024 - Distancing Myself from Him

Lu Yichen wanted to step forward and say something, but saw Xia Yuwei retreating, her eyes filled with wariness as she looked at him. "Don't say anything. Stay away from me!"

"Vivi..." He called her name with difficulty. Without his usual overbearing demeanor, her distant and angry expression revealed a side she had never shown him before. She looked as though he had committed some unforgivable crime, as if she would never treat him kindly again, as if she was about to leave him forever.

He, always domineering and forceful, suddenly felt panic rise within him—a suffocating pain. He wanted to approach, but her coldness left him helpless and rooted to the spot. In his world, he had never known fear, but now he was truly afraid. Afraid to take a single step forward, afraid that her heart would drift even further from his own.

Xia Yuwei's brows knitted tightly as she gazed at him coldly, saying nothing, her posture clearly demanding him to leave. Her heart was in turmoil, furious—she had nothing she wished to say.

Lu Yichen watched her, saw how anger made her chest rise and fall sharply. He was at a loss, but he couldn't bring himself to simply walk away.

"Vivi, don't you want to be with me forever?" After a long silence, he finally spoke, his bright, star-like eyes now confused, wounded, like a small animal in pain.

"That's impossible. You're still so young—how could you possibly know what 'forever' means?" Xia Yuwei hardened her heart, ignoring the sorrow in his eyes as she replied coldly. She had already made up her mind: from now on, she would keep her distance, never giving him another chance to act so recklessly. "In any case, please stay away from me from now on."

It seemed he still did not understand what love truly was. He had mistaken her kindness for something deeper, simply because they had spent so much time together. Once he grew older and met the right person, he would realize that all of this was nothing more than a beautiful misunderstanding.

She refused to let Lu Yichen speak further, quickly crossing the room to open the door, making a gesture for him to leave. If it had been before, Lu Yichen would have clung to her stubbornly until she pleaded for mercy. But now, he looked at her, and she looked back at him. There was an invisible barrier between them, and after a long moment of silent confrontation, Lu Yichen finally lowered his gaze, uncharacteristically refraining from any forceful action, and turned to leave.

He walked slowly to the doorway, paused, clenched his fists, fought the urge to look back at her, and strode out.

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A top-of-the-line Maserati sped along the highway.

Lu Yichen kept his lips pressed tightly together, pushing the car to its limits, numb to the sensation of speed.