Chapter 965: An Affair

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

The sea breeze brought with it a bigger story.

Pei Ziheng gave her a deep and long gaze, before speaking in a low voice, “You go ahead and live your life, there’s no need to worry for me. Whenever there’s a time where you cannot tolerate Li Lei, just come back to find me.”

She understood the intentions behind his words. This man still could not bear to let go, yet promised never to come and cause disruption to her peaceful and stable life. Her heart pulsed with pain, and she said quietly, “Pei Ziheng, why would you do this?”

He laughed softly, his laughter disintegrating amidst the sea breeze, drowning in the waves. “When you’ve seen the sea, no other water bodies would satisfy you as much anymore. Xia Ling, how could you expect me to fall in love with someone else when I’ve loved you?” The moment he laid his eyes on her for the first time, the ending was already decided. She was his b.u.t.terfly, his source of light, and it was she who held all his pa.s.sion and desires.

If he could turn back time, back to that summer where iris flowers were in full bloom, he would have immediately slipped the engagement ring onto her finger. It didn’t matter if she were shocked, or even if she called him a pervert. Nothing would have mattered more than having her be his till the day they had white hair.

Unfortunately, there was no “What if” in this universe.

The sea breeze blew gently across waves as soft as tulles breaking gently onto the sand.

She stared at him for a long time, coming to the understanding that nothing would convince him otherwise. She could only tell him to take care of himself.

“I will.” His voice was filled with warmth, just like how it was the first time they met that year. It made him seem dependable. He gazed into her eyes and chuckled again. “This time, after we part ways, I won’t bother you again. Could you give me one last hug, as a form of farewell?”

He opened his arms and stood facing her.

She stared at his eyes suspiciously, then eventually relented, walking slowly into his embrace. A tiny body ridden with illness, engulfed into a hug by a larger man, felt like being surrounded by a strong and st.u.r.dy mountain. At that moment, she experienced him as if he was a father or brother. The calmness she felt as a child flooded into her, and it felt like… it felt like no matter what she would encounter in the outside world, there was no need for fear.

The hug lasted for a long time.

The sea breeze lifted the ends of her clothes, her hair dancing in the wind.

After a while, Pei Ziheng softly said, “Take care, Xia Ling.”

Releasing her, he walked away without looking back.

She stood on the beach, dazed, as she stared at his back view slowly disappearing into the distance. A part of her heart felt empty, as if she was losing a part of her that would never return. “Pei Ziheng…” She unexpectedly called out.

That man heard her voice, but didn’t look back.

He clenched his fists tight, restraining his body with such force that he shook, as he took large strides forward. He didn’t dare look back, because if he did, he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back anymore, and would once again do anything he could to bring her back to his side, regardless of the consequences. She is happy now. If she loses Li Lei, she will die… I cannot disturb her anymore. Pei Ziheng told himself this over and over again. It felt as if his heart was being stabbed with every step he took, and it hurt so much.

Goodbye, my dear girl.

Goodbye, my… b.u.t.terfly.

The sun’s rays colored the sea’s surface. The two people drowning in their sorrowful goodbye didn’t even realize, that in a forest not far off, a journalist was photographing that very moment of encounter between them.

The moment it was published online, the online community exploded.

“Hurry, come see!” In a mall in City S, a female store attendant called out to her colleagues, her phone in her hand. “Someone at the South Beach caught Ye Xingling and Pei Ziheng meeting secretly! Oh my G.o.ddess Ling, how could this be? They were even hugging. This can’t be adultery, right?”

A sound of shock immediately got a ma.s.s of attention.

Colleagues swarmed in front of her phone. “Let me see, let me see… It’s true, Xia Ling is hugging Pei Ziheng! So beautiful!”

“How is this beautiful! Looking at this, they must have hugged many times before! Just look at that, their bodies meld together so comfortably!” Someone shouted out angrily. “This is too much. What about my boss, Li Lei? He is just recovering from his injury, then this happens? Is he being made a cuckold?”

“This can’t be?” Someone who was more reasonable spoke up. “Not long ago, Xiao Ling just held a congratulatory concert for Li Lei. She can’t possibly have gone into an affair this fast?”

“Who says?” Someone else spoke up. “Have you never heard of the saying, ‘a woman’s heart is hard to understand’? Furthermore, Xia Ling is Boss Pei’s ex-wife! You never know, the flame may have reignited between them for some reason!”

“That makes sense…” Some people nodded their heads in agreement.

Throughout the world, in restaurants, bars, subways, parks… similar conversations were coming into play. Within minutes—”Ye Xingling in an affair””Ye Xingling left””Ye Xingling and Pei Ziheng’s secret meeting””Li Lei made a cuckold”—headlines like these shot up in online search rankings.

Even Old Master Li, who normally didn’t pay much attention to celebrity news, was startled.

“Old Master,” Su Tang came to him and showed him the news. “What should we do? If these discussions continue spiraling, it is really disadvantageous to Young Master. I can’t believe Ye Xingling would do this kind of thing!”

Old Master was also furious. This daughter-in-law, how dare she make someone in the Li household a cuckold?!

He banged his walking stick, and commanded Su Tang, “Go! Find Li Lei!”

Both of them got into a car and headed over to Li Lei’s newlywed villa, where Li Lei was sorting out some books about warfare in his reading room in deep concentration. He was so concentrated that, when his grandfather called him out, he was confused. “What happened?”

Old Master Li thrust the photographs towards him. “Look what your wife has done!”

Li Lei picked up the photographs, and only saw the scene of a sea colored by the rays of the sun as it set over the horizon. The photographer took a very beautiful shot of Xia Ling and Pei Ziheng. The silhouette of the man and woman looked so compatible, like a match made in heaven, like a couple together in bliss. The Xia Ling in the photograph had her eyes gently closed, and she seemed so at ease and comfortable.

A small flame of jealousy lit up in Li Lei’s heart, but it was quickly extinguished. “What do you want to say? Grandfather, I already know that Xiao Ling went to meet Pei Ziheng. There’s no problem in that.”

“The Internet is going insane over this!” Old Master raged on. “The reputation of the Li family has been destroyed because of her! And you’re still defending her at this point in time?! Must she be caught doing it in bed before you will be willing to face reality!”

“Grandfather!” Li Lei’s face darkened. “I don’t like the way you talk about Xiao Ling.”

“That’s because of what she has done!” Old Master refused to back down.

Li Lei stared at him icily. “Your a.s.sumptions about Xiao Ling have gone too far. Have you never thought that, if she really didn’t like me and wanted to be with Pei Ziheng, she wouldn’t have held a celebratory concert for me! Wouldn’t it have been better for her to just let me die? If she wanted to be with Pei Ziheng, it would have happened a long time ago.”