Chapter 64: Chilled to the Bone

any way, so I have no obligation to take care of you! Let me tell you—I'll continue taking care of you this morning out of respect for Uncle and Aunt, but after that, I’m leaving!"Yan Luoxi was focus...Chapter 64 Chilled to the Bone

Yan Luoxi's call to her mother only rang twice before Xue Liping picked up, her voice high and urgent: "Luoxi, where are you"

"Mom, I... I drank too much and came home by myself. Where are you now, Mom" Yan Luoxi was crying so hard that her voice sounded hoarse, very similar to how she would sound when drunk.

"You silly child, why didn't you tell your mom that you can't drink Why did you try to be strong!" Xue Liping's tone was somewhat reproachful and full of concern: "How are you now Do you have a headache or feel nauseous Should Mom come over to look after you and make some food for you..."

The concern from her mother almost made Yan Luoxi cry again. She controlled the trembling in her voice as she apologized to her mother: "Mom, I left halfway through today's event and didn't go back home afterwards. I must have caused you a lot of trouble; I'm sorry!"

Thinking about it now, she really was stupid. Every step she took was according to Li An's design.

The words he said to her during the press conference were just meant to put her at ease. By forcing her to drink alcohol, he wanted her to leave alone as usual in order to avoid the alcohol, which would allow him to catch her red-handed.

He knew her too well and was also very cunning; it was easy for him to set a trap for her.

"You silly girl, don't say sorry. It's Mom who's at fault, she shouldn't have taken you to that event and let you get drunk and in trouble." Xue Liping sighed heavily, feeling deeply guilty.

"Mom, did Sister Liangliang..." Yan Luoxi was worried that Sun Liangliang would be upset with her mother because of her.

"Your sister LingLing didn't say much. Shortly after you left the seat, An Shao received a phone call and went out. After a while, he called your sister LingLing, saying that there was an emergency at his company that needed to be dealt with immediately, so he couldn’t come to bid farewell to everyone in person. So everyone dispersed. She was concerned about An Shao and didn't pay much attention to you leaving secretly."

Yan Luoxi let out a sigh of relief. Since she wasn't living happily herself, she hoped that the people closest to her could live smoothly.

Hanging up the phone, Yan Luoxi endured the intense pain in her body and moved her stiffened limbs, slowly getting up. With her swollen face expressionless, she walked outwards.

As expected, two burly black-uniformed security guards stood at the entrance to the balcony as she had imagined. When they saw Yan Luoxi come out, their eyes didn't even flicker; it was as if they hadn’t seen her.

Yan Luoxi couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Indeed, strong leaders don't have weak subordinates. The people around Li An were cold-blooded and cruel like him.

Entering the elevator, someone began to pay attention to Yan Luoxi with her swollen face, yet she stared unwaveringly straight ahead; the gazes of passersby seemed non-existent to her. She didn't care about these unrelated people or their glances.

Walking out of this nearly fatal building, a scorching heat wave hit her. The setting sun and glaring streetlights made the city’s evening particularly enchanting; the afterglow of the sunset bathed the towering French plane trees on both sides of the road in gold.

Yan Luoxi's vision was somewhat blurred, her mind hazy. While others called out the heat, she felt cold, hugging herself tightly and shivering involuntarily.

She hailed a taxi back home; Zhou Guangtao still hadn't returned. The house was pitch black and rather desolate.

Yan Luoxi continued to feel cold and turned on the lights in several rooms, even turning on the TV set in the living room before wrapping herself in a thin blanket and sitting alone on the sofa. A lively talent show program was being broadcast on TV with exaggerated effects; she stared fixedly at the screen but couldn't take in any of what was said.

She never expected to run into Li An today, and even less did she expect him to have murderous intentions towards her!

The thought of the cars passing by under the high-rise building, the moment when life hung in the balance, and Li An's sinister face all made Yan Luoxi shudder with fear. Her hair stood on end as she trembled uncontrollably.

She pulled her thin blanket tighter around herself and picked up her phone to call Zhou Guangtao.

Never before had Yan Luoxi longed for Zhou Guangtao’s presence more than at this moment. Even if he didn’t say anything, just being there would be enough.

The phone rang several times but there was no answer; it seemed to ring endlessly as she refused to give up. Finally, after an unknown number of attempts, the line went dead—likely because her relentless calling had drained his battery.

The TV programs remained lively and entertaining, while white tea blossoms blooming in full splendor by the long window emitted a subtle fragrance that tickled her nostrils and brought tears to Yan Luoxi’s eyes.

She was freezing cold and no longer wanted to wait for Zhou Guangtao here. She walked into her bedroom, turned on hot water, intending to take a bath.

The warm water splashed against her body; as she lowered her head inadvertently, her eyes widened in shock. Her shoulders, waist, hip bones, thighs were all bruised, and there was also a purple mark on her wrist.

Touching her swollen and hot face, Yan Luoxi suddenly realized why she was waiting for Zhou Guangtao to return—was it so that he could see her battered state If he asked how this happened, did she really intend to tell him that Li An had come and beaten her up

Yan Luoxi quickly finished bathing, hurriedly put on her nightgown, rushed to the door, locked her room, and decided to avoid Zhou Guangtao for a couple of days. Under no circumstances would she let him see the swollen face inflicted by Li An.

This night, Yan Luoxi, who hadn't fallen ill in a long time, developed a fever. Initially shivering from cold while huddled under the blankets, she later felt muscle pain and dizziness with an extremely parched throat. Struggling to get up to find some medicine, she heard the sound of someone opening the door.

Only Zhou Guangtao had returned home, scaring Yan Luoxi into quickly hiding back under her blanket.

The late-night returning Zhou Guangtao arrived at Yan Luoxi's room and gently knocked on her door, asking softly, "Luoxi, are you asleep Luoxi!"

Yan Luoxi wanted so much to call out to him—she was awake, she was sick, she needed him. But the half of her face that had been disfigured by Li An's persecution couldn't bear being seen; thus, despite heartache and headache, she remained silent.

After knocking a few times without receiving an answer, Zhou Guangtao assumed Yan Luoxi was asleep and returned to his own room.

In the relief that followed, Yan Luoxi felt some disappointment. Her nose became stuffy as tears fell again. After crying for a short while, she drifted off into a doze.

Her sleep this time lasted quite long until midday when she woke up due to needing the bathroom. Trying to get up to go there, her head spun and her legs weakened, causing her to fall onto the floor.

The heartbroken and troubled Yan Luoxi let out a flood of tears and snot, seeing everything through teary eyes. Lying on the floor crying for quite some time, she sweated profusely; it felt as if she were somewhat more comfortable.

Just when Yan Luoxi was about to get up from the floor, suddenly, the doorbell rang. Checking her watch, it read 12:30 PM—could anyone be pressing her apartment's doorbell nowll to the floor and shattered into pieces.Both of them had learned self-defense techniques and were full of hatred, so when they hit each other, there was no mercy at all. The sound of their fists lan...