Chapter 35: Regretting the Breakup?

Lu Yao sensed the heat and desire in his gaze as he looked at her, and her heart tightened instantly.

“Have you seen enough?” she asked.

“No,” Ye Zehong replied in a hoarse voice, his deep eyes fixed on her.

Lu Yao was a little surprised, not expecting his answer to be so blunt and direct.

“Mr. Ye, you have a fiancée. Please have some self-respect—” Before she could finish, Ye Zehong pressed his lips to hers. One hand gripped her wrist, the other clasped her slender waist, pulling her tightly against him.

Lu Yao was stunned for a full three seconds before she realized just how intimate their posture was. Then, without hesitation, she bit hard into Ye Zehong’s lip, and the taste of blood flooded her mouth.

Ye Zehong winced in pain and let go of her lips, but his hand still held her waist firmly. He gazed deeply into her eyes, the desire that usually appeared only in bed now laid bare before her with no attempt to conceal it.

“Let go of me,” Lu Yao wriggled and struggled, her heart indignant.

He kissed her whenever he wanted—what did he take her for?

“What if I don’t let go?”

“Ye Zehong, don’t go too far!”

“What have I done to you?” he asked, even more enamored by her angry, puffed-up expression, as if it had the power to heal him, lightening the gloom in his heart.

Lu Yao was momentarily at a loss for words.

As a lawyer, her composure should not fail so easily. Quickly gathering herself, she spoke with solemnity: “Ye Zehong, we’re now exes. Your behavior just now—I could absolutely sue you for sexual harassment. And don’t you think you’re being contradictory? You were the one who proposed the breakup, ending our three-year secret relationship. So why did you call me here to drink with you? Why did you kiss me out of nowhere? Even when I was in danger, you were the first to come and rescue me. Is that something an ex should do? Most importantly, you’ve already publicly announced your engagement to Qiao Wan’er, yet you’re holding and hugging me—is that appropriate?”

Ye Zehong was struck silent by her words, staring at her without a response.

Lu Yao, agitated, said, “If you won’t answer, that’s fine. I’ll just leave.”

She was about to climb out of the pool when Ye Zehong grabbed her wrist again, holding her tightly against his burning chest and locking her in his arms.

Helpless, she asked, “What exactly do you want?”

Ye Zehong was stunned.

What did he want?

For a moment, even he couldn’t find an answer within himself.

“Do you regret breaking up?” Lu Yao suddenly wondered aloud, her eyes fixed on him, longing for his reply.

Did he regret it?

Ye Zehong stared into Lu Yao’s eyes, dazed, and for the first time in his life, he didn’t know what he was doing.

He had wanted to push her away, keep her from the Ye family so she wouldn’t get dragged into trouble. Yet every time he saw her, he couldn’t control his instincts.

For Lu Yao, every minute and second was agony.

After ten long minutes without an answer, her heart ached, though her face twisted into a bitter, self-mocking smile. Her voice was calm as she said, “I guess you want Qiao Wan’er’s status to help you shine in the Ye family, yet still keep our secret affair as before.”

“Ye Zehong, the world doesn’t offer such pretty things.”

“I wish you and Miss Qiao a long and happy marriage!”

With these words, Lu Yao pushed him away, left the pool in her soaking clothes, and walked out.

Before stepping out of the pool area, she glanced back quietly.

Under the sunset, he stood motionless in the water tinged with yellow and pink, like a scene from a film—beautiful, yet suffused with a loneliness that broke the heart.