Chapter 8: Love Lost, Hate Born

The cool night wind of late spring seeped through Shuangxu’s skin, making her shiver. She realized she had forgotten her jacket when she came out.

The warmth and liveliness of the crowd were left behind in the brightly lit house, leaving the parking lot desolate under the faint starlight.

She didn’t want to go back inside. After searching for a while, she saw He Tingzhou’s all-black Koenigsegg parked there, but he wasn’t in the car.

She stood under a tree waiting. The night sky was even more desolate in the late hours, the inky blackness separating the laughter from the villa’s front yard with a transparent barrier.

Shuangxu heard footsteps and saw a tall, imposing figure in the distance. His long legs strode across the night, coming towards her.

He Tingzhou walked to the car and pressed the key. A figure emerged from the shadows of the tree.

“Brother Tingzhou.”

He Tingzhou took a step back, letting out a sigh.

He propped himself against the car roof, trying to calm his nerves after being startled in the dark.

His deep, unfathomable eyes stared at the person across from him. Small as she was, she was enough to give him a fright.

“What are you doing, trying to rob me in the middle of the night?”

I’m 5’5″ and you’re 6’2″, am I crazy?

Shuangxu was getting cold, so she got straight to the point: “The blueberry mousse you had earlier was made for my brother.”

To prevent He Tingzhou from denying it, she had taken a picture as evidence.

He Tingzhou glanced at the phone screen, his handsome face showing no sign of embarrassment.

“What, did you poison your brother and I accidentally ate it?”

Shuangxu took her phone back, speechless: “Why would I poison my brother?”

He Tingzhou leaned against the car door, nonchalant: “Love lost, hate born?”

Shuangxu’s fingertips unconsciously gripped the fabric of her skirt.

The cold wind ran down her spine, freezing her blood, so much so that her first attempt to speak was silent.

Who could be as cruel as He Tingzhou? Others might gossip behind his back, but he stabbed you in the face.

The wind blew across her face, arms, and legs, sending chills everywhere. Shuangxu resisted the urge to run away from him immediately, maintaining a calm expression.

“I don’t mean anything else. You ate the cake, so I just hope you’ll at least reconsider the cooperation with Feixue.”

She didn’t dare to ask for too much. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but it was just a cake, not that valuable.

But it was the birthday cake she made for Shen Yu, and He Tingzhou had eaten it, so it wasn’t too much to ask for a favor, right?

He Tingzhou stood still, motionless.

If it weren’t for the swaying shadows of the trees behind him, he would have looked like a movie scene that had suddenly frozen due to a poor internet connection.

Shuangxu didn’t understand what was wrong with him. Seeing him frozen for three seconds without moving, she was about to speak.

He Tingzhou moved, his expression serious: “I’ve considered it, and it’s not going to happen.”

“…………”

If speechless had a shape, it would be the eye roll Shuangxu almost couldn’t hold back at this moment.

The blood that had just frozen was stirred back into circulation by anger.

“Can you please consider it seriously?”

He Tingzhou clearly had no sense of gratitude for eating someone’s food: “Three seconds isn’t enough for serious consideration, little princess, you’re really hard to deal with.”

He just didn’t want to give her a chance, not even a sliver.

Shuangxu was a little frustrated. He had eaten the cake she made for Shen Yu, and she couldn’t make him spit it out.

She was afraid that He Tingzhou would actually spit it back at her, which would be disgusting.

“Forget it.” She shouldn’t have had any illusions about him.

“Is that it?” He Tingzhou said.

Shuangxu didn’t understand what he meant.

He put his hands in his pockets, leaning lazily against the car door: “My stomach is a bit delicate, and I’m not feeling well after eating your cake. I need to go for a checkup tomorrow, and you’ll be responsible for my injured stomach.”

“……What?” Shuangxu’s mind couldn’t keep up with his unconventional development.

She quickly recalled the ingredients she used to make the cake, all of which were freshly bought today, there shouldn’t be any problems…

“For the sake of your brother, I won’t hold it against you.” He Tingzhou was magnanimous. “Remember to tell your brother, he owes me a favor.”

A couple came out of the villa laughing and got into their car, driving out of the parking lot soon after.

A gust of wind blew, swirling Shuangxu’s skirt.

She didn’t manage to blackmail anyone.

She got blackmailed instead.

She didn’t want Shen Yu to owe anyone a favor, but after all this, not only had she not achieved her goal, she had lost a cake and owed him a debt.

Shuangxu knew she had been played, and she was furious, but she had nowhere to vent her anger, so she had to swallow it.

She was really in a bad mood today. There was a sponge soaked in some liquid stuck in her heart, along with some accumulated emotions, all launching an attack on her tear ducts at the same time.

Shu Yang’s weakened body, Chen Peiran’s arrogance, the unwelcome home, and the female star in Shen Yu’s arms…

Shuangxu felt a warmth in her eyes, her vision quickly filled with the rising moisture.

She lowered her eyes: “Forget it if you don’t want to help. I’m sorry, I wasted your time.”

She turned and walked away quickly.

As she turned, He Tingzhou saw a flash of water in her eyes.

She was thin, but not bony, a delicate slenderness. Her black dress fit her curves, looking slender and graceful from behind.

The wind was strong tonight, and she was walking quickly, as if she were about to be blown away.

He Tingzhou leaned against the car, reflecting on himself for a few seconds, wondering if he had bullied her too much.

“Mr. He is actually that kind of person?” Shu Yang was shocked.

She had met He Tingzhou once, at a drone industry expo.

The exchange meeting that day brought together experts from all over the world–>>

Shu Yang，a scholar, industry elite, and outstanding entrepreneur, managed to snag a spot to chat with a potential investor about the development of liquid hydrogen drones. Coincidentally, He Tingzhou overheard their conversation, and that’s how snow caught the attention of Yundun Group.

However, the person who gave her a business card that day, and who contacted her afterwards, was a middle manager from Yundun’s drone division.

She only remembered that she had seen He Tingzhou from afar that day, surrounded by industry heavyweights like the conference chairman and members of the Academy of Engineering.

He wore a custom-tailored suit, his figure tall and slender, like a crane standing out from the crowd. He stood there, his face devoid of any expression, as he received the praise and flattery of those around him.

How cold and distinguished he was.

Even though Shuangxu had told Shen Yu not to help, he still called the hospital and arranged for a VIP ward for Shu Yang.

Shu Yang suffered severe side effects from the chemotherapy, and only felt a little relief after the doctor gave her anti-nausea medication. Her face was pale, and she was utterly exhausted.

Shu Yang’s impression of him was that he was handsome beyond compare and unattainable, but she never expected him to be so… a jerk in private.

“If you’re not going to help, then don’t. At least you’re friends with your brother, how can you bully her like this?”

“I shouldn’t have had any illusions in the first place. He’s my brother’s friend, it doesn’t mean he has to give me face.”

Shuangxu had now come to terms with reality and her own naiveté, her brow furrowed with worry. “Maybe we should still ask my brother.”

“No. Don’t bother your brother.” Shu Yang said. “He Tingzhou is too difficult to deal with. If you wanted to give your brother this face, you would have done it already, you wouldn’t need to beg him like this. In the world of adults, since he hasn’t agreed, his meaning is clear. Why do we have to force this melon?”