Chapter 651 - Tied By Destiny An Evelina Vetrova & Young Jin Liwei Special Part IV
Someone started singing along with the piano music:
"Buddy, you're a boy, make a big noise
Playing in the street, gonna be a big man someday"
Others joined in. They even started stomping their feet and clapping their hands in the same beat as the music.
"We will, we will rock you!!!"
Soon, everyone was singing along to the catchy song. The crowd was no longer mere spectators but active participants of the performance instead. More people gathered; their attentions caught by the energetic spectacle. They squeezed their way into the already packed crowd and became even more amazed upon seeing that the one playing the popular rock music on the piano and stimulated all these people was a beautiful, elegant and classy young woman.
It was like being in a concert. Everyone was having so much fun!
This was the first time Evelina felt such exhilaration while playing the piano. Her heart raced inside her chest, pumping blood throughout her whole body, filling her up with what seemed like endless energy, and making her feel oh so alive. She felt like she was on top of the world, as she performed with what she was most passionate aboutâmusic. The audience's enthusiasm fed her to perform better, even revising her cover of this classic rock anthem song as she played it, improving the arrangement in the process.
'So this is what it's like to perform in front of a big audience.'
She loved it!
Rock music wasn't her strongest forte due to her training in classical music, but which music lover hadn't heard of this hit song by one of the best-selling bands in the world? Even her music mentor, the hitmaker Enrique Valdez held great respect and admiration to all of the band's members. The song was one of the top greatest hit songs of all time. It was energizing!
This was why Evelina decided to play this particular song in this occasion, instead of choosing from her extensive repertoire of intricate classical pieces. More than this, the song's message resonated with her especially in this kind of youthful environment. Like all these university students who were around the same age her, she also had her own big dreams. Unlike them, however, she would never be able to achieve those dreams in this lifetime no matter how hard she tried. There was no escape for her. Her fate had already been sealed the moment she was born as Evelina Vetrova, the sheltered princess of the reigning criminal family in the international underworld.
Looking at all the students having fun while singing along with the music she was playing, Evelina thought that they were all so lucky. They had the freedom to strive for their dreams. There might be hardships, but at least they had the chance.
Unlike her.
Evelina tossed these hopeless thoughts out of her mind. She wanted to focus on the performance. She wanted to enjoy it. There might not be a chance for her to achieve her dreams but at least for now, she was able to have a taste of what it felt like to perform in front of an audience cheering and clapping for her, loving her music and making her understand what it felt like to be truly alive.
"WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU!!!!!"
She threw her head back and tossed one of her hands up in the air, a sign of victory, feeling the music and the crowd's energy with her own body.
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Jin Liwei walked with a sense of purpose, looking straight ahead with a cold and indifferent expression. He had an appointment to meet the friends he made in university for lunch at their favourite Italian restaurant in the square. On his way there, there were too many people who tried catching his attention, wanting to chat with him, but he pretended not to see them, especially if he had no idea who they hell they were.
How annoying.
He wasn't being rude. No, he didn't think so. He just didn't want to waste his time on useless talk with strangers.
What was the most precious currency in the world?
Gold? Dollars? Euro?
No!
It was time.
Time was extremely precious, not only to people working in the business industry but literally to everyone alive. You could earn all the money you lost and more if you had the drive, capability and health, but you could never earn back the time you lost in your life. All you would have left were regrets. Time waited for no one.
That was why he felt extremely annoyed when a certain girl blocked his path and delayed him from meeting his friends sooner.
"Hello, Big Brother Liwei~" Rose Young greeted him.
"What is it? Be quick about it. I'm in a hurry," he said, his tone as cold and indifferent as his expression.
"Hey, Liam! Whazzup?"
"Oh wow. So this is the famous Liam all the girls in our university are talking about?"
"We're gonna have a party at my place tonight. You're welcome to join us, Liam. Rosie is gonna be there."
A furrow formed between Jin Liwei's brows at Rose Young's companions. They were too annoying just like her. However, he couldn't just simply ignore her because her family was an integral part in running Jin Corporation's Singapore branch. His father also had a bit of a friendship with her father, Romeo Young, although they weren't close. It was the type of superficial friendship developed from regular business cooperation.
Thus, Jin Liwei nodded at Rose Young's friends as a greeting so as not to waste his saliva talking to them. They seemed pleased, though, that he acknowledged them. They all batted their eyes at him and thrust their chests forward, deepening the furrow between his brows.
"I just want to congratulate you for graduating and getting your bachelor's degree. What a great accomplishment! Uncle and Auntie and Grandmother Li must be so proud of you! I'm also very proud of you," Rose told him while giving him a sweet smile.
He nodded. "Thanks."
"I heard that you also got accepted in the MBA program. Wow! You're such a big inspiration to me, Big Brother Liwei. I wish to follow in your footsteps but I know that I can never reach your level. You're so smart."
They were speaking in Mandarin so Rose Young's mostly American companions couldn't understand them. They didn't mind, though. They were too busy ogling Liam Jin who was voted as the hottest Asian student in the campus. Not only was he extremely smart and a straight A student, but he was also quite athletic. His professors bragged about him as if he was their own son. And most importantly (especially to the girls), he was rumoured to be ultra rich.
Girls like them could smell a rich guy from a mile away. Liam Jin was prime meat and they all wanted to have a taste of him, but Rose Young already had her eyes set on him. The two also seemed to be familiar with each other, something like family friends. Rose Young was a tough opponent and someone that they didn't want to mess with. The last girl who became enemies with her ended up dropping out of university never to be seen or heard from again. Who knew what kind of methods Rose Young used to drive the poor girl out of such a prestigious university that was so difficult to get into? Ãøvâ¬l--Ã1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
Whatever. Rose Young was rich and frequently treated them to shopping and expensive restaurants. Although they didn't like her as a person because she looked down on them sometimes, they liked her money and how generous she spent it. Therefore, she was a "good" friend.
Rose Young continued chatting with Jin Liwei, blind to the fact that he wasn't interested in having a conversation with her. She was basically just talking to herself. His replies could be counted in one hand.
"I need to go now. Bye," Jin Liwei interrupted her in the middle of her self-conversation. He didn't wait for her reply before leaving.
"Big Brother Liwei, wait! Where are you going?"
He ignored her.
"I want to treat you for lunch as my congratulations for getting into the MBA program. Wait! Big Brother!"
His mind had begun to automatically filter out all the annoying noises in the background, so he no longer heard her. He walked quickly, almost jogging, because he was already ten minutes late for his meeting with his friends. He hated being late.
Thanks to his burst of speed and long legs, Rose Young was unable to keep up with him. She had no choice but to give up and let him go. However, she didn't look disappointed. On the contrary, she had a smug expression on her face. After all, she was the only female student in the university who he was willing to talk to. He was notorious for ignoring all the girls who tried talking to him. That made her special.
