Without Me

The incident quickly passed, and the atmosphere returned to normal.

Yao Xi wanted to mingle in the crowd, feeling that the wounds on her stomach were beginning to hurt dangerously. At any moment, surgical sutures could break, and that was not a good moment.

She wanted to rest for a moment, but Ruo Yan didn't give her that opportunity. She grabbed Yao Xi by the arm and pulled to the Li Ye Han's table.

How Yao Xi couldn't know the intentions of her "friend". She was convinced that by leading her there, Ruo Yan wanted to make her trouble. And she was right. As soon as they reached the table, Ruo Yan, not waiting, immediately complained to her sorry voice: " Ye Han, why didn't you tell me that Xiao Xi will appear?" She asked, pursing her lips like a spoiled wife. " During the last few days when we saw each other, you didn't say a word. It was supposed to be a surprise? If so, you have succeeded, I am so happy now that I have Yao Xi with me on such an important day for me. Thank you, Ye Han."

Ruo Yan sat next to Li Ye Han, leaving Yao Xi a free seat next to Long Fei.

A malicious expression appeared on her face that didn't escape Yao Xi's attention. She knew what the woman was trying to do. She wanted to give Yao Xi understanding, that she had the right to sit next to Li Ye Han, not Yao Xi, even if she is a legitimate wife. It is a pity that her actions didn't make the slightest impression on Yao Xi when she sat indifferently, even without looking at them.

Ruo Yan hoped to see Yao Xi's wounded face, as when she saw them together in Li Ye Han's office. Ruo Yan saw the moment when Yao Xi appeared, so she got closer to Li Ye Han, pretending to help him get rid of some pollen from his face. In fact, nothing happened between them then, but from the perspective of Yao Xi it looked as if they were kissing.

Seeing the wounded expression of Yao Xi, when she looked up, made her great p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. She had to show the stranger, who has the greater right to be with a man like Li Ye Han.

But Yao Xi remained indifferent to these games, as if it didn't concern her, and her relaxed and lazy attitude, when she took the place, didn't like Ruo Yan.

She suspected that Yao Xi was only pretending to be calm, so she added oil to the fire, as she leaned into the ear of Li Ye Han, coquettishly stroking his muscled arm. She wanted to enjoy the wounded face of Yao Xi, but when she saw that the woman was not even looking at them, she felt frustration.

Ruo Yan was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the dark expression emanating from Li Ye Han the moment she touched him.

The man's eyes flashed dangerously as he stared murderously at the place where she was touching him.

"Scram! " Han Ye Li ordered a voice reminiscent of the crack of breaking ice.

Even Long Fei shuddered with the sound of that voice. He knew Li Ye Han better than anyone and he knew that the voice didn't bode well.

Yao Xi hesitated for a fraction of a second, then shrugged. Then she looked at the man to whom she entrusted her deepest youthful feelings. A man who crushed her heart again and again without hesitation. The man who killed her without blinking, as if her life meant nothing.

She shifted her gaze to Ruo Yan sitting next to him, and a sarcastic smirk blossomed on her ice-cold face as she saw her "friend" cast a triumphant look at her, but it didn't make any impression on Yao Xi. She didn't want to sit there from the beginning. Yao Xi was dragged there by Ruo Yan. She did not care about being in the company of rubbish, contrary to what Ruo Yan thought. Ruo judged herself too high, if she thought it would affect Yao Xi. She snorted sarcastically, and a small smirk flicked at the corner of her mouth.

Without even saying one word, she got up elegantly, turned away and walked away with the grace and dignity of the queen. Leaving three people behind, each of them had a different expression on the face:

Long Fei was speechless with his mouth open, as if he couldn't believe whether what he saw was not just a figment of his imagination.

Ruo Yan was so happy that she ignored even the mocking look of Yao Xi when she left. She deeply believed that Li Ye Han was furious that she showed up at the banquet without his consent, making him ashamed. She was convinced, that Li Ye Han was dissatisfied with the fact that Yao Xi humiliated his beloved in the eyes of many guests. Ruo Yan's heart flashed from the rhythm when she thought that Li Ye Han had thrown Yao Xi out for her sake. She couldn't hide her wide smile as she watched Yao Xi's back away: [Here's what you get when you think you can win with me!]

