“Open the door! Hurry and open the door!”
Outside the door, Lu Hengyu’s voice grew increasingly impatient.
He Huaiqin exchanged a glance with Wen Zhaoning, signaling her to wait in the restroom.
Wen Zhaoning nodded and quickly hid in the restroom.
He Huaiqin turned, walked with steady steps towards the door that was being pounded on, and yanked it open.
Outside the door, Lu Hengyu was about to kick the door when he saw someone open it, his movement freezing mid-air.
He Huaiqin glanced at Lu Hengyu and the two men behind him who were holding up mobile phones, seemingly recording: “Gentlemen, is there a reason for such a commotion at my room door?”
Lu Hengyu hadn’t expected such a distinguished man to open the door. More importantly, this man showed no sign of panic or fluster from being “caught in the act.”
“I’m looking for my wife!” Lu Hengyu’s gaze flickered towards the room, and he shouted, stubbornly: “Wen Zhaoning, I know you’re in there, get out here now!”
He didn’t just shout; he tried to enter the room to search.
He Huaiqin raised his arm horizontally, blocking Lu Hengyu.
“Mr. Lu, entering my room without my consent is an illegal act.”
Lu Hengyu narrowed his eyes, re-examining He Huaiqin: “Do you know me?”
“I had the honor of meeting you once at the Chinese Business Conference in London last year.”
The Chinese Business Conference was not an event ordinary people could attend; Lu Hengyu had only gone along with his father to broaden his horizons.
It seemed the man before him was no ordinary person.
Lu Hengyu’s demeanor softened slightly: “May I ask who you are?”
He Huaiqin casually handed over his business card.
Lu Hengyu glanced at the card, and a circle of cold sweat broke out on his palm.
He was He Huaiqin, the founder of Yaohua Law Firm!
Lu Hengyu had heard his father mention He Huaiqin before. In the legal circles, this name represented not only a successful lawyer but also someone with unfathomable connections, extending not only to legal titans and influential figures in the judiciary but also precisely, like a spiderweb, into finance, real estate, technology, and even more mysterious fields.
He Huaiqin was far more than just a simple legal consultant; more often than not, he played the role of a “cleaner” and a “strategist.” Complex international mergers and acquisitions for large corporations, and certain unsavory disputes between political and business circles, could all find procedural flaws or breakthroughs in evidence under his guidance and operation, leading to astonishing reversals.
“So you’re Lawyer He from Yaohua Law Firm!” Lu Hengyu’s attitude did a complete 180-degree turn. “It’s a case of the Dragon King not showing respect to the Water God. My apologies, my apologies, I didn’t know you were staying here!”
“Does Mr. Lu still believe your wife is in my room?” He Huaiqin asked indifferently.
“No, no, no, a woman of her caliber wouldn’t catch your eye.” Lu Hengyu took two steps back. “I apologize for offending you today. I hope Lawyer He will be magnanimous and not take it to heart.”
He Huaiqin nodded and was about to close the door when Lu Hengyu suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint love bite behind his shirt collar.
The mark was a vibrant red, clearly imprinted not long ago.
“Wait, Lawyer He.” Lu Hengyu pointed at He Huaiqin’s neck, speaking tactfully, “There seems to be something on your neck.”
He Huaiqin didn’t try to hide it; instead, he turned his neck, openly displaying the love bite to Lu Hengyu: “What? Is Mr. Lu interested in my private affairs?”
His gaze carried an undeniable, powerful aura that crushed Lu Hengyu’s tentative probing.
“No, no, no, that’s not what I meant.” Lu Hengyu repeatedly apologized with a smile. “I won’t disturb Lawyer He’s rest. Goodbye.”
Wen Zhaoning, hiding in the restroom, heard the entire conversation between He Huaiqin and Lu Hengyu.
Who would have thought that the crisis that had her heart pounding could be so easily resolved by He Huaiqin with just a business card?
This incident once again proved that the poor boy from back then was no longer the same.
“Come out,” He Huaiqin said.
Wen Zhaoning pulled open the door and walked out of the restroom.
He Huaiqin stood by the floor-to-ceiling window.
“Lawyer He, thank you for your help,” Wen Zhaoning said.
This thank you was laced with guilt.
After all, he hadn’t helped just to help.
As expected, He Huaiqin’s expression didn’t change in the slightest due to her gratitude.
“Thank you?” He chuckled, a hint of mockery in his voice. “You drag me into this mess, and all you offer is a thank you?”