Back to Jin Liwei, he already reached the square and was about to text his friends when he heard something from a distance.
"WE WILL, WE WILL ROCK YOU!!!"
His usual cold and indifferent expression registered interest.
"What's going on? Is there an event in the square today?" he wondered.
It seemed like he wasn't the only one interested in what was happening. There were other students headed towards the origin of the sounds. They couldn't see it yet but they could hear that there must be a lot of people gathered to produce such a loud singing group.
"Hmm. I'll take a look at it quickly before meeting with my friends."
Chapter 652 - Tied By Destiny An Evelina Vetrova & Young Jin Liwei Special Part V
When Jin Liwei arrived at the scene, the performance had already ended and most of the crowd was in the midst of dispersing. The people looked elated as they gushed about the exciting performance they just witnessed, with some still continuing to sing "We Will Rock You" by themselves.
Jin Liwei and the other new arrivals felt disappointed that they missed the show but didn't dwell on it too much. After all, they hadn't experienced the performance firsthand so they didn't know what they missed.
"Hey, Liam!"
He saw his friends and their girlfriends on the other side of the street waving at him. After joining the group, he greeted them with a nod before keeping a distance from the girls. His coldness became more pronounced in the presence of the girls. Everyone could only give a wry smile at his cold reception. They were already used to it, anyway. Ã00vâ¬l--Ã1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
"Did you just arrive, Liam?"
"Yes. Sorry for being late."
"Nah! Don't worry about it, bro. We were watching an amazing street performance just now. The pianist was the bomb! That babe's so gorgeous and talented! I wanted to talk to her and ask for her number or something. But too bad her guy friends pulled her away before anyone could even have a chance to approach and speak to her after the performance," said one of his friends who didn't have a girlfriend just like him.
"Hmmm..." Jin Liwei was no longer interested in the performance he missed, especially after hearing his friends raving about the female pianist's appearance.
The pianist must have relied on her good looks to attract the audience's attention. Why else would his friends focus so much on her appearance instead of the actual performance? (He didn't know that his friends already finished discussing the amazing performance among themselves before he joined them, so now they were talking about the performer's stunning beauty instead.) He was the type of person who didn't give a damn about how a woman looked like. There were so many females who kept on trying to seduce him with their beauty but he remained unaffected. He appreciated intelligence, abilities and skills more than personal appearance. But even if someone was intelligent, talented and skilled, it wasn't a guarantee that he would be attracted.
Jin Liwei was already an adult yet hadn't felt lust yet since the day he was born, unlike men his age who could only think about the next girl they wanted to fuck. Sure, he would wake up in the morning with a hard-on now and then but those were natural male physiological responses and not because he was having wet dreams about a certain woman. He hadn't yet met a woman (or a man) who could stir his sexual desire. He was already beginning to think that he would never feel sexually attracted to another person for the rest of his life. Perhaps he was someone called "asexual". Not that he cared much.
His thoughts were interrupted by his friend.
"Hold on. I took some photos and videos of the hot pianist. I'll show you."
"No need. Let's go to the restaurant now," Jin Liwei interjected but his friend was already checking his phone.
"Eh? I'm sure I took several photos and videos but why are they all gone? Was I mistaken? Or did I accidentally delete all of them?"
"You're so silly. Don't you know how to use your own phone? Here, I also took some photos and videos...huh? Wait. Where are they? Why is there none?"
Those who recorded the street performance earlier all checked their phones. There were no photos or videos. They all mysteriously disappeared.
"This so weird. Did all of us press the wrong button or something?"
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Inside a car driving away from the university, Evelina closed her laptop and placed it on the seat beside her. A delicate sigh escaped from her lips. Although she felt exhilarated and touched that so many people enjoyed her performance earlier that they even recorded it, she had no choice but to hack into their devices and delete all the photos and videos they took of her. A handful of them had even already posted the recordings on social media but fortunately, she was able to remove the photos and videos before they had a chance to spread on the internet.
There was no helping it. She was a Vetrov and the Vetrovs weren't allowed to leave any evidence of their identities behind. They had an enormous number of enemies always waiting for the opportunity to take them down. And she, the least trained (because she hated it), effectively making her the weakest in combat among the Vetrovs, was the easiest and most scrumptious target in the organization. It was fortunate that not a lot of information was released to the outside world about her, primarily due to her family's painstaking protection.
Once again, unwillingness to live this kind of secretive, purposeless life with no freedom threatened to overwhelm Evelina but she forced the feeling down to the deepest recesses of her heart. It would only make her depressed if she nurtured this kind of feelings. At least, she had music, computers and the internet as a temporary escape to her dreary life. And most importantly, she had her big brother. If not for his love and care, she might have already given up life a long time ago.
Leaning her head against the window and watching the scenery passing by, Evelina remembered the wonderful feeling of performing earlier. She had never felt so alive! It was what she had always dreamed of.
A sad smile darkened and lightened her expression at the same time. She might not be able to achieve her dreams but at least she had the opportunity to have a taste of it today. Also, she saved all those recordings she deleted from the crowd's devices for her own use, so that she could view them later and relive the amazing feeling of performing in front of an enthusiastic audience.
'This is enough,' she forced herself to believe and then closed her eyes.
Chapter 653 - Tied By Destiny An Evelina Vetrova & Young Jin Liwei Special Part VI
The next day, Jin Liwei didn't have any classes but still busied himself by spending the entire morning in the emptiest library in the campus to work on his assignments in peace. He had been very absorbed in what he was doing when he realized that he was missing one of the books in his required reading list.
Sighing, he consulted the librarian before heading to the upper floors to hunt for the lone textbook. There was a distinct old and stale smell in this part of the library due to the lack of air circulation. He didn't mind it, though. In fact, he felt comforted by it.
He thought that he would be the only one here today but was surprised to hear the presence of another person. There was someone singing in a light voice at the topmost floor. He was one floor below. Frowning in disapproval, he climbed the stairs to reprimand whoever it was who had the gall to disrupt the peaceful silence. This was a library, not a damn karaoke bar!
The sound of singing grew clearer when he reached the top floor. His irritation changed into interest when he realized that the singing actually sounded nice. No, it wasn't just nice. It was actually quite beautiful.
Although it sounded light and soft, the voice was crystal clear and the melody flowed like a calm, mystical river. The high notes all reached the right spots as well. Jin Liwei didn't speak Italian but he could recognize the language once he heard it. The person who he still couldn't see from his position was singing a heartfelt Italian aria. He wasn't familiar with the song nor could he understand the lyrics, but it didn't matter. He could feel the passion, yearning, and loneliness through the singer's interpretation as if they were his own.
