C13 Get Lost!

"There's one missing!"

"It's my boyfriend!"

...

Unbelievable thoughts raced through Wu Shaohua's mind. He had no real affection for Lee Rong; to him, women were merely playthings to be discarded after use.

What he relished was the thrill of the chase.

But how could the woman he was toying with be reclaimed by such a loser?

The more he thought about it, the more enraged he became, until he couldn't contain himself any longer and burst out yelling.

"Slut, just like your sister, always pretending to be so innocent, but in the end, aren't you all the same? Whore! I'll have you all ruined!"

Wu Shaohua was seething with rage as he screamed and pointed at Yu Haoran and Lee Rong.

"What are you standing around for? I didn't hire you to be spectators. You're nothing but brawn with no brains!"

He finished his tirade with a vicious insult directed at his own bodyguards.

The two bodyguards exchanged a glance, each seeing a mutual disdain in the other's eyes.

But they had no choice; they needed to make a living.

"Bang bang!"

Before their fists could reach Yu Haoran, he had already made his move. For him, such a low-level fight was insignificant, akin to an adult humoring a child in play.

The two hulking men were sent sprawling against the wall, struggling to rise, their faces contorted with pain.

They had been taken down.

But Wu Shaohua was stunned.

His bravado had evaporated.

His so-called trash had laid out his muscle in less than a second.

"You, stay away from me!"

He stammered, backing away.

"Scram, and don't let me catch sight of you again. And you two, next time you take a job, make sure you know who you're dealing with, or else."

With those words, Wu Shaohua felt a weight lift and he stumbled out of the room.

Standing beside a BMW Z4 parked beneath Lee Rong's company building, Wu Shaohua, with a look of malice, pulled out his phone.

"Hey, it's Wu Shaohua. Issue the command that, effective immediately, the Tribuck Group will exert all its might to crush the Lee family's businesses!"

"Snap!"

With a surge of anger, he slammed the phone down onto the passenger seat.

He turned his head back, grinding his teeth with a crackling sound.

"A futile effort, a switcheroo? Fine! If I can't have it, I'll just destroy it! Damn it."

Then, the roar of the engine filled the air as the BMW sped away.

"Are you... Are you still the same Yu Haoran?"

Lee Rong looked him over with curiosity, walking circles around him, yet to her disappointment, she couldn't spot any differences.

One thing had changed, though. His usual expression was once a pleasing smile, but now he was too composed, like an unfathomable lake, its depths impossible to discern.

"Have you felt enough?"

Yu Haoran gave a wry smile as Lee Rong's hands roamed endlessly over his body, even standing on tiptoe to scrutinize his head and ears.

As Yu Haoran began to speak, Lee Rong's hand rested on his abdomen. If he didn't intervene, she might just go too far.

"Ah... Ah? Cough, cough... I'm sorry."

Lee Rong realized her lapse in decorum and quickly withdrew her hands, her cheeks flushing a deep red.

She inwardly scolded herself, "Pah, Lee Rong, what are you doing? He's your brother-in-law!"

Her eyes followed the path of her retracted hand and then glanced downward, her face reddening as if it could bleed.

Her voice was barely a whisper.

But Yu Haoran wouldn't overthink it. He knew Lee Rong all too well. To others, she might appear distant and cool, but to him, she was always quirky and spirited.

Ignoring her, he didn't respond and turned to walk away.

"Hey! Wait up, big sister... Brother-in-law, please wait. To thank you for your help, let me treat you to lunch!"

She snapped out of her reverie as Yu Haoran began to leave, setting aside her earlier astonishment, and hurried to catch up with him.

This was the first time Lee Rong had called him brother-in-law since his return. It felt awkward, but it seemed that Yu Haoran's presence had genuinely taken her by surprise, prompting the heartfelt address.

In a private dining room at the restaurant.

"Brother-in-law, how did you suddenly become so formidable? I remember when even a petty thug could have you tumbling all over the ground."

Lee Rong had posed the question to Yu Haoran, but his responses were curt.

"Mm-hmm."

"Ah!"

"No."

...

Having finished her meal, Lee Rong's curiosity found room to breathe.

She peppered him with questions while eating, so engrossed that she didn't even notice the garlic oil wheat dish smudging her chin.

Isn't there something more pleasant to talk about? It's like bringing up the very subject that's bound to cause discomfort. She already didn't want to talk to you, and yet you persist with these topics?

Yu Haoran's mind flashed to a scenario where, during a shopping trip, Lee Wen and her sister were harassed by a thug. Yu Haoran had stepped in to defend them, eager to please.

But the thug had quickly knocked him down...

The old Yu Haoran might not have minded, given the 'loser' label he'd been stuck with wasn't without merit.

That's exactly how he used to be.

But now, with a face full of frustration, Yu Haoran rolled his eyes and finally spoke up.

"Is this how you've always conversed with people over the years?"

"Yes!"

Lee Rong hastily dabbed at the oil on her chin with a napkin and replied with crisp assurance.

Yu Haoran couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up, his eyes clearly expressing his admiration: what a character.

In truth, Lee Rong was quite measured in her dealings with others. It was just that she harbored a unique sentiment towards Yu Haoran, so in his presence, she dispensed with formalities and spoke her mind freely.

There's an old saying: 'Aunts and nieces must endure the company of their brother-in-law.'

Back when Lee Rong was still in high school, Yu Haoran first entered her consciousness as a man of elegance and charm.

It was perfectly normal for her to be impressed upon their first meeting.

Despite his previous life's timid nature, he had always carried himself with a certain grace.

However, as time went on, Yu Haoran's actions grew increasingly repugnant to her, culminating in his mysterious disappearance after a fall from a cliff, followed by her sister's vanishing. The powder keg in her heart had fully ignited.

It might be fair to say she was frustrated with him for not living up to his potential, but today, upon seeing him, her perspective brightened, and she felt a sense of returning to her initial impression.

Yet, she hadn't fully shifted her view of him as a disappointment, so she spoke without reservation.

"You've really put in a lot of effort these past few years."

After a brief pause, Yu Haoran continued with a smile as he looked at Lee Rong.

"Hmph! At least you have a bit of a conscience. I've been swamped with work every day, not to mention taking care of Tuantuan. You have no idea what it was like when Tuantuan was little..."

Once she started talking, there was no stopping her. Yu Haoran, for his part, was more than happy to listen to the stories about Tuantuan.