Chapter 467 Can't we settle this privately?

Zhou Mubin seemed to have all his strength drained away, or perhaps he didn't want to see her terrified expression anymore. His Adam's apple bobbed heavily twice, and his knuckles unconsciously clenched for a moment as he loosened his grip before finally letting go abruptly.

Cui Xiao lost her balance and staggered back two steps, hitting her back against her car before regaining her footing. Several clear red marks were left on her wrists, which hurt at the slightest touch.

She subconsciously rubbed her reddened wrist, lowered her head even further, and dared not look at Zhou Mubin's expression.

His heavy breathing was particularly clear in the quiet parking lot, carrying an undisguised weariness and irritability.

The next second, Zhou Mubin suddenly turned around, his back to her, and took out a cigarette case from the inside pocket of his suit.

His fingertips trembled slightly from the fluctuations of his emotions. He took out a cigarette and held it between his fingers, but did not light it immediately. He simply let the cigarette lie quietly between his fingers.

He remained silent for a few seconds before taking out his phone. His fingertips swiped across the screen with a hint of frustration as he quickly dialed the insurance company's number.

His usually calm tone vanished, replaced by his usual cold indifference, even tinged with a barely perceptible impatience: "Rear-end collision in the parking lot. I'll send you the address. Send someone over as soon as possible."

After hanging up the phone, he put it back in his pocket, the cigarette still between his fingers, without any intention of lighting it.

He turned to the side, glancing at Cui Xiao, who had lowered her eyes and looked like she was avoiding him. The complex emotions that had surged within him were now covered by a thick layer of ice, leaving only a cold indifference in his eyes.

"No need for that trouble."

Seeing this, Cui Xiao felt as if she had grasped a lifeline to escape the entanglement and quickly spoke up.

Her voice was filled with barely concealed urgency, and she didn't even dare to look him in the eye, staring only at the small patch of ground in front of her shoes. "My car just got a little scratched, it's nothing serious. How much is the repair cost for your car? I'll transfer it to you now, you really don't need to contact the insurance company."

As she spoke, she reached into her pocket for her phone, her fingertips trembling slightly with nervousness.

She desperately wanted to end this matter as soon as possible, because of the suffocating pressure emanating from Zhou Mubin.

The complex emotions in his eyes were unbearable for her; she just wanted to get as far away from him as possible, and return to our separate paths completely.

Zhou Mubin's hand holding the cigarette suddenly stopped, and the cigarette almost slipped from his fingers.

He stared at Cui Xiao's eagerness to distance herself from him and suddenly chuckled softly.

The laughter was low, rolling out of his throat, carrying a strong sense of sarcasm, mixed with a hint of inexplicable grievance and bitterness, making Cui Xiao's heart tremble.

He finally looked up, his gaze as cold as ice as he looked at her, and asked, word by word, "Cui Xiao, is that all you want to do to cut ties with me? You don't even want to have a single second of contact with me, is that it?"

He gripped the cigarette pack tightly in his hand; the metal edge of the pack hurt his palm, but it was nothing compared to the churning pain in his chest.

What angered him was never the damage from the rear-end collision, nor how much it would cost to repair the car, but rather her eagerness to get rid of him.

It was as if he were some kind of monster, a past that couldn't be brought to light, and that spending even a second with him would feel like dirtying oneself.

After five years of struggle, all she got in return was a simple "I'll transfer the money to you," which angered him more than any accusation.

Cui Xiao's face flushed instantly, then quickly lost its color, leaving only a pale, anxious expression. "Zhou Mubin, you really haven't changed at all."

Zhou Mubin paused almost imperceptibly in the hand holding the cigarette, a faint ripple flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly covered by a deeper stubbornness.

He stepped forward and blocked Cui Xiao's car, his tall figure like an impenetrable wall, completely blocking her car from moving.

"The insurance company will be here in twenty minutes. You can leave after they've taken the photos and determined the liability."

His voice was cold and hard, leaving no room for negotiation. He even lightly kicked the wheel with his toe, a gesture that carried a hint of provocation.

Cui Xiao was so anxious that she tried to grab his arm, but she was violently shaken off as soon as she touched his suit sleeve.

Her voice was choked with sobs, and the red marks on her wrists were still throbbing. "Zhou Mubin, you're being unreasonable. Can't we settle this little scratch privately? I'll leave you my ID as collateral, and I'll go to the 4S store myself tomorrow to pay the full amount, okay?"

She even started rummaging through her bag for her ID card, her fingers frantically searching through the hidden compartments, tears welling up in her eyes.

Zhou Mubin remained unmoved. He walked to the Bentley, leaned against the door, and lit the cigarette he had been holding for a long time.

The sparks flickered in the night, smoke swirling around his cold, hard profile. He took a drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaling a smoke ring, his gaze fixed firmly on Cui Xiao. "No."

He said it with absolute certainty: “Going through insurance for a traffic accident is the proper procedure. I’ve always been a person who knows the rules, so the procedure must be completed.”

Cui Xiao was so angry that she was trembling all over. She finally realized what was happening.

Zhou Mubin didn't care about the procedures at all; he was clearly doing it on purpose.

He deliberately used those twenty minutes of waiting to trap her, to deliberately watch her anxious and helpless appearance, in order to vent five years of grievances and anger.

She flung open the car door, trying to force her way out, but as soon as she took a step, he grabbed her wrist again.

This time he didn't use force, but his grip was extremely steady. The warmth of his palm seeped through his sleeve, carrying the scorching scent of tobacco. "Cui Xiao."

His voice was lower than before, the smell of smoke mingling with his breath as he breathed into her ear, "Five years ago you just left without a word of explanation. Now you ask me to wait twenty minutes, and it's so hard?"

His gaze fell on her reddened eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he loosened his grip slightly, but still didn't let go. "I'll take you home when the insurance company arrives."

Cui Xiao abruptly pulled her hand back, took a half-step back, and looked at him warily. "No need."

But she knew in her heart that with Zhou Mubin blocking the way, she couldn't move at all.

The faint sound of an insurance company's survey vehicle horn could be heard in the distance, and she leaned weakly against the car.

Watching Zhou Mubin's cigarette burn to the end, burning his fingertips before he pulled away the butt, her heart ached inexplicably at that moment of embarrassment.

Less than twenty minutes later, the insurance company representatives arrived.

The surveyor's flashlight beam swept back and forth between the two workshops, the bright light piercing the thick darkness of the night, and the shutter clicked.

The sound was particularly jarring in the empty parking lot, each screech like a hammer blow to Cui Xiao's taut nerves.

She stood to the side, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the edge of her phone so hard they were sweating.

The screen would suddenly light up every few minutes, and she would frequently raise her wrist to check her watch; the hands of the quartz watch stubbornly pointed to 10:15.

The evening breeze swept through the empty parking lot, swirling up fallen leaves that brushed against her ankles, making her shiver.