“Then… then what do you want?”
He Huaiqin strode forward, slowly closing in on her.
“I don’t do the adulterer gig for free.”
As he spoke, He Huaiqin suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist with such force that Wen Zhaoning couldn’t help but cry out in pain. Immediately, an irresistible force pulled her, and she was roughly dragged down, falling heavily onto the big bed behind her.
Wen Zhaoning was startled and struggled to sit up, but He Huaiqin had already leaned over her. He knelt on the edge of the bed, his arms braced on either side of her, trapping her firmly within his shadow.
“What are you doing?” Wen Zhaoning raised her hand to push his chest. “Don’t you have principles about not sleeping with married women?”
“Are my principles important?” He looked down at her, his eyes churning with the anger of being offended and the displeasure of being used. “Back then, you used every means to make me your boyfriend. Today, you use every means to drag me into this as your adulterer. With us, it’s always been Miss Wen who calls the shots, hasn’t it?”
Wen Zhaoning felt dizzy, enveloped by his cool scent and warm breath.
She remembered back then; it was indeed she who had first fallen for He Huaiqin, and she who had first pursued him.
At that time, He Huaiqin was still the son of the Wen family’s nanny. The first time she met He Huaiqin was in the Wen family’s garden. She was playing frisbee with her golden retriever that day. The colorful frisbee spun, deviated from its intended path, and almost hit He Huaiqin, who was coming to deliver medicine to his mother.
He Huaiqin raised his hand and steadily caught the spinning frisbee in mid-air.
In the sunlight, He Huaiqin wore a simple white shirt with slightly rolled-up sleeves, his arms sculpted. His face was handsome, and his eyes were like a deep lake. The moment Wen Zhaoning saw him, she fell into them.
He Huaiqin returned the frisbee to Wen Zhaoning. As their fingertips brushed, Wen Zhaoning felt a strange current surge through her body, her heart pounding wildly. She made a decision on the spot: she wanted to pursue him.
After that, Wen Zhaoning began chasing He Huaiqin all over the place.
Initially, He Huaiqin firmly rejected Wen Zhaoning. He knew that coming from a poor family, he and the noble Miss Wen were from different worlds. But Wen Zhaoning was not one to give up easily; He Huaiqin’s rejections only made her more determined.
In the law school’s Friday constitutional law class, the teacher always found one more student present than expected when taking attendance; in the cafeteria, Wen Zhaoning would coincidentally appear when He Huaiqin was eating, coincidentally sit opposite him, and coincidentally, she would order too much of the meat dishes he was reluctant to get, then transfer them all to his plate; at the bar where He Huaiqin worked part-time, she would bring friends for gatherings every few days, ordering expensive drinks with high commissions without blinking an eye…
For three years, she was like sunshine everywhere, stubbornly trying to illuminate his closed heart. He Huaiqin dodged, avoided, and was annoyed, but he also unconsciously grew accustomed to her presence. In the end, he finally became her devoted admirer. But she, after three months together, at the peak of his affection, suddenly withdrew, leaving him to get engaged to someone else.
He Huaiqin’s world was thrown into chaos by her. His mother even suffered a car accident because of their relationship, losing both her legs and becoming permanently disabled.
“Don’t you remember how Miss Wen seduced me, slept with me, and then abandoned me back then?” He Huaiqin grabbed her neck, his eyes bloodshot, like burning hatred was churning within. “It’s just that times have changed; I’m no longer someone you can just use and discard!”
“Let go of me!”
Wen Zhaoning felt like her neck was about to break. She shoved He Huaiqin away fiercely, but before she could get off the bed, he pulled her back by the waist and pinned her down.
“Why are you trying to escape?” He Huaiqin untied his tie, unbuttoning his shirt as he said in a deep voice, “Since we’ve already been labeled as adulterer and adulteress, it would be a waste not to have an affair!”
Wen Zhaoning saw the well-defined abdominal muscles beneath his shirt. Her memory seemed to have cracked open, and the scent of the past rushed back.
Six years ago, during that sweaty summer, in that dilapidated rental room, two young bodies shared clumsy kisses, hesitant touches, and impetuous intimacy. There was no skill, no method, just pure love in every intimate encounter.
And now, in the same posture of intimacy, only hatred remained.
“He Huaiqin, I don’t want to sleep with you!” She tilted her head up, glaring at him. “Are you forgetful? Six years ago, I told you, I was tired of you.”
