Chapter 39: What Did You Call Me?

Li Mingye gripped the back of her head, kissing her fiercely, punishing her with rough affection.

Zhang Xiluo stopped struggling and bit down hard on his invading tongue. Only when she tasted blood did she release her teeth.

“Zhang Xiluo, are you a dog?” Li Mingye let her go, touching the blood at the corner of his mouth.

“In your eyes, I always have been,” Zhang Xiluo mocked herself, wiping her lips.

Li Mingye narrowed his eyes, a trace of anger flickering between his brows. He hoisted Zhang Xiluo up and carried her upstairs.

“Zhang Xiluo!”

He tossed her onto the bed, turned, and locked the door behind them.

“Were you drugged again?” Zhang Xiluo sat up, watching him warily.

Li Mingye’s brows furrowed even deeper. He had only wanted her to quiet down, yet she thought of that.

“No,” he denied, his expression growing serious. “I’ll say this only once—it has nothing to do with me.”

“I don’t believe you.” Zhang Xiluo stood, shaking her head at him. “No one but you could do it. Your appetite is insatiable—you want to swallow the entire Zhang family whole.”

“We never wronged you. We even helped you. How could you be so heartless?” The thought of her parents made her chest ache.

She had tried so hard to escape, but still, her parents were dragged into this.

“What will it take for you to let go?”

Li Mingye took a deep breath. Her wounded expression left him even more irritable.

She didn’t understand his words!

“Stay here and listen to me.” He loosened his tie, not wanting to see her so hopeless. “Go back and think it over. Give me your answer when you’re ready.”

“There’s no need. I agree,” Zhang Xiluo replied at once. “Whether it’s divorce or anything else—so long as you let go, I’ll agree.”

“How sincere are you?” Li Mingye wanted her to return what she’d taken, and to stop causing trouble—just be obedient.

Zhang Xiluo looked at him, steeling herself. She stepped forward, rose on her toes, and kissed him of her own accord.

Li Mingye was stunned. Her initiative aroused his desire, and though he tried to restrain himself, Zhang Xiluo only became bolder.

With closed eyes, she undid the buttons of his shirt, her fingertips tracing his chest in slow, trembling motions, locked in an internal struggle.

Should she really continue with him…

Li Mingye’s desire was fully ignited. He seized the initiative and pushed Zhang Xiluo down on the bed, tearing open her collar.

At that moment, his phone rang. As he picked it up, Zhang Xiluo saw the name Zhou Yao on the screen.

“I’ll be right there.”

Li Mingye’s face darkened. He straightened his clothes, glanced at Zhang Xiluo, and hurried out the door.

Zhang Xiluo sat frozen on the bed, her eyes reddening. She had lowered herself to seduce him, yet he left at a single call from Zhou Yao.

All she’d suffered in her past life had never made her feel as humiliated as she did in that moment. She tugged at her torn collar and tears burst from her eyes.

She’d been wrong. In Li Mingye’s eyes, she was worth even less than a dog. In a daze, she saw her former, humble self again. The pain in her heart was overwhelming.

She had brought this shame upon herself—no one else to blame.

Changing her clothes, Zhang Xiluo went downstairs. Aunt Li approached her with a knowing look. “Madam, do you want something to nourish yourself?”

“No need.” She forced a smile. “I’m leaving now.”

“Madam, where are you going?” Aunt Li caught herself, realizing she’d overstepped. “Shall I have the driver take you?”

Zhang Xiluo said nothing more and drove away herself.

All along the road her mind wandered, causing her to take several wrong turns. It took her over an hour longer than usual to return to Qinyuan.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

As soon as she got out of the car, she saw Ouyang Chen waiting for her.

“A little,” Zhang Xiluo nodded. She knew he wouldn’t believe her if she tried to deny it. “Did you need something?”

“Yes, I heard your mother’s ill.”

Zhang Xiluo unlocked the door, letting Ouyang Chen in before saying anything else.

She walked to the fridge, took out a bottle of water, and gulped it down so quickly she choked.

“Cough, cough!”

“Do you want some water?” Her face was expressionless and her voice weak, the coughing fit making her dizzy.

Ouyang Chen shook his head, frowning. “What’s wrong with you? You look terrible!”

Zhang Xiluo didn’t answer, so he continued, “If you trust me, you can tell me.”

“Have you eaten? Want to have a drink with me?” She didn’t want to talk, nor could she. Her stifled mood needed an outlet. She fetched a bottle of strong liquor from the cabinet. “Why don’t you make us some snacks?”

Feigning normalcy, she had Ouyang Chen select ingredients from the fridge while she waited in the yard.

He quickly stir-fried two simple dishes. By the time he brought them out, she had already finished half the bottle.

“Ouyang Chen, you’re so slow,” Zhang Xiluo grumbled, rolling her eyes at him. She filled his glass. “Cheers—to you getting more and more handsome.”

She was already drunk. Whether or not Ouyang Chen joined her, she downed another glass herself.

“You’re drunk.” Ouyang Chen tried to take her glass, but she spun away from him.

“If you won’t drink, go home. Don’t bother me.” She got up, swaying, and staggered inside to fetch another bottle.

When Ouyang Chen refused to drink, she pouted, took his glass, and drank it herself.

“Ouyang Chen, I advise you not to compete with that dog of a man for Zhou Yao.” Her drunken hiccup was pungent. “She’s not right for you. That sexy beauty suits you better.”

“That dog man—hic—that dog man and she belong together.” Zhang Xiluo laughed, but her eyes glistened with tears. “Really, she’s not a good person.”

“Why do you think I’d fall for Zhou Yao?” Ouyang Chen snatched the bottle from her, refusing to let her drink more.

“That’s a secret I can’t tell.” She made a shushing gesture, then reached for the bottle again. “I’m in my own home—what’s wrong with a little drink? Just go home.”

She had never indulged herself in either of her lives. Tonight, she would be reckless just this once.

As she tried to push him out, her legs gave way and she fell, her arm catching the iron edge of the table, slicing it open and bleeding profusely.

She hissed in pain, casting a resentful glance at the ugly wound.

“I’ll take you to the hospital.” Ouyang Chen tried to help her up, but she refused.

“It’s just a scratch. I’m fine. You should go.” She kept waving her arm, not letting him near.

Ouyang Chen didn’t insist. He went inside to find the first aid kit.

The gash on her arm kept bleeding. She wiped at it carelessly, smearing blood everywhere.

“Zhang Xiluo, what are you doing!”

She paused, thinking she heard Li Mingye’s voice. She glanced back. “To be this drunk and still hear the dog man’s voice—I must be hopeless.”

“Zhang Xiluo, you’re truly foolish. So foolish there’s no cure. So foolish that not even death can change you!” She forced a smile through her tears, a sight that would break anyone’s heart.

Her arm throbbed. Suddenly, she was yanked to her feet. “Ow! Ouyang Chen, don’t pull me!”

“Who are you calling?” Ouyang Chen’s face was dark, his eyes blazing. “Zhang Xiluo, look carefully!”

“Let her go!”