C18 Chapter 18

“Yubai, are you okay?”

The moment Yubai saw Jingya, his expression snapped back to cold. He gave her a flat glance and said, almost bored, “What are you doing here?”

Jingya’s smile stiffened for a beat before she forced it back. “I know you have trouble sleeping. I brought you a box of a really effective medication from overseas.”

Back then, she’d thought she could use the pregnancy to marry Yubai. She never expected the old man in the Luh family to be that shrewd—blocking it outright.

He even produced proof that the child she was carrying wasn’t a Luh.

Jingya knew marrying Yubai was no longer possible, but she couldn’t accept it. For the past three years, she’d done everything she could to get back to his side, but Yubai always met her with the same icy distance.

“Yubai, I know you’re still mad at me, but I already explained what happened back then…” Tears slid down Jingya’s cheeks. “I was assaulted. I didn’t dare tell you. I thought…”

“I’m not blaming you.” Yubai’s voice stayed calm. He let out a quiet sigh, looking at the woman in front of him. “It’s just that I realized I don’t love you.”

“Yubai, you do love me. How can you not?” Panic clenched in Jingya’s chest. No matter how hard she’d tried these past three years, he always kept her at arm’s length. She stared at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. “We have so many memories. Why did everything change after Anan showed up…?”

“I took care of you because of Mr. Qiu’s request. I thought I loved you, but someone else has been in my heart for a long time.” Yubai narrowed his eyes. He knew the words were cruel, but he didn’t want to keep making the same mistake.

He didn’t really blame Jingya. This was on him. If he’d sorted out his feelings sooner, he wouldn’t have hurt two women—he wouldn’t have driven Anan away.

“No!” Jingya’s breath caught. Her manicured nails dug hard into her palm until it turned red, and she didn’t even notice.

No way.

She couldn’t accept that years of effort had come to nothing. “Anan is the homewrecker—she stole you from me. You’re the one who loves me! I know you’re angry because I lied to you, but I’m a woman—I get scared too. I wanted someone to lean on. I really did want to tell you!”

“Enough…” Yubai couldn’t help frowning. Bringing it up left a sour taste in his mouth. Thinking of the child by Qiu Anan’s side, impatience crept into his voice. “What happened back then is over.”

“No! It’s not over. If I hadn’t been violated and ended up with a child—if that child were yours, Yubai—you wouldn’t have been so cold to me for three years!” Qiu Jingya’s voice rose despite herself.

“If that child were mine, the mistake between us would be even worse.” Luh Yubai’s voice was calm as still water, his deep eyes without the slightest ripple. He would never forget it—when he heard Qiu Anan had left, he’d rushed to the airport without a second thought.

Only to find the plane had already taken off. He didn’t even know where the flight was headed.

That frustration and regret sank deep and stayed there. For three years, in the quiet hours of the night, his mind had been filled with every smile and frown of Qiu Anan’s. He knew it—nothing could go back to the way it was.

“Jingya, I’ll keep looking out for you. I’ll help you find someone reliable to lean on. But we can’t go back.” Before Qiu Jingya could respond, Luh Yubai stood and pulled away, heading for the door without looking back. “I’ve got a meeting. I won’t walk you out.”

“How did it come to this…” Staring at Luh Yubai’s cold, distant back, Qiu Jingya stood frozen, her heart refusing to settle. After a long moment, she suddenly grabbed the vase beside her and smashed it to pieces on the floor.

“Qiu Anan, I’m not letting you off the hook!”

By then, Qiu Jingya was completely blinded by jealousy, her carefully done makeup twisting with anger…

And far away at the hotel, Qiu Anan still had no idea danger was closing in.