He was happy that she was here with him, but he was also sad that she was here for another man.
Lin Xinyan didn’t want to waste any more time with him. “Your dishonesty really disappointed me. You probably know exactly why I’m here. Tell me, what will finally stop you from holding onto this? I’m not stopping you from getting your revenge on Wen Qing. I don’t care if you live or die.
However, I will never allow you to use Jinghao’s identity as leverage in your little war with Wen Qing. Don’t you even assume for a minute that I’m helpless simply because I haven’t told Jinghao anything. Don’t forget, we’re in B City. Apart from Zong Jinghao, Zong Qifeng exists, too.”
Zong Qifeng hadn’t shown himself in a while, but that didn’t mean that he had become powerless. He’d have a field day against an outsider like Yinning.
Nonetheless, Lin Xinyan was not about to back down. She could be nice, but there was nothing stopping her from being harsh, either.
Bai Yinning stared at her for a long time before laughing. “You really are willing to do anything for him, huh?”
“He’s my husband and the father of my child. For him, I can do anything,” Lin Xinyan said honestly, staring right back at him.
She had nothing to hide.
Bai Yinning’s smile suddenly fell flat, and his hands gripped onto the handle tightly. “What if I wanted you in return to keep my mouth shut?”
“You won’t go that far. I’m a married woman, and I don’t think I have that much going for me. Tell me, what else do you want?” At his words, Lin Xinyan’s face remained calm, as if he were talking about someone else and not herself.
She was so calm, that Bai Yinning couldn’t believe it.
“Are you even a woman? Even if you don’t like me back, shouldn’t you reply some other way at such a confession? I feel like a failure with a response like that,” Bai Yinning said, not even trying to hide his disappointment.
“Do you think I have three hearts and can just give one away to you? I have just one, and it’s small. Small enough that it can be completely filled by just one person. Can we get back to our actual problem? If you don’t want to name your price or conditions, that’s fine by me. I came here on the last remaining terms of our relationship. From today onward, we are nothing but enemies.”
After that, she called out, “Peichuan!”
“Wait.” Bai Yinning hadn’t expected her to be so stubborn. From the moment she had turned up outside his door, he was still thinking about using this to get her back and take her away from here and back to Baicheng, where they could live a normal life once again.
Who knew she would be so stubborn?
She was likable and yet gave him so much trouble. Throughout it all, he was entirely in the palm of her hand.
There was a black car parked opposite the street. Inside the car, a man, who was supposed to be in a drunk daze inside a mansion, was watching Bai Yinning and Lin Xinyan’s every move.
Ever since Bai Yinning visited Lin Xinyan in the hospital, Zong Jinghao had gotten someone to find out where in B City he was staying. While B City was huge, there were still only a few high-class hotels that were easy to narrow down on.
He already guessed that it was highly likely for Lin Xinyan to come and find Bai Yinning after getting him drunk, so he got someone to dress up as a hotel cleaning lady so they could hide a camera in Bai Yinning’s room.
As a matter of fact, he could hear and see every single thing that was happening in Bai Yinning’s hotel room right now.
He leaned in his seat casually. His shirt was completely wrinkled, and his long legs crossed carelessly in tailored slacks. One of his hands tugged at his collar while the other had the elbow on the armrest and the hand against his forehead. He covered most of his face, rendering his expressions unreadable.
Back in the room, Lin Xinyan was patiently waiting for him to come up with the conditions she wanted to hear.
After a long time, Bai Yinning pushed himself to the French window and looked out at the bright, sleepless city skyline. “I’ve never lived for myself. I grew up in an orphanage, and no matter how bitter or terrible I felt, I always made sure I smiled brighter than all the rest. No one wants a scowling, disgruntled child, anyway. After a while, I got adopted by Bai Hongfei. In order to prove to him that adopting me wasn’t a mistake, I tried my best to show myself off. I worked harder than ever so that I could become a capable person. Then, when he passed away, his dying wish was for me to marry Cheng Yuxiu’s daughter. I would stop at nothing to grant his dying wish, no matter if I loved her or hated her. Then, I stumbled upon you and saved your life. When I saw that bracelet, I thought you were the one. I started working toward granting Bai Hongfei’s dying wish. Then, I started realizing how much of an interesting person you were. It’s safe to say that liking you was the one thing that I did for myself, because of myself, not because of anything or anyone else.”
He turned around in his wheelchair and looked at her. “I’m happy to see you here. However, you’re here because you don’t want another man to get hurt. And you know what? I’m so jealous I could scream. Isn’t that funny?”
Lin Xinyan looked at him, her eyes betraying the slightest hint of emotion. She was probably resonating with him, having gone through a tough childhood herself.
“I can stop that doctor from going to him.” He pushed his wheelchair forward so he was facing Lin Xinyan while his knees pressed onto hers. “When I knew what my heart truly wanted, I started doing everything and wanting everything so I could exchange it all for a pair of functioning legs. I’d give everything for that just so I could stand before you like a normal, healthy man. I felt extremely self-conscious for the longest time, and I still am. Whenever I toss and turn at night, unable to sleep because of your face still burned in my mind, I started to hate myself.”
His eyes were deep and bloodshot, almost quivering from passion.
Lin Xinyan said quietly, “I’m not worth all of that.”
“Yeah. You’re not.” He turned around and looked at her again. His nose was barely a few inches from her own and would be touching if only one of them made the daring step. “But I can’t control my heart, can I?”
When he said that, Lin Xinyan curled her hands into fists. Her entire body was tensed up. She was emotional not because of his confession but because of his backstory. There was a lot of unfairness in the world. Some people might have been born into less wealthy families but were still clothed and fed and cared for.
Some, however, were thrown away since birth.
“If you met me first, would you-”
“No ifs.” Lin Xinyan cut him off abruptly. That was a hypothetical question, and she did not want to waste time on situations that never happened.
She could see her own reflection in his dark eyes. “I can make that doctor disappear forever if you can grant my one request.”
“What is it?”
Bai Yinning looked at her lips. Despite being completely bare, without even a spot of lipstick on them, they still looked plump and blushing pink.
Lin Xinyan knew what he wanted, and she managed to turn away just in time. But before she could even react further, he had reached a hand out and latched onto the back of her neck, forcing her to stare at him.
In a low, raspy voice, he whispered, “Just one kiss. Is that too much to ask?”
Lin Xinyan nodded.
Bai Yinning’s eyes darkened in disappointment before they crinkled up in a pained smile. “Do you hate me that much?”
