Chapter 405 - 262: Why Is Your Face Red?

For a moment, Zhou Chen’s mind went blank. He stood frozen, unsure what to do.

"Long time no see, Zhou Chen."

Li Xiye looked at him, asking with a hint of confusion, "Did I come at a bad time? Am I interrupting?"

"N-no..." Zhou Chen stammered. Ordinarily, he would have gone up and given Li Xiye a hug after being apart for so long. But Erin was clinging to him, crying her eyes out and refusing to let go. She was in the middle of an emotional release, and he couldn’t just interrupt her...

"No?"

Li Xiye gave him a pointed look, her gaze shifting to Erin in his arms. "But you look quite busy. Maybe I should come back in a few days?"

"Don’t—"

Zhou Chen forced a smile brimming with sincerity. "It’s been so long, Xiye. I’ve missed you."

"Is that so?" Li Xiye raised an eyebrow. "I don’t see it. You don’t look like you’ve missed me one bit, especially since you’re saying that while holding another woman."

...

For some reason, a cold sweat broke out on Zhou Chen’s back.

’Things have gone far beyond what I expected. How did this happen? Seeing Li Xiye again and Erin waking up... both should be happy occasions. But why did they turn into this when they happened at the same time?’

’It feels like a trial, making my heart race and the cold sweat pour down.’

Finally, Erin’s emotional outburst subsided. Sensing the tense atmosphere, she slowly loosened her arms and pulled away from Zhou Chen’s embrace. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her face was streaked with tears.

Li Xiye stood up and very kindly offered her a few tissues.

"Thank you." Erin took the tissues and wiped her tears. "I’m so sorry to have disturbed you. I... I couldn’t control my emotions..."

She had only just woken up, her memory still stuck at the moment she was on the verge of death—loneliness, Fear, cold, Darkness... She didn’t know how she had survived, only that Zhou Chen had risked his life to save her. The moment she saw him, she couldn’t contain her feelings.

"It’s alright." Li Xiye extended her hand. "Miss Erin, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Li Xiye. I’m Zhou Chen’s brother."

"Brother?" Erin shook her hand, looking her over with some hesitation. ’Why would a man and a woman be brothers? Isn’t that a term for guys?’

"Yep, close brothers." Li Xiye slung an arm around Zhou Chen’s shoulders, flashing a cool, confident smile. "Don’t we look the part?"

Erin was taken aback. Not knowing how to respond, she just introduced herself. "My name is Erin Elizabeth. I’m... I’m a friend of Zhou Chen’s."

"I know who you are. Zhou Chen bet his life to save you. It’s so touching. Your relationship must be very strong, right?" Li Xiye said with a grin.

Erin lowered her head shyly. "W-well, not really. We’re just ordinary friends... But... but he’s a very important person to me. He saved my life, and I... I’ll definitely repay him..."

Suddenly, the arm around Zhou Chen’s shoulders felt incredibly heavy. He turned his head and saw Li Xiye’s "amiable" smile, inches from his face.

He trembled, not daring to speak. He cast a pleading look at Jiang Che, who had been calmly watching the drama unfold. Jiang Che spoke up placidly, "Everyone, I need to get back to work. If you wish to chat, you can use the conference room next door."

’Why won’t even you help me!’ Zhou Chen wanted to cry but had no tears.

"Could you let me have a few words with him alone?" Li Xiye asked Erin with a smile.

"...Alright." Erin was reluctant. She wanted to keep talking to Zhou Chen, but thinking about how her actions had just caused trouble for him, she decided to calm herself down first.

Then, Li Xiye dragged Zhou Chen into the conference room next door.

The door closed. In the silent room, the two of them faced each other.

"Xiye..."

In the silence, Zhou Chen lowered his head, unable to meet her eyes. "I’m sorry. I lied to you back then."

"That apology sounded sincere. I accept."

Li Xiye reached out, tilting up Zhou Chen’s chin and forcing him to look up at her, their eyes meeting seriously. "But I don’t want you to ever apologize to me again. Got it?"

Zhou Chen was stunned.

Li Xiye quietly gazed at the face before her, which had become somewhat unfamiliar. After a long moment, she broke into a smile and pulled him into a hug.

She held him very, very tight.

Zhou Chen felt a heavy weight pressing against his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Li Xiye had grown up.

She had "grown up" in every sense of the word.

The once-boyish girl had become a striking woman. Her figure was now tall and graceful, and she wore her short, neat hair with flair. Dressed in a motorcycle jacket and Martin boots, her icy, cyan eyes held a sharp, untamable pride. She exuded a hard-won confidence, a powerful mix of cool and commanding.

The fact that she was known by the moniker "Tyrant" was proof enough of her formidable presence.

But now, in his arms, she seemed to revert to the girl she once was. Her voice became soft and gentle as she murmured in his ear, "I’ve missed you so, so much..."

Zhou Chen’s lips parted, but he didn’t know what to say. He could only return her hug with sincere and fervent warmth.

Silence, and the Erosion of time.

After a long while, Li Xiye released her arms, took a step back, and studied Zhou Chen’s face. A small smile played on her lips. "Why is your face so red?"

"...I’m just glowing with vitality!"

"Is that so... Should I go get Erin for you, then? Hm? Why’s your face gone pale now? You’re not going to claim you put wax on your face to keep out the cold, are you?"

Li Xiye laughed playfully. "Relax, I’m not going to eat you. But what’s with the guilty conscience?"