Chapter 29: Frantic with Rage

"Fine!" Xi Jingpeng agreed, not backing down in the slightest.

Luo Yichen turned to leave, but Xi Jingpeng blocked his path and said, "Shang Qi has already gone to sleep; don't go bothering her."

"She likes it when I bother her this late," Luo Yichen replied with a highly suggestive tone.

Xi Jingpeng remained unprovoked and said nonchalantly, "I detest unfair competition. If I'm in a bad mood, I might just delay the standard workflow. Don't come rushing me when that happens!"

Fearing that he might actually drag out the loan approval process, Luo Yichen had no choice but to say, "It is a bit late now; I’ll just stay here!"

After returning to his room upstairs, Luo Yichen could no longer contain his smoldering rage. He slammed his fist against the wall, thinking: When on earth did Shang Qi get so close to Xi Jingpeng? To the point of sharing such intimate details with him? How could she be so dismissive of me?

Luo Yichen was so furious he didn't sleep all night. Early the next morning, he stormed back to the villa. Shang Qi was still fast asleep in bed when Luo Yichen burst in. Seeing her delicate face and enticing sleeping posture, he immediately lunged forward and pressed his lips to hers.

His kiss was punishing, causing Shang Qi pain. She woke up with a start, trying to push the man pressing down on her away. However, the more she struggled, the harder Luo Yichen kissed. By the time he pulled away, her lips were swollen and red.

"What kind of madness has possessed you this early in the morning?" Shang Qi snapped angrily. "Can't you survive without a woman? All you ever think about is that!"

"Fine! Since you think I’m so filthy, I don’t need to hold back anymore. I’ll show you right now what a real man is!" Luo Yichen, by this point, was so enraged that he had lost all reason.

Shang Qi grew fearful and softened her tone. "Don't come any closer! What on earth happened to make you this angry so early in the morning?"

Luo Yichen shouted, "Did you tell Xi Jingpeng that I’ve never touched you?"

Shang Qi recalled the moment; it seemed she had mentioned something to that effect. She replied, "Yes! I told him the truth. Is there any need to be this angry?"

Recalling Xi Jingpeng’s smug expression from the night before, Luo Yichen was driven to madness again. He roared, "How close are you to him that you’d even tell him about our private bedroom affairs?"

Shang Qi felt Luo Yichen was being unreasonable. She retorted, "I didn't specifically bring it up; it just came up in conversation. Besides, how could I even talk about such things? I’m not as shameless as you, always in heat at any time or place."

"I'm shameless?"

Luo Yichen suddenly felt deeply wounded. As a normal man, why was wanting to be intimate with his own woman considered shameless? For Shang Qi to say such a thing, it could only mean she didn't care about him at all. She had never understood that his desire for her was also a form of love.

Luo Yichen left without looking back. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he would do something he shouldn't. This woman always had a way of easily infuriating him and making him lose control. Seeing him walk away like that, Shang Qi felt miserable. Weren't things fine just last night? How had it turned into this by morning? She found it difficult to handle Luo Yichen’s volatile moods.

From then on, Luo Yichen ignored Shang Qi entirely. He didn't bother her, but he avoided her at all costs. Even if they bumped into each other at the office, he wouldn't acknowledge her. Mu Lichen, however, frequently took her out for meetings or chats under the guise of discussing business. Since he was Luo Yichen’s assistant, he could provide many conveniences for Shang Qi at work. In this way, she wasn't entirely at the mercy of Luo Yichen.

After her divorce, Yin Guizhen returned to the Yin family, where life was not easy. Her father would often say, "I told you not to associate with Luo Yichen, but you wouldn't listen. Now that you’ve been kicked out, what else is there to say?"

These words were like salt in Yin Guizhen’s wounds. After five years, she was accustomed to her father’s sarcasm. When she was still married, the Yin family could leverage their connection to the Luo family to secure funding. Now, without Luo Yichen as their pillar of support, the Yin enterprise was struggling to survive. Yin Guizhen ran everywhere trying to find help, but with little success.

One day, after being ridiculed by her father again, Yin Guizhen hid in her room, heartbroken. Yin Guinong walked in to console her: "Father has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. He only says these things because he feels bad for you."

Yin Guizhen looked desolate and said, "When he made me marry into the Luo family, it was entirely for the sake of the Yin enterprise. He never once considered my feelings."

"That’s not true. Back then, Luo Yichen deliberately brought down the Yin family to force Father to let you marry him. You are the apple of our family’s eye; Father never wanted you dragged into a whirlpool of interests, which is why he kept refusing. But you were the one who was dead set on Luo Yichen. In the end, Father had no choice but to propose the marriage to Luo Yichen."

Yin Guizhen was shocked. "He used so many underhanded tactics against the Yin family—why didn't you tell me?"

"Even if we had told you, you wouldn't have listened. Guizhen, stop thinking about Luo Yichen, okay?"

Yin Guizhen said painfully, "Brother, he has already taken root in my heart. I will never be able to forget him for the rest of my life."

Watching the obsession in his sister's eyes, Yin Guinong felt helpless. He didn't like dealing with business matters, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet. After much thought, he invited Mu Lichen out.

