What was he doing here?
The driver's side window of the Rolls-Royce Phantom slid down, revealing Nathaniel Fu's impossibly handsome face. One hand rested casually on the steering wheel as he looked straight at her.
"Get in."
His tone was calm, commanding.
Celia didn't move. "Mr. Fu, thank you, but I can walk."
With that, she turned and continued down the street.
Nathaniel's eyes lingered on her graceful figure before he pressed the accelerator, the Phantom gliding forward to follow her.
Back in Yecheng, he had done this too—tailing her slowly in a world-class luxury car, making her the unwilling heroine of a scene that could have been ripped straight out of a TV drama.
Celia tried to shake him off. She turned left; he turned left. She turned right; he turned right. No matter how she tried to escape, the Phantom shadowed her step for step.
Pedestrians began to notice.
"Look! Isn't that straight out of a drama? The girl runs, the guy chases her in a luxury car!"
"How romantic! If I ever fall in love, I hope my boyfriend chases me like that."
"The air smells like love. Ugh, now I want to be in a relationship too."
Mortified, Celia finally stopped in her tracks and turned on him, her clear eyes sharp with irritation. "Mr. Fu, what exactly do you want?"
Nathaniel pushed open the driver's door and strode toward her, his towering presence cutting through the night.
"Why did you add Ji Yunfan on WeChat?" His voice was low and dangerous. "Do you even know who he is?"
So this was about Ji Yunfan?
Celia lifted her chin. "I think Young Master Ji seems like a decent man."
Decent? That was probably the most flattering description Ji Yunfan had ever received. Nathaniel's lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Celia, that man just wants to toy with you."
Her brows drew together. "Mr. Fu, how can you say that? Why assume he wants to play with me? Maybe…" Her lips curved in a mocking smile. "Maybe I'm the one playing with him."
Nathaniel froze. His long fingers shot out, clamping around her delicate wrist.
"Celia," he ground out, "I don't care who's playing with whom—I forbid you from being involved with him. Delete Ji Yunfan from your WeChat. Don't ever contact him again."
"Mr. Fu, let go!" Celia struggled to pull free, anger flashing in her eyes. "You're too overbearing. Who I talk to is none of your business. What right do you have to control me?"
He yanked her closer, his voice cold and biting. "If you're going to choose a man, at least choose someone decent. Ji Yunfan? Is that really the kind of man you want? Are you that desperate?"
Celia stiffened, shame and fury crashing over her. His words cut too deep.
She lifted her eyes, her gaze clear and steady. "So tell me then—who do you think is a good man? Why don't you pick one for me? I'll date whoever you choose."
Nathaniel's tall frame went rigid, but he said nothing.
Celia pried his fingers off her wrist one by one, her movements deliberate, defiant. "Why so quiet, Mr. Fu? Yes, we had a past. But it's over. You have your stunning fiancée—why can't I move on? What do you want me to do, stay alone forever, untouched, while you marry someone else?"
Her voice trembled with suppressed rage, each word slicing at him.
"You say Ji Yunfan isn't a good person. Maybe that's true. But you don't get to say it—because you're worse than he is."
Her chest rose and fell as she drew a sharp breath.
"We broke up, yet you still want to keep me under your thumb. Mr. Fu, you're really sick."
She stepped back, her voice ringing with fierce resolve.
"Listen carefully. From now on, I'm not just going to date. I'm going to marry, have children, and live a happy life—without you. So stop showing up in front of me, stop acting crazy. I won't let you dictate my future anymore."