Ye Linhan pursed his thin lips while he stared at her attentively, as if something was on his mind. After a long while, he finally mumbled, “It’s not that I have a bad memory. I have never lied to you. What exactly are you talking about?”
Han Muzi replied in a cold and emotionless voice, “Weren’t you the one orchestrating the little episode at the party that time?” If it had not been for the party, it would not have caused such a big misunderstanding between her and Ye Moxuan.
Although she knew that the misunderstanding would not have happened if they really trusted each other, Han Muzi would have doubted Ye Moxuan either way. After all, it was Old Master Ye who even thought of asking her to keep an eye on Ye Moxuan. Seeing that Ye Linhan was also there at the party, she could not bring herself to believe that he was that innocent either.
Ye Linhan was stunned. He couldn’t believe it. The bewilderment in his pair of soft and gentle eyes was immediately replaced by a look of pain.
In the end, he looked down and bitterly laughed at himself. “So, this is how you think of me.”
“Indeed, that’s how I’ve always thought so.” Han Muzi looked at him. “So, can we cancel the partnership then? No matter what your intentions are, be it five years ago or five years in the future, I no longer want to be the sacrificial lamb.”
Ye Linhan gradually raised his head and suddenly reached out to grab her hand that was on the table. When Han Muzi felt the warmth of his palm, it startled her, and she pulled her hand away.
However, he grabbed her hand even harder and stared at her without any emotions whatsoever. His face became more serious and was instead filled with melancholy. He was no longer the adoring man that he was before. “Since you’re saying that I was the one who orchestrated that little episode, are you also trying to hint that I was the mastermind behind your car accident too?”
Han Muzi, who still struggled to break free from Ye Linhan, immediately stopped when she heard his words. It was as if all of her strength disappeared in that moment. Her face turned pale and her lips slightly opened as she recalled the car accident. She stared at Ye Linhan but could not speak at all.
Of course, she would not have thought that he had a role to play in the car accident. Sure, the car crash had merely been an accident, but what about the one before that?
Han Muzi suddenly realized that she might have been too harsh with her words. After all, he was the one who protected her during the accident. If he had not been there for her, there was a chance that she would have been in a serious situation instead. Han Muzi lowered her eyes when she thought about this. “I’m… sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Ye Linhan interrupted her with a smile. “You know that I will never hold grudges, no matter what you have done or said. I’m sure you are aware of that.”
Han Muzi raised her head to meet him with pained eyes after hearing that. It was because of this exact behavior that Han Muzi refused to acknowledge him. He always thought that it did not matter much that she uttered hurtful words to him and would find it in his heart to forgive her.
Han Muzi rose to her full height and coldly said, “Don’t always behave like this. How could you not be upset by what I have described you as? Or did you think that I would feel guilty if you were not mad? If that is so, I am sorry to have disappointed you. I am leaving.” With that, she turned to leave.
Ye Linhan’s expression changed and he quickly ran after Han Muzi. “Qi…”
“Don’t call me Qi!”
“Muzi, I am not the kind of person whom you think I am. No matter what you thought of me, I have indeed made a mistake. My only wish now is to make up for what I did to you back then.”
That painful memory…
“That’s unnecessary. Five years have gone by after all. It is what it is. As long as we don’t meet again, I will not blame you.”
Ye Linhan looked at her indifferently. “But what if I insist on meeting you again?”
Hearing that made Han Muzi raise her head and stare at him in dismay.
It was at this moment that the expression on Ye Linhan’s face grew more solemn. Han Muzi was stunned for a second before she was able to free her hand. “I’m leaving. I’ve got something to do,” she said.
She then turned around, leaving Ye Linhan to stare at her back. There was a glimmer in his eyes within seconds. Before he thought twice, he blurted, “The kid is Moxuan’s, am I right?”
Han Muzi was about to take the next step when she halted. She stood at the same spot, feeling as if Ye Linhan’s words plunged her into the depths of despair. It took a long while before she could face him again.
Ye Linhan approached her, but his voice dripped with ice. “The reason why you don’t want to acknowledge my presence is because I saw your son at the supermarket the other day.”
This sucked the life out of Han Muzi. She felt as if she was about to suffocate. Her face lacked color and her voice trembled. “What do you want?”
“Muzi, I’ve told you before; I mean no harm. You must trust me.”
“Then why did you bring this up?” Han Muzi looked at him and demanded in a shaky voice, “You kept saying you meant no harm, but everything you did and said indicated otherwise. What actually is your intention?”
When he realized how frightened she was, he became certain of his own suspicions. He worriedly reached out his hand to brush a strand of hair from her face. As he did so, his fingers accidentally touched the soft skin behind her ear. He paused for a second, while she immediately took a step backward to maintain a safe distance from him.
Ye Linhan was distressed by her reaction toward him, but he continued to speak softly, “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. I presume that Moxuan doesn’t know that the child is his? That’s why you’re worried that I’ll tell him about it. Or maybe… you’re just afraid that you will be the sacrificial lamb in our fight. Am I right?”
Everything that he said hit the bull’s eye. Han Muzi looked up at him weakly. How else would he have found out about the truth if he didn’t calculate his moves well?
“If you’re worried about this, then I can assure you that I will never do anything that will harm you until the day I die.” When Ye Linhan saw that she still refused to believe him, he added, “I swear, if I—”
“That’s enough,” Han Muzi interrupted. She closed her eyes and replied weakly, “You don’t have to swear to me. I know that you’re someone who will keep his promise. I’ll accept that.”
Her words finally made Ye Linhan relaxed. “So, would you still be willing to meet up with this old friend of yours then?”
She was reluctant to do so, but a part of her also felt helpless. There was nothing that Han Muzi could do but sigh at his suggestion. “You’ve said everything that there is to say. What else can I do?”
Finally, a grin broke out on Ye Linhan’s face. It was the same gentleness he always had. “That said, we’re not only partners now, we’re also… friends.”
She nodded as there was nothing she could say.
“Let’s go back and finish the coffee. I have some questions about work that I needed to ask you.”
“Okay.”
With that, Han Muzi and Ye Linhan returned to their seats. The two sat down and talked about work for a while, although Ye Linhan kept pressing her with questions about her years abroad.
She brushed off some of the questions perfunctorily. Noticing her time was almost up, she bid farewell to Ye Linhan. After all, if it was slightly later, she reckoned Ye Moxuan would be awake.
If she were to leave now and head over to the supermarket in the neighborhood for a quick shop before returning home to cook, lunch would be served right in time by the time Ye Moxuan woke up.