The disapproval he felt earlier had already disappeared, replaced by a need to listen to the song until the end. Not wanting to startle the singer, he stayed put in his current position by the top of the staircase. He leaned against a concrete column and closed his eyes, enjoying the beautiful Italian aria.
Time passed by and the two figures remained in their own positions. One sang, the other listened. Both were aware of the other's presence but chose not to disturb or acknowledge each other. They couldn't see what the other person looked like because of the tall bookshelves separating them, but right at that moment, the two felt a connection because of the song.
The one singing always appreciated someone who listened to her song.
The one listening appreciated the rare someone who could make him stop and listen despite his busy schedule.
When the song ended, Jin Liwei was dazed. This was the first time that he felt so relaxed since he started studying in university. It had been such a long time. Even a good full body massage was incomparable to the relaxation he was experiencing right now because of the song. Was the mysterious singer a hypnotist as well?
"Don't you know that it's rude to eavesdrop on someone?" a calm female voice spoke in a British accent all of a sudden.
Jin Liwei wasn't surprised by the foreign accent. The university catered to many foreign students from different countries all over the world. He was one, too.
The voice was soft and had a lovely lilt to it yet was still clear enough for Jin Liwei to hear from several metres away. He was unsure from which specific bookshelf the voice's owner was located, but from the looks of it, she was on the other side of where he was supposed to search for the textbook that he needed. Nâ¡vεlB¡n: Your Escape into Infinite Tales.
"Don't you know that it's rude to make a noise inside a library?" he retorted.
A light, lovely chuckle tinkled like crystal bells. It made him shiver with an indescribable feeling that he had never experienced before. He was too confused by the feeling of his lower abdomen tightening that he didn't notice that his heart skipped a beat. In the end, he concluded that what he was feeling was annoyance.
'Right, I was originally annoyed before her singing distracted me. Yes, I'm annoyed,' he inwardly told himself.
"Was my singing so horrible that you treat it as noise?" the female voice asked in a curious tone.
Jin Liwei frowned. He didn't like to waste his time explaining himself to a stranger, but for some reason, he couldn't bear to let her think that her singing was horrible. "You misunderstand. You sang well."
She didn't immediately reply, making him think that she had decided to ignore him. He was about to head to the opposite direction to start searching for his book when she finally replied. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He didn't realize that there was a faint smile on his lips.
With that, the two no longer spoke to each other. They went their separate ways and had tossed this incident to the back of their minds.
Behind a bookshelf, Evelina Vetrova knew when the man she spoke with earlier left the floor with her great hearing. She closed the book in her hand and returned it to the bookshelf before standing up from the step stool she was sitting on.
"Are you done, my lady?" her bodyguard asked beside her.
She nodded. "I want to take a walk outside. I need some fresh air."
"Understood. Please wait for a moment."
Another bodyguard appeared from seemingly out of nowhere and the two partners did a thorough check on the vicinity before escorting her down to the main floor. Her appearance caught the attention of the librarian and the handful of people studying in the library. She was just too beautiful and eye-catching to miss.
Back on his desk, Jin Liwei also looked up and followed everyone's gazes. He caught a glimpse of an attractive blonde woman before she disappeared outside. Something flickered inside him but nothing too significant for him to notice, so he didn't think much of it and resumed his studies.
Chapter 654 - Tied By Destiny An Evelina Vetrova & Young Jin Liwei Special Part VII
Later in the afternoon, Jin Liwei met with his friends by the river closest to the university's business school. They planned on driving to Downtown Boston to find something fun to do and maybe eat dinner along the way or even hang out in a pub later in the evening.
His friends were currently in a fierce arm-wrestling competition. The winner would be riding with Jin Liwei in his limited-edition luxury sports car. The others would have to squeeze themselves in their other friends' more normal and older cars.
While his friends were roaring like battle-crazed gladiators, Jin Liwei was busy working on something on his laptop. He was checking on the performances of his stock portfolios and other investments. Although he was being groomed as the successor of Jin Corporation, it wasn't a guarantee that that he would become the next President-CEO after his father. In the end, it would still all come down to his own skills, abilities, and accomplishments.
Jin Corporation prioritized skills, abilities, and accomplishments over blood ties. This was evident in the fact that there was currently nobody from the Lu family who held high positions in the company despite Grandpa Lu's influence. Also, most members of the Lu family inherited a "my pace" personality. They were usually happy go lucky fellows who liked to do things their own way and didn't care much about what other people thought of them. As a result, only a few of them were interested in working at Jin Corporation. Most of them chased after their own dreams and happiness, like Jin Liwei's fifth brother.
Lu Zihao was currently living in Toronto and studying in a Canadian university. However, his grades were barely passable because he was spending most of his free time travelling all over Canadaâand during vacations, in other countriesâin search for the most thrilling and dangerous ski slopes in the world. It wasn't only skiing that Lu Zihao was crazy about. Any extreme sports like parachuting, street car racing, free ice climbing, to name just a few, were all up Lu Zihao's alley. He had no interest whatsoever in working at Jin Corporation. Ever. Just the thought of working a corporate job was enough to make him shudder in fright.
Unlike his devil-may-care fifth brother, Jin Liwei's goal was to succeed his father and become the next President-CEO of Jin Corporation. Running a business was what he was most passionate about, and of course, preserving the legacy of Grandfather Jin and Grandpa Lu for generations to come. He was born to reign over this massive business empire. That was why he spared no expense in honing himself as a successful business leader. Not only were his school marks top-notch but his other accomplishments were all impressive as well. He already built a considerable wealth on his own even before formally entering Jin Corporation. If he planned on becoming the company's next President-CEO, he must go above and beyond Jin Corporation's already high standards and dominate the entire competition in order to leave no doubt in everyone's minds that he was the perfect person for the job.
Back to the present, Jin Liwei made some changes on his investment portfolios according to his own personal forecast of the market. To the side, the arm-wrestling competition between his friends was heating up. It was the final round.
Everyone in their group was too preoccupied to notice a little girl about five to seven years old running in their direction. She held a leash with both of her hands and was being pulled by an overexcited golden retriever puppy. Before the guys could even realize what was happening, the puppy and the girl had already both crashed into Jin Liwei and a couple of their other friends.
Jin Liwei's laptop and a few other objects like soft drink cups and chips lay in a heap on the concrete ground. The laptop's screen cracked a little but the device seemed to be still working.
As for the girl and her puppy, it was a good thing that Jin Liwei managed to block her head from hitting the bench with his arm while the puppy was caught by his friend beside him.
However, the crash was still painful. It was no surprise that the girl and the puppy began wailing and crying together. The group of guys had no idea what to do and so they began to panic. They looked around for the girl's parents or guardians but they couldn't see anyone.
