Chapter 3 – Carrying Her Downstairs

The man’s expression held a seriousness she couldn’t quite read. But when he uttered that apology, it somehow carried a surprising weight coming from him.

The lingering frustration and grievance in her heart began to quietly dissipate.

“Mm… okay then,” Si Tiantian sniffled, trying to make her voice sound lighter.

“Since you helped treat my ankle and seemed very sincere, I’ll let you off the hook this time.”

Her tone was breezy, laced with the kind of girlish playfulness unique to someone her age. The corners of her lips even curled up ever so slightly.

Li Hanye’s gaze paused on her delicate, lively face for a moment—her smile dazzling in his eyes.

He parted his thin lips slightly. “Li Hanye. That’s my name.”

Then, after a pause, he added in a deep voice that left no room for argument:
“Remember it.”

Si Tiantian’s heart gave a jolt. She silently repeated the name in her head—Li. Han. Ye.

It did suit him, actually. Cold, sharp… and carrying a wildness that refused to be tamed.

Especially that last command—“Remember it.” It was so domineering it made it hard for her to breathe, yet strangely, she didn’t feel offended at all.

Just then, her phone rang sharply, abruptly breaking the subtle, almost-charged atmosphere between them.

She quickly picked up—it was Gu Yazhi.

“Hello, Zhizhi? I’m fine. Come to…” She paused, glancing at the man beside her with a questioning look in her eyes:
“What’s the room number?”

Li Hanye didn’t even shift his gaze as he answered clearly: “8888.”

“Room 8888. Come here,” she said, then hung up and breathed a little easier. With her best friend here, she wouldn’t have to face this intense group of people alone.

Less than two minutes later, the private room door burst open with a bang! and Gu Yazhi rushed in like a gust of wind, her voice arriving before she did:

“Tiantian! Are you okay? Are you hurt? You scared me to death! Who’s the blind idiot that ran into you?!”

But the moment she took in the scene inside the room, her voice cut off mid-sentence. Her eyes widened in shock, and her mouth formed a perfect “O.”

On the sofa, besides Si Tiantian, was a man whose aura was so overpowering it made it hard to breathe—his gaze was fixed intently on Tiantian’s injured ankle.

On the other side sat Yan Chengyang—none other than the notorious Yan-shao of Jing City—with a look on his face like he was watching some juicy drama.

Several others sat nearby, people she didn’t recognize by name, but who clearly screamed elite—the kind of men you only ever saw on finance magazine covers or mentioned in whispers in exclusive circles. And they were all watching her—the unexpected intruder—with great interest.

Gu Yazhi gasped, her mind going blank with a loud buzz. She was utterly frozen.

Oh my god. What kind of god-tier power gathering is this?! What is Tiantian even doing here?!

She quickly reeled in her flustered expression and forced herself to calm down. Nearly tripping over herself, she stumbled over to Si Tiantian’s side, lowered her voice, and whispered with wide eyes:

“My dear goddess, Tiantian, who are these people?! What kind of divine-level VIPs are we surrounded by?! And your… your foot—are you okay? Is it serious?!”

Her eyes dropped to the still-red and swollen ankle, and her voice immediately filled with worry.

Si Tiantian patted her hand comfortingly. “It’s fine. I just twisted it a little. It’s already been treated. I just… want to go home now.”

With Gu Yazhi by her side, Si Tiantian’s courage grew a little.

Li Hanye’s dark gaze flickered slightly. He took a step forward and said calmly, “I’ll take you down.”

Si Tiantian quickly shook her head and pointed downstairs. “No need to trouble yourself. My driver’s already waiting at the entrance.”

The last thing she wanted was to get even more entangled with this man.

Gu Yazhi looked at Si Tiantian’s foot, then at the towering pair of heels—at least ten centimeters high—still strapped to her feet. Her expression turned troubled, and her brows furrowed.

“Tiantian, your foot… and you’re still wearing heels? How are you going to get downstairs like this? Won’t that hurt like hell?”

Si Tiantian also frowned and glanced down at her shoes. It really was a problem. She couldn’t just hop down the stairs on one foot, could she?

Li Hanye’s gaze locked onto her injured ankle, the swelling still visible. His eyes darkened slightly, and something in him shifted—subtle, but undeniable.

He took another step forward. His always cold, restrained voice now carried a softness even he didn’t notice.

“Still hurting?” he asked. “I’ll carry you down.”

It wasn’t a question—it was a firm decision. But the tail end of his sentence carried a trace of hesitation, a quiet attempt at testing the waters.

Si Tiantian’s cheeks flushed instantly. His tall figure loomed over her with a quiet pressure. She looked up—and found herself staring into those dark, unreadable eyes.

The intensity in them made her heart skip a beat.

Truthfully, it did still hurt. Even walking a few steps was difficult. After a brief inner struggle, she finally gave a barely perceptible nod and whispered, “…Sorry to trouble you.”

In the next second, the crisp scent of pinewood that clung to the man completely enveloped her.

There was a moment of weightlessness—then she was cradled securely in a solid, almost scorching warm embrace.

Li Hanye carried her in his arms with practiced ease, his movements steady as stone. She didn’t feel even the slightest jostle.

Her body was soft and light in his arms, pressing gently against his firm chest. The faint floral fragrance of her hair drifted into his nose, stirring something deep within him.

His arms subconsciously tightened around her. A sense of never-before-felt satisfaction rose inside him, along with a bold, almost primitive possessiveness.

He wanted her.

The thought came out of nowhere, and even Li Hanye himself was startled. He had always prided himself on being rational and self-controlled. When had he ever felt something so fierce for a girl he’d just met?

But the feeling was vivid and overpowering—impossible to ignore.

He looked down. Her ears were tinged pink. Her long lashes quivered ever so slightly with tension. He could feel her warm breath brush against his skin.

“So obedient,” he murmured, his voice hoarse, like he was suppressing something dangerous.

He thought… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to keep holding her like this, forever.

Meanwhile, in the private room, Yan Chengyang and the others had their jaws on the floor, eyes bulging as if about to fall out of their sockets.

Especially Yan Chengyang—his mouth hung open for so long it could catch flies. He rubbed his eyes hard, wondering if he’d drunk too much and was hallucinating.

Was this really their Li-ge—the man who showed zero interest in women, who treated them as nothing but walking trouble?

That gentle touch… that look in his eyes that couldn’t even hide how much he cared…

A million thoughts flashed through Yan Chengyang’s mind at lightning speed.

Is this… an iron tree blooming? A thousand-year iceberg melting? Or are we skipping straight to marriage and babies?! The whole thing caught him completely off guard.

Li Hanye, on the other hand, remained utterly indifferent to the shocked stares that could burn holes through walls. He carried Si Tiantian in his arms, walking steadily through the corridor and out the grand, golden doors of Heaven on Earth.

Her driver had long since pulled the car around and was waiting respectfully at the entrance. He quickly opened the back door for them.

Gu Yazhi finally snapped out of her stunned daze. She sprinted back to the private room in a panic, grabbed both her and Si Tiantian’s bags, and didn’t even bother explaining. She just tossed out a quick, “We’re leaving first!” before dashing out like her tail was on fire.