Chapter 014: A Slap

Chapter 014: A Slap

After not seeing him for a while, Wei Jiaya and the other two noticed that Ye Sui had changed a lot.

He used to just be tall and handsome, but now on top of that, he carried an aura—like someone used to being in charge, every move oozing charm.

"Ye Sui, why are you so late? I've been waiting for you forever." Li Pushu struck first. She'd had a little wine and couldn't handle her alcohol, so her cheeks were flushed, bright eyes and a lovely smile. She put on a bit of a spoiled act, but her voice fell on Ye Sui's ears as utterly adorable.

Ye Sui reached out, pulled her into his arms, and said, "Sorry, there was traffic. I kept our dear Shushu waiting too long."

"I'll forgive you just this once." Li Pushu snuggled into his chest, her eyelids drooping as sleepiness hit her.

When she drank, she got drowsy easily, and her whole body felt heavy. She needed a good sleep to recharge.

"Sleep, then." Ye Sui stroked her hair and looked at Wei Jiaya and the others. "A friend of mine came with me; he'll take you back."

A black sedan that had brought Ye Sui was parked not far away, the window rolling down as someone waved and smiled.

"Okay." The three nodded. It was safer than calling a designated driver—better for girls.

Meanwhile, Master Guo, who had been completely ignored, was fuming. He looked at Ye Sui with contempt. "So you're the legendary Ye Sui? Sure enough, just a poor kid—your clothes look like they're from a street stall. What do you have to compete with me? Let me give you some advice: I, Master Guo, have set my sights on your woman. If you know what's good for you, hand her over nicely. Maybe I'll be in a good mood and after I'm tired of her..."

"Slap!"

Before Master Guo could finish, Ye Sui slapped him across the face. The force was so great that Master Guo's face swelled up instantly, and a tooth flew out.

He spun twice on the spot, then stumbled back a few steps. Luckily, his female companion gasped and caught him, or he would have fallen disgracefully.

His shock was shared by Wei Jiaya and the other two, who were stunned by Ye Sui's sudden move.

True, the guy's mouth was foul, but he was still the young master of a wealthy family. Would there be repercussions for hitting him like that?

"So you're Master Guo, the one who threatened my Shushu." Ye Sui's gaze was icy. Standing face to face, he was a head taller than Master Guo, looking down at him coldly. "I hadn't even remembered to find you yet, and you bump into me first."

"How dare you! Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is? Ye Sui, you're finished! If you dare touch me, the Guo family will make sure you can't leave Jiangdong!"

Master Guo's dazed mind snapped back. He covered his swollen face, spat out a tooth and some blood, and glared with murderous rage.

He had never suffered such humiliation in his life! Revenge—he would get revenge!

"I don't know who your dad is, but I can send you to see your great-grandma right now." Ye Sui stepped forward and raised his hand. Master Guo flinched, cowered, and stumbled back in panic. "S-stop! Stop right there!"

Ye Sui didn't intend to strike again now. He gave Master Guo a cold glance, then lowered his head to soothe Li Pushu to sleep, carrying her into the car—the one Li Pushu had driven that day.

As he left, Wei Jiaya and the others exchanged glances and quickly got into the black sedan to go home, their hearts pounding.

Thinking it over, Ye Sui probably wasn't reckless; since he dared to hit, he must have a backup plan. That calmed them down a bit.

But now that they'd seen Master Guo's true face, they unanimously agreed that Li Pushu must have taken the business card at the school gate because she was threatened. Master Guo was greasy and built like a gas tank. Anyone who could stomach him would be earning that money with good reason!

And indeed, that was the case. Master Guo loved to keep college girlfriends. He'd "gone out with" quite a few. With his status as a young master, it was simple: flash cash, hand out designer bags, and they'd cling to him.

Through conversations with these girlfriends, he learned about Li Pushu. But when he sent a campus middleman to approach her, she refused. Considering the price he offered—sleep with him, a hundred thousand bucks a month—more than all the others, he thought he was being generous. How dare she refuse?

That piqued Master Guo's curiosity. He came to the school gate to corner her himself, and when he saw her, he was stunned.

First refusal, second refusal. By the third time, he'd lost patience. He threatened that if she refused again, he'd make sure neither of them graduated. Only then did Li Pushu take the business card, vaguely agreeing to call later, just to get rid of him.

And she promptly forgot about it. But at the time, she had been thinking of breaking up, and she found that card and used it as leverage. She never expected that after hearing her out, Ye Sui wouldn't break up with her and even filled in the gaps himself.

Now, having failed to get the girl and gotten slapped, Master Guo was about to call someone to teach Ye Sui a lesson when his female companion boldly nudged his arm. She was envious, but also reminded him, "Master Guo, look at the car they're driving. It's different."

"What good car could some poor loser be driving..." Master Guo muttered, then looked up and was stunned by the plate.

Luxury cars were everywhere in Jiangdong, not a big deal. Unless it was a top-end global luxury car, Master Guo himself didn't lack them. But for their level of society, status in Jiangdong was measured more by your license plate than your car—that was the real symbol of rank.

Now, he recognized that license plate number. In fact, everyone in the wealthy circles knew it. You had to know who to play with and who not to offend. That was the car of Zhao Jin, heir to the Zhao family, the top clan in Jiangdong. How could Ye Sui be driving it? He rubbed his eyes. No way he was wrong—this plate was unique in Jiangdong, Zhao Jin's.

"Impossible... What connection could Ye Sui, an ordinary poor kid, have with Master Zhao?" Master Guo was stunned and held back. He didn't make that call. He decided to look into the connection before making a move.

As for the slap, he swallowed his anger and stored up the grudge.

The Zhao family had two branches: one in Jiangbei, one in Jiangdong. The main house was in Jiangbei, at the top of the power pyramid.

