Chapter 109: This Man Is Useless! Unreliable!

But when Xie Yunting appeared before him once again, he felt no strong emotions—no resentment. For years, he had convinced himself that he hated her departure deeply, but her sudden return after six long years shattered that conviction in an instant. There was no hatred, nor love—only a still lake, calm and unremarkable, no longer stirred by a glance, a smile, or a furrowed brow from her.

He wanted to reject her, but faced with Xie Yunting’s warmth—just like in the beginning—he thought, he thought it was still the same feeling as before. He believed she had never truly left, that he still loved her, loved her to the point of being unable to refuse. Yet, from the moment Mai Xijun came running to him at the very instant her plane took off for Paris to continue her studies, everything changed. Everything would be rewritten.

Perhaps his heart wavered several times, but there were moments when he clearly remembered the feeling he had when looking at Mai Xijun.

“I’ve said everything I can say. This is the third and final time… there is no future for us.” There could be no future. What she had done in the past had already crossed his limits. He couldn’t love her anymore, couldn’t accept her, no longer able to tolerate or understand her.

“Do you believe I’ll destroy her?” Watching Shen Yanlie stride away with unwavering steps, leaving without a trace of hesitation, Xie Yunting’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Her back pressed against the piano, her legs trembling uncontrollably. This was her last gamble: if she won, she would have it all; if she lost, everything would be gone.

Shen Yanlie stopped immediately. That voice behind him was unbearable.

Sure enough, anything related to Mai Xijun always stirred the ripples in Shen Yanlie's heart. Xie Yunting laughed bitterly, a laugh so desolate. She couldn’t turn back the clock anymore, no matter how much she lowered her pride and abandoned her beliefs—kneeling in despair before him was utterly futile.

“If you love her, I will destroy her. When I say it, I mean it.” Xie Yunting’s words were fierce and arrogant, her cold gaze completely at odds with the tender, sweet smile she once wore.

Shen Yanlie curled a contemptuous smile on his lips. That smile was heartless and treacherous, his sharp brows lending him the aura of a sovereign lord who looked down on the world, yet chilling to the bone.

He walked slowly, like a wolf prowling through the forest, a mocking smile playing on his lips. “Then you should also believe that I can destroy your entire family with the flick of a finger, destroy everything in this world you care about—or don’t care about. Everyone connected to you will suffer because of you. For generations, they will never recover.”

He wasn’t joking. His nature was always cold and indifferent; he disliked jokes or frivolity. What he said, he could do—and he never went back on his word. If she dared to harm even a hair on Mai Xijun’s head, he would make her pay a hundredfold.

“Heh, really?” How could Xie Yunting believe such vicious words? To drag everyone around her down to the grave along with Shen Yanlie—his cruelty extended even to her?

Xie Yunting laughed. She just didn’t believe he could do anything to her. When she had just returned, he had still shown her countless indulgences. “If you don’t believe me, try it. I want to see just how deeply you love her.”

That provocation inevitably exposed Shen Yanlie’s limits, revealing himself to others. Being threatened like this was intolerable. Shen Yanlie hated feeling oppressed, as if every word and action had to be controlled by someone else. His nature would never allow that—it was a direct threat.

With several large strides, his cold gaze suddenly fixed on Xie Yunting’s throat. “Let me tell you, if you hadn’t done those things in the past—if it weren’t for the bond we once had—I would have killed you with one blow by now.”

Shen Yanlie growled low, his grip on Xie Yunting’s neck so tight it seemed it might snap with a crack. Yet she showed no fear—barefoot against shoes, she was fearless.

“If you dare touch a single hair on her, ten of you won’t be enough to die by my hands.” He added coldly. He had expected her to restrain herself, but instead, she grew more shameless. Those words she had just spoken before Mai Xijun were indeed true, but her pointed questions afterward made him want to strangle her.

To the woman he loved, Xie Yunting could be disliked or ignored, but never disrespected. If a man had said such things before him, Shen Yanlie would have acted long ago.

