Chapter 118: Using Her to Provoke Li Mingye

Zhang Xiluo gasped as she collided with Mu Changjia. Looking up, she saw the corners of his mouth turned upward in a look of smug provocation.

Mu Changjia leaned down, carefully brushed a stray lock of hair from her ear, and said with ambiguous intent, "Be careful. You nearly fell."

Zhang Xiluo frowned. If he hadn't pulled her toward him so suddenly, she would never have stumbled!

*Slap!*

She raised her hand and struck Mu Changjia across the face, her eyes flashing with anger. "Don't you dare use me for your schemes, Mr. Mu," she warned.

What he chose to do was his own business, but she refused to be his pawn. She had once thought him a gentleman, but today, she finally saw him for who he truly was.

Mu Changjia was stunned; he hadn't expected such a swift and fierce reaction from Zhang Xiluo.

"Miss Zhang, aren't you misunderstanding something?" he began, trying to explain, but Zhang Xiluo cut him off with a cold laugh.

"Mr. Mu, you are a clever man, and I am not a fool. Let's leave it at that. You know as well as I do that the more you try to explain, the worse it looks."

Having said this, Zhang Xiluo turned away and immediately spotted Li Mingye nearby.

Li Mingye stood with his hands in his pockets. In the dim light, his expression was unreadable, but waves of icy coldness radiated from him.

Was Mu Changjia’s bizarre behavior meant specifically to provoke Li Mingye?

She walked toward Li Mingye. As their paths crossed, he grabbed her arm, his chill enveloping her completely.

"You certainly have a way with the opposite sex," he said, his brow knit with fury and his tone dripping with sarcasm. He did not forget to cast a glance toward Mu Changjia in the distance.

Zhang Xiluo did not want to argue with him. Since he had seen her, he must have also seen her slap Mu Changjia.

"The feeling is mutual," Zhang Xiluo said coldly, shaking off his hand and walking straight past him.

Snis and her uncle were still deep in conversation, and others were trying to join them. Not wanting to sit back down, Zhang Xiluo gestured to a secretary.

"I have something to attend to and must leave now. Could you please apologize to Mr. Snis on my behalf?" she said with a hint of regret. "And could you bring me my bag?"

"One moment, Miss Zhang." The secretary, not daring to make the decision herself, walked over to Snis and whispered in his ear.

Mr. Snis looked toward Zhang Xiluo and nodded kindly. Only then did the secretary retrieve the bag and bring it to her.

"Miss Zhang, let me drive you home."

"No need, a friend is coming to pick me up. You should go back, and please tell my uncle I’ve left." Zhang Xiluo slung her bag over her shoulder and departed, only to run into Li Mingye again.

She pretended not to see him and walked past him quickly.

Zhang Xiluo stood by the roadside to hail a taxi. This was a high-end hotel, and most people arrived in their own cars; even ride-sharing services were far away.

After waiting for over ten minutes with no driver accepting her request, she felt a pang of regret that she hadn't let Snis's secretary drive her.

"Zhang Xiluo, what are you doing standing here?" Mu Peipei drove by and pulled up in front of her. "Don't tell me you're waiting for your ex-husband?"

"Waiting for a ride home." Zhang Xiluo frowned, rolling her eyes internally. Why did everyone assume she was still entangled with Li Mingye?

Mu Peipei beckoned her to get in.

Zhang Xiluo didn't stand on ceremony and opened the door. The interior of Mu Peipei’s car was encrusted with rhinestones, especially the passenger side, where they were arranged in the shape of a swan.

Compared to Mu Peipei, Zhang Xiluo felt she was hardly a wealthy socialite; apart from Li Mingye, she had no particular extravagances.

"Zhang Xiluo, I actually really dislike you because you're Li Mingye's ex-wife. But I also feel like you're a good person, though I can't explain why." Mu Peipei opened up, admitting that from the moment she learned who Zhang Xiluo was, she had been biased against her.

However, after meeting a few times, Zhang Xiluo’s reactions and conversation had made her want to get closer against her own better judgment.

"I still think you're quite cute," Zhang Xiluo said with a faint smile. Compared to Mu Changjia, a haughty girl like Mu Peipei was much easier to tolerate.

"I wish Li Mingye thought so too," Mu Peipei pouted, looking unhappy. "I started liking him a year ago, just waiting for the chance to return to the country."

"My father showed me his profile, and I was attracted by his photo at first sight. I swear, I’ve never seen a man that handsome. It was love at first sight with a picture. When I saw the photos of your wedding, I was so jealous I nearly went insane."

Mu Peipei glanced at Zhang Xiluo and continued, "You’re beautiful—prettier than me—and you have such grace. I’ve viewed you as my greatest enemy on the road to love."

Zhang Xiluo listened quietly. Her brows furrowed slightly, but based on these words and Mu Peipei’s demeanor, she seemed like someone without malicious intent.

However, after the incident with Zhou Yao, she didn't want to judge anyone too easily.

With the calculating Mu Changjia right in front of her, and given that Mu Peipei was his sister, there was no telling what kind of schemes might be at play.

After all, they had only met a few times; for Mu Peipei to open up to her so quickly was suspicious.

"I haven't asked yet—where are you going?" Mu Peipei looked at her again, perhaps sensing she had talked too much. "Never mind. As long as you don't fight me for Li Mingye, I won't make things difficult for you."

"Please drop me off at Qinyuan. Thank you."

She had no desire to answer any questions regarding Li Mingye.

"Alright."

Mu Peipei drove fast, accelerating through intersections even when the green light had only three seconds left. Zhang Xiluo sat in the passenger seat with her heart in her throat, vowing never to ride with Mu Peipei again.

Finally arriving at Qinyuan, Zhang Xiluo thanked her again and walked through the main gate.

Her parents were taking a stroll and, seeing her step out of a stranger’s car, they exchanged a look of concern and walked toward her.

"Luoluo, where is your uncle?" her mother asked, glancing at the departing car. "Who brought you back?"

"It was Mu Peipei." Knowing her mother’s concerns, Zhang Xiluo explained, "Li Mingye was there too, so I left early. Uncle is still there, chatting and drinking with Mr. Snis."

"Sigh, Longcheng is small, and the Li family is a business titan. As long as you stay here, you’re bound to run into him. What a jinx," her father grumbled, clearly annoyed by the mention of Li Mingye. "Let’s go inside; it’s cold out here."

Zhang Xiluo nodded, linking arms with her parents as they headed home.

She hadn't lived to see thirty in her past life. Fortunately, she had made the right decisions in this one, giving her the chance to walk through their neighborhood arm-in-arm with her parents.

Even if she couldn't escape Li Mingye entirely, she would find a way to keep their distance.

She could not bear to lose this peaceful, beautiful happiness she had now.

Back home, Zhang Xiluo showered, changed, and lay in bed. She received a message from Xu Xinyi saying she was in trouble.

Zhang Xiluo felt a strange sense of unease and called her, but the phone went unanswered.