"Fuck, what should we do?"
"Watch your language! She's a kid."
"Oh shit, my bad. Oops. Sorry. I'll just shut up now."
They tried comforting the crying little girl and her puppy. Someone told lame jokes while another made funny faces. Surprisingly, they were effective and the little girl started giggling while still crying. Then she told them that her puppy made her run so fast that they lost her parents somewhere. They had no choice but to accompany the little girl and the puppy while looking for her parents. A few minutes later, her frantic parents finally found them.
"Thank you, big brothers!"
The friends felt good and proud of themselves after helping an adorable little girl. Except for a certain cold-faced guy, everyone chatted with the girl and her parents and played with the cute puppy.
"Let's give her a candy or something."
They all patted their pockets and bags looking for a treat but failed to find anything. Disappointed for their lack of preparation, all they could do was wave at the family goodbye. But then a certain cold-faced guy whipped out a neat pack of mints and wordlessly handed it to the little girl.
"For me?" she asked. Ã00vâ¬l--Ã1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
Jin Liwei nodded.
"Thank you, handsome big brother!"
He nodded again, stiffly this time, because he didn't know how to interact with children. His friends teased him for being a Surprise Mr. Nice Guy but he ignored them to check his laptop instead.
For some inexplicable reason, an Italian aria sung by a beautiful voice began playing in his mind as he examined his cracked computer.
Chapter 655 - Tied By Destiny An Evelina Vetrova & Young Jin Liwei Special Part VIII
When the family left the area by the river, the little girl was scolded by her parents, making her very sad. It wasn't her fault that she and her puppy got lost. Little Max was the one who started chasing a squirrel, not her. She just followed him so he wouldn't get lost and cry by himself.
Her parents both worked in the university. Her father was a professor while her mother worked as an events organizer in the campus. It was a habit to take a walk around the campus as a family whenever her parents were off work.
The scolding was interrupted when they met a couple of her parents' colleagues along the way. After telling her to stay put and to behave, her parents began chatting with their co-workers. The little girl felt bored so she started playing fetch with Little Max using a small tree branch while also trying to open the candies the handsome big brother gave her earlier. The candy was square and white. It didn't look appetizing at all, but she still popped it in her mouth and then immediately spat it out.
"Ah, spicy!" She started spitting to relieve the mint's cold burn on her tongue. "That big brother looked handsome but he's so evil! He gave a nasty candy to a little girl like me! Bad man! Hmph! Blegh!"
While she spat and cursed the deceptive big brother, Little Max saw another squirrel and began chasing after it again. The little girl didn't think before chasing after her puppy as well. She didn't know how far they ran but when she looked around, her parents were nowhere to be seen. Once again, they got lost.
"Stupid Max! Mommy and Daddy are going to scold me again!"
This area was unfamiliar to her. It looked empty and scary.
"Are you lost?"
"Ah!"
The little girl was startled upon hearing an unfamiliar voice suddenly speaking. However, her alarm was quickly replaced by awe at the beauty in front of her.
"Wow, you're so pretty. Are you angel?" she asked. Ãøvâ¬l--Ã1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
The beautiful lady chuckled, her voice sounding as beautiful as her. The innocent little girl didn't notice the dangerous-looking men standing nearby who were watching her as if she was an enemy while she and her puppy approached the beautiful lady without any care in the world. The lady was sitting on the grass with her back against a tree trunk. She had a laptop on her lap. The little girl sat beside her, shoving the equally awe-struck puppy to the lady.
Evelina smiled at the little girl but most of her interest was on the puppy. She reached her fair hand and began petting its soft fur. From the corner of her eyes, she saw that her bodyguards were about to step forward to wrench the "dangerous creature" away. She quickly gestured for them to stay back without the little girl or the puppy noticing. Couldn't those men see that the girl and the puppy were harmless?
Although reluctant, the bodyguards stayed back but their vigilance increased. There was no doubt that they would spare neither kid nor dog if they harmed her. It was fortunate that these men were her brother's subordinates. Compared to the ones working under her parents, her brother's loyal subordinates had at least a fraction of emotions remaining within their killing machine selves. The bodyguards were too skilled in concealing their killing intent that the young dog failed to detect any danger from them with its natural senses.
"What are you doing?" the little girl asked Evelina.
"Playing with my computer. Do you want to try?"
The little girl nodded, her eyes shining with excitement.
Evelina showed the little girl some of the basic games on her laptop. Then she searched for some American children's shows available on the internet and allowed the girl to watch an episode of her choosing.
About twenty minutes later, the girl's parents found finally them. They thanked Evelina for her kindness in accompanying their daughter. Evelina watched them with curiosity...and a little envy.
'So that's what a normal family is like?'
The little girl was reluctant to part with Evelina's laptop. Evelina also felt reluctant to part with the puppy who already fell in love with her. She always wanted a pet but her mother forbade it, claiming that it would make her weaker and more soft-hearted than she already was. Her dream pet had always been a kitten but she found puppies cute, too.
"Bye, beautiful lady! Thank you for letting me borrow your computer." The little girl pulled Iris and pressed a kiss on her cheek. "Oh, right. Here, you can have this!"
A pack of mints was shoved into her hands. Before Evelina could decline, the little girl and her puppy had already run away while chased by her exasperated parents. All Evelina could do was chuckle and wave goodbye to the nice family while touching her kissed cheek.
Her bodyguards appeared beside her when the family disappeared from view.
"My lady, Boss Nikolai called and instructed us to bring you back. He wants to eat dinner together with you."
"Alright. Let's go back to my brother."
As they walked away, Evelina shook the pack of mints. She took out one and placed it in her mouth.
Nice and refreshing.
Her footsteps became lighter, as she smiled.
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An Italian aria and a pack of mints.
Two very different people unknowingly received something from each other. Upon receiving what belonged from the other, they had no idea that both their fates had been sealed at that moment, that they had been tied by destiny.
Unfortunately, the fate of the other one was doomed for an early and tragic death. Thus, their destiny couldn't be fulfilled right away. However, their tied destinies couldn't be broken by death alone.
Love may not have started when their paths crossed for the first time but her song and his pack of mints had done their job in connecting their fates together. It might take some time but they would surely meet again, with one transcending death, to fulfill their destiny because...
Her death is only the beginning of her life...and his love.\
Chapter 656 - Ugly Battle
Everyone was shocked at Kang Huizhong's revelation. He, the famed corporate lawyer of Jin Corporation and personal attorney of CEO Jin Liwei, was playing assistant in a mere custody case for a toddler? Not only him, but even His Excellency Deng Gui? The former jurist of the international court of justice previously presided over cases involving conflicts between sovereign states and various organizations on the world level. And now someone in the top leagues like him was handling a child custody case?
