Chapter 78: Yan Yichen, the Shameless Rogue

After Mo Bei left, Yan Yichen remained motionless where he stood, his gaze thoughtful as he looked out the window.

A long time passed, yet Meng Yi’er still had not come downstairs. Yan Yichen’s brow furrowed ever so slightly, and he glanced upstairs with growing unease. Two hours had already gone by.

The anxiety in his heart intensified. Stretching his long, straight legs, he began to ascend the stairs in measured steps.

Warm water caressed Meng Yi’er, gentle and comforting, much like the way her mother used to stroke her back to coax her to sleep as a child.

“Little Yi, Little Yi…”

Her mother stood not far away, calling to her with a radiant smile, her eyes brimming with tenderness that instantly brought tears streaming down Meng Yi’er’s cheeks.

“Mom…”

“Little Yi, come here, Mommy’s here, come to Mommy.”

“Mom…”

Her mother was calling her, waiting for her. She hadn’t been abandoned.

With tears of joy falling uncontrollably, Meng Yi’er ran forward, longing to once again lose herself in that warm embrace.

But as soon as she drew near, the embrace vanished without a trace.

Hurriedly, she wiped her tears away, desperate to see clearly.

It felt like a dream—illusory and fleeting. Her mother’s figure flickered in and out of sight, always just beyond her grasp.

A suffocating pressure weighed on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

“Mom…”

A desperate, anguished cry tore from her lips, jolting her completely awake. She opened her eyes with a start.

She hadn’t even realized when she’d fallen asleep in the bathtub. Her body had slid down, and the hot water had only just reached the tip of her nose.

She sat up abruptly, emerging from the water with a splash, droplets flying everywhere.

Clutching the edge of the tub tightly, she gasped for breath, her breathing a little ragged.

The water had long since lost its warmth; she knew she’d been asleep for quite some time.

But recalling the dream, Meng Yi’er lowered her gaze and finally rose from the bath.

The same dream—again.

It had haunted her for years.

Impossible to escape.

“Meng Yi’er…”

The door suddenly burst open, and a figure dressed in white rushed in.

What he saw was a delicate, fair-skinned body, completely exposed.

“Ah…”

A shrill scream rang out as Meng Yi’er spun around, snatching a towel to wrap herself tightly.

Yan Yichen paused, a rare look of tension flickering across his handsome features, his Adam’s apple bobbing with difficulty.

“Are you… all right?”

“What could possibly be wrong with me? Who told you to come in here, Yan Yichen, you lecher!”

Flushed with indignation, Meng Yi’er clutched the towel around herself, terrified that she might be exposed again.

Yan Yichen hesitated for a moment, trying to explain.

“I heard you screaming. I thought you…”

“Don’t try to make excuses, you pervert. I should’ve known you were up to no good.”

The more Meng Yi’er thought about it, the angrier she became. This wasn’t the first time he’d taken advantage of her.

Before, she had assumed he mistook her for someone else, that his desperate longing made him kiss her over and over.

She hadn’t held it against him.

But this time…

A faint, elegant smile curved Yan Yichen’s lips, and his dark, fathomless eyes glinted dangerously as he let his gaze roam boldly over her. He strode towards her with steady, purposeful steps.

Noticing the threat in his eyes, Meng Yi’er’s heart pounded wildly. Panic-stricken, she watched him approach, backing away instinctively.

“Yan Yichen, get out!”

“Why should I? This is my room.”

His cool voice carried a teasing undertone.

“Your room?”

This was his room? She had thought it was just a guest room.

Yan Yichen smiled and nodded.

“Then I’ll leave…”

Forced into a corner with nowhere to go, Meng Yi’er felt the dangerous aura emanating from him and only wished to escape.