Mrs. Fu, please be mindful of the appropriate boundaries.

Xu Qingcheng didn't call Ye Tinghong in advance; she went straight to the law firm at the address provided.

I always feel that meeting people in person will make things clearer.

The office buildings in the downtown area were heavily congested with traffic, and Xu Qingcheng arrived close to noon.

She went straight to the front desk of the law firm, where she was told that Ye Tinghong was in court that morning, but should be back soon, and she could wait inside.

There are brochures at the entrance introducing the lawyers, which include their main achievements and important cases handled in recent years.

Xu Qingcheng picked up a copy and looked at it. Ye Tinghong mainly handled economic criminal cases.

The man in the photo was familiar, but the sharpness in his eyes had changed a lot compared to her memory. Temperament is something that evolves with experience and time, and he was no longer the person she remembered.

Xu Qingcheng put down the booklet, looking somewhat dazed.

The young woman at the front desk reminded her, "Ye Lu is back."

Xu Qingcheng turned her head and saw a man in a suit walking out of the elevator.

"Ye Tinghong!"

A crisp, cheerful female voice suddenly rang out. A young and beautiful girl, with a carefree smile on her face, ran towards Ye Tinghong, jumped onto him, wrapped her legs around his waist, and clung to his neck with her arms.

The girl, without any regard for her image, cupped the man's face and kissed him.

Xu Qingcheng stood there, stunned.

Suddenly, her wrist was grabbed. She turned around and said, "Fu...hey, what are you doing?"

He forcefully pulled her over, wrapped his arms around her waist, and took her away without saying a word.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Xu Qingcheng shouted angrily, but she kept her voice down to save him some face.

"I have things to do, let go."

She struggled, and Fu Jingting's temples throbbed. He suddenly turned her around and pinned her against the wall beside him. He leaned in and pressed her down firmly. "What is it? Meeting an ex-lover?"

"What's it to you?" she retorted, her face flushed. Hearing him talk about his ex-lover made her feel a strange sense of ambiguity.

He scoffed, "Too bad, he already has a girlfriend."

Ah, he did remind her.

Xu Qingcheng turned her head to look outside, her face suddenly turning red; the girl was very proactive.

She quickly looked away, only to be met with Fu Jingting's gaze.

He hooked his finger under her chin. "What, envious of them?"

"You're crazy... um..."

Her lips were sealed by a man's lips and tongue, which launched a powerful attack, easily conquering and dominating her territory, giving her no chance to resist and leaving her no choice but to submit.

How could he...?

Hate!

Xu Qingcheng tried to struggle, but he pinned her down and she couldn't move. He also grabbed her wrist, which was capable of attacking, and pressed it against the wall.

His scent filled the air as their lips and tongues intertwined, a powerful and pervasive presence.

Xu Qingcheng couldn't resist his kisses, which were both forceful and intimate, domineering yet gentle. She should have slapped him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she was kissed until her bones went limp, and her body went limp in his arms as if she were drunk.

Being bullied and violated, yet still inexplicably blushing and having her heart race, Xu Qingcheng felt utterly humiliated. She angrily bit him, and the man only released her when he felt the pain.

Xu Qingcheng's eyes were blazing with anger as she slapped him on the chest. "Get out of the way."

Fu Jingting didn't move, only looking down at her flushed cheeks, so vivid and alluring. He asked, quite unwillingly, "What do you want with him?"

"I told you it's none of your business."

Fu Jingting narrowed his eyes, but before he could speak, someone coughed, reminding them to be careful.

The two of them looked to one side at the same time, and Ye Tinghong was standing there. His gaze fell on the two of them, and finally stopped on Xu Qingcheng's face. "The receptionist said someone was looking for me. I thought it was someone else."

Xu Qingcheng reached out and patted Fu Jingting's arm, making him let go.

The man loosened his grip, but still held Xu Qingcheng's waist possessively, preventing her from escaping.

She tried twice but couldn't dodge, so she gave up.

"I just happened to be passing by," Xu Qingcheng smiled lightly, feigning generosity and composure, "and saw your promotional materials, so I just asked."

She didn't mention at all why she came to see him, wanting to ask him what was going on with her boyfriend.