What in the world?! Wasn't this supposed to be a simple case? The parents involved weren't even married, so the case shouldn't be too complicated. If it wasn't because the reporters were paid to bully Jiang Ying Yue and tarnish her image in the media, the reporters wouldn't even bother covering such a small case like this.
Then why did two bigshot lawyers suddenly involve themselves in this custody case? Were the reporters missing something? Perhaps the child was actually royalty? Ãøvâ¬l--Ã1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
"It's Iris Long. She must've asked her fiancé CEO Jin to invite Atty. Kang and His Excellency Deng to help her friend. Remember that Atty. Hong who's representing Jiang Ying Yue in this case is originally Iris Long's personal lawyer. Also, the child involved is not only her nephew but her godson as well. CEO Jin is the godfather."
"That makes sense. Only someone with CEO Jin's status and influence could move bigshots like His Excellency Deng and Atty. Kang to waste their time in a small family case like this. Iris Long is a very lucky woman to have CEO Jin as her future husband. If this was the ancient times, she would be marrying an emperor."
"Yeah. But speaking of the two opposing sides in this case, I just find it intriguing that Iris Long is supporting the child's mother instead of the father. Long Hui is her brother, you know. Even if they're only half-siblings, you'd think that blood is thicker than water but by the look of things, Iris Long and Long Hui have become enemies because of Jiang Ying Yue and her child."
"Now I feel motivated to follow this custody case and cover how it will turn out. The court hearing hasn't even started yet but so many things happened already."
"Same here. I just feel sorry for Long Hui now. I initially thought that he'll win custody of his son without any problems because he's the heir of the Long clan and Jiang Ying Yue is only a mere bodyguard, but with the appearance of His Excellency Deng and Atty. Kang supporting Jiang Ying Yue, things aren't looking good for him. He needs to have a secret weapon of the same calibre as the two bigshot lawyers if he has any chance of winning this case."
"I can believe if there's someone in the same calibre as Atty. Kang in this country, but His Excellency Deng? Are you kidding me? If His Excellency claims to be number two, nobody in our country would dare claim to be number one."
The reporters made their own conclusions based on their observations just now. Their original mission to make it difficult for Jiang Ying Yue today was already forgotten, as they focused on the appearance of the big guns protecting Jiang Ying Yue's side in this case. They all glanced at Long Hui standing in front of the courthouse's main entrance with his lawyer.
Long Hui's expression turned darker when he saw the way the reporters were looking at him. Useless bunch! He shouldn't have bothered listening to Elder Long Meng. He ended up only wasting his money on these incompetent fellows.
But more than the reporters, he was concerned more about the appearance of Kang Huizhong and especially Deng Gui. Even he could sense his own lawyer's anxiety now that they knew for sure that they would be dealing not only with the tough Hong Shaoqiang but also with the two bigshot lawyers.
Long Hui felt worried. Extremely worried. However, the worry was only secondary to the hatred he felt for his youngest half-sister Xiulan and her fiancé Jin Liwei. His hatred for them was only growing more intense every time they did something to oppose him.
'So they decided to play dirty by using their status and influence to bully me. Hmph!' He felt indignant and mentally cursed the couple's "dirty tactics", forgetting the fact that he also employed dirty tactics by hiring reporters to bully Jiang Ying Yue. In his mind, it had nothing to do with him. It was all Elder Long Meng's idea. All he did was pay the money. After glaring at Jiang Ying Yue's group, he turned and entered the courthouse with his sweating lawyer.
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The tension was very high in the courtroom. Both Jiang Ying Yue and Long Hui, the main characters in this custody battle, had grim expressions on their faces. Most of the talking was done by their respective lawyers.
Normally, small cases like this were done in a small courtroom and received judgment on the same day. If concluding on the same day wasn't possible, then the case would be extended. It would all be up to the judge and how long he or she would take to make a decision.
This time, however, the original venue of the hearing was moved to a bigger courtroom all of a sudden. The judge presiding over the case also granted special permission to a select number of major news outlets allowing them to document the hearing. All of these were done a few minutes before the hearing's official start time.
It was all because of the appearance of Deng Gui. The courthouse felt that they needed to show appropriate respect to such an illustrious figure in the field of law, and most importantly, they wanted to impress him. It was like a bunch of fans welcoming their idol.
Nevertheless, the judge still managed to maintain an air of impartiality as he officially started the hearing. But with the media's presence, what should have been a simple proceeding became more like a performance between the lawyers and the judge.
Accusations were thrown against each other. Skeletons in the closet were exposed. Malice were being shot like a flamethrower.
There was a moment when everything became too much for Jiang Ying Yue and she just broke down, bursting into heart-wrenching sobs. The lies about her cheating...she could still take.
But the accusations of her being a bad mother? Of prioritizing her own desires over her son's? Too much. Long Hui was being too much!
At that moment, she truly realized that it was really over between them, that he had completely changed, and that the Long Hui in front of her right now had become a total stranger...no, an enemy.
When the photos and a video of her and Lin Yehan were shown, the reporters stirred with renewed interest. Jiang Ying Yue was sure that the media would blow this out of proportion and drag Lin Yehan's name in the mud with her. She stopped crying. Her heartbroken expression was replaced by fury.
She shot a cold glare at Long Hui. He really dared to drag an innocent man in their ugly battle!
Poof!
The last remaining small shred of love for him was finally killed in her heart.
Chapter 657 - Numb
The custody hearing lasted for several hours but still failed to reach a conclusion on the same day. After several heated back and forth between the two conflicting sides, the judge ended today's session and scheduled the next one tomorrow.
Jiang Ying Yue's team found an empty waiting room to congregate after the first court session ended. Long Hui and his lawyer also did the same thing, finding another room in the opposite direction.
Hong Shaoqiang sighed. "This has turned into a media circus as I feared. I did my best to speed things up but the judge appears like he wants to prolong this custody case."
"It's because some stupid idiot invited the media," Deng Gui said, huffing in irritation. "If the media wasn't already present here in the first place, the case would have proceeded normally and most likely ended today even with my appearance and involvement. Not everyone could recognize me anyway, only certain people could. Even among the reporters earlier, only one of them was able to recognize me but when he did, it snowballed and everyone else ended up focusing on me instead."
Kang Huizhong nodded. "Indeed, the media's involvement in this case has complicated things. Now it looks like we also need to deal with public opinion. It shouldn't affect the judge's decisionâhe looks competent enoughâbut it would certainly affect you, Miss Jiang. I'm afraid that you need to prepare yourself for the worst when it comes to the public's opinion of you, especially now that Mr. Long showed the photos and videos of you and Mr. Lin spending time together with your son. The media will certainly use those misleading evidence and insinuate a false narrative about your relationship with Mr. Lin. I'm sure that Mr. Long's side will also feed that false narrative."
