then she checked trending topics—sure enough, "Lu Zhengting's Mysterious Girlfriend" had shot into the top five. Her face darkened instantly. She took a deep breath, her intuition telling her she was somehow involved.
After reading a few pages, Xia Yan felt like she was engulfed in flames, so angry she could explode.
"Don't these people know spreading rumors is illegal? Especially reporting things that aren't true!"
She went back to the homepage, zoomed in on the photo, and fumed, "Where in this picture do I look like I'm in a passionate relationship with you? When did I ever act coy? And does your gaze show any deep affection?"
Hearing this, Lu Zhengting narrowed his eyes, leisurely watching the furious Xia Yan rant about the unscrupulous reporters. He found it amusing. Catching his expression from the corner of her eye, Xia Yan grew even more incensed. She widened her eyes at the culprit. "You can still laugh? I'm the victim here, and don't forget, you're a victim too!"
"How about we just admit it?"
"Admit it? Admit what?" Xia Yan blinked rapidly, unable to believe Lu Zhengting meant what she thought he did.
Lu Zhengting leaned back casually against the seat, crossing his hands over his thigh. His demeanor was relaxed, and compared to Xia Yan's panic, he seemed utterly unfazed. "Admit our relationship."
His low voice fell, and the car fell silent. If one could ignore Xia Yan's rapid breathing, she clamped her mouth shut, staring at Lu Zhengting in disbelief. Then she quickly averted her gaze, holding her breath. This was too sudden, catching her completely off guard.
Xia Yan forced herself to calm down, refusing to let Lu Zhengting disrupt her rational thinking. After a few seconds of silence, she regained her composure and glanced at the man who was always calm and in control. She knew they weren't from the same world, so his words couldn't be taken seriously. She didn't dare believe them—or perhaps that was her truest thought.