"You are my friend so I have feelings for you. I care about all my friends and that includes you," Yang Zi covered it up with more lies. Does she like Yifeng? Truth be told, she doesn't know what she feels towards him. She always felt a strange sensation in her heart whenever he came close to her, but she couldn't tell what it was. Yifeng kept quiet after he heard her reply.

"You now consider me as a friend? That is good news, but are you sure you want me to be your friend?" Yifeng said, feeling disappointed. He had high hopes that Yang Zi liked him, but right now he didn't know what to believe anymore.

​​

"Yes, I want you to be my friend. I already considered you as my good friend long ago, but I want to make it official today. That is if it's Ok with you," Yang Zi said, staring into Yifeng's dark eyes. She wished he wouldn't reject her offer. It took Yifeng three minutes before he spoke up.

"I...." Yifeng hesitated. Yang Zi bit her lower lips nervously, seeing how hesitant Yifeng was.

"I think being your friend when I have feelings for you is a bad idea...,"

"Does that mean you are rejecting me," Yang Zi blurted, still staring into his eyes? She didn't know why, but she felt terrible for doing this to him when it clearly shows all over him he likes her very much.

"At least let me finish what I was saying, Ok?" Yifeng said, bandaging her wound.

"I just really hate it when someone rejects me, that is why I overreacted. You can go ahead with what you wanted to say but before that give me three minutes to brace myself up for your answer," Yang Zi said, looking nervous. People would have mistaken her reaction for someone who was expecting an answer from a guy she had a crush on.

"You said you don't like me so why are you so nervous? You look like you've just professed your love to me," Yifeng teased, rolling her sleeve down after bandaging her wound.

"Stop teasing me. This is the first time I will ever get rejected by a guy, so I'm nervous. I need to brace myself up for this," Yang Zi said, putting a smile on.

"And who said I was going to reject you?" Yifeng tapped her nose playfully.

"..." dumbfounded, she couldn't speak.

"I was just pulling a prank on earlier. I don't understand. Why did you think I would reject your offer when I have been waiting for over a year for this?" Yifeng said, resting his head on her shoulders. This is not what he wanted from her, but her offer was better than getting nothing.

"Your expression said it all," Yang Zi added.

"Are you a soothsayer that you can read my mind?" Yifeng asked jokingly. They kept on talking and joking for a while. It was such a friendly and loveable atmosphere until Yifeng's expression turned serious.

"Yang Zi, there is something I have been meaning to tell you since earlier," Yifeng said, sitting up straight. His tone said whatever he wanted to tell Yang Zi was a serious topic.

"Why the serious tone? Don't tell me it's something terrible," Yang Zi said, sounding serious too.

"Don't play that prank on me ever again," Yifeng replied. His gaze did not shift from her for a minute.

"What prank are you talking about? You are confusing me with your words," Yang Zi said. She did not understand what he was talking about.

"The death prank you called a test earlier. I know it was just a harmless prank, but I hate it. You can pull whatever prank you want, but surely not faking your death," Yifeng said seriously.

"Why do you always seem so sensitive when someone faints in your present? You always overreact. Although I lost consciousness in the forest that night, I still heard you scream like you did tonight which makes me want to ask, do you perhaps have any dark past?" Yang Zi asked curiously.

"As you have a painful past so do I and I very much respect that aspect of your life, so promise me you won't pull that kind of prank on me ever again, hmm," Yifeng said holding her two hands.

"Does this have anything to do with your parents and butler's accident?" Yang Zi asked inquisitively. She has never thought Yifeng had such a severe hatred for that because of his playful and jovial nature. She read the news about his parents' fatal accident which cost them their lives, but nobody mentioned in the news that the son got traumatised after the accident.

"I will disclose it to you when you grant me my biggest wish, but not now," Yifeng said, quickly resting his head against the couch, closing his eyes. His mind momentarily went back to the past.

The biggest trauma of his life that he could never forget happened when he was fifteen. It was a tragedy.

The tragic incident that made him swore never to watch those he loved die in his presence happened when he was seventeen. After the incident back then, he was like a walking dead. Everything in his body ceased to function. His brain went dead, his soul and everything within him went dead too. He was only living for a mere living. He was a shadow of his stubborn and unyielding self. It was a miracle he became a normal person once again.

"And what's your biggest wish? Wait, let me guess," Yang Zi said, thinking for a few seconds.

"Your biggest wish is to have me on your bed, right?" Yang Zi asked bluntly. Yifeng instantly opened his eyes when he heard her answer.

"I got you, huh?" Yang Zi asked, seeing his surprised expression. She made up her mind to throw him out of her apartment that night if he said yes.

"No, your answer is all wrong," Yifeng said, giving her weird glances. He did not know what gave her the notion he was after her body.

"Isn't that all you've ever wanted from all the many ladies you have had sex with? Wasn't their body your optimum goal?" Yang Zi asked fearlessly. She did not know why she asked him such a strange question, but she badly wanted to hear his answers.

"Yes, you are correct when you said having sex with them was all I wanted instead of their friendship...,"

"And I am sure that same rule applies to me," Yang Zi cut him short sharply.

"No, never," Yifeng remarked. "You are different from them," Yifeng said. He was unhappy when Yang Zi avoided his burning gaze.

"And why is that?" Yang Zi asked nonchalantly.

"Because I like you very much," Yifeng replied, still staring at her even though she wasn't staring at him. There was dead silence in the room after Yifeng stated his answer.

"Does liking me make a difference after ruining so many ladies' lives?" Yang Zi asked emotionlessly, staring at him.

"I didn't force myself on them. They willingly gave themselves to me and I always made sure I paid them handsomely well for their services so you can't say I ruin their lives. They made the decision not me," Yifeng admonished his gaze on hers.

"Then I bet you will say the same thing to the next lady if you have sex with me right?" Yang Zi asked, staring directly into his dark burning gaze.

"Nevermind, why do I even bother asking when your answer is obvious," Yang Zi said looking away. Yifeng hated the dimension their discussion was heading to. He barely got close to her, and this had to happen. "I am certain the universe is against my love for her. They want me to fail in winning her heart, but I will never back down," Yifeng thought, staring at her. He was lost at words to convince her that he was not the same Yifeng back then.

She stood up and headed towards the stairs.

"Thank you for your help. Although it was brief, I think that was the best time we've ever had since we knew each other. An exception is Valentine's night," Yang Zi said midway before she turned to continue, but Yifeng stood up and ran after her.

"I know you might not believe what I will tell you, but I will still say it," Yifeng said, holding her left wrist. "I know my previous lifestyle is nothing to be proud of but I just want to let you know that I have amended my ways. Since the day I realised my feelings for you, I have made things right," Yifeng said calmly. He knew people might have condemned his previous lifestyle, but he did all he did to survive. He would have been long dead if he didn't use those things as a source of distraction. He no longer needs that kind of lifestyle to survive because he has found a reason he should continue living.

"You know you don't have to tell me all this. I am your friend, not your girlfriend. You should tell your girlfriend all you've just said and not me," Yang Zi said coldly. Yifeng did not understand why she was getting mad at him when she made it known to him countless times that she did not have any romantic feelings for him.

"You are the one who got mad at me so I thought you might care to know and are you not the one that declared earlier that we are officially friends so why are you saying you are not my girlfriend or are you going back on your words?" Yifeng asked softly. Yang Zi was speechless when she heard how Yifeng twisted her words. She knew he understood the girlfriend he was referring to but was only playing dumb to get her to speak.