"The nerve! What an asshole!" Clover roared. Her face had already long turned red in anger. "Sis Ying Yue may not have a romantic relationship with Eldest Brother Yehan, but he's still many times a better man compared to that jerk! If we weren't in court, I would've already channeled my inner Momsy and beaten that asshole with my mighty boots! All the things he and his lawyer said, who's also an asshole by the way, were all disgusting! I really can't believe that such a malicious person is my boss' brother! You really can't trust blood relations. Just look at how boss and Fifth Bro Hao act more like the true siblings than that asshole! He must never get Little Junie boy. I don't want our Baby Junie turning into an asshole like his father when he grows up."
"I won't allow him to take our son away from me," Jiang Ying Yue replied in a surprisingly calm voice. It was a huge contrast to her emotional breakdown earlier during the court session. "But I won't deprive him of his right as the father either. If he wants to see his son and become part of Little Jun's life, I'll let him. I can give him at least that despite all the hurt and humiliation he caused me. Without him, our son wouldn't be born into this world."
Clover sighed and grumbled, "You're too kind, Sis Ying Yue. But it's your decision. If that's what you want, I'll support you!"
After discussing their strategy for tomorrow's court session, they left the courthouse through a nondescript side entrance where they were whisked away by their waiting cars, causing the reporters waiting at the other entrances to miss them.
Inside the car, Jiang Ying Yue felt numb physically, mentally and emotionally. Long Hui, her former boss and the man she fell stupidly in love with and who fathered her beloved son, painted her as a promiscuous, gold-digging, cheating slut during the court hearing. The anger was there inside her but she was too exhausted to feel it. Before she knew it, her eyes had closed and she fell into a restless and dreamless slumber.
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At Lin Yehan's farm villa mansion.
"Eldest Bro, this...oh shit," Yu Mo couldn't help but curse as he watched the evening news on TV.
Lin Yehan's lips pressed into a thin line as he watched several photos and a video clip of him and Jiang Ying Yue at the mall together with Little Jun, whose face was blurred out, being shown on the evening news. The custody battle was actually featured as a major news story tonight! And the implication was clear. The news wanted people to believe that he had an affair with Jiang Ying Yue while she was still engaged to Long Hui. Ã00vâ¬l--Ã1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
His usual gentle expression was nowhere to be seen. It looked stormy instead. So stormy that Yu Mo didn't dare make any jokes to lighten the atmosphere like he usually would in normal situations.
However, when the news showed a short video clip of Jiang Ying Yue sobbing in utter heartbreak in the courtroom, Lin Yehan's stony expression cracked revealing concern, sympathy and also unwarranted guilt. He felt sorry for her.
Then he felt furious at the asshole who made her cry like that. When the news showed the face of Long Hui next, Lin Yehan lost his temper and threw the remote control hard. It struck the antique vase on top of the coffee table, breaking both the vase and the remote control into pieces. He imagined that the broken vase was the son of a bitch's face which made him feel a little better but failed to decrease the growing fury he felt.
Not caring about the next portion of the news story about the involvement of bigshot lawyers Deng Gui and Kang Huizhong, Lin Yehan grabbed his phone and called Jiang Ying Yue's number. It kept on ringing and going into voicemail. He tried calling her seven times but she wasn't answering.
Lin Yehan stood up and walked out of the living area.
"Eldest Bro, where are you going?" Yu Mo called after him.
"I'm getting my coat and keys. I'm driving to Third Brother's place. I need to talk to Miss Jiang and see with my own eyes how she's doing."
"Oh okay! Wait for me! I'm coming, too!"
Chapter 658 - Trust In Your Friend
Dragon Palace Home #10.
When Lin Yehan and Yu Mo arrived at the mansion later that evening, Iris was accompanying Jin Liwei in the kitchen for his late dinner. Jin Liwei just returned home from work. Iris and the others already ate dinner earlier. Since Lin Yehan and Yu Mo hadn't eaten yet, they also joined their third brother.
Lin Yehan was restless. "Where's Miss Jiang? How is she feeling? Is she okay? No, what a stupid question. She obviously won't be okay."
"Ying Yue is already asleep in her room when I got home," Iris replied. "Clover said that she looked exhausted and terrible which is understandable given what she went through during the court hearing today." Her expression became dark. She hissed, "I heard about the baseless accusations thrown at her. How dare he?! That man is not my brother! I have no brother who's a stupid and malicious craven!"
Jin Liwei's expression became colder but his hand resting on her shoulder was gentle as he began massaging her tense muscles. "Don't worry, love. Jiang Ying Yue is the mother of our godson and your friend, not to mention that she's part of our household, our family. Nobody touches anyone from our family and gets away with it."
Iris nodded. His words calmed her down but couldn't relax her completely. Then she turned to Lin Yehan who hadn't touched his food yet. "Eldest Brother, you've been dragged into the mess created by my broâI mean, by Long Hui."
"Don't worry about me, Xiulan." Lin Yehan's smile didn't reach his eyes as if he was forcing it, but his usual gentle expression was back. "I'm a grown man. I can handle something like this, no problem. I'm more worried about Miss Jiang. She may look strong and tough on the outside but she's actually very soft-hearted and delicate on the inside."
The three raised their eyebrows at his statement and glanced at each other with a meaningful look but didn't interrupt him. Yu Mo wisely decided to keep his mouth shut and not crack a joke at this time.
It seemed that their eldest brother had been paying a rather close attention to Jiang Ying Yue. He was even able to grasp her real personality with great accuracy despite only occasionally interacting with each other. Was he always this observant? Wang Yingjie was usually the most observant among the brothers when it came to people's characters and relationships, but it seemed that in the case of Jiang Ying Yue, Lin Yehan had become quite observant as well. Did the two grow closer to each other without the others noticing?
Lin Yehan continued speaking, not noticing the weird looks the others were throwing at him. "All of these...are very unfair to Miss Jiang. It frustrates me that I'm also being used as a weapon to hurt her and to ruin her image to the public. She's such a good person and a good mother. She doesn't deserve something like this! I want to help her...I want to...to do something! But I'm afraid that if I do, I'll just be feeding the fake rumours about us having an affair. I don't want to cause her any more pain than she's experiencing now. Dammit! I want to smash Long Hui's face with my fists!"
