Chapter 5

Ever since that fateful photo shoot, Zhou Xiangyu had been a constant presence in my life, as if he were determined to make good on his word.

He had a way of showing up that was both utterly unreasonable and somehow impossible to argue with. Sometimes he would appear at the shop where I worked part-time. Other times, I would find him waiting in some quiet, secluded corner of campus. He never made a grand entrance, and he never gave me any warning. Sometimes he came just to press a box of pastries into my hands. Other times, he simply dragged me away with him—a behavior people liked to romanticize by calling it a “date.”

I honestly had no idea what to call our relationship anymore. All I knew was that every time I stood in front of him, my heart would race so wildly that I would completely forget how to say no.

So I chose to lie to myself instead.

This was nothing more than the instinctive fear of a law-abiding citizen when confronted with the power of Port City’s underworld. That was all!

Unlike Zhou Xiangyu’s quiet persistence, Jiang Ye had recently been putting on an incredibly flashy show of his own. After I had rejected him outright in front of the dorm, he stopped coming after me and immediately started seeing Chen Xi—the wealthy heiress who had been sitting beside him at the party that night.

Rumors about the two of them spread all over campus. Eventually, even my roommate Xiao Shi had to admit that the “young master” and I were officially over.

But none of that had anything to do with me.

The only thing I cared about these days was watching the balance in my bank account grow, one day at a time.

Eventually, the day came when I finally had enough money.

I took my bank card and went to the address of a private club where Jiang Ye and his friends often hung out. Before I even reached the private room, the loud laughter and mocking chatter inside had already reached my ears.

One of Jiang Ye’s friends was practically crowing with smug satisfaction.

“Still, our young master knows exactly what he’s doing! That Hsu girl finally realized she had no choice but to crawl back and beg at your feet. You really trained her into a nice, obedient little puppy.”

Jiang Ye gave a contemptuous laugh, making no attempt to deny it.

“Hsu Lian has always been stubborn, but how could she possibly live without me? I knew she was just throwing a temporary tantrum, so I gave her some time to come to her senses…”

I tightened my grip around the bank card.

I had no patience left to listen to this pathetic little performance.

I pushed the door open and walked straight in.

The room fell completely silent.

A flicker of panic crossed Jiang Ye’s eyes before quickly turning into delight. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

But before he could say a word, Chen Xi, sitting beside him, lazily swirled the wine in her glass and gave a mocking whistle.

“Well, well. Look who it is. The loyal little puppy finally found her way home.”

Her voice was shrill and grating.

To my surprise, Jiang Ye spun around and snapped at her.

“Chen Xi, shut the hell up!”

The heiress’s face went pale.

Jiang Ye ignored her completely. He stood up and walked toward me with the same gentle smile he used to wear whenever he was trying to win me over.

“Hsu Lian, I’m glad you finally came back. If I’d known you’d be gone this long, I never would have let myself worry so much. What do you want to drink? Peach juice? The sweet kind you like?”

As he spoke, he reached out, apparently intending to pull me into his arms out of habit.

I instinctively took two steps back and coldly avoided him.

“Jiang Ye, don’t bother. I’m only here to pay you back. You advanced quite a bit of money for my mother’s medical expenses before. I kept a record of every payment. It’s all on this card.”

I held the bank card straight out in front of him.

A long silence followed.

Jiang Ye’s hand remained suspended in midair.

I looked up at him.

His expression had already darkened, his face turning frighteningly grim.

“So you’re finally willing to look at me now?”

Jiang Ye took a deep breath and forced a faint smile. His voice softened, almost coaxing.

“Lian Lian, are you still mad at me? I admit I went a little too far last time. You can ask for whatever you want. Let’s just make up, okay? Don’t drag this out anymore. I’m your boyfriend. What’s wrong with me helping your mother out a little?”

“I’m not playing games with you, Jiang Ye. I came here to pay you back. And just to be clear, we already broke up.”

Every word I spoke was like a bucket of ice water thrown straight at Jiang Ye’s enormous pride.

By the time my final sentence landed, he was so furious that he actually started laughing.

Smack!

He knocked the bank card out of my hand and sent it skidding across the floor. Then he violently pulled a thick wad of cash from his pocket and hurled it straight at me.

Bills fluttered through the air before scattering across the floor.

“Hsu Lian! You really think I’m short of this pathetic little bit of money?”

Jiang Ye roared as his polished leather shoe came down hard on the bank card beneath his foot.

His sudden rage left me frozen.

My fingernails dug painfully into my palms.

The suffocating tension in the room felt like it was about to explode when Jiang Ye suddenly bellowed again.

“What are you all staring at? Get out! Every damn one of you, get out!”

The rich young men and women in the room were terrified of getting caught in the crossfire. They scrambled for the door in a panic, scattering like startled bees.

Within seconds, the enormous VIP room was empty.

Only me and a furious beast remained.

“You used to be so obedient. What happened to you? When did you learn how to deliberately piss people off?”

His eyes were burning with rage.

“Or is this my fault? Did I spoil you too much and turn you into this? Hsu Lian, say something!”

Crash!

He kicked the glass table beside him, sending it toppling over.

Shards of glass exploded across the floor.

Step by step, he closed the distance between us, forcing me backward toward the corner.

I stared at the twisted, enraged face in front of me, and my entire body began to tremble.

The violent nightmare I had tried so hard to bury suddenly came rushing back.

It felt as though all the air had been squeezed from my lungs.

Every nerve in my body was stretched taut. Tears blurred my vision as I desperately backed toward the door, but there was nowhere left to go.

Until my back finally hit the cold wall.

There was nowhere else to retreat.

Jiang Ye’s twisted face was already inches from mine.