Chapter 7: Mad Love

The front door had barely swung shut behind us at Xie Yun’s place when I spotted an uninvited guest. Hearing us enter, Mai Tu came trotting out from the living room. “Yun! You’re back—”

The moment her eyes landed on me, she froze in her tracks. “What are you doing here?”

My mouth, as usual, ran a full step ahead of my brain. “Well, real estate in the capital is insanely expensive and I can’t afford rent. Unless you want to wire me some cash so I can move out right now? My account number is 622202—”

Before I could finish reading the digits, Xie Yun slapped a hand over my mouth. “Shut up.”

Fine, I shut up.

He turned a bone-chilling gaze onto Mai Tu. “Who gave you permission to come here?”

Mai Tu bit her lip, her voice shrinking into a fragile, pathetic whisper. “Auntie told me you were living here… I was just worried you’d be all by yourself with no one to look after you…”

Mai Tu is taking the initiative! So proactive!

Girl, you shouldn’t be catering to the male lead, he’s supposed to treat you like a delicate princess!

*Oh my god, he’s about to kick her out again! He’s beyond saving!

SLAM!

The front door shut with absolute finality, shutting out Mai Tu and cutting off the useless floating commentary all at once.

Xie Yun dropped to one knee in front of me to swap my heels for slippers. I let out a long sigh. “Can you cut the act? If you keep playing this game, your actual fiancée is going to run for the hills, and you’ll be left holding your head in regret.”

His hands paused, holding onto my ankle. “I already regret it.”

Always eager to give relationship advice, I offered a prompt suggestion: “Then go apologize and sweet-talk her! Girls in love are pushovers — a few smooth words and she’ll melt.”

Right as the words left my mouth, a cool metallic touch brushed against my ankle. I looked down… Wait, what? A delicate, solid gold anklet was wrapped around my leg.

I instantly shifted gears: “Is this real gold?” (Holy shit, it’s gorgeous!)

Xie Yun scooped me up into his arms in one fluid motion. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his neck. As he carried me toward the bedroom, he murmured, “Miss Lu, if a girl isn’t madly in love with you… how are you supposed to sweet-talk her?”

“Depends on what she likes.”

He stared down at me intently. “She likes money.”

“Then throw money at her face.”

“I did,” he whispered, his voice dropping low. “She still won’t forgive me.”

I sank back onto the mattress, answering lazily, “Maybe she never hated you in the first place. If there’s no hatred, there’s nothing to forgive.”

When I really thought about it… he was probably referring to me. But I honestly never hated Xie Yun. Love and hate are far too intense; they don’t suit someone who’s just trying to survive day to day.

In the beginning, I simply saw him as my ticket to a payday. Putting myself in his shoes, if some gold-digger kept clinging to me after repeated warnings, I’d find her infuriating too. Yet I’d been persistent as superglue, popping up in front of him over and over again. Just like later, when he became glued to my side and refused to let go. This kind of toxic cycle… honestly, who could stand it?

The only difference was that his methods were a bit more ruthlessly sociopathic than the average person’s. But hey, I was still alive and kicking, and I’d managed to squeeze a massive fortune out of him that could last me several lifetimes.

“You’re pushing me into someone else’s arms,” he said softly.

“You already have a fiancée.”

Xie Yun squeezed my wrists tight, his lips draining of color. “I told you, I don’t have a fiancée! Why won’t you ever believe me?”

“Uh, then who was that standing in your living room two minutes ago — a ghost?”

Xie Yun went dead silent. After a long pause, he reached out and gently stroked my hair, his voice terrifyingly quiet. “If she disappears… will you finally believe me?”

A dark, ominous dread spiked in my chest. Hold on, what crazy stunt is this lunatic planning now?! “Don’t you dare do anything reckless…” (She just has an old family arrangement, it’s not that deep!)

Xie Yun pulled the duvet over me and leaned down to press a soft kiss against my cheek — right over the faint scar he had left years ago. “Yingying, I’m sorry.”

Sorry for what?! Don’t you dare leave!

“Xie Yun…” I reached out, grabbing his hand tightly. “I’m sleepy. Stay and sleep with me.”

When he remained still, I threw off the blanket, sat up, and wrapped my arms firmly around his waist. “Don’t go. Stay with me… and the baby.”

I took his hand and pressed it flat against my stomach. “I want you here. The baby wants you here too.”

Xie Yun lowered his eyes, hiding whatever dark storm was brewing in his gaze. He simply stroked my back softly. “Okay. Let’s sleep.”

I curled into his chest, listening to his heartbeat — steadier and calmer than it had ever been before. Listening to that rhythmic thump… I slowly drifted off.

In the foggy haze of sleep, I barely caught his faint, ghost-like whisper: “Lu Yingying. I love you.”

—

When I woke up the next morning, the space beside me was cold and empty. Xie Yun was gone.

I pushed myself up to look for him, but the moment I shifted my leg, a cold metallic clink echoed through the quiet room. Looking down… yesterday’s gold anklet was now attached to a thick iron chain, bolted securely to the heavy bedframe.

Me: “…”

Ah, billionaire love. The deeper it gets, the more it feels like serving a prison sentence.

On the nightstand sat a handwritten note in his sharp, sweeping cursive:

[Yingying, I’ll be back by noon.]

A wave of intense panic flared in my gut. I frantically grabbed my phone and dialed Xie Yun’s number. He picked up on the second ring, his tone as warm and gentle as ever. “Sweetheart, are you awake?”

I skipped the pleasantries entirely. “Who are you with?”

Xie Yun let out a low chuckle. “Nobody.”

Despite his calm words, through the chaotic background noise filtering through the speaker, I clearly caught the sound of a woman weeping—a muffled, trembling sob. My heart hammered against my ribs like a trapped bird. “Xie Yun!”

I rarely ever called him by his full name unless he had pushed me over the edge or we were in bed. His voice remained lightly amused. “I’m right here.”

The weeping broke through again. This time, there was no mistaking it, it was Mai Tu.

“Do you have any idea…” I gripped the phone so tightly my knuckles turned stark white. “…how much you terrify me?”