Chapter 286: Chapter 286

Neon lights adorned the city, making it even more beautiful.

Hua Xiaomo wandered aimlessly through the streets for quite a while. Only when the sunset tinged her cheeks red did she return to the villa.

This is awful, living here feels like I’m covered in thorns; it’s nowhere near as good as that old hovel I used to live in.

Chaohu Alley might have been dirty, messy, and generally unpleasant, but living there had been comfortable and liberating. No one controlled her; she could do whatever she wanted. It was nothing like her current situation, where she felt restricted at every turn and was even facing a forced marriage.

What on earth should I do?

Now, her parents had already agreed to marry her off to Second Young Master Qi, Qi Lingfeng—who was also Xia Shuangming.

But if she insisted on refusing, her parents would be furious.

Moreover, her mother wants to live in a large house, and I’m afraid there might not be one available if this falls through.

She knew very well that if it weren’t for her own affairs, her father would never have been so kind as to proactively buy them a nice house.

And if not for his own gain, why else would he keep visiting her family?

"This reality is so frustrating! Why is it so miserable?" Hua Xiaomo said, frowning, a faint shade of gloom spreading across her beautiful face.

"Forget it. I don’t want to think about it. I’ll just go home and sleep," Hua Xiaomo said resignedly, quickly heading home.

After returning home, she exchanged only a few perfunctory words with Su Ronghua before rushing upstairs. She collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep, not wanting to deal with anyone.

Waking in the middle of the night feeling thirsty, Hua Xiaomo walked over and took a drink of water. As she raised her head, she glanced towards the windowsill.

Suddenly, she saw that the window of the villa opposite hers was also open.

And standing at that window was a handsome figure, looking her way.

But when Hua Xiaomo clearly saw the person’s face, she was momentarily stunned.

My God, isn’t that Qi Longbing? How could he be living next door to her?

This is driving me crazy! The source of thɪs content is 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵·𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮·𝓷𝓮𝓽

Qi Longbing watched her from the second floor of the villa opposite his. Realizing she had noticed him, he couldn’t help but flash a mischievous smile. Then, he quickly pulled the cell phone from his pocket and gestured with it towards her, signaling for her to call him.

Hua Xiaomo’s phone had been smashed by him last time, and a sudden pang of regret hit him for not buying her a new one.

But on second thought, he didn’t believe anyone could be without a cell phone these days. They were practically a necessity; you’d go crazy without one for even a day!

Sure enough, Hua Xiaomo took a sapphire-blue cell phone from her bag. After a moment’s hesitation, she dialed the number that ended with eight identical digits.

"Qi Longbing, what are you doing? Are you insane?" Hua Xiaomo scolded into the phone, truly astonished that he would be crazy enough to move in right across from her house.

"I’m perfectly normal. I think you’re the one who’s about to go insane!" Qi Longbing replied, watching her expressions with amusement as he spoke.

Since the two villas were just a stone’s throw apart, separated only by a narrow road, he could see her expressions clearly.

Hua Xiaomo was speechless for a moment. Gazing at him, she said into the phone, "You better get out of here, and fast."

"Xiao Mo, are your parents forcing you into marriage?" Qi Longbing asked, looking at her as he spoke on the phone.

"Uh..." Hua Xiaomo frowned. "How do you know?" Then again, he’s Qi Lingfeng’s older brother; how could he not know about his own brother’s affairs?

But... but why wasn’t it the other person?

Wasn’t he the one who should have approached Old Master Qi? So why is it Qi Lingfeng? She couldn’t understand. She really couldn’t figure it out at all.

Could it be that Qi Longbing was just playing around? Was that all it was?

The moment this thought crossed her mind, Hua Xiaomo found her own ideas somewhat incredible. She looked at the man opposite her, a complex light shining in the depths of her eyes. Her gaze was a swirling mix—faint yet intense, deep yet shallow. It was impossible to decipher how much genuine emotion or sincerity it held, versus how much was pretense or hidden insecurity.

Qi Longbing looked at her and said slowly, "Don’t ask me how I know. It’s because I simply don’t want you to leave me! Understand, Xiao Mo?"

"I don’t understand!" Hua Xiaomo retorted quickly this time. Then she fell silent once again, not speaking for quite a while.

Her palm clenched slightly. As a thought struck her, her cheeks flushed a deep red.

What did he mean by that? He didn’t want her to leave? But was he just joking?

Was their relationship just an endless game of mutual deception and conspiracy?

Yet, it was undeniable that he had actually taken good care of her at work. He had also taught her many things about the business world that she couldn’t have learned elsewhere.

"Xiao Mo, you fool!" Qi Longbing couldn’t help muttering in annoyance. Looking at her, heaven knew how much he wanted to be with her.

Ever since he had drunkenly encountered her at the bar the previous night and subsequently spent the night with her, he had understood completely: he could not lose her.

So, even if he, Qi Longbing, had to despicably break that wager, become a villain, and earn the scorn of the Qi Family, he was determined to take her back into his arms!

This time, he wouldn’t let anyone take her away from him!

So... that method was the only way to resolve this current anxiety.

"Qi Longbing, you call me a fool? And how smart are you, exactly?" Hua Xiaomo took a deep breath and continued into the phone, "I’ve been by your side for so long; haven’t you realized I have ulterior motives concerning you?" Her words hinted at impatience and mockery.

No sooner had she finished speaking than Qi Longbing’s voice, deep, low, and magnetically sensual, came through the phone, "Xiao Mo, no matter what ulterior motives you have towards me, you have to admit you’ve unknowingly fallen in love with me. You like me. You love me. Don’t you?"

As Qi Longbing spoke into the phone, his gaze remained unswervingly fixed on her at the window ledge opposite him.

The surrounding darkness was profound, yet her beautiful face was as fair and luminous as the full moon, captivating anyone who looked upon her.

Suddenly, his words seemed to strike a nerve with Hua Xiaomo. She looked at him, her eyes reflecting a complex pain. "Qi Longbing, can you please stop being so conceited?"

Once the floodgates opened, she found it difficult to stop. "You’re rich, you’re handsome, you’re a very wealthy tycoon, but that’s all about you. What does any of that have to do with me?"

"You don’t actually think that just because we’ve been together a few times, I’m somehow tied to you, do you? That’s just laughable." After saying this, Hua Xiaomo was about to hang up.

Qi Longbing hadn’t expected her to say that, but he quickly changed the subject. "Xiao Mo, do you really have to marry Qi Lingfeng?"