Ye Huohuo felt not only her face but her entire body burning.
Fortunately, a gust of cool wind blew past, and she regained her senses. “Mr. Li, this is the rooftop. Someone might come up. If we’re seen like this, it’s not good!”
Li Mohan straightened up and looked down at her. “So, do you like it?”
Was this guy a problem child? He had to get to the bottom of everything.
How was she supposed to answer?
Ye Huohuo’s face flushed. She walked to the table on the rooftop, picked up the five small bronze ghosts from the Five Ghosts Fetching Wealth formation, placed them on a yellow cloth, and held them out for Li Mohan to see.
“The other party is an expert. In just one night, they managed to make new bronze look like this, destroying the reverse grand formation.” Ye Huohuo used this to change the subject.
Fortunately, her words successfully drew Li Mohan’s attention. He squinted his eyes at the five bronze statues, which had been brand new just yesterday, but were now covered in rust. It was indeed not the work of ordinary humans.
“Since the other party is so powerful, you shouldn’t bother with this. I’ll find someone else…”
“What? You look down on me? I don’t understand things in your business world, but in Haicheng, or even the entire Xuanmen sect in China, our Shouyang Mountain Wuji Temple is quite renowned.
Besides, I have my senior and second senior brothers. I don’t believe we can’t handle those people!” Ye Huohuo tilted her small face upwards, her expression full of pride.
She had completely forgotten how weak she had been last night, almost out of breath. Now, she exuded the spirit of a young tiger.
Li Mohan looked at Ye Huohuo, radiant in the sunlight, and finally seemed to understand what Xiao Lingzi had said, “She’s the invincible Ye Huohuo!”
Yes, this little girl, burdened by bad luck since childhood, yet lived like a little sun. It was truly rare. Looking at Ye Huohuo like this caused Li Mohan a pang in his heart.
“Huohuo, Grandpa said this morning that tomorrow is a good day and he wants to hold a banquet, inviting the prominent figures of Haicheng to announce your engagement to me.” Li Mohan naturally raised his hand and smoothed Ye Huohuo’s hair, which had been messed up by the wind.
The soft, smooth strands of hair brushed against his fingertips, tickling him. Li Mohan felt his heart tickle along with them.
“Ah? No!” Ye Huohuo objected without thinking.
“Why not?” Li Mohan’s brow twitched. He hadn’t expected his words, which were almost like a proposal, to be rejected.
This was something even the most distinguished young ladies in Haicheng couldn’t wish for. Yet, this little girl refused it without even considering it?
“Are you afraid your second senior brother will object?” His words carried a hint of sourness.
Ye Huohuo didn’t catch the undertone. She just shook her head. “No, it has nothing to do with my second senior brother. Besides, he can’t control my affairs. The main reason is that I’m afraid of affecting you! Although the more people know about our relationship, the more beneficial it is for me to borrow luck, it’s too unfair to you.
You are a celebrity in Haicheng, and every move you make draws countless gazes. You can’t give people any gossip.
If people ask you what your girlfriend does, you can’t possibly say she’s a fortune teller under a bridge, can you?
Also, an engagement is one thing, but we’ll break up after a year. How will people see you then?
A playboy who breaks up once he’s had enough?
I can’t be so selfish and cause you to become a laughingstock!”
Li Mohan’s eyes softened. So she was doing this for me! She was afraid I’d be mocked. What a silly girl. When had he ever cared about such things?
He gently ruffled her hair, messing up the style he had just fixed.
Ye Huohuo wrinkled her little nose in dissatisfaction. “My hairstyle!” She reached out to fix it herself, but Li Mohan held both her small hands with his large one.
“I’ll do it!” His voice involuntarily carried a hint of indulgence. “Those are not things you need to worry about. As for the marriage, you have the final say. As for the divorce, I will have the final say.
Until I say we can break up, you are not allowed to leave! Do you understand?”
Ye Huohuo raised her eyes and looked into his unfathomably deep eyes. A flicker of surprise shone in her eyes. She seemed to sense that Li Mohan didn’t actually dislike the idea of marrying her.
Could it be that he also liked her a little?
Could it be that what he did to her last night wasn’t just to save her?
Her eyes were filled with questions, but she couldn’t see through his gaze. His eyes were so profound, like an abyss from which it was difficult to escape once you looked in.
She could divine a person’s past and future, but she couldn’t understand people’s hearts.
Just as she was lost in his eyes, a voice echoed in her heart: Ye Huohuo, what are you thinking? Even if you borrow his luck for a year, you might not have a year to live.
You can’t even control whether you live or die, yet you expect to grow old with him? Moreover, his heart only holds the white moonlight who sacrificed for him. The reason he’s interested in you is simply because you’re an anomaly he’s encountered.
Once the novelty wears off, he might not even want to look at you again.
Ye Huohuo jolted. She blinked, hiding the trace of disappointment and reluctance in her eyes. She walked a little further away, her back to Li Mohan, and a bitter smile touched her lips.
“Mr. Li, what you say is reasonable. I understand and agree. However, things often don’t go as planned. Some people who want to leave can’t, and some people who want to stay… might not be able to.”
Although Li Mohan couldn’t see Ye Huohuo’s expression, he could sense a deep loneliness from her back.
It was like the last withered leaf on a winter branch, stubbornly clinging to its perch, yet unable to alter its fate of falling to the ground.
He didn’t know why looking at her back evoked such a feeling, but he seemed to be able to feel the bitterness and loneliness within her heart.
“As long as I don’t let you go, I can keep you!” Li Mohan said dominantly.
Ye Huohuo’s shoulders trembled slightly. She wanted to tell him he was too naive, that she couldn’t even control her own fate, let alone be kept by Li Mohan.
The words turned on her tongue and became a single word.
“Okay!”
But after uttering the word, Ye Huohuo felt as if she had been drained, her body utterly weak.
Li Mohan’s mood, however, brightened. “Good, it’s settled. As long as I don’t let you leave, you are not allowed to leave, no matter in what way.” He patted Ye Huohuo’s head, as if he had grown fond of tousling her hair.
“I’ll have Sister Mei prepare for the banquet tomorrow night. You just stay up here and bask in the sun, recover your health, and build up your energy! Do you hear me?!”
Li Mohan said this, then gently kissed her forehead before leaving the rooftop.
Ye Huohuo felt his unique aura still lingering around her. Seeing him turn and leave, she dared to look up at his retreating figure, tears welling in her eyes. “Stay by his side? What a beautiful dream!”
She sat on a nearby bench, letting the sunlight warm her body. The malevolent energy within her was dissipating under the combined effects of medicine and sunlight. Her complexion and body were slowly warming up.
Ye Huohuo had not slept well at all last night due to Li Mohan’s antics. Now, basking in the warm sunlight, she gradually felt comfortable all over, and drowsiness began to overcome her.
In her daze, it seemed as if someone was slowly approaching her.
Ye Huohuo had often lived under bridges or in abandoned unfinished buildings, where anyone could go and it was very chaotic. Thus, she had developed a habit of vigilance.
Only when she was around someone she considered completely safe would she let down her guard. Otherwise, even when asleep, she had to keep one eye open.
Any slight disturbance would instantly wake her up.
This habit had also saved her life several times.
This time was no different. She sensed an unfamiliar presence approaching her and instantly opened her eyes.
Her eyes were clear, with no trace of sleepiness.
However, when she saw who it was, she couldn’t help but be stunned.
This…
This was just an ordinary, unremarkable middle-aged woman. Why was she looking for her?