Chapter 45: Rainy Night (4)

Outside, the rain was still falling. All the way home, Meng Yier chattered incessantly about her favorite films and the feelings they stirred in her. Ke Sen spoke little, listening intently to her reflections.

Soon, the car pulled to a stop beneath the building where Meng Yier lived. She thanked Ke Sen repeatedly, assuring him over and over that she would return his clothes before preparing to get out of the car.

“Miss Meng, wait a moment—” Ke Sen called out as the rain continued to pour. He got out quickly, slipped off his suit jacket, and held it over her head to shield her from the rain.

He walked her to the entrance before returning to his car. Meng Yier watched his car vanish into the curtain of rain before turning to head back inside. She had barely taken two steps when she looked up and saw Yan Yichen standing not far away, completely soaked, his handsome face clouded with gloom, eyes dark and cold as they stared at her.

Meng Yier stopped in surprise, startled by the fierce expression on Yan Yichen’s face. “Yan Yichen, what are you doing here?”

He stared at her for a long moment, his gaze nearly spitting fire. Meng Yier hesitated. “What’s wrong with you?”

Yan Yichen strode up to her, seized her wrist, and started to drag her away. The suddenness of his action made her jump. His grip was strong, and the pain in her wrist, along with the heavy scent of alcohol on him, made her frown in discomfort.

She wrenched her hand free with force and stepped back. “Yan Yichen, what do you think you’re doing?”

His eyes were bloodshot as he grabbed her shoulders and shouted, “What am I doing? Do you have any idea what time it is? It’s two in the morning! Did you spend all this time with Ke Sen? Say something!”

Meng Yier, shaken by his sudden rage, could only stammer, “I—”

“Why did you change your clothes? Why were you with Ke Sen? Did you sleep with him? Are you just like those other women, trading your looks for what you want?”

He regretted letting her leave at the banquet, regretted not following her immediately. By the time he chased after her, she was already gone. He’d searched everywhere, thinking she might have gone home, only to find the place empty when he rushed back. Guilt and anxiety gnawed at him, fearing something might have happened to her. He never imagined she’d be with Ke Sen. Although he trusted her, jealousy clouded his reason, and the alcohol only fueled his loss of control, making him lash out with reckless, hurtful words.

Meng Yier’s heart trembled violently as she stared in shock at the man before her, mad with jealousy and spouting nonsense. She struggled desperately but could not break free from his grasp. She hammered at his chest, her voice shaking. “This is my business, not yours. What right do you have to question and humiliate me?”

Yan Yichen paused, then let her go. He took a step back, his lips twisting in a bitter smile as he murmured, “You’re right, I have no right. All these years, you’ve never once cared about me.”

He forced a smile, his face filled with loneliness, then turned and walked away. Perhaps because of the alcohol, his steps were unsteady, and he nearly stumbled at the door.

Meng Yier replayed his words in her mind: “All these years, you’ve never once cared about me.” There was a sorrow in his tone that she didn’t understand. The strong smell of alcohol on him made her suspect he was drunk and rambling, yet he had still come out to look for her. Watching his retreating figure in frustration, she took off her soaked high heels and hurled them hard at his back.

“Damn you, Yan Yichen! Drunk as you are, what’s the point of coming out here to throw a tantrum?”