"Guizhen has been in a bad mood lately," he said. "Could you help me talk to her?"

"She’s heartbroken over Luo Yichen," Mu Lichen said. "Don't worry! He will eventually come around for Guizhen’s sake."

Yin Guinong sensed there was more to it and asked, "Lichen, do you know something? The Yin enterprise is in a bad state lately, and the funding gap is getting larger. Father and I are swamped and can't look after Guizhen."

"How large is the funding gap?"

"One billion."

"I will help you find a way."

Yin Guinong looked stunned. "Lichen, where could you possibly get that much money?"

"I have some classmates working in finance on Wall Street in the U.S. I can talk to them about financing."

"That’s great! You must help me find a way!" Yin Guinong said, his face lighting up with joy.

After they parted ways, Mu Lichen returned to the Luo residence. Luo Shixun saw him and asked, "Lichen, have you been busy with work lately?"

"It’s fine! Just some other troubling matters."

Luo Shixun was flattered. In all the days he had been back, this was the first time Lichen had spoken to him. He smiled and asked, "What kind of trouble?"

Mu Lichen ignored him and turned to head to his room. Luo Shixun persisted, "What is it, exactly?"

"You can't help me!"

"Just tell me!"

"I was playing the stock market in the U.S. with my classmates using borrowed capital, and we lost a billion. Now, many investors are coming after us."

Luo Shixun thought: What is Lichen up to? Why does he suddenly need so much money? He wanted to get to the bottom of it, but in the end, he didn't dare ask. There was a deep chasm between him and Mu Lichen. Now that Lichen had finally spoken to him, he didn't want to waste the opportunity.

Thus, Luo Shixun said, "Don't worry. It’s just a billion! I’ll write you a check right now."

"Really?" Mu Lichen hadn't expected it to be so easy.

"Lichen, if you need money for anything, just tell me. But, please, do not use this money for anything that harms others without benefiting yourself." Luo Shixun’s words were subtle but pointed.

Mu Lichen could naturally hear the subtext. He said, "Don't think that by giving me money, you can control me or erase everything that happened in the past."

"That’s not what I meant. You are a naturally kind child, even softer-hearted than Yichen. I was just afraid you might be taken advantage of."

Hearing his father understand him so well, Mu Lichen froze. He had always believed that Luo Shixun was indifferent to him and never cared. Suddenly receiving such care, Mu Lichen felt overwhelmed. For a fleeting moment, he truly wanted to call him "Dad."

Luo Shixun added, "Lichen, I know you feel very aggrieved. When the right opportunity arises, I will definitely bring you back into the Luo family."

Mu Lichen smiled bitterly and said, "I have already grown accustomed to the name Mu."

Luo Shixun said nothing more. He knew the resentment in the child’s heart would take time to resolve. The next day, Mu Lichen transferred the billion to the Yin enterprise. After receiving it, Yin Guinong immediately called him and asked, "Where did you get such a huge sum of money?"

"From financing," Mu Lichen lied. He didn't want anyone to know about his relationship with the Luo family.

Yin Guinong asked worriedly, "Lichen, you didn't do anything illegal, did you?"

"Rest assured, this money is absolutely clean."

"I can't just take this money for nothing!" Yin Guinong didn't dare accept such a massive sum without knowing the full story.

"Then consider it my investment in the Yin enterprise."

"This..."

"Aren't you already at the end of your rope? What else is there to hesitate about?"

"Fine. It’s a deal. I’ll have someone bring the specific agreements for you to sign."

"It doesn't have to be that much trouble; I trust you."

After hanging up, Yin Guinong thought: Mu Lichen is doing this entirely for Guizhen’s sake. So, I don't need to worry about him having any malicious intent. But what is his background, really? For Guizhen, choosing Mu Lichen would be better than choosing Luo Yichen. At the very least, he wouldn't be an enemy of the Yin family.

After Xi Jingpeng restored the Luo family’s loans, the pressure on Luo Yichen eased significantly. However, the situation with Shang Qi was giving him a headache. They had been in a cold war for over half a month, and it was Luo Yichen who finally surrendered. He feared that Xi Jingpeng would take advantage of the void, and he felt that making up with Shang Qi was more important than saving face. In truth, if Luo Yichen hadn't been so prideful that night, how could things have ended up like this with Shang Qi?

Luo Yichen found an excuse to go to Shang Qi’s office. When he entered, Mu Lichen was discussing work with her, the two of them working in such perfect harmony that they left him standing on the sidelines. Luo Yichen stood awkwardly for a moment before saying, "Lichen, how is the financial analysis I asked for this morning? Go urge the finance department again, and summarize the issues for me once you've reviewed it."

Seeing that he was being dismissed, Mu Lichen had no choice but to say, "Yes, I’ll get right on it."

After he left, Shang Qi kept her head down, busy with her work, without even glancing at Luo Yichen. If anyone else had treated him with such an attitude, they would surely have been fired immediately. Luo Yichen controlled his temper and said, "Qiqi, are you still angry about what happened that day?"