Chapter 27: Head to Head (3)

The man's deep, enigmatic eyes were fixed intently on Meng Yier. Seeing her keeping her distance, his displeasure grew, and he took another slow step forward.
"Are you worried about me?" he asked coolly.
Meng Yier froze for a moment, then hurriedly shook her head like a rattle drum.
"Sir, please don’t misunderstand. I would have done the same for anyone in danger."
The man narrowed his eyes.
"Anyone?"
Meng Yier didn’t even meet his gaze, just nodded quickly.
Anyone!
Did that mean she felt nothing special for him at all?
A nameless fury surged through him.
She had disappointed him yet again. Over the years, he had grown used to her indifference, but even now, her disregard made him angry, wounded, and disappointed all over again.
Perhaps, in this life, she was destined to be his creditor, and their meeting was merely fate’s way of collecting the debts he owed her from a previous existence.
Though his heart was in turmoil, he continued to look at her with practiced calm.
He gave a bitter smile and shook his head lightly. "How did you get from your rooftop to mine?"
Meng Yier offered an awkward smile and pointed to the adjacent rooftops, tracing the route she’d just climbed.
Yan Yichen followed the direction of her finger, staring for a long moment before understanding dawned on him. His piercing gaze turned incredulous as he looked back at Meng Yier.

This girl couldn’t have possibly climbed over from such a dangerous ladder, could she?
"You actually came from there?"
Yan Yichen’s voice rose, his usually indifferent expression suddenly blazing with anger.
His sudden change left Meng Yier bewildered. She gazed at him blankly and nodded.
Was she trying to get herself killed?
This was the twenty-sixth floor—did she have any idea how dangerous that was?
"Did you—did you not realize how dangerous that was?"
Yan Yichen’s anger intensified, almost slipping beyond his control. But seeing her innocent look, he quickly reined himself in.
Though he tried to conceal his anger, Meng Yier sensed it. She snorted softly, smacked the water with her right hand, and huffed,
"You have the nerve to scold me? If you hadn’t been playing dead and scaring me, would I have been foolish enough to risk my life to save you?"
Yan Yichen stared at her in surprise. "What? Playing dead?"
"What else would you call it? I called you several times and you didn’t answer. You scared me half to death! Besides, standing by while someone’s in trouble isn’t something I could ever do. Who would have thought I’d fall for your trick? Next time you want to play such a childish game, please take it somewhere far away. I have no interest in entertaining you again."
Recalling his earlier rudeness and their previous unpleasant encounters, Meng Yier grew more and more incensed.
He even threatened to call the police on her!
"Excuse me, miss, where should I go next time to play these childish games?"
Yan Yichen regarded her with a leisurely air, a faint smile playing at his lips.

Meng Yier paused. This was his place, after all, and she had entered without permission—in other words, she was trespassing.
She cleared her throat, feigning calm. "Well, I—"
Yan Yichen chuckled softly, then turned and walked toward the shore.
Meng Yier hurried after him, nervously probing, "You—you’re not really going to call the police again, are you?"
"Depends on my mood—"
He climbed out of the pool, dressed only in swimming trunks. His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and well-defined chest and abdominal muscles were on full display. Droplets of water clung to his long, straight legs, and under the sunlight, he looked every inch a god.
The sudden sight made Meng Yier’s heart race, her cheeks flush. She quickly turned away.
After a while, she sneaked a glance and saw that he had already dried himself off with a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and was standing on the shore, watching her with an amused, inscrutable expression.
Her heart skipped again. After a brief hesitation, she finally turned and carefully climbed out of the pool.
It all depended on his mood!
What an arrogant, conceited scoundrel!
"I suppose I could refrain from calling the police, but…"
Yan Yichen casually toweled his hair, casting Meng Yier a languid glance as he spoke at leisure.
Meng Yier glared at him, cursing his ancestors in her heart. Yet under the circumstances, she knew she had little ground to stand on and could only swallow her pride.