Li Ye Han's face darkened, and the violent storm in his eyes was cause for concern. The atmosphere froze, sending shivers even to those who were at a certain distance.

And only Ruo Yan remained unaware of the impending danger. She turned cheerfully to Li Ye Han, and a sweet smile appeared on her face when she asked innocently, " Ye Han, you are the only one who hasn't given me anything yet. What gift do you have for me? " She pursed her lips, pretending to be sulking, but the twinkle flashing in her eyes betrayed her excitement."

It was only when she turned, that she noticed the abnormality of the situation and the deep blackness in Li Ye Han's eyes. She subconsciously shuddered.

" I said, scram!" He growled so loudly that several people standing closest to him could feel the cold sweat flooding their backs.

And Ruo Yan froze. She looked ridiculous when her wide and satisfied smile turned into shock and stupor in a fraction of a second.

Li Ye Han wrenched his hand from her grip and brushed off his sleeve as if she were spreading a deadly disease. His strength almost knocked her out of the chair.

Ruo Yan's eyes filled with tears as the heart broke with humiliation. She stood up and escaped at the speed of light with her head down, hiding her reddened face in front of the guests' eyes.

Long Fei laughed nervously, trying to unload the tense atmosphere.

" Ye Han, don't forget what you found out today. You can't cause difficulties for Ruo Yan, if you want to find out who helps her, " reminded serious tone Long Fei added: "You must tolerate her, even if you don't like it."

Li Ye Han threw his friend a glare from which the hair bristled, but he mastered his murderous intentions. He was right. He could not afford any mistake if he didn't want to scare the snake hiding in the grass.

He never had his people check Yao Xi's identity before. The task he entrusted to steward Wen, when Yao Xi returned after three months, led his men to an orphanage where he met his Xixi many years earlier. He didn't find out where she was at that time, but he found out about her origin. These were only clues, but they undermined the credibility of Ruo Yan. From the beginning, he felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't support his supposition with any specific evidence. After that, Ruo Yan had too much information from that period, so after investigating that she was actually living as a child in this orphanage, he believed, thinking that he was too overs.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e, looking for some conspiracy.

Today he learned something that undermined his trust in Ruo Yan. If he was deceived by this woman, she had to have an accomplice who told her about the details of his accident back then. And only a few people knew about it. Of which one was already dead.

He also excluded from the circle of suspicious parents and grandfather. That period was the worst in their lives, they dreamed of forgetting it. Li Ye Han was sure they wouldn't tell anyone. Even among further family members, the incident remained a mystery.

There was one possibility left.

Ruo Yan had to find out everything from the person who planned and commissioned his murder. No one else knew about it.

Therefore, he had to investigate the matter thoroughly, he couldn't afford to make a mistake. Today he lost his temper when a woman whom he considered as his Xixi, touched him. Li Ye Han felt disgusted. Actually, he always felt like that in her presence. He should have trusted his instincts when they told him to reject her every time she approached him.

He couldn't help but felt a bit of gratitude to Yao Xi. If she didn't disappear without a word, he would not have ordered to search for her, and wouldn't have found any clues about Ruo Yan's possible cooperation with someone who had tried to kill him for a long time.

Even the thought flashed through his mind that Yao Xi could be the one he was looking for. Her hair, eyes, voice ... The longer he thought about it, the more he felt it was her. And that awareness filled him with a vague feeling. A woman whom he ignored in every possible way, believing that she took away his opportunity to spend his life with childhood beloved ... If it was Xixi, he couldn't imagine how he could redeem the blame and get forgiveness for everything he did to her.

That's why he prayed deep in his heart that it wouldn't be her. Even if finding Xixi was his life's mission, he preferred to spend the next few years searching, instead of finding out that the girl he loved from his teenage years was all the time with him, and he treated her like rubbish.

Today, in the eyes of Yao Xi, he saw revulsion and hatred, which frightened him. Though she had every right to feel that way, Li Ye Han's heart ached when he imagined that the woman of his life was staring at him like that. He couldn't stand it.

He'll never forgive himself, if she really was Xixi.