Chapter Thirteen: The Charming Scoundrel

“Wild girl, you really care about Xiangyang,” Jun Lengche broke the silence in the car first.

“Of course,” Tong Zhenzhen answered indignantly. She had intended to disrupt the Jun family’s life, but unexpectedly her own life was thrown into chaos. Being dragged away from her busy work for no reason, reprimanded, and even falling down—it was just bad luck!

Hearing her reply, Jun Lengche slammed on the brakes.

“Are you crazy?!” Luckily, Tong Zhenzhen was wearing her seatbelt, or she would have slammed into the windshield.

“Xiangyang is already married,” Jun Lengche said coldly, turning his head to stare at her.

Crazy! So what if Qin Xiangyang is married? Why is he so tense? At first, Tong Zhenzhen didn’t understand, but then she realized—surely Jun Lengche didn’t think she liked Qin Xiangyang?

In this lifetime, Tong Zhenzhen hated mistresses the most. Because her mother’s marriage was destroyed by one, leading to her parents’ divorce and her mother’s depression. After struggling for years, her mother ended her life by jumping into the sea.

Gritting her teeth, Tong Zhenzhen said, “I’d never be like your mother, destroying someone else’s marriage and being a shameless mistress!”

Wild girl, how does she ignite my temper so easily? Jun Lengche’s expression darkened as he heard her words. He reached out and pinched her delicate chin. “Who are you insulting?”

“Insulting? That’s stating the truth. Isn’t it your mother who seduced my father?!” Facing his dark, stormy gaze, Tong Zhenzhen showed no fear. She had always been like this—others pressing down on her only made her more defiant.

This girl really didn’t know when to stop, truly adding fuel to the fire. She’d get hurt sooner or later, Jun Lengche thought, seeing Tong Zhenzhen’s combative spirit like a feisty little cat. Yet, somehow, she unconsciously drew his attention.

How should he treat her? Jun Lengche was momentarily confused.

Damn it, what schemes is he plotting again? Tong Zhenzhen mistook his silence for plotting against her. When the pressure on her chin eased, she quickly unbuckled her seatbelt, pushed him hard, opened the door, and jumped out of the car.

Once outside, Tong Zhenzhen ran as fast as she could...

After a few bus rides, Tong Zhenzhen finally returned to the company.

She was the type to lose herself in work. The encounter with the Jun family was pushed from her mind as she devoted herself wholeheartedly to the new car prototype.

By the time she finished, it was already half past ten. Fortunately, she caught the last bus. An hour later, she could finally end the busy day and collapse into bed, surrendering to sleep. She was too exhausted to think about anything else.

At seven on Tuesday morning, Tong Zhenzhen was on the company shuttle bus. Sitting by the window with her head against the glass, she tried to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

“Tong Zhenzhen, look! Such a romantic ad!” A female colleague shook her awake.

Romantic? Isn’t that just a trick to fool women?

Tong Zhenzhen reluctantly opened her tired eyes and saw the bus had arrived at the busiest commercial district of G City.

Across the street, the shopping mall’s ten-story LED screen was playing a commercial.

Using romance to deceive? It was just a real estate ad, tricking people into buying property and working for banks and developers their whole lives. Better to sleep a bit longer.

Just as Tong Zhenzhen was about to close her eyes, a photo flashed on the screen.

Amid a vast sea of lavender, a girl in a white dress and a man in white stood side by side, making a heart shape with their arms.

That was clearly an old photo of her and Long Tianyu when they were in love—how did it end up here? Her pupils contracted; old wounds reopened.

Then the photo faded softly inside a pink heart, and a phrase appeared like smoke: “Guard such a miracle at ‘Pure Joy Garden’: You like her, she likes you, two people, a lifetime...” —a masterpiece by Longteng Group.

Though the photo vanished, the sealed memories surged like the Qiantang River tides, wild and unstoppable.

Five years ago, she saved Long Tianyu and took him in; they eventually became lovers.

She remembered that day, walking hand in hand with Long Tianyu through the purple sea. The sun was warm, the air sweet—just like her mood.

At that time, his eyes were bright and warm; his smile sincere.

He said, “Lavender means waiting for a love miracle.”

He said, “You brought this miracle.”

He said, “Two people, a lifetime.”

He said, “I love you.”

But the most unreliable thing in the world is words—no matter how sweet or unforgettable, they scatter in the wind.

Hearts that once matched ended up turning away.

The sweet words remembered become poison when love turns its back.

Long Tianyu hurt her but still dared to use those beautiful memories to stab her heart. Others might see her as a tough tomboy, but she couldn’t fool him.

Long Tianyu, what are you trying to do?!

Tong Zhenzhen lifted her head, seemingly looking out the window, but her eyes were closed to stop tears from falling. She kept telling herself: Someone worth her pain would never make her suffer. Let the rotten ones go with the wind.

A shattered mirror, even if pieced together, still leaves cracks.

Pure Joy Garden?! Long Tianyu, what exactly do you want?! Tong Zhenzhen gathered her anger to soothe her heart, stirred and stabbed by memories.

“Tong Zhenzhen, the girl in the ad looks like you from behind~” her colleague teased kindly.

No matter joy or sorrow, the past is the past! Now, Tong Zhenzhen couldn’t let anyone see her mood waver.

She turned her head, pretending to yawn so no one would wonder why her eyes were wet. “Haha, no way.”

But the troubles weren’t over.

At the office, Tong Zhenzhen saw a huge bouquet on her desk—four white roses nestled among various shades of lavender.

Four roses? Forever loyal? Thinking of the ad she’d just seen, her brow furrowed.

Her colleague, who came in with her, grabbed the card first.

The card read “pure love.”

“Wow, how romantic! Which admirer sent this?” the colleague exclaimed.

Pure love? To her, that was foolish love—a single mother’s daughter daring to be with a wealthy heir.

Tong Zhenzhen stepped forward, grabbed the card back, tore it into pieces in a flash, then handed the bouquet to her colleague, wrinkling her nose and pretending to sneeze. “Pfft, admirer my foot. It’s obviously meant to trouble me. I’m allergic to powder. You take it.”

“Really? Great!” The colleague happily took the bouquet.

No wasted time on rotten people, Tong Zhenzhen took a deep breath, worked hard to block thoughts of Long Tianyu, and threw herself energetically into work.

Once again, she worked straight through. When she finished the schedule, it was past ten at night.

Tong Zhenzhen hurried toward the company gate, hoping to catch the last bus. Taking a taxi was too extravagant for her.

Just as she stepped out the door, she heard a series of loud bangs.

What’s going on?