Li Yang opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
At some point, Zhao Yan had already retreated several steps away. With his back facing them, he appeared to be studying the greenery beside the parking lot with utmost concentration.
“Student Li.”
Xie Zongxu took a step forward.
Li Yang instinctively shrank backward, her back bumping lightly against the car door.
Only then did she realize that she was trapped between him and the vehicle, with nowhere left to retreat.
A faint scent of sandalwood lingered on him, mixed with a trace of tobacco. It was exactly the same scent she had smelled that night.
Her heart pounded so hard it felt as if it might leap out of her throat.
“Get in the car first.”
He spoke.
Li Yang abruptly raised her head.
Get in the car?
His car?
Alarm bells immediately went off in her head.
“N-No need. I can get back by myself…”
“It isn’t easy to get a taxi around here.”
“I can walk back to the dorm—”
“I’ll take you.”
His words left no room for argument.
Li Yang let out a small breath and glanced at him, pretending to remain calm.
“Mr. Xie, there’s really no need. As for what happened that night, I truly don’t remember it. If I offended you in any way, I—”
“Offended me? You really did.”
Xie Zongxu raised an eyebrow and bent slightly forward, closing the distance between them.
Forced to tilt her head up, Li Yang met the eyes that were now only inches away.
Her reflection appeared clearly within those light brown pupils.
Flustered.
Panicked.
With nowhere to escape.
His voice lowered, carrying a faint huskiness.
“For example, that night, you were the one who held onto me first and refused to let go.”
“…”
The girl’s face instantly turned crimson.
She vaguely remembered something like that happening. She had been drunk and not very clear-headed. She had only felt that his embrace was warm and had not wanted to let go…
“I-I drank too much.”
She struggled weakly in self-defense.
“Mm.”
To her surprise, he nodded as if agreeing with her.
“So I don’t blame you.”
Li Yang: “…”
That tone.
That expression.
Why did it sound as though he had suffered some great injustice?
Clearly, she had been the one who woke up the next morning with an aching body and trembling legs!
Xie Zongxu suddenly changed the subject.
“But there should be an explanation for this matter.”
An explanation?
What explanation?
Li Yang’s mind was in complete chaos. Before she could react, he had already opened the rear car door.
“Get in. Let’s talk.”
Talk about what?
The details of that night?
The mere thought of it made Li Yang wish she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
“I won’t—”
“Student Li.”
He interrupted her.
His tone remained calm, yet somehow it made people unwilling to argue.
“Are you sure you want to discuss this here in the parking lot?”
Li Yang subconsciously looked around.
Although there were not many cars in the lot, people occasionally passed by. Two individuals had already glanced in their direction.
If she continued arguing with him and someone recognized her…
Biting her lip, she steeled herself and climbed into the car.
The door closed behind her, cutting off everything outside.
The interior was spacious. The leather seats emitted a faint scent of leather, while cool air drifted through the cabin.
Li Yang curled herself into one corner of the seat, wishing she could squeeze herself into the crack of the door.
Xie Zongxu entered from the other side and sat beside her.
The vehicle was large, yet the moment he sat down, the space seemed to shrink. She could even feel the warmth radiating from him.
“Zhao Yan, wait outside for now.”
“Yes, Chairman Xie.”
Zhao Yan responded.
The door closed once more, and the sound of footsteps gradually faded away.
Now only the two of them remained inside the car.
Li Yang’s nerves were stretched taut.
“Relax.”
Xie Zongxu’s voice sounded beside her.
She did not move.
Neither did he speak again.
Silence spread through the cabin.
Each second felt as long as an entire year.
Li Yang stared at her tightly clasped fingers.
“How did you end up at the hotel that night?”
He finally spoke.
Li Yang froze, not expecting that question.
“I’m not very sure. It was my friend’s birthday. I drank too much and later wanted to find a place to sleep.”
“You were by yourself? No one accompanied you?”
“No. I drank far too much and ended up entering the wrong room…”
Xie Zongxu said nothing.
Li Yang secretly turned her head and glanced at him, only to find him already looking at her.
His gaze was deep and unreadable.
She immediately looked away.
“After entering the wrong room, what else do you remember?”
He asked.
What did she remember?
She remembered how forcefully he had kissed her.
She remembered the warmth his fingers had left upon her skin.
She remembered instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck when he had lifted her up.
Could she possibly say any of that?
Of course not.
“I don’t remember anything.”
She forced herself to answer.
“Is that so?”
His tone remained calm, giving no indication whether he believed her or not.
Then he took out his phone, tapped it a few times, and held it before her.
A QR code appeared on the screen.
“Add my WeChat.”
Li Yang was stunned.
“And after adding you?”
She asked cautiously.
Without the slightest ripple in his expression, he replied,
“Then I’ll tell you how I intend to hold you responsible once I figure it out.”
Li Yang: “…”
Hold her responsible?
Wasn’t she supposed to be the one demanding accountability?
She was the one who had mysteriously lost her virginity!
Taking a deep breath, she tried to reason with him.
“Mr. Xie, what happened that night was both our responsibility. You can’t blame only me—”
“Mm.”
He nodded again.
“So I didn’t call the police.”
All the words that had reached Li Yang’s lips were immediately swallowed back.
Call the police?
For something like this?
Was he the victim here?
“You were the one who provoked me first.”
He spoke calmly.
“I was drunk!”
“So if you’re drunk, you can just hug anyone you want?”
“I…”
“After hugging me, you didn’t even leave any contact information. I left a business card by the bedside that morning. Didn’t you see it?”
“…”
Li Yang was dumbfounded.
She had indeed seen it.
She had simply chosen not to look at it.
She glanced at him.
He was staring at her.
For a fleeting moment, she thought she detected a trace of… grievance in his eyes?
Li Yang suspected she was imagining things.
He was the chairman of a conglomerate worth hundreds of billions. He spent his days handling endless meetings, contracts, and social engagements.
Could this matter really have affected him that much?
The way he looked and spoke made it seem as though she had committed some unforgivable act against him and then abandoned him afterward.
“Mr. Xie.” she said with difficulty: “don’t you think you’ve got this backwards…”
Suddenly, he leaned closer.
Startled, Li Yang shrank backward, only to find herself trapped between the seat and his arm.
Staring directly into her eyes, he enunciated every word.
“That night, you climbed onto my lap yourself. Don’t you remember?”
Li Yang’s brain completely shut down.
She…
Climbed onto his lap?
“You said, ‘Handsome guy, you’re really good-looking. Let me spoil you tonight.’”
“…”
Li Yang felt as though her entire world had collapsed.
What exactly had she done while drunk?
He held the phone toward her again.
“Add my WeChat first.”
Staring at the QR code, Li Yang’s trembling fingers opened the scanner.
A beep sounded.
The friend request was successfully sent.
Xie Zongxu picked up his phone, accepted the request, and put it away.
“Alright. You can go now.”
Li Yang blinked.
That was it?
“Once I’ve decided how to deal with this matter, I’ll contact you.”
As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on her face.
Li Yang looked away, unsure what else she could possibly say.
She pushed open the car door.
The moment her feet touched the ground, his voice came from behind her.
“Li Yang.”
She turned around.
The car window lowered halfway, revealing his sharply defined profile.
“Until next time.”
After speaking, the window rolled back up.
Li Yang remained standing where she was, watching the black Maybach slowly pull out of its parking space, merge onto the main road, and disappear into the night.
Lowering her head, she looked at her phone.
A new chat box had appeared in her WeChat contacts.
The profile picture was a deep blue sea.
The name contained only a single letter:
X.