For a second-rate wealthy family like the Guos, the Zhao family could crush them with a couple of words. Even a first-tier family could barely hold on, and even they had to grovel.

No matter how stupid or arrogant Master Guo was, he understood that his luxurious lifestyle depended on the Guo family.

If the Guo family fell, he'd be nothing.

When Ye Sui got home, he pulled the pretending-to-be-drunk little girl up and deliberately put on a stern face. "Shushu, explain something: what's all this about Master Guo?"

"What Master Guo? I don't know. You're talking nonsense." Li Pushu rolled her eyes and buried her face in Ye Sui's chest, rubbing against him. "I'm so sleepy. Don't bother me! I want to sleep, or I'll get angry."

.

Ye Sui couldn't help but laugh. She was clearly changing the subject.

"Sleep? Are you sure you can sleep?" Ye Sui lifted her chin so they were face to face, their breaths mingling in sync.

His eyes were deep, like a dark expanse with neither stars nor moon. Li Pushu felt as if she could be sucked into them. Her reflection in his gaze seemed to light up the gloomy sky, stars and moon rising, shining instantly.

Ye Sui's fingers traced Li Pushu's cheek as his voice dropped low, dangerously. "Shushu, don't ever joke like that with me again. I can't handle it. And I can't promise that next time, I'll stay rational. I won't hurt you, but if you try to leave, I'll have to do something you won't like—like chaining you up."

He was referring to her casually talking about breaking up, treating it lightly, as if he could be easily discarded and their feelings meant nothing. Ye Sui hated that kind of joke, but he loved her, so he could let it slide this time.

Li Pushu understood that Ye Sui meant it. When he spoke very seriously, his eyes turned exceptionally dark, as if beneath the surface, a lunatic was desperately trying to break out and take over.

She wasn't afraid of that side of Ye Sui, but she didn't like the idea of being chained either. She remembered: once, when someone was chasing her obsessively, Ye Sui would come to her bedside in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, polishing chains, wrapping them around her wrists and ankles, only to untie them again. The next day, he'd act normal, and those suitors would vanish without a trace.

That hadn't happened in the four years they'd been together, but she knew the chains were hidden away in a corner, never discarded. They might come in handy someday.

Thinking about it, she wasn't really scared. She just felt that Ye Sui was sick—incurably so. But because he loved her, he held himself back from hurting her.

Well, maybe she was sick too, because she didn't find it horrifying. She hadn't started a "she runs, he chases, she can't escape" drama.

"Ye Sui, have I ever told you that from our first meeting, I noticed you?" Li Pushu gave a charming smile, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hung on him, planting a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

Ye Sui's eyes and expression visibly softened, then lit up with surprise as he looked at her. The big bad wolf turned into a puppy wagging its tail.

See? She could control his emotions so effortlessly.

"That day, the start of the semester, I was new to Jiangdong. I took a wrong turn and ended up at a tea-and-bookstore. You were the one at the counter." With every word from Li Pushu, Ye Sui's eyes grew brighter. "Even though you were wearing a mask and a hat, I noticed your eyes—they were beautiful. I liked your hands too, and your voice was nice. I thought, 'He must be handsome.' Too bad you didn't take off the mask."

She reached out and pressed her hand against Ye Sui's chest. The thumping of his heartbeat transmitted through her palm—rapid, erratic, the joyful fluttering of his heart.

"Have I ever told you that I'm very sensitive to people's gazes? At school, your eyes were always searching for me. When you saw me, you couldn't bear to look away. I noticed early on, and I thought, 'This guy must be a pervert stalker, right?'"

Li Pushu chuckled lightly as she spoke. "But it wasn't the repulsive gaze of a creep—it was something I couldn't quite put into words. It didn't make me uncomfortable, yet I could clearly sense the admiration in it, like a devout believer who delusionally yearns to embrace a deity with sinful arms."

"Later, on a rainy day, I knew you were worried about me and following me, so I deliberately didn't bring an umbrella." At that time, Li Pushu was wondering when he would take the bait. "Sure enough, you silly fool, standing at the school gate waiting for me."

Ye Sui listened to her detailed account, his breathing quickening. His eyes reddened, tears welling up, but he smiled like a child who had just been given candy.

So happiness could be so vividly and tangibly embodied.

"Why are you crying?" Li Pushu wasn't fond of sappy love confessions, so she tried to hint to him that she wouldn't casually say "break up" anymore, but she hadn't expected to make him cry instead.

She frantically wiped away the tears streaming down Ye Sui's face. "Alright, alright, stop crying. Men don't cry easily—you'll get ugly, you know? I promise you, as long as you don't betray me, I'll never say 'break up' again. But if you do anything to betray me, I'll cut off that little thing of yours first!"

She was gentle for only two sentences before her next words turned into a vicious warning—men—these creatures—shouldn't be spoiled.

"Shushu, I'm so happy—so, so happy..." So it turned out that from the very beginning, it wasn't a solo act.

Ye Sui's smile was radiant, holding her tightly, refusing to let go as a tear fell onto Li Pushu's neck. Poor child—Li Pushu, who rarely showed pity, hugged him back.

Yet the pity lasted no more than three seconds.

Ye Sui's happiness had to be made tangible, and the one to suffer was Li Pushu.

"You bastard Ye Sui! Move over a little..."

Tears from the intensity in her eyes, Li Pushu sensed that they were about to go deeper than ever before. Panic surged within her, yet she couldn't bring herself to let go.

"Shushu, you're saying one thing but feeling another. Your reaction tells me you really like it~"

Ye Sui loved holding her close, and at the peak of passion, their trembling bodies pressed tightly together, kissing deeply, feeling each other's presence.

He thought, he was no longer the lowlife from the gutter—he had finally come to know what happiness meant.