He turned around halfway, so he easily caught a familiar face from the corner of his eye.

Qiao Yanze’s body stiffened for a moment, but he still turned his body back firmly and faced her, his eyes fixed on her.

The woman was standing at the door, wearing home clothes. She was carrying a black trash bag in one hand and holding the door frame with the other. Her bare face was filled with shock.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. They could only hear each other’s rapid breathing.

In the end, Li Yinian was the first to wake up. She subconsciously hid the trash bag behind her, as if she didn’t want him to see her indecent side.

This action brought Qiao Yanze back to reality.

His lips twitched. “When did you get back?”

Li Yinian subconsciously answered, “Today.”

“When are you leaving?” His voice was indifferent.

“…Tomorrow.”

Qiao Yanze’s lips curled deeper with a hint of mockery.

Li Yinian couldn’t help glancing at him.

The man looked thinner, and his facial features were more distinct. There was some obscure mockery and self-mockery in his eyes. Perhaps it was that self-mockery that made her not dare to look at him. She could not help but lower her head after a light touch.

“When I moved away, the house wasn’t tidied up properly. It’s very messy inside, so I won’t invite you in.”

Qiao Yanze really laughed out loud this time.

“Are you chasing me away?”

“That’s not what I meant.” Li Yinian tightened her grip on the door, as if she wanted to shut him out.

However, Qiao Yanze could still see the tension in her expression.

She actually resisted him to this extent.

In an instant, the anger and sadness that he had suppressed in his heart emerged uncontrollably. He almost wanted to bite her slightly pale lips and punish her ruthlessly with his body, or even take revenge on her.

However, Qiao Yanze eventually held it in.

He sneered. “What are you afraid of? Are you worried that I’ll rape you?”

“…No,” Li Yinian said with some difficulty. Her hand that was holding the trash bag was covered in sweat.

She did not expect to see this man standing in front of her the moment she opened the door. Shang Tianyi had said that he had not returned to the Jade Spring Palace for the past few months. She hoped that he had only come back on the spur of the moment. This was just a coincidence, not because he knew she was here…

He wouldn’t stay long for the former, but it was hard to say for the latter. Thinking of the medical record in the trash bag, Li Yinian felt her palms sweat even more.

Qiao Yanze stared at her for a while and finally said hoarsely, “Don’t misunderstand. I just saw that the lights were on and thought that a thief had entered, so I came to take a look.”

This explanation was actually very far-fetched. At least, he did not come to take a look because he was worried that a thief had entered the house.

However, Li Yinian didn’t expose him. She just nodded and said, “Okay, don’t worry.”

Seeing that her head was still lowered, Qiao Yanze’s anger and sadness intensified.

He sneered and turned to leave.

The door behind him closed gently, rejecting him like it had done countless times before.

Qiao Yanze returned to the car. Before getting into the car, he couldn’t help but look at the villa not far away.

He suddenly felt a little strange.

When this woman saw him tonight, she seemed to be overly nervous and afraid. She had always been cold to him. When had she ever been afraid?

Moreover, she seemed to have planned to go out and throw the trash, but when she saw him, the first thing she did was to hide the trash bag behind her.