"You can love whoever you want, Mengjie… anyone except Yong Liwei." He was almost begging. He held both her hands and brought them to his chest. "Don't risk your life for him. I don't want you to be in danger."

Just after he said the latter words, Lu Mengjie was reminded of what she promised Yong Liwei earlier that day.

"You are the risk, I'm willing to take."

It may be better to end their relationship early before they could fall deeper for each other but… she was not the type of person to back out from her promise. She has already decided to go for it. She was not going to eat back the words she told Yong Liwei just because she found out the truth, just because she has confirmed Si Hongqi's feelings.

She pulled her hands back from his hold. She wiped her tears then looked at him with her red and puffy eyes. She hugged the black coat that Yong Liwei left. Not only did it keep her warm but it also made her decision unyielding. "I'm sorry, Gege. I can't do what you want. You know me... I always try my best to keep my promises and it so happened that I already made a promise to him..."

"Mengjie…" His dark eyes peered at her intently. He already knew how stubborn she was but he was not going to stop from trying to change her mind so he did something he should have done a long time ago. He should have done it without thinking twice then maybe she would be able to notice him and finally see him as a man, not her father's shadow. He held her face in his hands and leaned down, giving her a forceful kiss.

Lu Mengjie's eyes widened in disbelief. His face was close and she could feel his soft lips against her. It felt so strange. The feeling it brought her was different from how Yong Liwei made her feel through his kiss. It may be warm but… she couldn't bring herself to like his kiss at all. Using most of her strength, she pushed him away.

The next moment, a loud slap was heard inside the car, followed by Lu Mengjie's cry, "what are you doing?!" She covered her mouth, shielding it from him.

Seeing her reaction, the side of his lips slightly raised into a bitter smile. He already got his answer from him, an answer that he has been expecting all these years... She has never accepted him for who he really was. He was not the man she was running after all this time.

Something struck Lu Mengjie's chest when she saw his agonizing smile, she could clearly see it through his eyes... the way she broke him. Her chest tightened as another man's face flashed in front of her. Just imaging her papa smiling that way was something she hated.

No, not that smile. She didn't want to see that kind of smile from him. She couldn't tolerate seeing him that way. It was twisting her heart to the point where she was feeling the suffocation.

"Stop the car!"

Si Hongqi balled his fists. He was rejected, yet again. He breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. "We're in the middle of the highway, we can't stop."

"Stop the car!" She insisted. After receiving a kiss from him, her body wanted to stay away. "Stop or I'll jump!" She held on to the car's handle.

Si Hongqi sighed in frustration. He turned to the driver and ordered, "stop."

The car stopped at the side of the road as soon as it did, Lu Mengjie went out. It was dark. Cold air blew. The tall trees that were on each side of the road gave an eerie feeling. There was no surveillance camera around, no houses, or a nearby town. It was like a scene from a horror movie where a frightening ghost would suddenly appear out of nowhere. No one would want to walk alone at such a place, especially at night but… she was not scared of ghosts, neither of the dark.

"Mengjie. We're still far from home. Please get back inside."

She ignored him and instead, she began walking ahead on the side. She put on Yong Liwei's coat again just to keep herself warm.

The car slowly followed her. "I'm sorry that I kissed you so don't be mad anymore."

She kept her mouth shut, refusing to talk as she continued to walk. She clenched her fists tightly as she tried her best to stop her tears from falling.

He sighed heavily in frustration. "Fine then. Walk all you want." He shut the door; his expression dark. He looked at the driver in front and ordered, "drive."