But now that things have come to this, there are some questions that can no longer be asked, and there's no need to ask them anymore.

Behind him, the lively-looking little girl watched them warily.

"Want to come in and sit down?" Ye Tinghong invited, his eyes deep and seemingly as usual, but Fu Jingting still noticed Ye Tinghong's feigned composure.

Her former lover, the man she held dear in her heart, had come running back. It was impossible for Fu Jingting to remain unmoved.

He forgot about him but not about Ye Tinghong, and his heart was already aching as if he had swallowed a fly.

He pulled her tightly into his arms with the hand around her waist. Xu Qingcheng turned her head and glared at him, her eyes warning him not to do anything rash.

Then he looked at Ye Tinghong and said, "No, we have other things to do."

The little girl behind him peeked over, and even from a distance, you could tell how much she cared about him.

Xu Qingcheng knew in her heart that the boyfriend she thought she had was no longer there.

Since that's the case, why ask or say anything more? You can't say she's being pretentious, but she is indeed pretentious and cares about her reputation.

Now that Ye Tinghong has a girlfriend, she can't possibly have the nerve to ask him why they broke up.

Even if she lost, she wouldn't lose face. Xu Qingcheng took Fu Jingting's arm and said, "No, we have other things to do."

Her gesture of taking his arm surprised Fu Jingting, who raised an eyebrow at her, only to be glared at back by her.

A rare smile appeared in the man's eyes.

Xu Qingcheng tugged at him, urging him to leave quickly.

As the two were about to leave, Ye Tinghong suddenly said, "You're still with him."

Ok?

Xu Qingcheng turned to look at him, puzzled.

Fu Jingting understood what he meant. The man raised his eyebrows slightly, and even though he didn't say anything, his smugness shone through his bones.

Ye Tinghong smiled slightly. Some things and some people, once missed, are missed forever.

However, it's inevitable to feel resentful. Some things are like a wound in your heart; if you can't dig out the rotten flesh, you'll always feel the pain.

Even though time is the best healer, some memories are etched into the bone marrow. He will always remember the slap she gave him.

They resolutely drew a permanent line between them.

He used her, he couldn't deny it, and he could accept all her resentment.

but……

Ye Tinghong's gaze fell on Fu Jingting, and seeing the smugness in his eyes, he finally couldn't help but ask Xu Qingcheng.

"Qingcheng, he also dragged Shengshi into a desperate situation, so why can you forgive him? Why accept him back?"

What kind of desperate situation?

Xu Qingcheng's mind was in a mess. She turned her head to look at Fu Jingting and saw that he was also staring at her.

What are you looking at!

Xu Qingcheng glared at him.

Fu Jingting also wanted to know her answer, but at this moment, none of that mattered. What mattered was not letting her think too much.

The man looked up and said to Ye Tinghong arrogantly, "You are not comparable to me."

Xu Qingcheng secretly pinched Fu Jingting. What was there to compare? This guy was too arrogant.

She just asked him to be her temporary male companion, and he got hooked!

However, before Xu Qingcheng could say anything more, Fu Jingting pulled her into the elevator.

The elevator doors closed, and Xu Qingcheng saw the young woman move closer to Ye Tinghong. "Who is she?"

The elevator doors closed.

Xu Qingcheng did not hear how Ye Tinghong answered.

However, it doesn't matter anymore.

A breakup is a breakup.

He has a new woman by his side.

And she hasn't lost her value today either.

At least there was someone accompanying him.

Xu Qingcheng pressed her hand to her chest. Strangely, she felt neither displeasure nor unease about losing anything.

My heart was calm, and the frequency of its beating remained unchanged.

Fu Jingting saw her head tilting back and forth, seemingly lost in thought, and flicked it with his finger. "What are you thinking about?"

"Ouch! That hurts so much!"

Xu Qingcheng glared at him angrily and reached out to flick him, but he was too tall and dodged it easily.

Xu Qingcheng's anger flared up, and she slapped him hard several times.

The man chuckled and grabbed her wrist, his eyes seemingly brimming with starlight. "Hit me as much as you want, just don't hurt your hand."