Chapter 64: Frolicking in the Water

Whether it was her face or her figure, Li Ruo was clearly a notch above herself. The bat-masked man swept his gaze over Li Ruo, and immediately, a trace of greed flickered in his eyes. He walked toward her, smiling, “I never imagined that Jianghuai City would have such a remarkable female racer. I, Li Hao, truly pale in comparison!”

“You’re not bad yourself,” Li Ruo nodded.

“Li Hao, from Hong Kong. The future successor to Hong Kong Hongyun Group,” Li Hao extended his hand. Li Ruo was momentarily taken aback, then asked in surprise, “You’re Li Ze Kai’s son?”

“Yes, that’s my father!” Li Hao replied with great pride, as if this halo made him shine.

Li Ruo frowned; she had little fondness for such second-generation heirs. Yet, faced with his enthusiasm, she found it hard to refuse outright. She hesitated, when suddenly Ye Chen approached from behind, naturally slipping his arm around Li Ruo’s slender waist. A shiver ran through her entire body. She stared wide-eyed at Ye Chen—how could he be so bold? She could feel his broad hands resting on her skin, gently caressing.

“Xiao Ruo, let’s go. The race is over; it’s time to head home,” Ye Chen said in a deep, composed tone that made outsiders think he might be from some prestigious family.

Wei Shao was also taken aback by Ye Chen’s sudden move. Everyone watched as Ye Chen protected Li Ruo, escorting her to the passenger side. Ye Chen then got into the driver’s seat himself, waved to Wei Shao, and said, “Keep our prize safe for us!”

With that, Ye Chen drove away immediately. The black Ferrari left nothing but a shadow on Xiangming Mountain, vanishing from sight in an instant.

“Who was that guy? Could he be President Li’s boyfriend?”

“No, I remember him. Last time, he was here as a security guard for Tianya Group.”

“What? Yes, that’s right—he was a security guard!”

The crowd suddenly recalled something, and Wei Shao’s face darkened. He had always seen Li Ruo as the object of his pursuit, but now, Ye Chen had unexpectedly appeared, making him wary. Previously, he hadn’t considered Ye Chen a threat at all—he was just a security guard at Tianya Group, after all. But seeing Li Ruo not rejecting Ye Chen at all today immediately drew Wei Shao’s attention.

“Wei Shao, that guy just stole your girl!” a lackey whispered.

“Hmph, let him show off. A toad lusting after a swan!” Wei Shao spat in the direction of the departing Ferrari, his face cold enough to make those nearby feel a chill.

As the race ended, Li Hao glanced at the far-off Ferrari and smiled, “An interesting woman.”

Fireworks burst over Xiangming Mountain, celebrating the successful conclusion of the race.

The black Ferrari spat blue flames as it sped down the mountain, like a tiger descending from its lair. Yet, compared to Ye Chen’s speed while cornering, this was nothing—it was hardly exciting for Li Ruo. She was still lost in the tension of moments before; being called “Xiao Ruo” by Ye Chen, and the gentle embrace around her waist, filled her with conflict—part of her resisted, yet part was drawn to Ye Chen’s undeniable charm. She couldn’t refuse him, but neither could she let herself get close.

At the foot of Xiangming Mountain, a winding stream flowed down from above. As the car passed by the creek, Li Ruo suddenly called out, “Stop the car!”

“What’s wrong?” Ye Chen braked gently.

“I want to get out. It’s too stuffy in here,” Li Ruo said softly.

Ye Chen looked at her, said nothing, just nodded, turned off the engine, and opened the door. He knew there was something weighing on her heart, or perhaps she had something she wanted to say. As a man, he needed to be attentive to a woman’s feelings, and Ye Chen had a knack for just that.

Li Ruo walked over to the creek from the concrete road, slipped off her shoes, revealing a pair of flawless, delicate feet. Carrying her dainty sandals, she dipped a foot into the clear water, her face lighting up with delight. She stepped in, giggling, “Wow, it’s so cool! Ye Chen, come here! The water feels wonderful!”

“Really?” Ye Chen was surprised by Li Ruo’s sudden change in mood—her face was as changeable as summer weather. He quickly took off his shoes and socks and stepped in after her. The water was indeed refreshing, making him want to soak his whole body.

On such a scorching summer day, this cool water was a rare delight. Li Ruo played like a child, scooping up water and splashing it onto Ye Chen as she laughed, “You scoundrel, you took advantage of me today. This is your punishment!”

“You dare punish me? Watch how I take advantage of you now!” Ye Chen retaliated, splashing water back at her. The two of them ended up in a playful water fight, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Li Ruo’s white t-shirt, soaked through, became almost transparent, clinging to her skin and revealing every detail. Ye Chen feasted his eyes on the sight. The transparent fabric outlined her curves, the peaks of her chest clearly visible, accentuated by her bra. With every movement, the deep valley between them shifted and changed.

Noticing Ye Chen’s lustful gaze, Li Ruo glared at him and snapped, “Ye Chen, where are your eyes looking?”

“Uh… I was just worried you’d catch a chill with all that water on you. Maybe we should head back.”

“Hmph, at least you have some conscience. Let’s go,” Li Ruo replied, smoothing her hair with slender fingers—a gesture full of grace and allure, enough to outshine the national beauty of Luoyang. Ye Chen realized how easily he’d been bewitched by this woman, who was ten times more alluring than any enchantress.

Back in the car, Li Ruo seemed to regain her usual coldness. When they reached Xinhai Apartments, she said icily, “Go home and rest early. Be punctual for work tomorrow.”

“Heh, aren’t you going to give me a goodbye kiss?” Ye Chen teased, but was met with a murderous glare.

“Ye Chen, you scoundrel, get out!” Before he could react, Li Ruo opened the door and shoved him out. Ye Chen stood there, dumbfounded, as she sped away. Scratching his head, he looked around in confusion, muttering, “That wasn’t a dream, was it?”

Beep beep beep…

His phone rang. Ye Chen quickly took it out; the caller ID showed Liu Momo. He guessed the little girl was calling because he hadn’t shown up at the barbecue stall that evening.

“Momo, what’s up?” Ye Chen answered.

“Brother Chen, where are you? I’ve been worried all night, called you several times and you didn’t pick up!” she complained. Ye Chen checked his phone—five missed calls. He must have missed them during the race; who could hear a phone ring in that environment? He apologized quickly, “Sorry, Momo, I had something to do tonight. I’ll definitely come tomorrow, okay?”

“Alright!” Liu Momo replied. After a few more sweet words, she hung up.

Ye Chen sighed; even someone like him could attract a young beauty like Momo—it really was a flower planted in cow dung.

He hurried upstairs. It was already midnight, and the air outside was cold and still. The midnight breeze left him invigorated. Back home, he carefully checked the traps he’d set. The string at the door hadn’t moved, so no one had entered. The socks on the window were undisturbed, so no one had climbed in. Glancing up at the balcony, he saw a pair of white lace panties and a pair of police trousers fluttering in the wind.

“I’d better take these in before someone sees them,” Ye Chen muttered, quickly retrieving Zhang Yantong’s white lace panties and the police trousers. Holding the soft material, Ye Chen couldn’t help but bring them to his nose—immediately, a faint musk overwhelmed his senses, and a fiery image of Zhang Yantong’s naked body flashed through his mind.

He took a sharp breath. Damn, when did I lose my self-control like this? He quickly stuffed the panties and trousers into his wardrobe, planning to return them to Zhang Yantong when he had the chance.