Jiayi instinctively covered her chest and screamed, "Pervert! Bastard—"
Damn it! Huo Zhenyang's eyes narrowed sharply!
He hadn't been a pervert to some girl he had just met! Who did she think she was?
He calmed his emotions and continued the search!
Nothing!
There simply wasn't any space for bugging or hidden camera devices in her tiny spaghetti strap top.
And it was impossible for her low-rise denim hotpants to hide anything either.
"I told you there's nothing, didn't I? I'm not some paparazzo, I didn't follow you or take any candid photos of you…" Jiayi's face flushed red.
She had only just met this man for the first time, and although she temporarily couldn't remember her own identity, she knew she was not the kind of woman to become intimate with a stranger so easily!
Suddenly, a surge of indignation rose in her heart. Her delicate, pale nose began to feel sour, her rosy lips trembled, and her eyes moistened.
Crying? Was this some kind of ploy to gain sympathy?
Huo Zhenyang's gaze hardened, and he didn't stop his search, nor did he show any pity, his hand lifted the girl's disheveled hair, his handsome face leaning in to inspect behind her ear, and then he proceeded to take off her shoes to check inside.
"You—stop that!" Jiayi propped herself up, raising her arms to push and block him, but was no match for his strength.
Her white sneakers were taken off, and her cotton socks were peeled away...
Nothing in the shoes.
Nothing in the socks.
Nothing?
Really nothing. Maybe she wasn't a paparazzo after all?
Huo Zhenyang's hand loosened, and he dropped the girl who was already panting from struggle and too tired to continue, straightened up from the bed, and stood up, contemplating her thoughtfully.
"You're really not a paparazzo? Then why were you alone and clueless in the hunting ground, especially in the area most densely populated by wild beasts?" The man spoke slowly, his tone slightly softer, yet still cold and distant, like a ruthless hunter who had no mercy for his prey.
Jiayi held back her tears and anger, "I've already told you, I found myself lying there when I woke up, not remembering anything. I'm not some paparazzo, it's just that you don't trust anyone, you don't even listen and just..." She quickly pulled the spaghetti strap T-shirt over her head while speaking.
But the clothes had already been torn, and after his tugging, they were nearly in shreds, how could they cover anything?
The barely concealed sight added a touch of seduction to the young girl. She bit her lip in embarrassment, eager to escape this humiliating place, even if her clothes were torn to this state, she had to leave quickly!
Trust? Since he had joined Huo Group, dealing with businessmen and politicians alike, he had long abandoned the notion of trust. Hearing her righteous speech, his lips curled in amusement.
Smiling? He actually smiled? Jiayi was truly angry. Did this man have no morals or regard for the law, no concern for others' feelings, acting only on his whims and desires?
"Okay, since you're not a paparazzo, off you go." Huo Zhenyang gestured towards the door with an outstretched hand, showing no remorse for his previous actions, not the slightest intention of apologizing.
The girl on the bed, like a little wild cat that had been humiliated, stared with tear-gleaming eyes, her little face flushed red as she pounced from the bed, picked up her sneakers, and ran barefoot toward the bedroom's classic carved teak door.
A thud! The muffled sound of a body hitting the carpet.
Huo Zhenyang looked over, Jiayi had run halfway, fainted from exhaustion.
This woman, was she made of tofu?
Huo Zhenyang frowned but walked over, bent down, and picked up Jiayi.
The girl in his arms had her delicate, slightly upturned red lips pursed tightly, and her small fists clenched firmly, once a rebellious cat, now a stubborn kitten.
"Butler Luo! Auntie Li!" Huo Zhenyang called out clearly.
The door clanged open immediately.
Huo Zhenyang's handsome face tensed, and his thick eyebrows knitted together.
The two people had actually been eavesdropping outside the bedroom door the whole time!
Butler Luo and Auntie Li sheepishly smiled, but upon seeing the girl faint again, could no longer smile and quickly stepped forward.
The two were simply not at ease with the strange girl the young master had brought back, which was why they were watching. They didn't expect things to really go wrong; the noises of struggling and shouting coming from inside had scared them.
Auntie Li took Jiayi and helped her onto the Italian sofa beside, pinched her philtrum, and dripped a few drops of peppermint oil. The girl's eyelids finally fluttered open but she was still dazed.
"Butler Luo, you and Auntie Li take her out," Huo Zhenyang rolled up his sleeves and instructed.
"Take her out? To where?" Butler Luo asked, surprised. "Where does this young lady live?"
"Anywhere," Huo Zhenyang considered for a moment, "just take her to the entrance of Huanglong Mountain hunting ground."
To leave a girl with her clothes in disarray alone in the suburbs late at night, expecting her to make her way back to the city area? That was very dangerous.
Butler Luo clicked his tongue.
Auntie Li's voice came over, "Young master, this young lady has a fever."
Huo Zhenyang looked over, the girl leaning weakly against Auntie Li's shoulder, looking like a doll that had used up all her strength, her eyes nearly closed, showing only a sliver, her eyelashes drooping powerlessly, her face pale, yet with beads of sweat on her forehead.
Huo Zhenyang shrugged, "So what? I don't even know her." After speaking, he emphasized, "Take her to the main entrance!"
As long as he was sure she wasn't a paparazzo, that would suffice.
Butler Luo hurriedly advised, "Young master, why not wait until tomorrow? This young lady is ill and injured, barely conscious. The roads in the suburbs are difficult to navigate at night, and walking alone, something is bound to happen. If she faints on the way, or encounters thugs or ruffians and it ends up at the police station, in the news, journalists and paparazzi would trace it back to having been at Huanglong Mountain hunting ground, and perhaps even to having been brought back to the villa by you. It would cause trouble for you, and it would be bad for the reputation of the Huo Family."
"Yeah, young master, it would be even more troublesome if the old master found out," Auntie Li, feeling sorry for the girl, couldn't bear it and added a word too.
Huo Zhenyang furrowed his brow. When the old master lectured someone, one's ears could practically grow calluses. He had arranged for Xue Jingchuan and the others to come to Huanglong Mountain hunting ground for a relaxing few days, keeping it a secret from his grandfather. If it got back to the old master, it would indeed be a headache.
After a moment of silence, Huo Zhenyang walked towards the door.
Auntie Li knew the young master had agreed and, along with Old Luo, they helped the girl up to the guest room on the second floor.
The next day, as soon as it began to lighten, Jiayi was up.
Her head was still a bit dizzy, but the fever had subsided.
She sat on the bed for a while, and then slowly remembered what had happened the day before, right, she had been forcibly dragged back to the villa by a lunatic, and was about to leave—when she fainted!
Looking down, she saw she was already wearing a new set of clothes.
It was a man's high-end T-shirt, still emitting a faint cologne scent, quite large and hanging loosely on her body.
She bit her lip. Oh no, it couldn't have been changed by that thug, right?
She jumped out of bed, looking everywhere for her shoes.
Just then, the door creaked open, and someone came in.