The others were surprised at his outburst. Indeed, he looked frustrated and helpless at the same time, but there was also determination mixed in there. Like Wang Yingjie, Lin Yehan rarely lost his composure. Wang Yingjie was an extremely busy doctor so he thrived under pressure, even in literal life and death situations. That was why Wang Yingjie was already so accomplished in his profession despite his relatively young age among doctors with the same specialty as him. As for Lin Yehan, he was the eldest among the five and had long took it upon himself to become the source of stability for his brothers. He was also fiercely protective of those he considered family and suspicious of anyone popping up in their close, tight-knit circle all of a sudden like when he met Iris for the first time back then. He may look amiable and gentle but he didn't trust anyone easily, so it was a big surprise to Yu Mo, Jin Liwei and Iris that he would react this strongly about Jiang Ying Yue's current situation.
Iris opened her mouth about to say something but Jin Liwei gave a gentle squeeze on her shoulder, silently telling her to stay quiet. She frowned, displeased that he stopped her but upon seeing his expression, she understood his silent message. Although reluctant, she nodded and didn't share any opinion out loud regarding Lin Yehan's involvement in the mess that was the custody case.
The dinner became sombre after that, so Yu Mo steered the conversation to a much lighter topic. Later, Iris and Jin Liwei retired to their bedroom suite after bidding the others good night. Lin Yehan and Yu Mo decided to sleep over at the mansion because it was already very late and Lin Yehan's farm was quite far from Dragon Palace Homes.
When the couple reached their bedroom, they began talking about the custody case while Iris helped Jin Liwei out of his suit and get him ready for bed. The furrow between her brows indicated that she was worried for her friend, Jiang Ying Yue. Jin Liwei kissed the space between her brows until the furrow disappeared.
"We'll win this custody case. Our lawyers including Sir Deng Gui have formed a formidable team. We should trust in them," he reassured her.
She sighed, smiling a little. "Yes, we should thank Grandpa Lu for inviting his long-time friend Sir Deng."
"No. If we try thanking him, he'll just scold us and tell us, how dare you treat your grandpa like a stranger? Bah! I'm only doing this for the sake of my beloved great-grandbaby, not for you rascals! And also, what's wrong with you dunderheads for being so slow in giving me more great-grandbabies? I want to know! Get to work now! I'm not getting any younger!"
Iris was a little startled when Jin Liwei imitated Grandpa Lu's usual words in a monotone voice and a deadpan expression that she honestly didn't know how to react at first. Then she doubled over and pressed her face against his chest as she laughed so hard until her stomach ached. The corners of Jin Liwei's lips lifted into a soft, doting smile. He wrapped his arms around her shaking body from too much laughing and pulled her closer.
"Feel better?"
Lifting her head to look up at him, she smiled and nodded. Her eyes were watery from laughing too much. Then her expression became serious again. "I trust in our lawyers. And I trust in us to protect our godson. I'm just worried about Ying Yue...and now Eldest Brother is involved as well. They're not like me who constantly has to deal with negative publicity in the media. I think I shouldâ"
"Love, I agree that we should be protecting Little Jun and make sure not to let that stupid idiot take our godson away from Jiang Ying Yue. She's also your friend, so I understand that you're worried about how she's coping with the stress. But remember that she's already a grown woman. We can't always interfere on her behalf. We have already lent her all the tools she'll need to win this custody battle and live a good life with Little Jun. Still, there are some things that she needs to face by herself. She'll never get over Long Hui if we always shelter her. He'll forever be a devil in her heart, casting an inescapable shadow over her and Little Jun's lives in the future."
Iris was quiet, feeling conflicted by his words, but she understood that he made sense. It was just that this was the first time in her two lives that she had real, close friends. She couldn't bear to see any of them suffer. The debut release of this chapter happened at Ãøvâ¬l-B1n.
"You're her friend, not her guardian or provider," Jin Liwei continued. He lifted her chin with his fingers and made her look at his eyes. "Don't worry about her. My wife's friends are not weak cowards. Trust in your friend. She'll get through this with her own strength. We just need to be there for her and let her know that she's not alone."
"Yes, you're right. I should trust my friend more."
Chapter 659 - Are We Eloping?
Jin Liwei was satisfied that his baby girl understood his point.
"But what about the cheating allegations between Ying Yue and Eldest Brother?" Iris asked. "Those misleading photos are really damaging. Should weâ"
"Love, just as I want you to trust your friend, I also trust in mine. Eldest Brother is amiable but he's no weak man. You heard him at dinner. He cares for Jiang Ying Yue. To what extent, I don't know, but rest assured that he'll do everything for the people he cares for. And it seems like Jiang Ying Yue is now one of those people, just like us. The cheating allegations involve the two of them. Let's see how they handle it first. If they're unable to solve it by themselves, we'll step in. How's that?"
She sighed but still nodded.
"I don't think we would need to step in, to be honest. Eldest Brother likes keeping a low profile but he's not without his own influence. Also, don't be fooled by that gentle expression. Remember that he's a gun and shooting expert. He also has a vicious side to him, surprisingly. Being Eldest Brother doesn't just mean that he's the oldest among us. It also means that he's the one we accept as our leader that we five brothers accept and respect. Your husband has no weak and cowardly friends," he said in a proud manner.
Iris felt calmer after hearing Jin Liwei's reassurances. Indeed, it took a bit of time before she felt fully accepted by Lin Yehan. He was always nice and kind to her, but she sensed that he still kept some distance from her until he felt assured that she truly loved Jin Liwei. After that initial hurdle, Lin Yehan now treated her like family, like one of his own. This kind of loyalty was what she admired the most among the five brothers and what she also wanted with her friends, the girl squad.
If Lin Yehan really started caring about Jiang Ying Yue and began to treat her like family, then Iris would feel less worried for her friend. Nevertheless, she still intended to take action if things didn't work out like what Jin Liwei said. She agreed to let Jiang Ying Yue face the hardships being thrown at her right now, but Iris didn't plan on leaving her friend alone to face everything by herself. For now, however, she would follow her darling's suggestion and trust in both their friends. Indeed, she and her darling had no true friends who were weak cowards.
Smiling, she tried giving Jin Liwei a playful pinch on his hip but failed because it was all hard muscles. So she gave him a playful bite on his chest instead. It was still all hard muscles but her teeth had a stronger grip than her fingers. He grunted more from pleasure than from pain.
"Calling us husband and wife...we're not married yet," she reminded him.
"We will be. Soon."
"Are we eloping?"
"If you want."
She tilted her head to the side, seriously thinking about it. But before she could form a decision, he added, "I prefer that we don't, though. I admit that I had thoughts before of tricking you into eloping with me but I love you too much to do that to you. I want to give you your dream wedding as much as possible, even if we have to rush it. Our wedding is an extremely special occasion. It's a celebration of our love. It shouldn't be something careless."
"Oh." Iris felt touched, then concerned. "But I don't know what my dream wedding is. I never thought that I'd be marrying someone I love."
