As a cool draft hit my chest, I knew I was exposed and in a very undignified position.
The perpetrator, however, didn't seem to care at all and was about to lower his head.
I pressed a hand against Hugh Pei's chest, my expression as cold as ice. "Are you trying to test me again?"
Those words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing most of the lust in his eyes. He stared at me for a few seconds, then rolled back to his side of the bed. The entire motion was swift and cold, as if the last few moments had been nothing but a hallucination.
I silently turned over, my back to him, a wave of melancholy washing over me.
There was a time I'd thought about seducing Hugh Pei, fantasized about having a child with him and living a simple, happy life.
Now, all I wanted was for him to divorce me so we could go our separate ways.
Since I'd only fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning, I didn't wake up until noon. When I did, I found several messages on my phone.
One was from my mother-in-law, saying they had to return to C-City on short notice.
Another was from Ella Li, asking if I wanted to take a commercial gig for a concert.
The last one was from an unknown number. I didn't know who it was, but the content shocked me. It was a photo of me leading Julian Qi out of the parking lot last night. The angle made us look like a couple, though Julian's injured state made him look rather pitiful.
I thought for a minute, running through all the possibilities. Was I photographed by the paparazzi? Or did those three thugs from last night have an accomplice who secretly took the picture?
Although my father and my husband were prominent figures, I had always kept a low profile, especially after marrying Hugh Pei. Even Ginny and the others could barely get ahold of me. How could I have possibly attracted the attention of the paparazzi?
I couldn't come up with a single reasonable explanation, so I just dialed the unknown number. It rang once before they hung up on me.
I had no choice but to send a text: *Who is this? Can you please tell me your name?*
If that photo got out, even if Julian Qi and I were completely innocent, we'd be misunderstood by the public. I just wanted to quietly pursue handsome young men, not become a trending topic.
Soon, a reply came with two words: *Evan Yu.*
I almost coughed up blood. He was at the parking lot last night? And he took a picture of me and Julian Qi!
He'd already been suspicious of us at the hospital. Now, there was no way I could talk my way out of this one.
I immediately replied: *That is me in the photo, but you've definitely misunderstood something. How about this, I'll treat you to a meal and explain everything.*
After that, Evan Yu went silent, as if his number had been disconnected.
Unable to sit still, I dialed his number again. This time, he answered. "You pick a time and place for dinner and send it to me."
He was so straightforward, it was as if he had been waiting for my invitation all along.
"Alright," I said, hanging up. After some thought, I chose the Zenith Hotel. The misunderstanding started there, so it should be cleared up there.
Evan Yu replied with a simple "Okay."
I spent the rest of the day in a state of unease. At seven in the evening, I changed and went to the Zenith Hotel. I chose the Peony Hall, their most exclusive private room, and ordered a set menu of eighteen dishes.
I refused to believe that after all that food, he still wouldn't be convinced.
"Miss Xu, here is the surveillance footage you requested." The hotel's general manager appeared again, respectfully handing me a USB drive. It contained a copy of last night's parking lot footage.
"Thank you," I said, taking it with a faint smile.
A short while later, Evan Yu finally arrived. He was wearing a coffee-colored shirt that gave him a refined, cool aura.
He sat down across from me and got straight to the point. "You can explain now."
"Don't be in such a hurry. Let's eat and talk," I said, forcing a calm smile.
"What is your relationship with Julian Qi?" Evan Yu seemed to be deaf to my suggestion, completely ignoring my pace and pressing on with his sharp questioning.
I replied with a sigh, "We're friends. We met by accident. I even know his girlfriend!"
Evan Yu's expression shifted slightly. "He has a girlfriend?"
I nodded. *But not for long,* I thought. *You and Hugh Pei are both going to be fighting over her soon.*
Looking at the ice prince before me and thinking of Hugh Pei's stunning good looks, I couldn't help but feel that these two top-tier men could have any woman they wanted. Yet, they were about to fall out over a common dandelion. I couldn't even begin to imagine that scene.
"Look at this!" Seeing Evan Yu lost in thought, I quickly connected the USB drive to my phone and showed him the surveillance footage, full of confidence. "This angle shows all my interactions with Julian Qi after I entered the parking lot, and you can hear everything I said. We're innocent!"
*Whether we'll be innocent in the future, who knows.*
The angle of Evan Yu's photo must not have captured the confrontation with the thugs. It looked more like it was taken after I had already led Julian Qi away, as the image was slightly blurred.
Evan Yu took the phone and watched it seriously. I craned my neck slightly, observing his expression.
When he saw me slap the three thugs, his eyebrows raised slightly, a hint of amusement in his eyes. After he finished watching, he returned the phone to me. "You're quite feisty."
"Heh, you can't just let people walk all over you, right? Besides, I'm Hugh Pei's wife, and my father is a man of some status," I said with a dry laugh, quickly putting my phone away.
"Does Hugh Pei know about Julian Qi?" Evan Yu asked again.
His questions were all laced with a deep concern that his best friend was being cheated on.
I had always known that Hugh Pei and Evan Yu were childhood friends, the closest in their circle. But since I didn't know Evan well, I never knew just how close they were.
Now I knew. Evan Yu was practically losing sleep over Hugh Pei's marriage.
But even a friendship this strong would eventually shatter over a woman, turning them into bitter rivals. The thought made me sigh.
I shook my head. "He doesn't know. He's not an important friend, so it doesn't matter whether Hugh knows or not."
Evan Yu took a sip of water and said nothing.
I didn't know if he believed me or was just pretending to. Either way, he didn't speak to me again for the rest of the meal. He tasted two of the eighteen dishes and then left.
"What a waste," I muttered, looking at the table full of delicious food. I called a waiter over to pack it all up, then headed home with several containers.
On the drive back, an address suddenly popped into my head. It was the home address listed in Eva Liu's file. Her family was local to A-City, living in an area on the border with C-City. Although it was still technically A-City, it was far less prosperous, and property prices were much cheaper.
Lila Wei's family was slightly better off than Julian Qi's, whose home was in a small town in another province.
Now that my in-laws were back in C-City, Hugh Pei would surely feel unrestrained. He would find ways to get close to Lila Wei. It would be incredibly easy for him to find her personal information, including her home address. He probably already knew it.
Lila Wei wasn't working these few days, and with school not yet started, she would probably be resting at home.
On a whim, I turned the car around and headed for the address of Lila Wei's apartment complex.