Chapter 66: C66 Shameless
Jian Yun sputtered upon hearing his words. How could he be so shameless?
Huo Liancheng gave her one last peck on the lips before letting go of her. Upon seeing her conflicted expression, he was satisfied.
"I don't think we know each other well enough to be this blunt," she stuttered, finally recovering from her loss of words. Placing both of her hands on his chest, she stepped back, stopping him from getting any closer to her. Her conflicted look fell flat, and her eyes considerably darkened.
"Don't we know each other well enough at this point?" He scoffed. "We've already kissed and hugged. Do we have to share a bed before we know each other 'well enough'?"
"I was drunk that night, so it doesn't count!" Ignoring his last words, she clenched her jaw and looked at the ground. Her fingernails dug into her palm as she struggled to steady her words. "Look, if you've misunderstood anything, then I'm sorry, okay?"
"You don't have to apologize to me!" Displeasure flashed in his eyes as he pinched her chin, forcing her to look up at him. His dark gaze narrowed at her, and she couldn't help but get lost in them. "I haven't misunderstood anything."
"What do you understand then?" Jian Yun glared. "Don't tell me you're just fascinated with my looks, because I swear–"
"And if I say yes? You're pretty. Any man would move mountains upon seeing that face." Huo Liancheng grinned.
Before he could say anything else, she punched him right in the stomach. A sinister smile slipped into her lips as she said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "How about now? Are you still fascinated by my beauty?"
Caught off guard by her punch, Huo Liancheng choked. He exaggeratedly clutched his stomach as his face contorted to one in deep pain. He lowered his head, coughing and sputtering from the sudden impact.
Her lips curled. "Stop pretending! I didn't even use my strength for that hit."
Exhaling, he pinched her on the cheek. "Aren't you inconsiderate?" He raised his eyebrows mockingly. "Didn't you know how much my stomach ached last night? And you chose that of all places to hit me? And here I thought you care for me."
"If you touch me again, I swear to you that wouldn't be the only place I'll hit!" She slapped his hand away.
"Why don't you come to the movies with me tonight?" Not minding her utter disrespect towards him, he straightened his back and propped himself up against the wall with both his arms, making no room for her to escape. He seemed calm and placid as if he didn't have a single care in the world.
Jian Yun lowered her head, planning to sneak out under his outstretched arms, only to be pulled back. "I won't be available!"
"You can't fool me twice." He placed his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace. His masculine aftershave wafted around her surroundings, and she stiffened. He frowned. "What? Are you still going on a date with that lawyer again tonight?"
"It's none of your business!" She pushed him.
"Do you really like him that much?"
"Who I like and who I don't like isn't really any of your business!"
"You–" Rendered speechless by her words, Huo Liancheng turned around and punched the wall in anger. The veins in his arms pulsed from the force, and she immediately stiffened.
The sudden force had reminded her of the first time they had met. His steely eyes and his cold exterior pooled into her memory, and she couldn't help but shudder. That was the man who had terrified her to no end, the same man who she may have pissed off a million times a row. Immediately, she paused and kept silent. At this point, she might as well be forming her deathbed if she continued pushing any further.
Noticing that he didn't keep her locked in anymore, she ducked her head and ran towards the door.
Although Huo Liancheng didn't stop her from leaving, he asked faintly, "You don't like me–is that because of Xu Haiyang?"
At the mention of Xu Haiyang, she froze.
"Do you want to ask how I know?" He stared at her back, watching how her shoulders had stiffened and her hands had clenched. A trace of coldness flashed in his eyes as memories of that night flooded into the back of his mind, how she had called him out by the wrong name–how she had lovingly caressed him, thinking of him as another man.
Jian Yun didn't turn around, but she didn't move either. It was as if his mere name had solidified her completely, rendering her unable to move.
"Do you like him?" Huo Liancheng asked again.
"Don't you dare mention his name!" Unable to bear it any longer, she whirled around and glared at him. Her usually bright and glassy eyes were now filled with resentfulness and dejection–one that had surprised him. "I don't give a crap how you've found out, but don't you dare mention him again! I don't want to hear it!"
"I want to know what he did to you to cause such a reaction." His arms crossed over his chest, and he narrowed his eyes. "I want to know how he hurt you."
"Shut up!" Jian Yun snarled. The annoyance she had for him turned into deep sated rage. Xu Haiyang's name had always been a topic that had never been crossed, because it just brought up so many memories–so many thoughts, one that felt like a bag of knives being thrown right through her soul.
Huo Liancheng didn't continue, and she brought herself up to look at him. Although his gaze was still terrorizing, there was something complicated hidden underneath his cold eyes, one that she couldn't help but wonder about.
She helplessly whispered, "You're so rich, and you can obviously have any woman you want, so why do you keep insisting on me? Is it because I don't act like the other women you're with? Did I hurt your pride or something? Is that why you want to pursue me? To add a notch on your list of achievements?"
"Why can't you believe that I actually like you?" He walked towards her.
"What is there to believe? That you like me?" Jian Yun sneered. "I'm no longer that little girl who believes in dreams, or that girl who infatuates over love at first sight. Don't you think I know why you're doing this? Besides, Zhou Shaolong could actually marry me. What do you have to offer? All you're looking for is a mistress!"
"I–You want to get married?" Huo Liancheng blinked. He didn't expect that she'd give him such an answer.
"Yeah, I do! If you don't have that intention in mind, then I'd suggest you stay far away from me," she snapped in annoyance. As soon as she had finished speaking, her phone rang in her pockets. It was Zhou Shaolong.
"Hello?" Ignoring Huo Liancheng, she answered her phone.
The office had turned quiet, and the tension in the room had thickened. Huo Liancheng slowly walked up to her, standing by her sides. From that position, he could hear the lawyer asking where she was and if she'd meet up with her before he went on his way. Jian Yun refused. She wasn't in the mood to see him, not after her outburst. Rubbing the creases in her forehead, she waited for his reply.
"Are you free tonight then?" Zhou Shaolong persisted. "Can we go to the movies after dinner?"
Although she was a little insistent, she slowly nodded. "Okay."
The moment she had said those words, Jian Yun saw that Liancheng's eyes had darkened considerably. Her mind flashed back to a few minutes ago when he had offered to take her out to the movies and how she had rejected him without any hesitation. Although guilt gnawed the corners of her heart, she turned away.
So what? It wasn't as if she had wanted to develop their relationship any further.
Thinking that the call could anger Huo Liancheng even more, she hung up. When she didn't hear another word from him, she turned her head. "I'll be leaving."
However, just as her hand was about to reach for the door handle, he suddenly spoke,
"Are you going to go out like that?"
Jian Yun originally wanted to ignore him, but there was something about his voice that made her turn around. The confidence and stiffness from his features had dissipated into thin air and a veil of hesitance covered his face. The corners of his mouth twitched, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
He touched his nose with his right hand, and his face was scrunched up with emotions she couldn't decipher. Not wasting another second, he suddenly pointed to the mirror in the lounge with his index finger.
"If you have something to say, then say it!" Jian Yun looked in the mirror and found nothing wrong. "Why the hell are you hesitating?"
"Turn around!" Huo Liancheng traced a circle with his index finger.
Wanting to know what he was so anxious about, Jian Yun turned around and found nothing peculiar about her appearance. She was just about to tell him off when her gaze lowered to her clothes. Immediately, she shrieked and buried her face into her hands. Fuck!
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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