Song Zhong's brows knitted into a tight knot. By now, he had figured it out. That Ye Long guy had crippled him and then vanished into thin air. And Zhou Ruobing actually thought he had done something to Ye Long!
Song Zhong was seething with anger. He hadn't even started seeking revenge, yet here he was, being humiliated by Zhou Ruobing again.
"How the hell should I know where he is!" Song Zhong roared.
Zhou Ruobing narrowed her eyes, her gaze as sharp as a blade, piercing through Song Zhong.
Song Zhong was on the verge of a breakdown. "I've been in surgery all day! The anesthesia still hasn't worn off completely. How could I possibly have the energy to look for him!"
Just then, Zhou Ruobing's phone rang.
She swiftly pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and answered curtly, "Speak."
"President, Mr. Ye is riding his motorcycle back to the community." A man's voice reported from the other end.
Earlier, Zhou Ruobing had assigned a bodyguard to keep watch at the entrance of Ziwei Community. She was worried that Ye Long might return, and she wanted the bodyguard to inform her immediately.
Zhou Ruobing released Song Zhong's collar. She stared at him coldly, her eyes filled with warnings. "Song Zhong, my friend crippled you. You deserved it! Consider this debt settled. If you dare to target me or him again, I won't hold back!" With that, Zhou Ruobing turned and left.
A group of bodyguards trailed behind her like loyal followers, accompanying her out of the hospital room.
The room instantly became empty.
Song Zhong glared at the doorway, his teeth grinding in anger. "Zhou Ruobing, you just wait. When I'm out of here, I'll make you pay!" Song Zhong gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with hatred.
…
Shortly after, Zhou Ruobing drove her BMW into Ziwei Community.
After getting out of the car, she marched briskly towards Building A and took the elevator to the 18th floor. Soon, Zhou Ruobing arrived at Room 189. She opened the door and stepped inside.
At the same time, the door of the public bathroom opened, and Ye Long emerged, fresh from the shower.
Both Zhou Ruobing and Ye Long froze, their eyes locking.
Ye Long was only wearing a pair of shorts. Water droplets clung to his face and body, and steam rose from him.
Zhou Ruobing's eyes involuntarily moved from Ye Long's face to his body.
To her astonishment, Ye Long's chest and waistline were perfectly proportioned. His well - defined muscles were incredibly alluring, holding her gaze captive.
However, Zhou Ruobing soon noticed that Ye Long's chest and abdomen were covered with dozens of old scars, big and small. One of them was long and deep, sending a shiver down her spine.
Zhou Ruobing couldn't help but wonder what terrifying experiences he had been through.
Strangely, these scars didn't diminish his charm; instead, they added a touch of wildness and mystery to him.
"Miss Zhou, what are you staring at?" Ye Long finally broke the silence when he saw Zhou Ruobing standing there like a statue.
Zhou Ruobing snapped out of her trance. She realized that she had been examining his body just to make sure he was okay, but she had gotten carried away.
"You idiot! Why did you come out half - naked!" Zhou Ruobing quickly turned around, afraid that Ye Long would see the flush on her face.
Ye Long looked down at himself. He was wearing shorts, wasn't he?
"Go put some clothes on right now!" Zhou Ruobing stomped her foot, shooting him an angry glare. Then she hurried into her bedroom.
With a loud "bang," she slammed the door shut.
Was she blushing?
Ye Long was utterly shocked. This ice - cold woman had actually blushed after seeing his upper body!
Ye Long returned to his room, changed into fresh clothes, and dried his hair with a hair dryer.
The image of Zhou Ruobing's reaction when she first saw him kept replaying in his mind.
Ye Long shook his head and smiled. He suddenly realized that besides being cold and beautiful, she was kind of cute.
"Bang! Bang!"
There was a sudden knock on Ye Long's door.
Zhou Ruobing's impatient voice came through. "Come out if you're dressed!"
Ye Long opened the door and looked at her. "Miss Zhou, what can I do for you?"
Zhou Ruobing saw that Ye Long was fully dressed, but her mind couldn't help but recall his perfect muscle lines and scar - covered chest and abdomen. A strange feeling fluttered in her heart.
An unprecedented sensation swept through her.
Zhou Ruobing tried to compose herself. "Why was your phone turned off all day?" she asked coldly.
Ye Long glanced back at his charging phone. "My phone died earlier, and I didn't have a chance to charge it, so…"
"Your phone died? No chance to charge it?" Zhou Ruobing was fuming. Even if his phone had died, there were shared chargers everywhere in the city. How could it be impossible to charge!
He must have done it on purpose!
He knew she would worry about him after he had crippled Song Zhong, so he deliberately disappeared to get her attention!
Ye Long asked, "Miss Zhou, anything else?"
"I…" Zhou Ruobing was so angry that she could have slapped him. At this moment, she felt like a fool for worrying about him all day just because his phone was off!
Zhou Ruobing quickly remembered the main reason she was there. She suppressed her anger and asked, "Did you send someone to teach Wu Yunhong, my rival, a lesson and make him apologize to me?"
Ye Long nodded. "I told you on the phone before. What, did he bother you again this afternoon?"
Zhou Ruobing narrowed her eyes, eyeing him suspiciously.
Zhou Ruobing shook her head. "No. But who did you send to deal with him?"
"My old army buddies. They're pretty good at fighting. After hearing what happened, they went and gave him a good beating. The guy caved in right away."
"I see." Zhou Ruobing's mind flashed back to the scene at the company that morning. Wu Yunhong had been beaten black and blue, and he had knelt down in front of her and her mother, begging for forgiveness.
Just then, her phone rang.
Zhou Ruobing stepped aside to answer it. "Mom, I found out. This morning, Ye Long sent his old army buddies to teach Wu Yunhong a lesson…"
Liu Hongxia was equally excited on the other end of the line. "Bingbing, I never thought Ye Long had such capable friends. We're really lucky they were there to help. Otherwise, we'd be in big trouble." Zhou Ruobing couldn't help but turn and glance at Ye Long.
First, he had saved her from Song Zhong's clutches. Then, he had resolved the crisis caused by Wu Yunhong.
This seemingly ordinary hotel security guard had saved her twice in one day!
Liu Hongxia continued, "Bingbing, now that Wu Yunhong is out of our way, the company will surely thrive. You should really thank him."
"Got it." Zhou Ruobing also thought that without Wu Yunhong as a competitor, although the Zhou Group might not skyrocket overnight, at least it wouldn't decline any further.
And she owed all of this to her fake husband.
Ye Long saw her hang up the phone and walked up to her. "Miss Zhou, my mom and brother really want to meet you. Would you be able to come home with me tomorrow and have lunch with them?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ruobing's expression turned icy again. She and Ye Long had only entered into a marriage agreement. It was essentially a business deal. Once it was over, they would go their separate ways.
If she met his family, things would get complicated, and it might lead to a lot of unnecessary trouble.
But seeing the anticipation in Ye Long's eyes and thinking about how he had saved her twice today, Zhou Ruobing couldn't bring herself to reject him outright.
"I'm really busy right now. Maybe another time," Zhou Ruobing replied evasively.
Ye Long was still quite pleased with this response. The fact that this cold beauty hadn't rejected him flat - out was already a good sign.
Ye Long pressed on. "Miss Zhou, having lunch won't take up much of your time. Besides, I accompanied you to deal with your grandfather before. We had an agreement when we got married. I help you deal with your family, and you help me deal with mine. If you don't help me with this, I'm afraid I won't be able to assist you with your grandfather and the others in the future." Ye Long's tone was firm.