Xie Yunting wanted to laugh, but no sound came out. Her voice was hoarse, only her expression smiled—a bitter, desperate laugh. “So you knew all along. I wondered why you suddenly changed so much…”

It turned out her misery was self-inflicted.

It turned out he had known everything but never exposed her, watching as she foolishly played out her own tragedy, yet remaining silent. The cruelest and most ruthless person in this world was Shen Yanlie himself—doing the most merciless deeds with the softest façade.

“You think I’ll be kept in the dark forever?” He stretched the end of his words, using the method he was most accustomed to.

In truth, he was the fool—deceived by her. He had considered whether he should ruthlessly crush the woman before him, but when Mai Xijun’s face flashed before his eyes, he no longer cared about matters that no longer concerned him. As long as she behaved, he was willing to remain estranged from her for life.

“Heh.” Xie Yunting forced a dry laugh twice, but tears refused to fall freely. So he did get angry—angry for a woman.

So her place in his heart was lost forever. Did he really think she would do something drastic? She only wanted to provoke him, to try to win him back. After all, she had once given him her true heart—how could she truly hurt him?

Shen Yanlie threw Xie Yunting aside. “Take care of yourself.”

She knew his greatest hatred was betrayal, yet she had been so close to Luo Youcong. It wasn’t that he turned a blind eye—he simply no longer cared. But if she dared to gamble with the people closest to him, he would no longer be so kind, not even to her, Yunting.

With a flick of his hand, Xie Yunting collapsed to the ground, powerless and tearless.

* * * * *

Yuwen Si silently followed behind Mai Xijun. At first, she had been retching, vomiting a little but unable to bring anything up. Then she began wandering aimlessly.

This sight troubled Yuwen Si. That once lively woman who had sparred with him, full of spirit like ten bulls could not hold her back, now seemed soulless, like a puppet drained of life.

“I’m telling you, girl, say something. You’re making me think you’ve lost your mind.” Yuwen Si followed close behind, though he knew Mai Xijun didn’t want to respond.

Sure enough, Mai Xijun didn’t even lift her head, walking listlessly as if shutting out the entire world.

Yuwen Si sighed helplessly. How boring. He had expected her to continue their banter after returning, but instead, she was even more lifeless, like a deflated balloon.

When they reached her building’s entrance, the beautiful auntie from the convenience store, seeing Mai Xijun had finally come back, hurried out. But upon seeing Mai Xijun’s limp and spiritless state, she froze, as if facing a doll whose soul had been stolen.

“Junjun, what’s going on with you?” The auntie ran forward anxiously, blocking Mai Xijun’s path.

Another figure followed behind her—a man, notably handsome, even more striking than the “bad guy” they had seen before.

“Oh, I’m fine…” Mai Xijun recognized the auntie who had cared for her and mustered some energy to answer.

“That young man behind you—who is he? He’s quite handsome.” The auntie covered her mouth and whispered, glancing at Yuwen Si.

Mai Xijun frowned. Someone was behind her?

Yuwen Si grinned broadly. What kind of look was that? Clearly she thought she’d seen a ghost. Finally, Yuwen Si realized she had lost her mind and hadn’t noticed his presence.

“Oh, I think I forgot to pay rent last month…” Mai Xijun suddenly remembered. She had meant to pay before leaving so abruptly, without even saying goodbye. She wondered if the landlord would be upset.

“Don’t worry, Auntie already covered it for you. You can pay me back later. If you really want to thank me…” The auntie hesitated, eyes glinting with a hint of mischief as she looked at Yuwen Si.

Yuwen Si was puzzled but couldn’t evade her burning gaze. He scanned himself from head to toe—he looked decent enough, nothing awkward or improper. So what did the auntie’s intense stare mean?

The auntie tiptoed over, leaning close to Mai Xijun’s ear, covering her mouth with one hand as if sharing a secret. “Why don’t you introduce this handsome guy to our beautiful girl?”

Mai Xijun was stunned for a moment, then saw the auntie’s sly smile. Her frown knitted and loosened repeatedly. “Auntie, no. This man won’t do.” Unreliable.