Chapter 110: She’s Fallen in Love with Herself Again

Zhang Xiluo pulled back, unwilling to engage with him. She could not think of anything left for them to discuss.

"Zhang Xiluo, if you don't come out, I’ll wait right here," Li Mingye said, his voice low yet clear enough for her to hear on the balcony. "I wonder what kind of reaction my former parents-in-law will have when they return and see me here."

"Li Mingye, are you sick?" Zhang Xiluo could not help but lean out to snap at him. She had spent three years hiding, yet she still could not escape him!

He was standing at her doorstep threatening her—the man was truly insane.

"Come down." Li Mingye stood before the door with his hands in his pockets, looking up at her and issuing the order.

Under the cover of night, the aggression that usually defined his presence had receded, replaced by a layer of melancholy. The way he looked at her was more complex than before.

Zhang Xiluo felt a mix of anger and annoyance. She glared at him, unable to fathom what he was thinking. His shouting outside had already caught the attention of a few passersby. Since many people in this neighborhood were well-acquainted with one another, she worried that some well-meaning neighbor might report his presence to her parents.

Feeling cornered, she had no choice but to compromise. "Wait there."

Zhang Xiluo changed her clothes and reluctantly went downstairs to open the door. She truly hadn't expected Li Mingye to be shameless enough to come to her home and stir up trouble. For a man of his stature—a cold, powerful CEO—his ability to act like a rogue was beyond what most people could handle.

"You're slow," Li Mingye remarked with a look of disdain the moment he saw her.

Zhang Xiluo rolled her eyes at him, retorting sharply, "If you think I'm slow, then leave. It’s not like I asked you to wait."

Li Mingye’s face darkened, his expression displeased. "Get in the car."

"Say what you have to say and leave quickly," Zhang Xiluo refused, keeping a deliberate distance from him. "Why are you looking for me?"

"Do we really have to have this attitude?" Li Mingye frowned.

"We are divorced. We should stay out of each other's lives. You act like I’m dead, and I’ll act like you’ve been reincarnated. We shouldn't be speaking at all, do you understand?" Zhang Xiluo’s tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

Li Mingye’s expression grew increasingly grim, his gaze cold and laced with irritation. "Do you think I’m pestering you?"

Wasn't he? Zhang Xiluo looked at him with confusion. Come to think of it, he truly had no reason to pester her.

"Zhang Xiluo, answer me," Li Mingye said, sounding agitated.

"No," Zhang Xiluo shook her head. "There’s no way you’d be pestering me. Just tell me, what do you want?"

She wouldn't lack self-awareness to the point of narcissistically assuming he still had feelings for her.

"Get in the car."

Zhang Xiluo did not refuse again. After all, this was her doorstep; if they were seen, it would be difficult to explain. She didn't want to be the subject of gossip the moment she returned to the country, with people claiming she was tangled up with her ex-husband again.

She chose to sit in the back. Just as she reached for her seatbelt, she heard Li Mingye’s icy voice. "I am not your chauffeur. Get in the front."

"What a nuisance," she muttered, moving to the passenger seat while leaning toward the window, wanting to keep as much distance between them as possible.

Li Mingye drove her to the mountaintop. It was a restaurant under the Li Group’s umbrella, accessible only by reservation for members. This mountaintop restaurant had been very popular back when Zhang Xiluo was in school. One of her wishes had been to have a meal here with Li Mingye, watching the stars and the night view of Long City together.

As soon as the car pulled to a stop, staff were waiting to open the doors and guide them. The manager had reserved the best table for them and gone to the trouble of decorating it; the table was surrounded by expensive crystals, with a white crystal swan placed at the center.

The scene was intimately familiar to Zhang Xiluo; it was one she had drawn in her sketchbook years ago.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zhang Xiluo glanced at Li Mingye. He must have snooped through her diaries and sketchbooks—was he trying to fulfill her old dreams now?

"Eat," Li Mingye said, offering no explanation and motioning for her to sit.

Zhang Xiluo felt uneasy. They were divorced; what was he trying to achieve with all this? Trying to win her back? Impossible. Li Mingye was not that kind of man.

"I owed you an explanation for what happened before. Treat this as compensation," Li Mingye said, looking down as he poured her a drink. His voice was low, devoid of any discernable emotion.

"It’s not necessary." Zhang Xiluo didn't want to look back. "The past is in the past. I only want to look forward and start a new life."

"Whether you need it or not is irrelevant. Eat," Li Mingye insisted with his usual overbearing manner.

Zhang Xiluo was choked by his words, forced to swallow whatever she had been about to say. Li Mingye wasn't doing this to make amends to her; he was doing it to make himself feel better. He didn't care about her feelings or her needs—he only cared about clearing his own conscience.

No matter how many years passed, Li Mingye would never change. It was she who had been delusional again, thinking too much.

She ate the meal without tasting a thing, wasting such fine ingredients and culinary skill. She just wanted to finish quickly and go home so she wouldn't have to make up more lies to her parents.

"What a pity, there are no stars tonight."

Li Mingye looked up at the sky, his brows furrowed. The sky was pitch black, devoid of a single glimmer of light.

The night wind on the mountaintop was biting, making Zhang Xiluo shiver. She looked up briefly and said, "It’s going to rain tomorrow. Let’s head back down."

Li Mingye glanced at her, remained silent, and walked to the side to look out over the city. There were many mountains from which one could overlook Long City, but this spot offered the best view. Below, the city lights twinkled like scattered stars amidst the endless flow of traffic—a scene of immense prosperity.

Zhang Xiluo felt indifferent. She was thirty now; these dreams were irrelevant to her.

"Mr. Li, can we go now? I’m freezing to death."

Li Mingye withdrew his gaze and looked at her deeply. "Let’s go."

The road down the mountain was long. Li Mingye sat in cold silence. Zhang Xiluo grew drowsy and began to drift off.

The car suddenly lurched violently, jolting her awake. She thought Li Mingye had braked on purpose and was about to speak when she saw several men standing in front of the vehicle. They were wearing masks and sunglasses, holding weapons, and blocking the path. One of them had already approached the car and was hammering on the glass.

Zhang Xiluo stared at the men outside, her heart pounding. They were being robbed!

"Kill the engine! Get out!"

Li Mingye didn't move, sitting steadily in the driver's seat. As Zhang Xiluo pulled out her phone to call the police, the car window was suddenly shattered. A hand reached in to snatch her phone, and she screamed in terror.

Li Mingye immediately pulled her into his arms to shield her. Glass shards flew everywhere, and his arm was cut by several shallow lacerations.

"We only want money. Give us the money and we'll let you go."

"If you don't want to die, cooperate. Don't think about calling the police. Just hand over the cash!"

The passenger door was wrenched open, and a robber grabbed Zhang Xiluo to drag her out. Li Mingye roared coldly, "Let her go! It’s money you want—I’ll give it to you."

"Well, it really is Mr. Li. I thought I was seeing things. Now I’ve changed my mind. I don't just want your money—I want your life!"

The robber leaned his head inside, his voice dripping with hatred.