Chapter 1: Weaknesses (Part 2)

her, there was no mercy at all. The sound of their fists landing was clear as day, like two long-time enemies who couldn't bear to live in the same world.Yan Luoxi was genuinely stunned by this scene....Chapter 1 (Part 2) Weaknesses

Lian looked at Yan Luoxi's sunburned rosy face and felt a pang of sympathy, but then her facial muscles twitched upon remembering the call she had just received. She gave Yan Luoxi an awkward look and couldn't hold back from saying, "It’s so hot outside, yet you’re still talking on the phone here! Why not come inside to take the call!"

Yan Luoxi hadn’t expected Lian to see her taking a call outdoors. She was slightly taken aback and then somewhat uncomfortably laughed, saying, "It’s my mom calling. She has returned from overseas on vacation and brought me a gift, asking when I’m going to pick it up."

If anyone else had lied so brazenly in front of her like this, Lian would have slapped them for their insolence. But the person before her was Yan Luoxi, leaving her no choice but to swallow her anger. Her expression darkened, and she looked at Yan Luoxi with a hint of mockery, completely enveloping herself in a protective shield.

Yan Luoxi could see that Lian was unhappy. She wanted to say something to Lian but didn’t know how to continue. Blinking her big eyes, she went into the bedroom without offering any explanation.

She had indeed lied just now; it wasn't her mother who had called, and there was no way she could casually tell Lian that the caller was Sun Liangliang.

Sun Liangliang fell in love with Lian at first sight and became obsessed upon seeing him again. She truly believed that Lian liked and loved her, eagerly awaiting his proposal to marry her. She never imagined he would use her as a prop instead.

Ever since Lian had mysteriously disappeared, Sun Liangliang seemed like she had lost her soul.

Before leaving her, Lian bestowed upon her the role of the female second lead. At first, Sun Liangliang was filled with pride and joy, basking in the busyness and happiness of it all without realizing that Lian was gone until much later. By then, he had already vanished without a trace.

Compared to an uncertain future in the entertainment industry, Sun Liangliang cares more about her beloved Li An.

The disappearance of Li An has caused great pain and distress for Sun Liangliang. As soon as filming ended, she started looking for him everywhere using every means possible. One of her circle of friends in the film industry had seen both Li An and Yan Luoxi when she was dating Ran Xu, and once at the airport, she thought she saw Li An holding hands with Yan Luoxi as they entered the VIP lounge. She then passed this information on to Sun Liangliang.

Sun Liangliang is somewhat skeptical about this claim; beautiful and wealthy women are often arrogant and self-assured, and she considers herself much more advantageous than Yan Luoxi. The idea of Li An choosing Yan over her seems laughable.

The reason for her call to Yan Luoxi today is that she's at the end of her rope; she just wants to test Yan Luoxi out and use the process of elimination to ease her mind.

Yan Luoxi feels guilty, insecure, and powerless when faced with Sun Liangliang.

Sun Liangliang is a woman suitable for marrying Li An; they match in appearance, family background, and complement each other well in personality. It's likely that Li Haonan and Gu Xiaobei would be quite pleased to have such a daughter-in-law.

During the long period of time Yan Luoxi spent alone with Li An, he never mentioned Sun Liangliang once or answered her calls.

This man is indeed ruthless; he must have changed his phone number, preventing Sun Liangliang from finding him at all.

Li An's silence on the matter of Sun Liangliang doesn't mean that Yan Luoxi won’t think about her. After all, Sun Liangliang is officially Li An’s girlfriend.

She and Li An were a passionately mutually consenting couple, chasing their own sensual pleasures, making Sun Jingjing a forbidden topic in Yan Luoxi's heart.

No matter why Li An had approached Sun Jingjing initially, Yan Luoxi felt like a sinner.

Receiving a sudden call from Sun Jingjing, Yan Luoxi was surprised and panicked, unsure how to respond.

Sun Jingjing's tone wasn't aggressive; she politely asked where Yan Luoxi currently was, who she had celebrated the New Year with, whether she had found new employment, and when she would be returning home.

Yan Luoxi vaguely understood Sun Jingjing’s intentions and cautiously answered that she was in the capital city, celebrating the New Year with her university classmates. Her classmate invited her to stay longer, so she didn't have a fixed date for her return.

SHE did not want to hurt anyone, and this fact did not require her to expose it; therefore, she chose to lie adeptly.

Just after hanging up with Sun Jingjing's call, facing Li An’s questioning, Yan Luoxi felt that even her breathing rhythm became awkward. Because of her difficult position, she didn't want Li An to know about the phone call from Sun Jingjing, didn’t want him to see how awkward she was feeling, and did not wish for him to share in her worries; subconsciously, she chose to lie.

Yan Luoxi returned to her room, lying down to take a nap during the afternoon. However, no matter what position she tried, she couldn't shake off her anxiousness. Thinking of Li An accompanying her at this time every day, she felt irritated that he still hadn’t come in.

Li An sat in the air-conditioned living room, feeling his seat getting warmer with each moment. He switched to a cool cushion but after just two minutes still felt hot. After alternating several times, he finally realized it was his heart that was heating up.

He knew everyone had **, no matter how much he loved Yan Luoxi, he should give her independent personal space. However, dealing with certain matters was easier than enduring them silently, especially since he knew that Yan Luoxi's ** was related to Zhou Guangtao.

Lǐ n tapped his fingers unconsciously on the coffee table; a furrow appeared between his brows as suppressed pain slowly surfaced from within him, making his fingertips tremble slightly.

He did care about Yan Luoxi's past with Zhou Guangtao, just as Zhou Guangtao cared about their shared history.

Every man wished to be the first in his beloved woman’s heart and hoped she thought only of him.

Lǐ n was no different. Yet he couldn’t be sure if Yan Luoxi's heart belonged solely to him.

The inevitability of this truth felt like a nightmare, suffocating.

When the protective armor in his memories was peeled away, tender flesh was exposed; any slight provocation would bring bleeding wounds.

Lǐ n reclined on the sofa’s backrest and closed his eyes as a bitter smile curved his lips. He and Yan Luoxi had grown so close, yet Zhou Guangtao could still easily tug at her heartstrings. Perhaps what his brother said was true: Zhou Guangtao was indeed their weakest link.

After tossing and turning for a long time, Yan Luoxi finally fell asleep, only to be plagued by nightmares immediately upon drifting off; fear and alarm woke her up with great difficulty. She turned her head habitually in search of support, finding the usual spot where Lǐ n slept empty—this fellow hadn’t come to take his afternoon nap at all.te encounter, Yan Luoxi lay tiredly yet lazily in Li An's embrace, finding a position that was most comfortable to snuggle into. Her back pressed against his chest.With his head lowered, Li An subcons...