C74 Incident Accident
C74 Incident Accident
"Where are you?" Huo Liancheng asked directly.
She glanced at the bustling streets, squinting her eyes at the blaring lights surrounding them. Rubbing her forehead, she glanced back at her phone. "I'm at home," she stuttered out. This was the second time she had lied tonight. A guilty feeling stirred in her heart.
"Aren't you having a reunion with your classmates?"
"Ah, the reunion's done." Jian Yun quickly backtracked. It seemed that one lie could only lead to another. There was no saving her now. "I just arrived."
The chilly silence was as cold as the nightly breeze. Just when she had thought that he wouldn't speak to her anymore, a startling reply came from the other line, "Sleep early." It sounded more like a warning than a reminder.
Without another word, he hung up the phone.
Jian Yun stared at the blackened screen, and a sense of loss settled in her heart. She didn't even notice that Zhou Shaolong had already wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against his chest.
"Look at that car," he suddenly spoke up, snapping her out of her reverie. "It's a Bentley–limited edition–in fact, I don't know anyone who owns one. That's my dream one day–to ride in the front seat."
Zhou Shaolong's face furrowed over in envy, failing to notice how Jian Yun's features had turned sheet white at the sight of the Bentley. A cold feeling rushed through her veins, feeling as if she had just been poured by a bucket of iced water.
She knew that car. How could she not? It was clearly Huo Liancheng's car. There was even a special license plate–one that she had seen on a daily basis. A part of her wanted to just turn the other way, but she found herself frozen into place, like a deer caught in the headlights.
"What's wrong? Do you like this car too?" Seeing her widened eyes, Zhou Shaolong had assumed that she was surprised to see such a luxurious car right in front of her.
"Oh, no!" The car had already made her fear for her life so much that even if someone had given it to her for free, she would've readily refused it. Jian Yun immediately looked up from the tinted windows. It was only then when she realized that his hand had already slithered around her waist. Nausea burst from his touch, and she stepped to the side.
He shrugged, raising his arm to place it around her shoulders. "Why don't we go and head to that movie now?"
She dodged from his hold as if his mere touch could turn her into gold. Stopping, Jian Yun hesitated for a moment before shaking her head, "Sorry, I've just been too tired these past few days. I think I should head back and get some rest."
Zhou Shaolong frowned, but he didn't refuse her. "Should I send you home?"
"You've been working all day. You must be exhausted," she stated, shaking her head. "Besides, my place isn't that far from here. I can just take a subway. You should get some rest too, okay?"
"Are you sure? I mean...will it be safe for you to go home alone?"
"Ha!" Jian Yun snickered, amused by his words. "Don't I usually go home alone? I'll be fine."
Throughout their entire date, Zhou Shaolong had only seen her smile a couple of times, so to see her curved lips and raised eyebrows right now made him feel like he had won the lottery. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was devastatingly beautiful. And he certainly wasn't the only one who was captivated by the sight. Even a few men who had passed by couldn't help but revel at her in amazement.
"I'll be leaving first, okay?" With one last wave, she walked towards the subway station.
"Hey! Wait!" Zhou Shaolong had wanted to ask her to stay, but before he could run after her, his phone rang out. Glancing at the Caller ID, his eyebrows were raised and his gaze darkened almost immediately. It seemed that he had other things to attend to.
Jian Yun carried her bag as she walked down the pedestrian lane, weaving her way past the crowd. No matter how much she had walked or how far she had gone, she didn't dare look up, ignoring all the questioning stares that were directed at her.
She clearly didn't like Huo Liancheng. The only reason why she ate with him was that he had threatened her. That was it! If so, why was she so guilty when she had seen his car passing by just now? It wasn't as if they were together!
Even then, that still didn't stop her from feeling guilty–not just because he had found out like this, but also because she had lied to him.
What the hell was wrong with her?
Why did it feel as if she was two-timing them?
Jian Yun gritted her teeth, having the sudden urge to hit herself on the head.
She had walked for a long time so lost in thought that she didn't even notice that her phone was ringing in her bag. Taking out her phone, she glanced at the screen. There were around three missed calls.
All of them were from Cheng Muze.
Why would he be calling her?
"Sister Jian, where are you now?" Cheng Muze's voice sounded urgent.
"What's wrong?" Jian Yun was already at the subway station. She rubbed the back of her neck. Could this have anything to do with Huo Liancheng? He did see her just now...She quickly shook her head. No, she couldn't be too obvious.
"Can you come to Lover's Paradise? It's a dessert shop located at the intersection between Morningside and Long Wind streets," he continued. "I have something I need to show you. Hurry!"
Before she could refuse, he immediately hung up. She glanced at the subway station before turning to the other end of the street. Could they be together right now? It would be awkward if she bumped into Huo Liancheng tonight...But, Cheng Muze sounded so urgent, and the place he had mentioned wasn't that far away from where she was standing. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to follow him.
She had arrived at the dessert place five minutes later. Once she had pushed the door open, she could see Cheng Muze sitting alone. It seemed that he really was alone. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Why–" Just as she was about to ask, he quickly motioned for her to quiet down.
Jian Yun closed her mouth.
"Listen!" Cheng Muze hissed, signaling her to listen it to the people behind them.
The Hong Kong dessert shop was fairly large, and it had a large central table for all its customers. Behind them were long benches facing the window sill. The chairs at the back were fairly high, so Jian Yun didn't notice who was sitting behind them.
That was until she had heard his voice. The one sitting behind them was none other than Zhou Shaolong.
He was talking to another person who was sitting beside him. From what she could see, it was also another man, but from the way his voice sounded, she could've easily assumed that it had belonged to a woman.
The more she listened in, the weirder her expression became.
"Shaolong, do you really like that woman?" The man asked coquettishly.
"What's wrong? You jealous?" Zhou Shaolong's voice was sweet, sounding as if it had just been dipped into honeycomb.
Behind them, Jian Yun and Cheng Muze shared glances of disbelief.
"We've already been together for two years. In the beginning, you said that you aren't attracted to women, and suddenly you want to marry one." The other man was filled with resentment, and she could see from her reflection that he was waving his poorly shaped fist at Zhou Shaolong. "How can I not be jealous?"
"You know how anxious my parents are when it comes to marriage, and I'm only dating her to reassure them. Even if we do get married, that wouldn't mean that I'll cut all connections with you." There was a soft smooch. It sounded as if he had kissed him. "Aren't there many people like us?"
When Jian Yun heard this, she shivered. Could it be that he had cheated on him with her?
"But you've been so cold to me..." Although the man's voice had softened, he still wouldn't budge. "You've already fallen for her, haven't you?"
"Of course not! How long have I known her? How long have I known you? I love you more obviously," Zhou Shaolong coaxed. "If she wasn't beautiful, I wouldn't even pay attention to her. Even if I did marry her, she'll just be my trophy wife–just another furniture in the household."