Chapter 7: Love and Strife

She finally realized that there was fresh blood marking her jaw, from where Xu Yuan’s fingernails had scraped her.
“I…”
“Get out.”
His tone was icy and forceful, as if he regarded her as nothing more than an ant.
Outside, rain poured in torrents, beating heavily against the black Rolls-Royce’s windows.
In the past, when Fu Yan Yan was young, he had delighted in her presence, eagerly awaiting her affection every day.
With Fu Yan Yan’s expressionless command, the driver immediately stopped the car. Inside, the atmosphere was chillingly silent, as if death itself lingered.
The driver, accustomed to such scenes, pressed the switch and opened the door to the back seat.
Smack—
Without a moment’s hesitation, she struck his face with her hand!
He wouldn’t even offer her an umbrella—was she meant to walk in the pouring rain, exposed and vulnerable?
The driver’s assistant exclaimed in awe, “Incredible! A true warrior!”
The man’s face turned slightly with the force of her blow, stray hair falling across his lashes, his tongue pressing against his jaw as he let out a cold laugh.
He was no longer the pristine, exalted figure he had once been; now he resembled a priceless porcelain vase shattered beyond repair.
Privately, he was capricious and cruel, his temper unpredictable.
He was, to put it plainly, a jade-faced demon.
“And you dare to strike me?”
Then, without warning, he gripped her throat, squeezing so tightly she couldn’t make a sound.
He had expected, even for a fleeting instant, to see a delicate, fearful expression cross her face.
Instead, Zhong Huayan burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Her lips curved upward, her laughter wild and innocent, spilling from her throat with reckless abandon.
The harder he pressed, the more she laughed.
Those words were forced out between gasps for air.
“Little bastard. You’ll regret this.”
The assistant and driver broke out in a cold sweat. Had they really encountered someone unafraid of death? In the capital, she was the only one daring to strike Fu Yan Yan and call him a bastard—she was courting disaster!
The pain twisted her features, and something in him was unsettled; he released her.
“Cough, cough…”
He got out of the car.
The assistant hurriedly opened an umbrella for him and lit his cigarette.
Seeing the back seat empty, the driver spoke, “Miss, you really ought to mind your words. The last girl who sat on Mr. Fu’s lap was thrown straight out of the car. Those who insulted him ended up wishing for death. You won’t be able to withstand it…”
She lit a cigarette herself.
So this was what he was like in private?
Zhong Huayan’s throat ached, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
Fine, she’d get out!

Rain soaked her hair instantly.
She kicked the car door shut, tucked her handbag under her arm, and strode away with a nonchalant elegance, drawing the gaze of everyone around her.
She hadn’t felt so free and comfortable in ages; back at the Zhong family, everything was bound by rules.
She loved playing rock music at festivals, loved dancing sultry jazz. But because of her status, everything had been forbidden after high school.
Her grandmother’s words echoed: born into a noble family, one must be educated and refined, adept at business—not like those concubines, learning unworthy things.
Zhong Huayan ran wild through the rain, as if she’d finally broken free of countless restraints.
She glanced at the dazzling city lights; many drivers were watching her through their car windows.
Behind her came the screech of a luxury car swerving sharply—
She wanted to savor this moment of revenge and release!
“Sister! Li Yan Yan!”
Drenched, she turned to see a small car screeching to a halt at the intersection.
Her older brother, Li Junyu, opened the door and draped a coat over her shoulders.
“You didn’t bring an umbrella—you should have called me! Why are you running through the rain?
What if you catch a cold? What if you run into trouble?”
Zhong Huayan watched as he anxiously turned on the car’s heater and the warm, orange interior lights, wiping her wet hair as he drove.
Though his car was worlds apart from Fu Yan Yan’s luxury vehicle, at this moment, she felt warmth and care.
She looked out at the rain-washed streets.
That Rolls-Royce, with its Hong Kong, Macau, and Beijing plates, swung around and stopped in the middle of the road.
She lowered her head and sent a text to Fu Yan Yan’s number.
[Mr. Fu, I’ll find a way to repay the millions as quickly as possible. Thank you for your help today.]
Polite, yet distant.
He had never respected her—not once. To be precise, he had already been placed on a pedestal.
He regarded everyone else as ants.
But she was not.
She was his sister, the one who had taught him, protected him, and shown him the ways of the world.
“Sister! Was it Xu Yuan who hurt your neck again?”
Li Junyu stared at the vivid red mark on her throat.
“It was just classmates fooling around, nothing serious.”
“Sister, I’ll buy medicine at the pharmacy later, and have Mom make some chicken soup for you, to warm you up.
If you ever want to transfer schools, you must tell me. Your brothers will stand up for you!”
He didn’t press further; it was only recently that the family had discovered the truth.
Li Yan Yan had been bullied at school!
It had first come to light when their mother read her diary in her room and noticed something was wrong.
Today, he’d come especially to pick her up after class.
“Your second and third brothers—one is busy with national academic research, the other has just gone to a national esports tournament. They’ll be in Beijing in a few days.”

A few days?
She noticed, by chance, the date displayed in the car.
Today was her death anniversary.
It had been three years since she was murdered in a fire, orchestrated by others.
In the backseat of the Rolls-Royce, the man was also wet, wiping his glasses.
He had always been bold and decisive, never regretting his actions.
But today, his chest ached inexplicably, as if he truly feared he might have hurt her.
The assistant had been feeling overwhelmed lately. Was this the trend now, love and hate intertwined, she fleeing and he chasing after her?
Fu Yan Yan looked at the text message on his phone.
He had investigated her circumstances and doubted she could come up with seven million so quickly.
Their personalities were much alike—and the more alike, the less he felt at ease.
“Keep looking into it. Who has Li Yan Yan been seeing lately?”
“Boss, are you still worried about her background?”
If she was sent by his enemies…he wouldn’t hesitate.
He gazed at the gardenia flower by the car window.
Perhaps he was too attached to his sister, and so facing Li Yan Yan tormented him just as much.
He crushed the gardenia in his palm; the scent filled the decadent car interior.
His sister had loved gardenias most of all.
She had told him that those who spent their nights awake would always cherish the first gardenia blooming in the morning light.
Zhong Huayan had been through enough turmoil today.
In decades, she’d never felt so troubled or exhausted.
After returning to her rented apartment, she showered and checked her phone—almost all the messages urged her to livestream her antique appraisals.
As soon as she went online, several accounts from yesterday appeared.
[Finally! I’ve been waiting for you.]
[Ahhhh! You’re so beautiful!]
[Connect with me—I’ve brought a whole box of fun treasures today.]
As soon as the video started, a man held up a green, rusted copper coin. “Teacher, can you tell me if this is worth anything?”
“A few hundred, at most.”
No sooner had she finished speaking, the man turned the camera to a box of coins on the floor.
“Wait! Pick up those coins with dragons on them—I want to take a look!”