Chapter 123: Never to Meet Again in Life or Death

Hearing his answer, Lin Aoxue started to laugh, but her laughter soon turned into tears.

Ye Xuan frantically reached out to wipe away her tears, but she heartlessly swatted his hands away.

"This is the third time, Ye Xuan. This is the third time," she said.

"Every time, you make me wait. And every time, I’m left with nothing but disappointment.

"Since you can’t make a choice, I’ll make it for you."

After a long moment, her laughter finally subsided. Her eyes grew cold and indifferent as she stared at Ye Xuan, looking at him as if he were a complete stranger.

Her words made his heart sink.

"Xue’er, you..."

Ye Xuan wanted to explain further, but Lin Aoxue held up a hand to stop him.

"You don’t need to explain. Let’s break up. I’m serious this time. From now on, we will never see each other again, in this life or the next."

The words "never see each other again" struck Ye Xuan like a bolt of lightning, leaving him completely stunned.

In a panic, he tried to grab her hands, only to be ruthlessly shaken off.

"I wish you and your new love a long, happy life together," she said with a cold sneer, glancing toward the kitchen and catching sight of a corner of clothing peeking out from the edge of the wall.

Ye Xuan had never felt such panic in his entire life.

He couldn’t let her go. If she left, she would never come back.

This thought suddenly popped into his mind, causing him to lose all composure. He threw his arms around Lin Aoxue, refusing to let her leave.

"Xue’er, Xue’er, please don’t go. Listen to me. I love you, but..."

Lin Aoxue struggled with all her might, desperately trying to break free from his embrace.

However, Ye Xuan’s grip was so strong that he was nearly suffocating her.

"That’s enough!"

Left with no other choice and furious beyond belief, she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

"Ye Xuan, don’t make me hate you!"

Her bone-chilling glare rooted him to the spot. He wanted to chase after her, but he couldn’t find a single excuse to make her stay.

He was such a bastard!

Not only had he failed to protect the woman he loved, but he had also subjected her to such grievous mistreatment.

"Boss, Lin Aoxue, she..."

Just then, White Snake rushed in from outside. He had originally come to tell Ye Xuan that Lin Aoxue had secretly slipped away from the hospital, but upon seeing her sitting right there, he abruptly swallowed his words.

The atmosphere in the living room was incredibly eerie. He realized he had walked in at the worst possible time. Judging by their expressions, they must have had another fight.

White Snake looked back and forth between Ye Xuan and Lin Aoxue, quietly analyzing the situation in his head.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, he finally scratched his head and looked at her. "So you’re here. We’ve been looking all over for you."

Lin Aoxue ignored him and simply maneuvered her wheelchair toward the door.

"Boss, this..."

Seeing that she wouldn’t even acknowledge him, White Snake was at a loss for what to do. Back at the hospital, when she was trying to pry for information about Ye Xuan, her attitude had been completely different. What was wrong with her today? She wouldn’t even spare him a glance.

"Follow her. Keep her safe."

Ye Xuan looked utterly defeated, his head hanging low like a deflated balloon, yet he still didn’t forget to order White Snake to protect her.

He knew that this time, Lin Aoxue was absolutely determined to cut all ties with him. Although he desperately wanted to lay all his true plans out on the table, logic won out over emotion.

He just had to wait a little longer. Once he resolved everything, they could finally be together without a care in the world.

"Why didn’t you explain it to her? She seemed incredibly absolute this time. Aren’t you afraid of losing her?"

As the saying goes, onlookers see more than the players. While Lin Aoxue, being directly involved, was blind to Ye Xuan’s true intentions, Yang Bingyu saw through them completely. The only reason Ye Xuan was doing this was to better protect Lin Aoxue.

However, the emotional Lin Aoxue hadn’t realized this at all and had even said so many hurtful things. Yang Bingyu felt more than ever that Lin Aoxue didn’t deserve him.

"If I tell her, then everything I’m doing now will be meaningless," Ye Xuan said, looking down at his feet with a self-deprecating smile.

"Of course I’m afraid of losing her, but I’m even more afraid of her getting hurt. If leaving me allows her to live a happier, more joyful life, then maybe it’s not such a bad thing."

Yang Bingyu fell silent.

Ye Xuan was leaving Lin Aoxue to stay by her side. This was a good thing; she should be happy. But why did she feel so terrible? Why was she so incredibly jealous?

He was leaving Lin Aoxue because he was worried about her getting hurt. Then what about her? What did she amount to? Did he just not care if she lived or died?

The more Yang Bingyu thought about it, the worse she felt. A knot of inexplicable anger suddenly flared up inside her.

"Ye Xuan, are you staying by my side just to use me as her cover?" she roared.

"You want others to mistakenly think that I’m the one you love, that I’m your girlfriend, so that those people won’t go after Lin Aoxue, right?

"What a brilliant scheme. No wonder you’ve been so nice to me these past few days. I almost actually believed you had fallen in love with me.

"Heh, you two absolutely sicken me."

After shouting at him, Yang Bingyu tore off her apron and bolted out the door.

Ye Xuan was left completely dumbfounded. Before he could even process what she had just said, she had vanished without a trace.

How unjust!

He had never once thought that way. He stayed by Yang Bingyu’s side to better protect *her*. How could she think he was using her to protect Lin Aoxue?

God, why were women’s minds so hard to decipher? He was truly baffled by how she had managed to connect those dots.

Ye Xuan felt like his head was going to explode. He still hadn’t figured out what to do about Lin Aoxue, and now Yang Bingyu was throwing a tantrum.

Heaving a helpless sigh, he quickly grabbed his car keys and chased after her.

In a foul mood, Yang Bingyu drove straight to a bar. She ordered five bottles of liquor in one breath and sat in a booth, drinking alone.

"Oh, I was wondering who it was. Turns out it’s our little murderer," a mocking voice drifted into her ears.

"Yang Jie’s bones aren’t even cold yet, and today marks the seventh day since his death. Aren’t you afraid he’ll come looking for you if you run to a bar to drink and celebrate like this?"

Looking up, Yang Bingyu couldn’t help but frown.

It was Zhang Ruoshi.

The daughter of Jianghai City’s real estate tycoon.

They had been at each other’s throats since childhood. Simply because people called Yang Bingyu the belle of Jianghai City, Zhang Ruoshi had grown bitterly jealous. She had to compete with Yang Bingyu over absolutely everything. Whatever Yang Bingyu had, Zhang Ruoshi had to have it too.

She had gone abroad to study half a year ago and had only returned recently. She had actually wanted to track Yang Bingyu down and ruthlessly mock her much earlier, but since Yang Bingyu hadn’t left the house, the opportunity had never presented itself.

Now that they finally bumped into each other at a bar, there was no way Zhang Ruoshi would let such a golden opportunity slip by.

"Get lost. I’m not in the mood to fight with you today," Yang Bingyu snapped impatiently after throwing back a huge gulp of liquor.

The expression on Zhang Ruoshi’s face instantly shifted. She snatched the bottle right out of Yang Bingyu’s hands and said aggressively, "Yang Bingyu, what right do you have to tell me to get lost? Do you really still think you’re the eldest lady of the Yang Family?"