The Suspicious Encounter

“What are you doing?”

As soon as Luo Yao received Frost’s message and put down his phone, Mu Yaochen appeared at the staircase, her deadpan eyes fixed on Luo Yao, who was sitting on the sofa.

Unnoticed by Luo Yao, Mu Yaochen had been watching him for quite some time. Everything Luo Yao had been doing was observed by Mu Yaochen, who was now suspicious of what he was doing with his phone. Her doubts intensified, especially since Luo Yao had once been involved with someone like Su Mengqi.

Her presence was a serious threat.

“Nothing, just watching videos.” Luo Yao, hearing Mu Yaochen’s emotionless voice, instinctively put down his phone and looked in her direction.

“Watch videos? Why are you hiding your phone?” Mu Yaochen saw Luo Yao’s action as an attempt to avoid her. Was he hiding something from her?

Sensitive to such things, Mu Yaochen suddenly wondered if Luo Yao was using his phone to contact Su Mengqi, who was, after all, Luo Yao’s ‘golden girlfriend’!

A bitter taste lingered in Mu Yaochen’s eyes, instantly fueling her anger. The feeling of being ‘cheated on’ was overwhelming.

Luo Yao was using her things, staying in her bed, but his thoughts were with another woman? Perhaps, there was no such thing as an equal relationship between Luo Yao and Mu Yaochen.

Luo Yao was unaware that Mu Yaochen’s imagination ran even wilder than Su Mengqi’s. Seeing the resentment in Mu Yaochen’s deadpan eyes, Luo Yao was puzzled. Had he done something to upset her again?

“Hand over the phone!” Driven by anger, Mu Yaochen momentarily forgot she could control Luo Yao’s phone. Like a mother leopard, she pounced on Luo Yao, determined to uncover the truth. A sense of ‘catching a cheater’ filled the air.

“What’s going on?” Luo Yao, seeing Mu Yaochen rushing down the stairs, instinctively prepared to hand over his phone. He felt a sudden return to his high school days, when his teacher caught him playing with his phone in class. The unknown and anxious feeling was overwhelming. What would happen next?

“Nothing……” Luo Yao didn’t know why Mu Yaochen was acting so wildly, but he had done nothing wrong, only sent a simple message. Mu Yaochen ignored Luo Yao’s explanation; any defense seemed futile to her.

“…….” After taking Luo Yao’s phone, an awkward silence fell in the living room. “Weren’t you talking to your little girlfriend?” Mu Yaochen checked Luo Yao’s WeChat, finding only herself and Frost as his contacts, along with various advertising messages. Seeing the chat with Frost, her anger subsided by half.

Luo Yao understood her reaction, realizing she must have thought he was chatting with Su Mengqi on WeChat. He never imagined Mu Yaochen’s reaction would be so intense. She was controlling and jealous.

Luo Yao thought, taking back his phone. “It’s nothing. I misunderstood.” In Mu Yaochen’s eyes, Luo Yao was always the weak one, needing her protection. There was also an underlying seductive hint, possibly a psychological suggestion from Mu Yaochen.

“It’s okay.” Luo Yao didn’t know how to respond to Mu Yaochen, as this wasn’t the first time she had acted strangely. “Hmph!” Mu Yaochen, who had found a bunch of phrases online to cheer up a boy, suddenly forgot them all, sitting nearby and sulking. Whenever alone with Luo Yao, Mu Yaochen couldn’t control her temper. What am I doing? Wake up!

“Luo Yao, do you really want to pay me back?” Suddenly, Mu Yaochen asked Luo Yao, her gaze fixed on the TV host smoothly reading a sponsor’s ad, lost in thought. Luo Yao’s phone chat clearly showed he wanted to open a store and make money to repay his debts.

Mu Yaochen fell into self-blame. She hadn’t seized that chance, wanting to be harsh with Luo Yao but unable to follow through. Her true feelings were hard to express, and she wasn’t sure if she loved him. If she really liked or loved him, was it his soul or just his handsome appearance?

“Yes, I owe you eight million, even if I can’t pay it back, I still want to repay you.” Mu Yaochen’s question didn’t surprise Luo Yao. “Turn around and look at me.” Mu Yaochen, gathering her courage, spoke to Luo Yao, her graphite eyes serious and fixed on him. “What’s wrong?” Luo Yao’s attention was fully on Mu Yaochen, unable to focus on the TV. “I can give you a chance to not pay me back.” Mu Yaochen’s mind was in chaos, her consciousness unsure of her own actions. “A chance? Owner, what kind of chance?” Luo Yao, seeing Mu Yaochen’s serious expression, sensed something amiss. What was she planning?

Mu Yaochen hadn’t figured out what this ‘chance’ entailed. She only felt an irresistible urge to talk to Luo Yao, to possess him further. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to ask him to forget Su Mengqi. Doing so would only make Luo Yao resist her more. “I….. I….. I like you.” Mu Yaochen’s mind went blank, her words jumbled. Luo Yao looked at her, confused by her strange behavior, noticing a faint blush on her face. What did this mean? Was she playing hard to get? “I…….” Luo Yao, though suspicious, had to continue, with no time to react in this scenario. “Are you in love with that girl, Su Mengqi?” Mu Yaochen’s eyes spun, her words jumbled, yet her focus remained. She cared deeply about Luo Yao’s true feelings, her face close to his. “Owner…. what’s wrong with you?” Luo Yao, seeing Mu Yaochen’s unusual behavior, was confused but didn’t know how to respond. He understood her words but didn’t want to risk admitting his feelings for Su Mengqi, as it wouldn’t be good for his present or future. Yet, denying his feelings would only raise more suspicion from Mu Yaochen. She would always believe he deeply loved Su Mengqi. It was a difficult situation, Luo Yao thought. “I’m fine, I just want to know if your girlfriend is her, or if there’s someone else?” Mu Yaochen moved closer to Luo Yao, her cherry lips exhaling warm breath. “It’s not her…. we’re just ordinary…..” Luo Yao paused, thinking, and for his present and future, he had to express his true feelings. Luo Yao now regretted ever mentioning having a girlfriend when he first met Mu Yaochen. “Little Yao, lying isn’t good, you know.”

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(To be continued with four more chapters)