Fu Sichen was almost driven to fury by Yu Lizhi. "Yu Lizhi, you've really outdone yourself. Just wait."
He wanted to see just how far her stubbornness would go this time.
When she eventually came back to beg for his forgiveness, there was no way he would ever pardon her.
Seeing Yu Lizhi courting her own doom like this, Yu Haitang's eyes flashed with glee.
Yu Lizhi, go right ahead and dig your own grave.
The more Brother Sichen grows to detest you...
The more he will belong to me.
"A-Yan, let me explain." Yu Lizhi grabbed Bo Yanchi's hand and turned to face him. "I threw this celebration banquet just for you. Congratulations on your award."
"Yu Lizhi, stop lying to me." Bo Yanchi's voice was hoarse. "And how do you explain that note?"
"Oh, that. I must have written the wrong thing. I'll write a new one right now." Yu Lizhi feigned ignorance, cursing herself for her pig-headedness in forgetting all about that detail—otherwise, A-Yan would never have seen it.
"Don't bother." Bo Yanchi stopped her, forcefully prying open her fingers, and said gloomily, "Just how many times are you going to use me to make Fu Sichen jealous? Aren't you afraid he'll never speak to you again?"
"A-Yan, you've misunderstood," Yu Lizhi said hastily, reaching out to grab his hand again.
Bo Yanchi pulled his hand behind his back, refusing to let her touch him, his voice heavy. "A misunderstanding? Are you going to tell me this box of gifts is a misunderstanding, too?"
"Well..." Yu Lizhi sheepishly scratched the tip of her nose. "Uh, a misunderstanding, all of it. Didn't I say I was giving them to you? They're very expensive."
"What kind of person do you take me for, giving me things Fu Sichen didn't want?" Bo Yanchi muttered grumpily. "Am I a garbage collector?"
So that was why he was upset.
Yu Lizhi quickly coaxed him: "If you don't like those gifts worth hundreds of millions, I can pick out new ones for you to make it up to you."
"I don't want them." Bo Yanchi turned his face away, his tone cold and stiff. "Yu Lizhi, stop toying with me. If you provoke me again, you'll regret it."
"A-Yan..." Yu Lizhi tugged at the hem of his shirt, coaxing him softly. "I really wasn't playing with you this time. You have to believe me."
"Is that so?" Bo Yanchi stared at her coldly. "Then do you dare kiss me in front of Fu Sichen?"
"Huh?" Yu Lizhi blinked, her pretty face flushing crimson.
There was such a wonderful perk?
"Do you dare?" Bo Yanchi's handsome face leaned in closer to hers, his lips parting slightly as he spoke with an indescribable, stubborn intensity.
He was gambling, wagering on just how genuine her feelings were at this moment.
Yu Lizhi swallowed hard against her nervousness, her beautiful eyes locked onto Bo Yanchi's sexy lips. "Are... are you sure you want me to kiss you?"
"Mhm." His Adam's apple bobbed as Bo Yanchi lowered his deep gaze, his eyes fixing on her tender, juicy red lips like a flower bud waiting to be plucked.
Yet, he waited for her to make the first move.
"Then lower your head a little." Taking a deep breath, Yu Lizhi stood on tiptoe and hooked her arms around Bo Yanchi's neck. His tall and upright frame cooperatively bent down slightly.
The tip of his nose was practically grazing her cheek. Her eyelashes fluttering, Yu Lizhi spoke in a tight voice: "Then I'm... going to kiss you?"
"...Mhm." Bo Yanchi stared fixedly at Yu Lizhi, not missing a single subtle expression on her face.
She was trembling.
Did she not want to kiss him after all?
When she remained motionless for so long, Bo Yanchi's heart sank, a bitter taste rising on his lips.
What was he even expecting?
She didn't dare.
Because once she kissed him, there would be no turning back.
"Enough." With reddened eyes, Bo Yanchi moved to push Yu Lizhi away, only to feel a soft touch press against his lips.
She had her eyes tightly shut as she kissed the corner of his mouth, her movements somewhat stiff and her biting clumsy.
A sharp gasp echoed through the banquet hall.
Everyone looked over in astonishment, including Fu Sichen and Yu Haitang, who were just about to leave to get his injuries tended to.
Fu Sichen's pupils abruptly constricted, and he stood frozen in disbelief.
As for Yu Haitang, after a brief moment of shock, she turned her head toward Fu Sichen with a triumphant gleam. His expression was as dark as the bottom of a wok, looking utterly hideous.
A secret thrill ran through her heart.
To make Brother Sichen jealous, her older sister really would stop at nothing.
She could even bring herself to kiss Bo Yanchi, the person she loathed the most.
Did she actually think this would catch Brother Sichen's attention?
It would probably only push him further and further away.
The moment Yu Lizhi's lips touched his, Bo Yanchi's entire body shuddered. His mind went blank, leaving him too dazed to think.
She really kissed him.
"A-Yan. Is this enough?" Yu Lizhi shyly pulled back slightly, cup-cupping his cheeks, and stared up at him with a flushed face.
She still felt a bit unsatisfied, yet she didn't dare kiss him for too long.
Bo Yanchi's breathing grew ragged, and it took him quite a while to collect his wits.
Thinking he was dissatisfied, Yu Lizhi pecked his lips a couple more times. "How about this? Are you happy now?"
Bo Yanchi: "..."
"Still not enough?" Yu Lizhi muttered in bewilderment, convinced she must have used the wrong kissing method, which was why A-Yan wasn't happy.
Could it be that he wanted a French kiss?
Her pretty face turning an even deeper shade of red, she shyly said, "A-Yan, you aren't even opening your mouth, so I can't kiss you properly."
Only then did Bo Yanchi barely manage to snap back to reality, his voice incomparably hoarse. "Yu Lizhi, since you've provoked me, I'm never letting go again."
Yu Lizhi's eyes lit up. She threw her arms around his waist, buried her face in his chest, and nodded repeatedly. "Okay, okay, okay. You said it yourself, so you're never allowed to let go of my hand again."
"Alright." Bo Yanchi paused before his large hands wrapped around her slender waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace. He closed his eyes as the corners of grew slightly damp and red.
Seeing this, Fu Sichen's gaze grew sinister as he clenched his fists.
Well played, Yu Lizhi.
Don't think that by using Bo Yanchi and throwing yourself into his arms...
You can catch my attention this way.
Since you're so bent on courting death, I'll grant your wish.
I'll just wait for you to come crawling back like a dog, wagging your tail and begging for mercy.
After Fu Sichen and Yu Haitang left, Bo Yanchi finally released Yu Lizhi and said gloomily, "He's gone. You don't have to act anymore."
"Act?" Yu Lizhi was stunned. "A-Yan, were you just acting?"
"Weren't you just trying to use me to make Fu Sichen jealous?" Bo Yanchi said with muffled frustration, a sharp ache of bitterness twisting in his chest.
"A-Yan, am I really so untrustworthy to you?" Yu Lizhi asked, feeling deeply aggrieved.
"What do you think?" Bo Yanchi replied with a chilling tone.
Yu Lizhi: "..."
As expected, she had painted everything far too rosy.
She thought that after being reborn, she could just live in loving harmony with him.
As the saying goes, it takes more than one cold day to freeze three feet of ice.
She had hurt A-Yan so deeply in the past.
It was only natural that he didn't trust her now.
Thinking of how gentle, considerate, and indulgently pampering he had been toward her after they married in her past life left a sour taste in her mouth.
The disparity was simply too great.
Was he still not loving her enough in this lifetime?
Or was it that the more she made him suffer, the more heartbroken he felt?