Chapter Forty-Two: Are You a Man or Not?

He glanced at me again. "Miss, your phone is ringing."

Only then did I remember that I had called Du Fanchuan earlier. I must have connected but said nothing, so he hung up and called back, asking, "What’s wrong?"

I shouted, "Rong Luo is proposing to Yi Huayang right now—how can you just stand by and do nothing?"

He fell silent, then finally let out a laugh. "Let her be, as long as she’s happy. Why are you so out of breath?"

I burst out, swearing at him. "Du Fanchuan, how can you be so shameless? Is it because she’s dumped you now?"

What I really wanted to say was, if you had the nerve to betray me, then you’d better be happy with your mistress—don’t give me the satisfaction of seeing your misery.

Up ahead, the driver suddenly spoke. "The Range Rover has stopped. Should we keep following?"

I told Du Fanchuan I’d talk to him later and hung up. The Range Rover had parked by the roadside, and soon a woman stepped out and entered a yoga studio.

I thanked the driver, hurried out of the car, and followed the woman inside.

She walked straight to the front desk, handed her bag to a waiting bodyguard, and went into the changing room.

I knew that bodyguard. That meant it really was Mu Ying—she had returned.

This was a members-only yoga studio and I didn’t have a membership card, so I couldn’t get in. I had no choice but to wait outside.

Three hours later, Mu Ying finally came out, still wearing sunglasses and a mask. I couldn’t see her face, but I gathered my courage, rushed over, and blocked her path. "Miss Mu, hello."

Her bodyguard recognized me and shielded her, eyeing me warily. "What do you want?"

The sun had left me dizzy; I tried to explain, "Miss Mu, I mean no harm, I just—I just—"

The bodyguard whispered in her ear. She nodded, gazing at me with suddenly deeper eyes. "You’re Yi Huayang’s sister?"

I nodded. Her voice turned cold. "There’s nothing for us to talk about. You’d better not show up in front of me again."

My heart sank. "Miss Mu, about what happened at the café that day—I was the one who told you. I’m sorry, I never expected things to turn out that way. I’m so glad you’re all right. I’d like to make it up to you. Would you—"

She sneered. "Make it up to me? What right do you have to talk about making it up? Do you think the pain I went through can be made up for?"

I was about to say more when a man’s voice came from the entrance of the yoga studio. "Mu Ying, what’s going on?"

I turned around, and in my haste, I bit my tongue hard.

Luo Ange was holding the hand of a little boy, about four or five years old. He handed the child to the bodyguard, then walked over and looked me up and down.

Instinctively, I stepped back, clutching my phone tighter, staring at him.

Mu Ying spoke softly, "Ignore her. Let’s go."

Luo Ange patted her shoulder, telling her to wait in the car—he’d be right there.

After Mu Ying left, he fixed his icy gaze on me, eyes cold as ancient ice. "Yi Lanshan, you dare follow Mu Ying?"

I refused to admit it. "I just ran into her by chance, I wasn’t following anyone."

He gave a mirthless laugh. "You tailed her from the mall, waited outside here for three hours, and you call that not following?"

I straightened my back. "Fine, I was following her. What are you going to do about it?"

I decided to lay it all out—I’d wanted to say these things for a long time. "Luo Ange, I’ll take full responsibility for what happened to Mu Ying. Whatever you want to do, tell me today, because after today I won’t acknowledge it anymore."

He narrowed his eyes, making me take another step back as he advanced one. Suddenly I shouted, "Talk to me from over there—don’t come any closer!"

He ignored me, stepping forward twice more until he stood right in front of me. My nose nearly brushed his shirt.

He pinched my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze, each word landing heavy and inescapable. "Mu Ying’s face has been severely disfigured. She needs two more surgeries, plus post-op care and compensation for emotional trauma. At least ten million. Can you afford that?"

I was startled. "Are you even a man, blackmailing me like this?"

He flung me aside. "You’ll soon find out what kind of man I am."

He strode away, his car disappearing into the flow of traffic. I stood there, watching the endless stream of cars, suddenly overtaken by fear.