Chapter 23: Who Was That Man

Shen Xiucheng had not expected to run into Deling here.

Upon catching sight of her, a flicker of surprise crossed his face, but he quickly returned to his usual gentle expression. "What a coincidence!"

"Yes, a real coincidence. You always seem to catch me at my most wretched," Deling said, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with a bitter smile.

"You are simply being true to your nature," Shen Xiucheng said with a soft smile. "You look beautiful today—if one ignores the tears, that is. They say in the movies that when a woman cries, she needs a shoulder to lean on. Do you need one?" He patted his own shoulder. "Though, I can only lend it to you for five minutes."

Deling sniffled, then burst into a laugh. "Why only five minutes?"

"I have to see someone off at the airport." Shen Xiucheng checked his watch. "Four minutes left."

Deling smiled. "Then you had better be going."

"We shall talk again later. I must go."

Deling nodded to bid him farewell. She did not ask why he was here, and he did not ask why she was.

After sitting alone in the garden for a while, Deling stood up and began to walk slowly through the courtyard.

As she rounded a thick wisteria trellis, a hand suddenly shot out from the shadows, gripping her wrist and pulling her into the lush greenery.

Startled and fearing it might be the man Song Chunmei had arranged for her, Deling struggled with all her might, but she was firmly held and pressed down onto a bench beneath the flower trellis.

Sparse moonlight filtered through the vines. As Deling made out the figure before her, she let out a slow sigh of relief, which was immediately replaced by annoyance.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Who was that man?" Ye Hongxiao’s voice was raspy from drink. His fingertips grazed her exposed shoulder, moving slowly until they rested against the fair, slender skin of her throat.

As his warm fingers began to knead her skin, Deling shivered. She tried to dodge, but he pressed her back down. "Answer me. Who was that man?"

"Whoever he is, it is none of your business."

Deling pushed him away hard and stood up to leave, but the man behind her followed with long strides, pulling her back into his arms. She stood with her back to him, held in a suffocating embrace.

Deling kicked at him, but remained firmly locked in his grasp. She heard the sound of a zipper being undone, and then, feeling a sudden chill, her strapless dress was ripped down by Ye Hongxiao.

As the dress pooled at her feet, Deling stumbled onto the bench. "Ye Hongxiao, have you lost your mind?"

Ye Hongxiao looked down at Deling, his expression that of a predator eyeing its prey.

A cold breeze blew, and Deling shivered. She bent down to retrieve her dress, but Ye Hongxiao kicked it away.

The man before her was filled with a fierce intensity, and Deling dared not provoke him further, fearing what he might do.

His gaze slid over her body—her throat, her collarbone, her chest, and her slender waist, still marked with faint red spots. He closed his eyes and let out a soft, mocking laugh.

"Mr. Ye, everyone of importance in Haizhou is here tonight, and Zigui is waiting for you. It doesn't matter if someone like me ruins her reputation, but there is no need for you to get caught up in a scandal that will be the talk of the town, don't you agree?"

Deling watched his expression; seeing that he did not move, she cautiously stood up to pick up her dress.

No sooner had she pulled the garment back on than she saw Ye Hongxiao undo his tie with one hand, rip it off, and walk toward her, clutching it in his hand.