The others were taken aback by the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar woman. You Mingxu, bare-faced and dressed in a thick down jacket, jeans, and sneakers, stood out starkly against the surroundings.
Ignoring the curious glances, she walked straight toward Yin Feng. Step by step, her pace was neither hurried nor slow, steady and resolute.
Yin Feng looked up and saw her. Suppressing the turmoil that had just surged in his heart, he pushed the woman beside him away and smiled. "What brings you here? I told you I had friends over."
Seeing this, the others kept their distance. Someone waved, calling Lisa over as well. The area grew quiet.
You Mingxu asked, "What were you doing just now?"
Yin Feng picked up a nearby glass of wine and took a sip. "Just chatting. Since you're here, join us. Let me introduce you." He walked over and tried to put his arm around her shoulder.
You Mingxu let out a scornful laugh but didn’t move. Yin Feng watched her expression and rested his hand on her shoulder.
In the blink of an eye, You Mingxu seized his wrist and effortlessly threw him sideways. Yin Feng’s eyes widened in disbelief as he lost his balance, the world spinning around him—he had been thrown to the ground by a woman! The back of his head hit the floor with a painful thud.
The others were startled, and two of them rushed over to help Yin Feng up. "What happened? How did you fall?"
A few who had witnessed the entire scene stood frozen in shock.
Yin Feng’s face darkened with humiliation. Glaring fiercely at You Mingxu, he waved off the helping hands and tried to push himself up from the ground. But the instigator crouched down in front of him.
"You Mingxu, do you have any idea what you’re doing?" Yin Feng growled.
You Mingxu stared back at him, reached out, and lightly patted his cheek twice—a gesture dripping with contempt. In a voice only the two of them could hear, she said, "Trash."
Yin Feng’s eyes grew even darker.
As You Mingxu stood to leave, Yin Feng scrambled to his feet and grabbed her arm. She shook him off, but he seized her again, this time wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close.
Her expression turned even colder. "Do you want to be thrown again in front of everyone?"
His face smudged with dust, he let out a cold laugh. "Haven’t you caused enough trouble? How far are you going to take this over some irrelevant person? You Mingxu, know your limits."
You Mingxu looked at his face—still handsome, yet shadowed and clearly impatient. She found it all utterly ironic, beyond anger, and even the sight of him disgusted her. What’s more, his arm remained firmly around her waist, as if it were his right.
Slap! A sharp, crisp sound echoed as she struck his face. The onlookers were stunned.
He lifted his gaze to her, red marks quickly blooming on his cheek. In his gloomy eyes, a thick layer of mockery gathered and rose.
"What, you think you’re too good for me?" he whispered. "But you can’t leave me, body or soul."
You Mingxu let out a cold laugh, broke free from his grasp, and walked away. But she heard footsteps behind her—he had actually abandoned everyone on the terrace and followed her.
Just as she stepped off the terrace, Yin Feng shouted, "Stop her."
Wei Lan, who had been standing nearby and had likely overheard most of what happened on the terrace, approached and blocked You Mingxu’s path. In a hushed voice, he said, "Miss You, please talk things out with Teacher Yin. He didn’t mean it that way."Yin Feng heard and roared, "Shut up."
Wei Lan lowered his head.
But how could Wei Lan stop You Mingxu? He never dared to get serious with her. After just a couple of exchanged moves, You Mingxu slipped past him. Though she hadn't realized before that this chef actually had a tough backbone—it became obvious the moment they started fighting.
Wei Lan retreated to the side, but his interruption allowed Yin Feng to catch up with You Mingxu.
You Mingxu couldn't understand how, just yesterday, everything had been fine—even giving her hope—yet today had turned into such a ridiculous farce. Or perhaps, after being caught in that scene and having her face slapped metaphorically, the inherently sinister and malicious side of Yin Feng had finally surfaced.
She ignored him completely, striding swiftly downstairs. He followed silently, their quick steps creating a loud commotion that drew several people peeking from below the staircase.
You Mingxu had no idea what he wanted. If he loved to play around and couldn't let go of his vast "forest," then he should go ahead and play. After being hit twice by her, if he was furious, he should have some backbone and not follow her! What was this now? Was Yin Feng seriously messing around outside while still unwilling to let her go? How shameless could he be?
By the time they reached the second-floor landing, her anger had nearly reached its breaking point. She suddenly stopped and turned to glare coldly at him. To her surprise, Yin Feng pressed his hand against the wall beside her and kissed her fiercely, without warning.
He bit her lip hard, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist, pulling her forcefully against him. You Mingxu's eyes reddened with rage, and she bit back just as fiercely. The taste of blood spread between them, but instead of backing off, a flicker of wickedness flashed in his eyes. He held her tighter, kissing her with unrestrained desire.
"Trust me," he whispered softly in her ear.
You Mingxu froze.
Feeling her resistance cease, he released her but kept both hands pressed against the wall on either side of her head. "Come to the study. Give me ten minutes. I can explain. With the bond between us, are you really going to leave me now?"
You Mingxu stared coldly at him, his gaze once again deep and inscrutable. She turned and entered the study, Yin Feng following close behind. At the doorway, he glanced back. Wei Lan was on the stairs, Xiao Yan had returned and was downstairs with Chen Feng, Tuya, Lao Jiu, and Guan Jun. The commotion they had caused had drawn everyone's attention.
Yin Feng said, "Guan Jun, bring a pot of tea."
Everyone was stunned.
Guan Jun met Yin Feng's dark, gloomy gaze and, for some reason, felt a sudden thrill. "Alright," he said, turning to fetch what was needed from his room.
Yin Feng slowly closed the door, his expression now icy cold, even tinged with a hint of ruthlessness.
Only then did Chen Feng and the others emerge from the first floor. Wei Lan hurried down to join them. Chen Feng frowned and asked, "What just happened?"
Wei Lan, always reserved and cautious, weighed his words before replying, "You Mingxu showed up unexpectedly and caught Teacher Yin holding another girl. She threw him to the ground and slapped him. But Teacher Yin wouldn't let her leave."
They exchanged uneasy glances.
Everyone knew how proud Yin Feng was—when had he ever been humiliated by a woman like this, let alone slapped in public? This was serious.
Then, recalling how Yin Feng had asked Guan Jun to prepare tea—what good could possibly come from Guan Jun's supplies? And Yin Feng's expression earlier—when had he ever been this furious? Chen Feng said, "This is bad. Something's about to go wrong."Tuya said in a muffled voice, "I... I'll go talk to Teacher Yin."
Lao Jiu stopped him and said coldly, "Do you think you can persuade him? Is it your place to persuade him? Let Teacher Yin do whatever he wants. Whether in the past or now, he's always been fixated on this woman. I knew something like this would happen one day."
Xiao Yan's face was also flushed as she asked, "What will Guan Jun give her to drink? I hope he doesn't go too far."
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