Not until Yue Hai was still gazing at Yu Ke's luxurious rental with a look of surprise did Li Chonglou quietly pinch her.
Li Chonglou yelped in pain.
"What are you doing?"
"You didn't tell me you were bringing a handsome guy over; it was so embarrassing just now!"
Yu Ke said, biting her teeth lightly. Li Chonglou then realized that after changing her clothes, Yue Hai could indeed be considered handsome. Although he was approaching thirty, his features were sharp and well-defined. If he were to dress up like those delicate boys nowadays, he might look ten years younger.
"What, you've taken a liking to him?"
"What are you talking about!"
Yu Ke was obviously shy, but then she got straight to the point and asked, "What wind blew you here this time?"
"Let's sit down first," Li Chonglou said with a smile. He walked over to the pink sofa and sat down. The soft and comfortable touch made him realize that every piece of furniture here was not cheap, but top-quality.
The decorations were also extremely luxurious. Not to mention anything else, the landscape painting on the wall alone, he recognized as an original at first glance, worth at least a million!
"I say, Yu Ke, didn't you say you had a falling out with your family and moved out on your own? How do you have the financial means to buy all this?"
Li Chonglou looked at Yu Ke doubtfully. The latter walked over and sat down gracefully, saying with a hint of helplessness, "Don't mention it. If it weren't for fear of giving anything away..."
However, before she could finish, Yu Ke's expression suddenly changed, and she subconsciously covered her mouth, as if she had let something slip.
"Hm?"
"No, nothing. These things aren't mine; they were given by someone else."
"Given by someone else?"
Li Chonglou's confusion deepened. As far as he knew, Yu Ke had no friends here, and her family had forbidden her from seeking help from friends.
So, who was responsible for these expensive items, especially that landscape painting?
However, when he looked at Yu Ke again, she had already averted her gaze, clearly unwilling to answer the question.
Never mind, everyone has their little secrets. If I were meant to know, she would tell me.
Li Chonglou shook his head and was about to get to the main topic of discussing company matters when the doorbell suddenly rang again.
This time, Yu Ke's expression visibly changed dramatically. She quickly got up and made a shushing gesture to Li Chonglou, then hurried both of them into the room.
"Don't make a sound, and don't come out!"
A bewildered Li Chonglou and Yue Hai were thus ushered into a guest room.
Bang!
As the door was heavily shut, Yue Hai couldn't help but whisper doubtfully, "Brother Li, what's going on? Could it be an enemy?"
"An enemy is unlikely. Perhaps she's secretly dating someone and doesn't want them to know about our presence."
Li Chonglou thoughtfully stroked his chin, and Yue Hai's expression suddenly became dejected again.
"What's wrong with you now?"
"Nothing. I just realized everyone seems to have a partner except me... Oh, by the way, Brother Li, do you have a partner?"
"I'm married, what do you think?"
This statement, rather than helping, made Yue Hai's dejected expression turn into gloom.
"So, it seems only I don't have one."
Li Chonglou couldn't help but roll his eyes. This guy was like a switch had been flipped; all he could think about now were women.
However, while this was sudden, it was also understandable. A young man who had lived in seclusion in the mountains for twenty years, suddenly emerging and seeing all sorts of beautiful women, it wouldn't be normal if he wasn't moved.
If Yue Hai had learned the ways of a monk, he might have been able to suppress his desires, but his years of simplicity were due to a kind of ignorance. How could he cope with such emotions now?
Therefore, Li Chonglou could understand, he just couldn't quite accept this guy's sudden emotional shift.
At this moment, an argument suddenly erupted outside the door.
"Yang Guang! We are still friends!"
"Xiao Ke, you promised my father back then. Are you going back on your word now?"
"Let me reiterate, I only agreed to let your father pursue me, not to become your girlfriend. You have no right to lay hands on me!"
With a bang, the sound of something being smashed came from the living room, followed by a rough, exasperated voice.
"How many days has it been? When have you ever truly accepted me? Every time it's just perfunctory. Are you deceiving us?"
"But, there has to be a process, right? And I only agreed to give you a chance to pursue me, I never said I would definitely agree!"
Then came Yu Ke's startled scream.
"What are you doing!"
"What am I doing? I finally understand now. You've been lying to both of us, father and son, from the very beginning! Today, I must consummate our relationship first. Then let's see what excuse you can find later!"
Following that was Yu Ke's panicked cry. Yue Hai, who was beside her, had already wanted to rush out, but he held back because Li Chonglou had his hand on his shoulder. At this moment, even Li Chonglou could no longer hold back and directly pulled open the door.
"Stop!"
On the pink sofa, Yu Ke was pressed down like a pitiable bird, curled up helplessly, while Yang Guang loomed over her like a wild beast.
Hearing another man's voice at this moment, Yang Guang's expression froze. He subconsciously looked over, and when he saw Li Chonglou's face, his expression changed dramatically.
"It's you?"
"It's you?"
Both of them recognized each other instantly. They had clashed at the barbecue stall back then. Because he sensed Yang Guang's killing intent, he had used heavy force.
At the same time, Li Chonglou also remembered that he had met Yu Ke late at night because of this incident.
"She really was deceiving me..."
Almost at the same moment, Li Chonglou, combining the conversation he had just overheard, instantly understood the entire sequence of events.
He didn't remember incorrectly; someone had told him back then that Yang Guang's father was one of the elders of the Shangjing Martial Arts Association. This was something he had intended to handle personally, but after meeting with Yu Ke, she indicated that everything was fine. Only then did Li Chonglou drop the matter.
Now, it seemed, things were not fine at all, but rather Yu Ke had compromised on certain conditions to resolve the issue!
Thinking of this, Li Chonglou couldn't help but shake his head.
This silly girl...
Though complicated, the entire process from recognition to Li Chonglou figuring everything out took only a few seconds. After Yang Guang reacted, he was like a startled bird, quickly releasing Yu Ke and stepping aside.
It had to be said that Li Chonglou's move back then had left quite a shadow in his heart. Having almost never lost a fight since childhood, this was the first time he had been taken down in one move!