“Tired of you” – these three words were like a curse. He Huaiqin was stung, and his actions instantly stopped, his interest completely gone.
He rolled off the bed, took a cigarette from the pack, placed it between his lips, and lit it.
Wen Zhaoning got up from the bed. Her clothes were intact, but she felt more disheveled than if she had been stripped and thrown into this room.
“Get out,” He Huaiqin said sternly.
Fine, she’d get out.
Wen Zhaoning quickly got out of bed, but before she could steady herself, a wave of dizziness washed over her.
The back of her head, which had been hit when she was drugged, had been aching faintly. The forceful pulling on the bed just now had completely drained her energy.
Her vision suddenly went black.
Wen Zhaoning fainted. Before she hit the ground, she saw He Huaiqin throw down his cigarette and rush towards her at full speed…
The pitch-black night was shattered by the winding curtain of rain. The Cullinan, like a sword piercing the darkness, sped rapidly on the wet, empty road.
He Huaiqin gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white from the force.
His peripheral vision repeatedly glanced at Wen Zhaoning in the front passenger seat.
Wen Zhaoning was unconscious, her slender body sunken into the large leather seat, her head resting limply against the car window. In the dim light of the dashboard, her face was as pale as paper.
“Wen Zhaoning!” He Huaiqin called out.
No response.
“Wen Zhaoning! Wake up!”
Still silence.
He Huaiqin’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his heart tightening inexplicably.
He used the car’s phone to dial Shao Yiyu’s number.
“Lawyer He, didn’t we just see each other yesterday? Missing me already?” Shao Yiyu’s playful voice rang out.
“I’m taking someone to the hospital; I need you to meet us.”
“What’s the situation?” Hearing it was about saving someone, Shao Yiyu’s tone became more serious.
“I don’t know the specifics; she suddenly fainted.”
“Okay, come in through the emergency room entrance.”
Fifteen minutes later, He Huaiqin handed the person over to Shao Yiyu.
Fortunately, the examination results were normal, just a mild concussion from the head impact.
Wen Zhaoning was transferred to a regular hospital room.
She lay on the snow-white hospital bed, her eyes tightly closed, her face still lacking color.
“When will she wake up?” He Huaiqin asked.
“It’s hard to say. She might wake up in a bit, or maybe tomorrow,” Shao Yiyu said, sizing up He Huaiqin.
He Huaiqin’s usually impeccably neat custom-tailored shirt was now noticeably wrinkled, with a button fastened incorrectly. His shirt collar was loosely open, and the love bite on his neck was particularly eye-catching.
Shao Yiyu’s lips curved into a playful arc. He walked up to He Huaiqin and tapped his shoulder with the medical record folder: “Well, Huaiqin, no wonder you urgently called me to help. So you’re the one who tossed her into the hospital? Playing rough, huh?”
Hearing this, He Huaiqin turned to look at Shao Yiyu, his eyes conveying a warning: “You’d better shut up.”
Shao Yiyu, however, acted as if he saw nothing, smiling even more mischievously. “Look at your disheveled state; the battle must have been intense. But you could have at least been a little gentler. Look at that red mark on her neck. Your bedding…”
“Shao Yiyu! If you can’t use your mouth, you can sew it shut.” He Huaiqin’s voice was not loud but carried immense pressure.
“Alright, alright, I was wrong.” Shao Yiyu raised both hands in a gesture of surrender, but his mouth was still busy. “I thought you had forgotten her long ago. I didn’t expect that just after you returned to the country, you two would rekindle your old flame. Hey, wait, isn’t she married? Are you becoming a mistress for love?”
“……”
“Bro, don’t be foolish! Destroying someone else’s family is despicable. Listen to my advice: with your current status and wealth, what kind of woman do you want? You must hold onto your principles. Whatever you do, don’t become a male mistress!”
“Can you just shut up?”
He Huaiqin rubbed his throbbing temples and looked at Wen Zhaoning on the hospital bed. Asleep, she had let down all her defenses, her brows soft and unaggressive. That vicious phrase, “tired of you,” didn’t sound like something she would say.
But she had said it back then, and even repeated it in front of him today.
He Huaiqin could never forget how cruelly she had crushed his self-esteem six years ago. He hated her for toying with his feelings, hated her for hurting his family. How could he possibly rekindle their old flame?
“There is no possibility between us anymore.” He Huaiqin’s voice was icy. “Six years ago, I considered her dead.”
✦✦✦