116

Xia Yuwei looked up at the window, only to realize that the car was traveling down a road she had never taken before.

"Where are we going?" she could not help but ask.

"You'll know when we get there," Ye Lifeng replied in a low voice. His tone was neither heavy nor light, as if he were merely an empty vessel. This dark, somber side of him was something Xia Yuwei had never seen before. In the two years she had known him, he had always been gentle and refined, never letting his emotions show on his face, making his true feelings impossible to discern.

Today was the first time she felt his emotions so clearly. Although he remained composed on the surface, driving with his usual focus, an invisible aura surrounded him, exerting immense pressure. Under this weight, Xia Yuwei felt as though she could barely breathe.

He must have known what she wanted to say. He must be angry. Was he going to berate her? Throughout the journey, she felt the pressure radiating from him, her mind racing with guesses about what he might say. She hugged her arms, fearful of the impending storm. But since it was inevitable, she would have to face it with courage.

The car traveled along a road in the outskirts, turning onto a side path. To the left lay neatly trimmed lawns, followed by patches of low-lying woods, and then a series of European-style villas, dark and silent, appearing to be secondary residences for the wealthy.

The car stopped in front of one of the villas. With a soft honk, the gate slowly opened.

A middle-aged man stepped out and greeted him, "Young Master, you have arrived." It seemed this was one of the Ye family's properties.

Ye Lifeng merely nodded and drove the car inside.

They entered a semi-underground garage with a transparent roof. Xia Yuwei saw that Ye Lifeng had no intention of getting out. He rested his left elbow on the edge of the open window, his hand against his temple, his right hand still on the steering wheel. She remained still as well.

"Lifeng, I remember you once said that if I ever wanted to leave, you would let me go at any time..." After a moment of silence, Xia Yuwei struggled to break the tension. She had to say it sooner or later; why wait?

"Yuwei!" Ye Lifeng interrupted, turning his head to look at her. A cryptic smile played on his lips. "I have said a thousand, ten thousand things to you. Why is it that you only remember that one?"

He looked her up and down, then quickly averted his gaze, turning to look out the window. He lit a cigarette in silence.

Xia Yuwei gripped the ring tightly in her hand. The scent of tobacco filled the air, a faint mist enveloping them both, with only the glowing red ember of the cigarette visible in the darkness. Neither spoke.

Though barely two minutes passed while he smoked half the cigarette, it felt like an eternity to Xia Yuwei; the atmosphere was stifling. He had not hit her, nor had he scolded her, yet this silence felt like a silent condemnation.

After a while, Xia Yuwei ventured, "Lifeng, it’s very late. Can we go back?"

Ye Lifeng turned his head, smiling faintly. "No rush. This is our home, too. It wouldn't hurt to go inside and rest."

"That's not necessary..." Xia Yuwei muttered. But Ye Lifeng had already stepped out of the car. She had no choice but to follow.

Ye Lifeng turned on the lights and gestured for her to enter the living room first. Xia Yuwei walked in and looked around, trying her best to calm her nerves. She felt she understood the kind of man Ye Lifeng was—gentle, like a spring breeze. He would never do anything wrong, she told herself. She sat down on the sofa.

Ye Lifeng took off his trench coat, hung it up, and walked in. He turned on the television to fill the silence, then sat down beside her. He draped an arm over her shoulders and, noticing her clenched hands, reached over to pry her fingers apart one by one. In her palm lay the engagement ring, the pink diamond gleaming beneath her trembling grip.

Ye Lifeng frowned. "Why aren't you wearing it?" He picked it up, intending to put it on her finger.

Xia Yuwei pulled her hand back, clutching it tight. "I'm sorry, Lifeng. I can't."

Ye Lifeng turned, grabbed her chin firmly, and lifted her face. The kiss marks visible beneath her high-necked sweater were stark under the light.

"Xia Yuwei, my fiancée. Is this how you treat me?" His other hand, cool to the touch, slid down her neck and beneath the collar of her sweater, tracing her skin slowly. His voice, slow yet laced with fury, sent a chill through her.

He shoved her back, pinning her against the back of the sofa.

"Lifeng..." Her voice trembled. His demeanor terrified her.

He leaned in and kissed her lips with a sudden, wild intensity. Xia Yuwei struggled desperately, but he ignored her, reaching out to tear at her clothes.

After what felt like an age, Xia Yuwei could taste the blood on her lips. His frenzy left her gasping for air. When his lips finally pulled away, she screamed and pushed at him. "No!" She had never known Ye Lifeng possessed such a terrifying side.

He easily pinned her down, a smile still playing on his lips. "Why not? Why can't you? You are my fiancée, my wife! Why can't you give yourself to me?"

"I didn't! I didn't! I can't! Please, let me go!" Xia Yuwei cried out incoherently. In this remote place, she was truly frightened. She could not imagine what was about to happen. She had been a fool to trust him!

"Don't you like intensity? Don't you like violence? Don't you like the thrill?!"

"Anything he can give you, I can give you too!"

Ye Lifeng pinned her hands behind her back with one hand, pressing his body tightly against hers. His eyes were filled with a mixture of wounded sorrow and madness.

"No! You can't!" Xia Yuwei sobbed, tears streaming down her face.