Volume 1, Chapter 128: How Do You Want Me to Take Responsibility?

If 2S had truly been kidnapped, Xu Yiyi would have called her the moment she discovered it.

Thinking of how Lou Ye had not only exposed their relationship at the company but had also brazenly taken 2S away right in front of Xu Yiyi, Sang Wan felt a sense of helplessness.

A little devil with an evil grin stood before her, arms crossed: "The cat food, litter, and cans are all untouched; he only took 2S. The hillside villa has nothing right now. At this moment, 2S is either meowing from hunger or digging in a flowerpot, getting ready to do its business. Are you sure you won't contact him?"

An angel with a halo above its head fluttered its wings back and forth in front of her forehead: "That’s your baby! The baby you wouldn't abandon even when you were drenched to the bone in a rainstorm! The baby that hides in the cracks of the wall in the third-floor media room and misses its mommy silently whenever it can't see you!"

She went to the floor-to-ceiling window to watch the flickering neon lights outside.
Then she went to the study and turned on the lights to look at the details of the architectural competition.
Sang Wan’s mind was in a tangled mess.

The night grew darker.
Her heart grew more restless.

Finally, unable to hold back any longer, Sang Wan opened WeChat and removed Lou Ye from her blacklist.

[Are you there?]

When his phone lit up, Lou Ye was staring down a vanilla cake.
The cake had been made just half an hour ago.
It had been out of the refrigerator for less than a minute.
In the time it took him to turn around and grab a fork, a clear cat paw print had appeared on it.

As for the culprit...
He glanced at 2S, who had dipped a paw into his coffee cup and was now questioning the meaning of feline existence after licking it.
Then he looked at the glowing phone screen.
Lou Ye pointed at 2S from across the room. "You owe me two lives now. Remember that!"
2S let out a "meow" and scurried upstairs, familiar with the routine.

Lou Ye opened his phone, snapped a photo of the cake with the paw print on it, and sent it over.

In the apartment study, Sang Wan stared blankly at the screen.
She couldn't decide whether to ask Lou Ye if he was in a bad mood again, or to apologize first for the trouble 2S had caused.
Before she could decide what to say, a new message popped up in the chat box.

[Sang Wan, I'm so hungry!]

The hillside villa had a chef, a Michelin-starred one at that—he shouldn't be going hungry, right?
But he was in a bad mood!
Eating something sweet should make him feel better, shouldn't it?
But look, the cake was ruined by your cat, so he must be in an even worse mood now.

The two inner voices sparred back and forth.
One was sharp and cynical.
The other was retreating, losing completely.

Sang Wan couldn't sit still anymore.

[What do you want to eat? I'll pack some for you.]
[Consider it... a thank-you gift and an apology!]

The message sent, she didn't wait for a reply.
Sang Wan quickly changed her clothes, rushed out, and jumped into the elevator.
As the elevator opened, Lu Jinnian walked out, struggling with his hands full.
In one hand, he held flowers.
In the other, he carried a massive packing crate.

The pattern on the box was a cactus-shaped cat tree with many small toys hanging from it.
It was said to be the latest model, a favorite among cats.
Lu Jinnian had already made up his mind: as long as Wanwan let him in, no matter how ugly her expression was or how harsh her words were, he would not talk back.
Once he assembled the cat tree by the wall, he wouldn't linger; he would turn and leave immediately.
Only after leaving would he tell her that he had already taught Sang Dawei a lesson.
His men knew how to handle things with restraint; they wouldn't kill Sang Dawei.
Given the severity of Sang Dawei's injuries and the desolation of that area, no one would ever know if he died.
From now on, Sang Dawei would never cause her another moment of distress.

And then there was Sun Yueqing...
He had already contacted a lawyer to start the process. With only a month left, a little maneuvering could get her out early.
When the time came, he would personally accompany her to pick up Sun Yueqing and bring her home.
If she was willing to live with them in the villa, that would be best.
If not, he would settle her into an apartment.
He wouldn't hurt her again!
Never!

*Ding-dong!*
*Ding-dong, ding-dong!*

The doorbell rang for a long time, but no one came to open the door.
He tilted his head to listen, but couldn't hear any meowing.
The hallway's motion-sensor light went out, and not a sliver of light leaked from the door gap.
He looked at his phone again, and Lu Jinnian’s expression froze.
It was 11:00 PM.
At this hour, it had been five or six hours since she finished work.
Sang Wan... hadn't come back yet?

The rosy expectations he held before coming were shattered in an instant, and Lu Jinnian’s face grew rigid.

...

The taxi pulled smoothly into the hillside villa district.
As soon as Sang Wan stepped out, she saw the tall, slender figure standing in front of the courtyard gate.
The moonlight, clear as water, washed over him; the handsome man’s brows were cold and somber.
Upon seeing her, he turned and walked away.

"Lou Ye..."
Sang Wan chased after him, carrying her bags.
As soon as she entered the house, she froze.
Accompanied by small, trembling meows, 2S came running over, leaving milky-white paw prints all the way from the kitchen island to her feet.
There was even a bit of cream on its whiskers.
Looking further, the cream cake that had only one paw print on it now had several more.
She had suspected the photo Lou Ye sent was staged.
But at this moment, the thieving cat was caught red-handed.

Sang Wan looked down at 2S.
2S tugged at her pant leg: "Meow..."

Sang Wan: ...

"Sang Wan..."
An embrace smelling of cold fir needles came from behind her. "You have to take responsibility!"

"I, I will take responsibility..."
Sang Wan nodded and looked toward the entryway cabinet. "I bought cake, and I also packed you..."

Lou Ye’s kiss landed on the side of Sang Wan’s neck.
Sang Wan’s "sweet and sour pork ribs" died on her lips.

"Lou Ye..."
She reached out to pull at his hands.
But Lou Ye held her waist tightly, and she couldn't pry him loose.
His scorching breath, along with his cool kisses, landed against her cheek. Lou Ye turned his head and bit her earlobe. "What about me?"

Sang Wan was stunned.
She knew what he was asking.
But she didn't know how to answer.
Even when he said, "Sang Wan, I'm hungry," she had guessed that the "hunger" he meant was not the same as the hunger she understood.
But Sang Wan couldn't escape.
To be precise, she didn't want to.

"Lou Ye..."
Her heart panicked.
A trace of tremor leaked into her voice for no reason.
Sang Wan wanted to turn around and look into his eyes.
But Lou Ye kept her trapped in front of him, hugging her from behind, not letting her move an inch.
Kisses landed on her shoulder, gently nibbling as he pulled away.
Lou Ye turned his head to look at Sang Wan’s reflection in the floor-to-ceiling glass. "Answer me!!!"

"Lou Ye, I..."
She was swept up into his arms, and for a moment, her mind went blank.
In the conference room, when Lou Ye exposed their relationship, she hadn't thought about the future.
On the ride to the hillside villa, she had thought the whole way, yet she still hadn't reached a conclusion.
Even if Lou Ye really liked her now, they had no future.
Better a short pain than a long one.
But she couldn't bring herself to say "this is the end" a second time.

The floor lamp in the corner slowly lit up, filling the room with orange light.
2S, locked out of the master bedroom, meowed a few times, then fell silent.
Sang Wan’s heart rose and fell, tethered to nothing.

"Sang Wan, are you dead set on being a heartless woman?"
Lou Ye’s burning palm pressed against her waist, and Sang Wan could clearly feel the approaching danger.
She looked up and met the dark fire smoldering in the depths of his eyes.

Sang Wan took a shallow breath. "Then... how do you want me to take responsibility?"