A distant look glazed over her eyes, as she remembered her past life's circumstances. She was Evelina Vetrova who had no freedom. There had been several marriage offers for her, but they were all from scions of other criminal families. She rejected all of them but her words carried no weight in the Vetrov family because of her refusal to contribute to the organization's activities. If it weren't for her big brother who intimidated and threatened her suitors, their mother would have probably married her off to the best candidate the moment she turned eighteen. And the best candidate would always be the one whose family could provide the best benefits to the Vetrov organization. Since she was basically a useless deadweight in terms of her contributions to the organization, all she was good for was for marriage connections.
Thus, she never had any delusional dreams of marrying a man she would one day fall in love with. To her, there was no other man in the world who could be better than her brother. Never did she expect that she would fall so deeply in love with someone after her death in her next chance in life.
Jin Liwei was not a better man than her brother, but she realized now that her brother was not a better man than Jin Liwei either. Both men had their own strengths and flaws. They were different from each other that there was no use in comparing them. She loved both of them in different ways.
Now that Jin Liwei broached the subject of her dream wedding, she realized how foreign the concept was to her. She knew what it was, of course, but it still felt alien. What could she say to him? He wanted to give her what she thought of as a perfect wedding but had no idea of what she wanted.
Upon hearing his baby girl's reply, Jin Liwei couldn't help but frown. No dream wedding? Never thought that she would marry someone she loved? He heard from someone before that all women had a dream wedding regardless of whether they ended up marrying the one they loved or not. Was it not the same for his baby girl?
Ah, it must be because she was special. His baby girl was so special that she was different from other women.
'Yes, that must be it!' The debut release of this chapter happened at Ãøvâ¬l-B1n.
The realization made him relax.
"Don't worry, my love. I'm here, aren't I? I don't have one either. So we'll just have to construct our dream wedding together."
Chapter 660 Why, Mr - Lin?!
Lin Yehan couldn't sleep despite feeling at home at his third brother's place. He felt restless. If his second brother wasn't so strict about their health, then Lin Yehan would probably have looked for a cigarette to smoke right now in an attempt to relax. It was already past midnight. Living in a farm trained him to sleep early and to rise early. But sleep was proving to be elusive tonight. Sighing, he tossed the covers away and climbed off the bed.
Then he started walking around the dimly-lit hallways, hoping that by tiring himself, he would be able to sleep. His third brother's mansion was huge but he knew its layout like the back of his hand. All of them brothers treated each other's homes like an extension of their own homes. Just as all his brothers were welcome at his home, he was also welcome in theirs. They were family, after all.
His mind drifted to different kinds of thoughts but most of them were about Jiang Ying Yue's custody battle for her son Little Jun against her ex, Long Hui, and of course, the cheating allegations between him and her. The stress was getting to him, so he could only imagine what Jiang Ying Yue was going through. The woman must be suffering. Lin Yehan thought that a man who could hurt his lover, ex or not, like that wasn't a real man at all.
'This isn't working at all. I won't be able to sleep if I keep thinking like this. I need to clear and relax my mind.' Nâ¡vεlB¡n: Your Escape into Infinite Tales.
Wanting to do just that, he planned on stepping outside in the hopes that the cold late autumn weather could blast the stressful thoughts out of his mind. But when he stepped outside the nearest balcony at the end of the hallway, someone was already occupying the place.
"Mr. Lin," Jiang Ying Yue greeted him in a surprised tone.
"Miss Jiang," he replied with a nod.
"I didn't know that you're here."
"I arrived late in the evening with Fourth Brother Mo. Xiulan said that you were already asleep."
She nodded but didn't reply. Instead, she returned to looking at the dark, hazy, night sky.
Lin Yehan couldn't see her clearly in the dark. Only the dim lights from the hallway illuminated the balcony. The moon and the stars were hiding behind thick, dark clouds. Wanting to take a closer look at her to see if she was alright, he headed to where she was and stood beside her in front of the ornate balustrade. He noticed her stiffening when he got close to her but felt relieved when she didn't move away. They didn't speak to each other but just stood there, gazing at nothing in front of them. The silence was awkward at first but as minutes ticked by, it gradually felt comfortable until they felt themselves relaxing bit by bit.
"I came because I wanted to see if you're okay," Lin Yehan said, breaking the silence first.
Jiang Ying Yue didn't reply immediately because she didn't know which words were the most appropriate to say. "I...thank you, Mr. Lin. I'm...I'm okayâ"
"Don't lie, please. Anyone who goes through what you're going through right now certainly won't feel okay."
Her breath hitched and her lips trembled a little. There was now a watery shine in her eyes which shimmered even in the darkness. She tried to blink the tears away to prevent them from falling. On the way home from the courthouse earlier, she felt numb and exhausted. But after waking up from a dreamless and restless sleep, she began feeling the emotions again. The heartache was there but it had now changed from a hopeless, yearning hurt to an enraged one from the total destruction of her first love.
"You're right, Mr. Lin. I'm...not okay," she finally admitted with a shaky voice laced with anger. Her hands gripped the balustrades in front of her, channeling her angry heartache into the inanimate object. "I have to...to apologize to you, Mr. Lin. I just saw that our photos have been shown on the newsâ"
"Don't apologize. It's not your fault. Not mine either. It's not our fault. There's nothing we should feel sorry about."
She finally faced him. "But because of me, you got into this messâ"
"I told you it's not your fault. We met at the mall by coincidence. It's nobody's fault, except for the malicious people who took the photos and video and intended to frame the two of us as a cheating couple. It's their fault. But the biggest fault lies in...in the person you love who's using those misleading evidence to hurt you and to destroy both of our reputation."
"I don't love that person anymore!"
He studied her face. His eyes had already adjusted to the darkness so he could now see her expression. "Are you sure?"
"Y-yes... Yes! He hurt me so much that all my love for him has been battered out of me! How...how could he do this to me?! Even if he stopped l-loving me and doesn't want...to be with me anymore, why does he need to hurt me this much?! He could just...leave me, but why do this?! Why, Mr. Lin?!! WHY?!!!"
Lin Yehan pulled her to his embrace. The front of his shirt got soaked immediately from her angry, gushing tears. Then she started beating his chest in her current emotional state. As a muscular and physically strong woman, all of her hits packed a hard, solid punch, making him wince in pain, but he did his best not to groan or complain. Instead, he tightened his arms around her and pulled her closer. His chest might be bruised black and blue but his heart felt more painful as it squeezed in response to her sorrowful sobs. He didn't say anything, just allowed her to cry her heart out in his arms.
While he comforted her with his silent warmth, his cold eyes glinted in the darkness with a fury that he was barely able to control.
'I'll never treat my woman like this. Never destroy her like this.'