"Make things clear, Zichen!" Shi Lian yells. The mood of talking business is gone. She is angry, confused, and hurt by his behavior. She is still thinking about what she had done to make him angry but she couldn't think of any reason.

"Do you like me?" he mumbles but Shi Lian heard it. 'why would he ask such a question in a situation like this?' she ponders and frowns. Her frustration grows when he does not answer her.

"What do you say?" she asks, pretending she didn't hear what he mumbled. He got up where he was sitting and walks to her. He holds her arms and pulls her closer, as a result, she lands on his hard chest. She looks up to meet his eyes and scowls, "What is your issue?"

"Do you like me? he asks again, tipping her chin up as his eyes bore into hers. Fire ignites, as butterflies summersault in her stomach. She can feel her cheeks getting warm and her heart is beating like crazy. This man has sure control over her.

"Wh-why are you asking this?" she stammers, "Don't change the topic. Explain yourself, Zichen!" His mouth is less than an inch distant from her lips. His hot breaths are hitting directly to her lips and her eyes are involuntary grazes down his lips. She gulps, tearing her eyes away from him.

"Answer me" he whispers, his lips grazing her jaw as she squirms under his hold. "Do you like me?"

"I- this is not the time for this. You-you can't change the topic like this" her voice barely comes out as a whisper when Zichen continues teasing her. His hands are grabbing hers as she kept them from struggling. He held her hands behind her back, slightly above her buttocks.

"Are you only using me?" he questions, giving light kisses down her neck.

'Holy shit! This man has skilled quality with his lips' her inner self compliments.

The question he raised is unusual. She is more confused than before, his questions are not even making the slightest meaning here. All she wants is the reason why he behaved like a jerk earlier but here the situation is something else. "Zichen...Please" she begs as he teases her, sucking her tender skin of her neck.

"Tell me, Shi Lian"

"I-I am not..using you" she somehow manages to answer him but he didn't stop from what h was doing.

"Are you telling the truth?" he whisper, nibbling her earlobe. He is angry but he is more turned on right now. He can never have his composure when she is around and he is losing it. he had to make it clear today or else he won't be able to sleep. He hasn't been sleeping for the past few days.

"Y-yes" she squirms, her legs getting weak. She is barely holding up as her inside muscle clenches and her legs start to wobble.

"So you like me, huh?"

"I-I.." she does not even know this herself. How can she answer him? Does she like him? She doesn't know. She is confused, she is struggling t let go of her past and trust another man easily. And Zichen hasn't shown that she can confide in him, trust him so it's too early to say that she likes him.

He stops suddenly. He releases her hands and steps away from her. his back is facing hers and she is again left in the middle hanging with hundreds of questions to herself. "I'll consider your thought. You may leave" he says sternly without facing her.

'What the heck? Is he having a paranoia attack?' she grits her teeth as anger boils in her nerves. No one has ever treated her like the way he did, no one has ever driven her crazy as the way he did. She wants answers, answers to the questions which she doesn't know how to ask. "What do you want, Zichen? One moment you are asking if I am using you and the next moment you are doing the same to me. I-I am confused. You…what do you really want?" her voice cracks, the lump in her throat feels so heavy that it's getting harder for her to talk.

He does not say anything and this makes her more frustrated. She had enough of this. The room suddenly feels so small that it suffocates her. Without wasting any more time here, she picks up her things and strides to the door. Zichen still stands with his back facing her, he is so in rage that he may not be able to handle it next so it's better to cool down and talk later.

The door closes with a thud making him realize that she is gone. He turns around, finding no one but him, he sighs and plops on the sofa with his arm covering his tensed eyes. 'Business relationship? Is she kidding me?' he thinks what she told earlier and frowns. "Business partners do not sleep with each other, goddammit woman!" he says gritting his teeth in annoyance.

**

After the fight with Zichen, Shi Lian stride straight through her office and haven't been out since then. It's been four hours already and she doesn't allow anyone to enter unless she called. To calm herself she is realizing it through work. She planned on doing all the work she can until she is completely exhausted. Ruxi drops by thrice but Shi Lian did not say anything. Watching her like this, in frustration, Ruxi asked about the situation with concern but it made Shi Lian more annoyed. She told her to leave before she snaps at her.

She felt used by him after she gave it a moment to think. After she realized she was taken advantage of, her anger grew more. "Fu Zichen! Go to hell!" she yells without caring whoever listens. She continues working like a maniac, ignoring calls from whoever it is. She may stay in the company today, who knows?

"…Yes, mother. Yes, I am leaving the company right now. Don't worry…..It's nothing. Okay…." She hangs after she talked with her mother. When Shi Lian didn't reach home at the usual time, her mother ringed her. She somehow knew she is going through some trouble, perhaps Ruxi had informed her father and it reached Mo Sha Sha ears. Shi Lian sighs, keeping her anger aside, she exits from the company. he looks over her phone, in the hope to find Zichen's text or call, but nothing came. She thought maybe he will realize his mistake and call her but reality strikes her hard.

Plopping her things inside the Mercedes, she closes the car door and asks the driver to start the car. She remains silent throughout the drive, thoughts muddling inside her head which she cannot spill out, and keep on looking outside the window, taking in the breathtaking night view of Shanghai. The twinkling lights from everywhere she looks, vehicles blaring, people's laugh and the stillness of the big buildings. She started liking his company but after what happened tonight, she has no mood of ever seeing his face. She might have thought that there's something more to their relationship but…now she is settled there won't be any.

**

"Where's Evelyn?" Shi Lian asks her mother who was nagging her for the past few minutes. Her mother was sitting in the living area, waiting for her, when she arrived. Instantly she started nagging Shi Lian about why she was late. Shi Lian stands, saying only yes's and giving slight nods.

"In her room. She called you several times. Why didn't you picked up her call?" Sha Sha scolds, her eyebrows furrowed, showing her concern.

"I...I was busy, Mother. I am sorry" she apologizes meekly, giving her a nervous laugh. She walks up to her room, saying sorry for the third time, and went to look for her best friend.

She reaches her room. The door is open and she can see Evelyn lying on the bed, her back facing the air and her eyes are transfixed in her phone. her legs dangle high in the air as she idles with her phone. Looking at her best friend who isn't aware of her coming, she thought of surprising her. Tiptoeing, she quietly passes through the door, her bed, and stands beside her, where she cannot see her. Leaning closer, she whispers in her ear making Evelyn gasp.

"What the hell, Shi Lian!" she gasped in horror, cursing at her friend who is laughing at her pathetic condition.

"Sorry, but it was too tempting" Shi Lian laughs. Evelyn's expression was worth watching and Shi Lian loves pranking her.

Evelyn rolls her eyes and roll over in her bed. Shi Lian stops her laughing and sits on the bed. Evelyn smacks her arm as a punishment and Shi Lian lets out an "Ow!"

"Better" Evelyn smirks. This is how they were when they were in America. The time they had will always be memorable and they can never forget this.

Shi Lian sighs and asks her about her visit to her mother. Seeing Evelyn's expression, Shi Lian realizes it didn't go well.

"It was alright. We hugged and talked for a while and then I returned home" says Evelyn nonchalantly, still typing something on her phone.

"Tell me" Shi Lia presses. She never really asked her about her issue with her family because she thought it isn't her business to know, not that she didn't care, she did, it just she thought Evelyn needed her privacy, and if she felt to express she will. This is the first time she is pressing her to spill because she is eager to know what happened between them. one reason is that she wants her brain to be at something else other than Zichen and his stupid remarks. She needs a distraction, anything to keep her mind off him because if she kept on thinking about it, she might go crazy.