Chapter 53: Captivity
Liang Xiaoluo mumbled curses under her breath, glaring at the shameless man in front of her. No matter how gentlemanly Ye Tianlin appeared, his actions betrayed his true nature.
She struggled for a long while but couldn't free herself. Finally, she gave up.
Ye Tianlin, however, took her surrender as encouragement. With a smirk, he pressed her down onto the seat.
"Is there anything you particularly want to buy later? Or forget it—you'll just go along with my choices," he said nonchalantly.
Before Liang Xiaoluo could respond, a knock came from outside the car. "Young Master, we've arrived."
"Hmm," Ye Tianlin replied lazily.
The car had indeed stopped in front of a massive shopping mall.
Taking advantage of the moment, Liang Xiaoluo pinched Ye Tianlin's chest hard, causing him to flinch in pain. She used the opportunity to jump off his lap.
At that exact moment, the car door opened.
"Young Master, everything has been prepared," one of the staff announced.
Ye Tianlin stepped out first, then turned back to extend his hand toward Liang Xiaoluo. "Come out."
Liang Xiaoluo hesitated, refusing to move.
Leaning back into the car, Ye Tianlin flashed her a roguish grin. "Should I carry you out?"
"Get lost! Stop pretending to be nice—it's disgusting!" she spat, attempting to kick him.
Ye Tianlin, unfazed, laughed.
Frustrated, Liang Xiaoluo kicked him harder before reluctantly stepping out of the car. As she climbed out, she accidentally locked eyes with Zuo Lun, Ye Tianlin's right-hand man, and quickly looked away in embarrassment.
"Where… where are we going now?" she asked hesitantly.
"This way, Young Master, Miss Liang," said the mall manager, stepping forward to greet them.
Curiosity piqued, Liang Xiaoluo glanced up. Two rows of staff were lined up neatly, welcoming them.
Her jaw dropped in astonishment. She stood there, frozen, staring at the extravagant scene until she finally found her voice. "Ye Tianlin, is this really necessary? Do you have to be this over the top?"
"Over the top?" Ye Tianlin raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I'm not a fan of all this either."
"You…" Liang Xiaoluo was speechless.
"Alright, let's go shopping," Ye Tianlin said, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her inside without a hint of shame.
Neither noticed a group of people in the distance. Among them, a man stood out, his gaze fixed intently on Ye Tianlin and Liang Xiaoluo as they entered the mall.
Inside, Liang Xiaoluo frowned as Ye Tianlin pulled her along. "Do you really have so much money that you don't know how to spend it anymore?" she asked, exasperated.
"Smart girl," Ye Tianlin replied with a slow smile. "That's right—your Young Master here has no shortage of money. But you, on the other hand, seem to lack it more than anything else."
His words were laced with mockery.
Liang Xiaoluo remained silent.
He was right. She needed money desperately, which was why she had allowed herself to be at his mercy.
Money was her weakness.
Noticing her quietness, Ye Tianlin softened slightly. He changed the subject. "If you don't like this kind of scene, I can have them all leave. As long as it's what you want."
Liang Xiaoluo blinked, startled. For a moment, his profile seemed genuine, sincere.
But how long would this sincerity last?
A second?
She gave a bitter laugh to herself.
Ye Tianlin always managed to surprise her, creating moments no one else had ever given her. Each time, she found herself overwhelmed. Her life was supposed to be simple.
She had planned to quietly love Nan Shaojie from afar, cherishing her feelings for him. But thinking of the ten years she had spent longing for Nan Shaojie, her face fell.
Why? Why did the man she loved for so long have no room in his heart for her?
If only Nan Shaojie reciprocated her feelings, how different would her life be?
Her chest ached as if something invisible were tugging at her heart.
Ye Tianlin tilted her chin up, his deep eyes locking onto hers. "What's with the gloomy face? Don't like it?"
She pressed her lips together and stayed silent.
Ye Tianlin waved his hand, signaling for the staff to leave.
"Better now?"
He spoke with rare patience—patience reserved only for Liang Xiaoluo.
Forcing a smile, she tried to mask her sadness. Regardless of whether she liked it or not, she had to adapt to this new life.
Seeing her faint smile, Ye Tianlin grinned. Pulling her close, he kissed her deeply, murmuring against her lips, "You look better when you smile."
Before she could react, he was already leading her further inside.
The mall was eerily empty—no shoppers, no sales clerks, not a single soul.
"What's going on?" Liang Xiaoluo asked, her voice filled with confusion.
Ye Tianlin shrugged nonchalantly. "Too many people would ruin the mood."
The silence was intentional. He hated crowded spaces where he became the center of unwanted attention.
"It's quieter this way," he said, clearly pleased.
"Were you always this antisocial?" she blurted out.
Ye Tianlin froze for a second before letting out a cold laugh. "Antisocial?" He leaned closer, his face just inches from hers. "Do I seem antisocial to you?"
Memories of happier times before his father's death flashed in his mind. After his father passed, joy turned into nightmares.
Liang Xiaoluo lowered her eyes, avoiding his gaze. "You didn't need to clear the whole mall. The people working here might've been happy. You only thought about yourself."
Her voice carried an edge of frustration.
How could someone be so self-centered? To shut down an entire mall simply because he didn't like the noise?
Ye Tianlin was a tyrant, a man who disregarded the world's rules and everyone else's feelings.
A devil.
"Is that so?" he murmured, his tone darkening.
Consider others' feelings?
Who had ever cared about his?
Liang Xiaoluo glanced at him, sensing something strange in his demeanor.
"Do you prefer crowds?" he asked softly, his voice tinged with sarcasm.