"As long as you behave tonight, I won't bother you again after this," Li Yuye said.
Yun Zhiyi was skeptical. "Are you sure?"
The cold presence surrounding her intensified as he leaned in, his lips pressing against hers in a firm, consuming kiss.
"Don't flatter yourself," he murmured. "With your wedding coming up, I'm not interested in married women. I promise, I won't show up again before your wedding day."
His promise finally made her feel some relief. She'd thought he might go wild and interfere with Su Shen, disrupting her plans. It seemed she had worried for nothing.
Still, experience had taught her caution. Yun Zhiyi took out her phone and opened the recording app.
"Li Yuye, what if you go back on your word? I hope you don't mind if I record this," she said. "You've just agreed not to appear in front of Su Shen again, to keep our association hidden, and to stay out of my wedding. If you break my plan, I will..."
"And what will you do?" he asked, a darkly amused glint in his eyes.
"I won't let you get away with it," she declared firmly.
"Is that so." He chuckled, his expression both charming and dangerous, as though he found the situation increasingly entertaining.
"Absolutely."
He repeated his words for the recording, and satisfied, she stowed her phone. Having his words recorded made her feel a bit more secure.
But his condition was that she keep the ring.
When she asked why, his answer was simple: "Once something's given, there's no taking it back."
The pink diamond was now firmly on her ring finger, and all she could think was that it was a ticking time bomb. It seemed he wouldn't relent until she accepted it. She agreed, deciding to ask Xiang Man to help her get rid of it later.
Su Shen was already suspicious of her tonight, so the ring couldn't stay in her possession long.
Li Yuye's breath brushed her ear, sending a shiver through her. His hand slid along her back, resting on her as though staking his claim.
"Stay here tonight," he said, a question cloaked in a commanding tone.
Yun Zhiyi knew there was no use refusing. She couldn't refuse him even if she tried.
"Do I even have a choice, Mr. Li? You're insisting that I stay, and now it's just us here in this suite. I couldn't leave if I wanted to."
Her flushed lips parted as she spoke, still seated in his lap. The scene was thick with tension, and even the air seemed to carry a charge.
His gaze fixed on her lips. "You certainly do have a sharp tongue."
"Did I say anything wrong?"
"…No, you didn't."
Because tonight was not the only night she wouldn't escape him. From the moment she'd entered his world, their fates had entwined.
How could she be so naïve, believing that one night with him could buy her freedom forever?
If she intended to leave him behind, she would find that he would not let her go so easily.
"Yun Zhiyi, you'll stay by my side. Always," he thought.
She couldn't see the plans unfolding in his mind, only feeling slightly guilty. After all, he had saved her that night—that much she couldn't deny.
Breaking free from his hold, she stood by the sofa, her tone sincere.
"Thank you for that night," she said. "You saved my life. I have no right to bargain with you."
"But don't worry. When I'm able, I will repay you, somehow…"