A slap landed squarely on Lu Qianzhou's face, full of suppressed rage.
A clear handprint quickly appeared on his fair and handsome face, which was enough to show how hard she had hit.
The assistant and staff members following beside them turned pale with fright. Their boss, who always commanded respect without raising his voice, had never been treated like this. He had taken a slap from a woman without changing his expression, not even getting angry.
Seeing his calm face, Yan Xia's anger flared even more.
"You know why I slapped you," Yan Xia said with glistening tears in her eyes. "Although I already have the answer in my heart, I still have to ask you. Why didn't you show up for Long Tao's appointment today? Was it you who did something to Fang Jiangyi? Tell me, was it you?"
A hint of determination gradually welled up in Lu Qianzhou's eyes. He didn't deny it. "Since you've already made up your mind, why bother asking me?"
She loathed him for saying such morally - binding words.
"I want you to tell me directly if it was you."
Lu Qianzhou squinted slightly and replied, "Yes."
With a bang, Yan Xia felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
He admitted it so straightforwardly. In his eyes, what did her feelings count for? What did human lives count for?
"Lu Qianzhou, are you crazy?" Yan Xia shivered in disbelief as she looked at him. Mist quickly filled her eyes, and she didn't know what attitude to take towards him at this moment. "I've told you more than once not to touch him, not to hurt him. Why can't you understand?"
His amber eyes gradually dimmed. His hand gently brushed across her cheek, tracing an arc along the side of her face.
He stared at her despairing face. "Is he that important to you? So important that you'd even team up with the police to scheme against me. So important that... you're so furious and come to question me."
His focus was always off - track.
Yan Xia was concerned about a real human life, while he was only concerned about who she cared about.
"My cooperation with the police was my own decision. It has nothing to do with him. Even if he made mistakes, he doesn't deserve to die. Stop shifting the blame for your own crimes!" Yan Xia roared.
At first, there were quite a few onlookers, but now seeing how intense the situation was, they all wisely stepped aside. Who would want to watch the boss's drama and still expect to keep their job in the company!
Yan Xia's emotions fluctuated wildly. The sorrow in her eyes surged like a tide, almost drowning him.
He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand her looking at him with such a sorrowful gaze. The person he had tried so hard to protect and cherish, why was she showing such a heart - broken expression for someone else?
"Almost when I went to see Long Tao today, I was still thinking... if what I did would bring you serious consequences, maybe I would give it up for you. I didn't want to send you to prison with my own hands. But you always manage to stop me at the last moment! Shatter all my hopes for you! You always deceive me with high - sounding reasons. Are you really targeting Fang Jiangyi only because of me, without any personal motives?"
Lu Qianzhou was unusually silent. When he spoke again, his tone was fearless.
"What does it matter? Three years ago, it was indeed for personal reasons, but now, I'm doing it all for you. If I had to choose between you and him, you know I'd choose you without even being asked."
"Yes, it may not matter to you, but he's my savior. He's always been the best brother - in - law in my heart. I've already regarded him as my family. But now, you've personally hurt my family for your own selfish desires."
Yan Xia closed her eyes, and tears slid freely from the corners of her eyes. Her hands were trembling slightly.
"You'd better pray that Fang Jiangyi is okay. I'll go to Long Tao's next operation. If he finds out my identity and you don't show up in the next deal, I probably won't survive. We have to reach a conclusion between us. If you're willing to watch me die and don't want to sacrifice your career, you can expose me to Long Tao right now and choose not to go to the deal."
The choice was in his hands. If he chose to protect her life to the end, he would be the one who suffered.
It was another choice between two. Yan Xia or himself. It was up to him to decide.
Perhaps her words touched Lu Qianzhou's emotions. He frowned, and a sudden, stabbing pain shot through his heart.
His lips turned purple from suppression. "Cheng Yan Xia, you're threatening me with your life."
"You can choose not to be threatened by me. I've long been tired of this entanglement with you," she said with tear - blurred eyes. The tattoo on her wrist was clearly visible. "It's better to die than live like this..."
She couldn't stop sobbing.
"You're always so selfish, only caring about your own interests and never caring about others' feelings."
After getting everything off her chest, Yan Xia didn't look at him anymore and turned to leave.
But as she passed by Lu Qianzhou, he suddenly grabbed her and pushed her back several steps until she was pressed against the wall behind her. He pinned her face with one hand and forcefully kissed her lips.
His furious emotions enveloped her, a raging wave that threatened to drown her.
What he was doing now felt more like a cruel humiliation to Yan Xia. She managed to free one hand and suddenly slapped him on the other side of his face.
"From this moment on, I take back all the pity I once had for you. A person like you doesn't deserve to be treated gently."
After saying that, she turned around resolutely and left.
Zhou Qi looked on indifferently. He glanced at Lu Qianzhou and then followed Yan Xia.
Lu Qianzhou stood there for a long time. There were clear handprints on both sides of his face. His chest heaved rapidly, a sign of his extreme anger.
If it weren't for deceiving the mastermind behind the scenes, finding out who it was, and ensuring her safety, he wouldn't have joined hands with Fang Jiangyi to stage such a play. Now it seemed that Fang Jiangyi had agreed to act out the fake death just to test his position in Yan Xia's heart.
He massaged his cheeks. He had come up with the idea and made the choice. Now he had no other option but to bear the consequences.
For outsiders, the most direct way to make everyone believe that Fang Jiangyi had been killed was to make Fang Jiangyi's father and Yan Xia believe it. Only when they believed it could they deceive others.
The light rain outside still didn't stop. Zhou Qi held an umbrella and escorted Yan Xia to her car.
"Boss..."
"You can go back. I'll drive back by myself. You don't need to follow me," Yan Xia said. She didn't want anyone to see her in such a vulnerable state.
Since she had said so, Zhou Qi had no choice but to comply.
After Yan Xia drove away, Zhou Qi took out his phone and made a call to report the situation. The person on the other end answered quickly.