Chapter 470 Let's have a good talk

Cui Xiao's face was professionally calm. "Attorney Zhou, don't rush to conclusions. The so-called cheating photos your client presented were all deliberately staged by him. On the other hand, your client has been frequently entering and leaving the apartment in Jinzun Community since last year, which means he cheated on you first."

He looked up at Cui Xiao, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, which was then replaced by a deep look.

Cui Xiao said calmly, "Your client cheated first, and in order to fight for property and custody, she deliberately hired someone to create the illusion that Ms. Lin had cheated."

Cui Xiao spoke calmly but firmly, “Attorney Zhou, since you’re here, let’s have a good talk.”

Zhou Mubin smiled, but he wasn't in a hurry to talk about the case now. "Miss Cui, how would you like to discuss this? How about we take a walk along the river after dinner?"

This place is not far from the riverbank. In the past, Cui Xiao often went for walks with her colleagues.

The weather in early spring is neither too hot nor too cold, which is perfect.

Cui Xiao instinctively wanted to refuse, but Xiao Hong's pleading gaze moved her again, and she said, "Okay."

Cui Xiao found the meal unpleasant and put down her fork after only a few bites.

Seeing this, Zhou Mubin also put down his fork. "Let's go."

Without further ado, Cui Xiao picked up her trench coat from the chair, stood up, and walked forward side by side with Zhou Mubin.

After walking for about ten minutes, the two arrived at the riverbank.

The two stopped side by side. The midday sun was just right, bringing a warm feeling.

A river breeze, carrying moisture, ruffled Cui Xiao's hair, while dappled sunlight cast shadows on the distant river surface. "Zhou Mubin, stop beating around the bush, what exactly do you want?"

Cui Xiao turned around and looked directly at him, her eyes still wary.

Zhou Mubin gazed at her fair and smooth profile, his Adam's apple bobbing. His voice, now devoid of all pretense, was slightly hoarse. "I didn't intend to do anything. How could you not know?"

Seeing that she didn't speak, Zhou Mubin took another step closer. "I... just wanted to find a reason to see you and spend some time alone with you."

She should have guessed it sooner.

She said coldly, "It's been five years. We've long since moved on. It's time for us to move on and live our own lives."

The last trace of gentleness on Zhou Mubin's face shattered completely. His jawline snapped instantly, and his previously warm gaze was suddenly consumed by crimson rage. "My own life?"

He suddenly leaned forward and grabbed her wrist, his knuckles turning white from the force, the veins on the back of his hand standing out clearly, the strength so great that he almost crushed her bones. "You have a new life, you got married and became a vice president, but what about me these past five years? When I open my eyes, it's you, when I close them, it's still you. You just casually say 'turn the page' and that's it? How is that possible?"

Cui Xiao struggled violently, her wrists burning from being gripped so tightly, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. "Zhou Mubin, let go! Are you crazy?"

Am I crazy?

He leaned closer, his warm breath carrying the scent of tobacco onto her face, the crimson in his eyes almost overflowing, his breathing heavy like a wild beast trapped in a cage.

"You've driven me crazy. Is he really that good to you? The man you married without hesitation, can he be as good to you as I am? Can he understand you better than I do? Tell me!"

Cui Xiao's heart clenched at his question, and her fingertips curled up instinctively, but she quickly suppressed her reason and struggled to shout, "This has nothing to do with you, let me go!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Mubin suddenly loosened his grip, but still held onto her wrist tightly. His voice abruptly lowered, carrying a morbid obsession and humility, "Cui Xiao, I don't care about titles, really. I can even pretend I didn't see anything and be your mistress, as long as you come back to me, as long as I can see you..."

"You're absolutely insane."

Cui Xiao finally lost her temper and raised her hand to push him away, but he grabbed her other wrist and trapped her completely between him and the railing.

Zhou Mubin seemed not to hear her curses. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and a cruel sneer curled at the corner of his mouth. "Madman? Why don't you bet on whether this madman will help Xiao Hong?"

He paused deliberately, looking at Cui Xiao's suddenly frozen expression, and enunciated each word clearly, "As long as you bow your head and say 'beg me,' I can give her custody tomorrow, and I can also make sure her husband stops pursuing the transferred assets. Cui Xiao, just one word from you, and you can help her..."

"On what grounds?"

Cui Xiao suddenly straightened her back, loosened her arms, and instead looked him straight in the eye with a firm gaze, her cold mockery wrapped with an unassailable pride, "Why do you think I would make things difficult for myself for the sake of others? Zhou Mubin, you've miscalculated."

As soon as Cui Xiao finished speaking, Zhou Mubin suddenly loosened his grip on her wrist. The force was released quickly and abruptly, as if he were holding not a wrist, but a burning hot coal.

He should have expected this answer.

Five years ago, when his life hung in the balance, instead of praying for his recovery, she seized the opportunity to leave, never to look back.

Zhou Mubin even wondered if she hoped he wouldn't be rescued, so that no one could bother her anymore.

He staggered back half a step, his tall figure swaying in the light and shadow, then straightened his back and looked down at her.

The cold laugh that stretched from his thin lips was colder than the river breeze, but the smile lines concealed an undisguised tremor. His voice was filled with an unyielding self-mockery and resentment, each word striking the air with deliberate force, "As expected... still as ruthless as five years ago." As he spoke, his clenched fist trembled slightly at his side, but in the end, he did not step forward again.

Cui Xiao rubbed her reddened wrist, her fingertips tracing the red marks left by the pinch, a sharp pain shooting through her nerves to the depths of her heart.

She subconsciously pulled her trench coat tighter, and the chill from the river swept over her, making the fabric flutter loudly.

A few stray hairs clung to her sweaty neck, making her shiver slightly from the cold.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to suppress her surging emotions, but her fingertips were still uncontrollably numb from the struggle and exertion.

That day, she was reviewing documents in her office when her assistant came in with coffee and a copy of the entertainment weekly. The news of the engagement between Zhou Mubin, the second son of the Zhou family, one of Hong Kong's top tycoons, and Li Yuwei, the daughter of the Lin family, was featured on the front page in gold lettering.

In the photo, Zhou Mubin is wearing a bespoke black suit and arm in arm with Lin Yuwei, who is wearing a champagne-colored dress. The two stand under the spotlight of a business banquet, and the headline "A perfect match" stings her eyes.

Colleagues were still discussing in the break room that this marriage was a powerful alliance that would elevate both the Zhou and Lin families to new heights.

He was already engaged to Miss Lin, yet he turned around and kept pestering her, even saying absurd things like "I'll be your mistress."

On one hand, there was his fiancée, a perfect match in terms of social standing; on the other, there was his obsessive harassment of her. This selfish behavior seemed increasingly absurd to Cui Xiao.

Her brows furrowed involuntarily, and her already cold eyes held an even clearer disdain and aloofness, as if her gaze was filtered through a thick layer of frost.