Ye Zhou was displeased and retorted, "Do you know what she was like before? And how long ago was that? Do you know what she was like in high school? She didn't want to communicate with anyone, was incredibly sensitive, was practically invisible, and was often bullied and ostracized. Why didn't you show up even once back then?"

You're probably referring to her childhood, right? Judging her now based on feelings from over a decade ago, regardless of her happiness, and stubbornly clinging to your pathetic, selfish views—isn't it just that you want to possess her, want to be with her? Don't impose your thoughts and opinions on me, Ms. Lin.”

Lin Mengting glared at Ye Zhou, her eyes filled with anger and turning bloodshot. She jumped off the rocks, her pale feet landing lightly on the beach.

He kept his eyes fixed on Ye Zhou the whole time as he approached him.

When the two were about three meters apart, Lin Mengting pulled a black object from the pocket of her skirt.

He stretched out his arm, facing Ye Zhou.

That was a pistol.

Lin Mengting looked up at him, tilting her head slightly.

“In the US, gun ownership is completely legal. It’s getting dark now. I’ll kill you here, and no one will know. Then I’ll comfort Youhe and appear when she’s most vulnerable.”

Lin Mengting smiled and said, "I am fully capable of getting out of this unscathed and taking on the role I should have taken on. In a few weeks, someone may find the disfigured male corpse floating in the sea."

Ye Zhou listened to her quietly, standing still. He was thinking of a solution, but found that in the face of a pistol, all his strategies seemed ridiculous.

He could only wait, wait quietly.

"Ye Zhou!" Chen Yang's voice came from not far away.

Ye Zhou breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Mengting was somewhat unwilling, but she slowly lowered her arm.

Chen Yang saw it clearly, and he walked over and greeted Lin Mengting with a cheerful smile.

"Why are you here too? I heard only the four of us guys from our dorm were participating."

Ye Zhou chimed in, "They're here for vacation."

"Oh, on vacation, as expected of the young lady of the Lin Group, she's rich." Chen Yang craned his neck, "Miss Lin, what was that thing you were holding just now? I saw it. Let me play with it."

Lin Mengting forcefully hid the pistol behind her back.

Chen Yang walked over casually and almost hugged Lin Mengting's slender waist to take something out of her back.

"Wow, there's even a toy gun! No wonder Ye Zhou was so scared of the toy gun earlier! Hahaha!"

Chen Yang raised his gun and aimed it at Ye Zhou's heart.

Ye Zhou stepped aside.

The pistol was aimed at Lin Mengting again, and Lin Mengting moved to the side.

Ye Zhou asked Lin Mengting, "Is that gun real or fake?"

Chen Yang was engrossed in fiddling with it. "What is this? It's no different from the toy gun I played with when I was a kid, except it's a bit heavier. Forget it, why are you two so cowardly? You're afraid of even a toy gun? I'm not going to point it at you anymore."

As he spoke, Chen Yang turned the pistol around and pointed it at his chest.

Lin Mengting's expression became tense.

Seeing that things were going badly, Ye Zhou rushed to Chen Yang's side.

"Bang!—"

Chen Yang fell to the ground.

"Holy crap, it's a real gun."

Then, Chen Yang closed his eyes.

...

"Oh my god, Ye Zhou, I had a dream that I was shot."

The first thing Chen Yang saw when he opened his eyes was Ye Zhou, and he was still in shock.

"You've really been hit," Ye Zhou said helplessly.

Chen Yang looked down at his left arm, which was wrapped in bandages.

He suddenly remembered that just as he was aiming at his heart and pulling the trigger, Ye Zhou rushed over and deflected the gun to the side, but it was still a second too late.

"My arm hurts so much! Is my arm ruined?!"

Lin Mengting stood up from the chair next to her and said, "No, there's no bone damage."

Upon seeing Lin Mengting, Chen Yang's mind raced. "You pointed a real gun at Ye Zhou! You wanted to kill him! Are you crazy?"

Lin Mengting lowered her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to take the gun."

"Damn it." Chen Yang's chest heaved as he rubbed his hair with his right hand, turning it into a mess. "How am I supposed to compete like this? It's not even the semifinals yet! I'm doomed! My five million dollars, I don't even have a chance to fight for it anymore!"

Lin Mengting felt extremely guilty. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. How about this, you don't need to participate in the competition. I'll talk to my family and give you five million."

Hearing this, Chen Yang became even more furious. "You think you're so great just because you have money? My dignity can't be trampled on like this! I'll win the championship with my own skills!"

Lin Mengting sighed. She originally wanted to force Ye Zhou to give up An Youhe on his own initiative. Taking out the real gun was just a show of force. She didn't have the courage to actually fire it. She didn't expect Ye Zhou to be so unyielding and to hurt an innocent person as a result.

The girl looked up at Chen Yang on the hospital bed and said, "I'll type for you."

Chen Yang asked in confusion, "What did you say?"

Lin Mengting explained further, "It was indeed my mistake to act as your hand. I will take full responsibility for you until your injury is fully healed."

Chen Yang was skeptical. "That's what you said."

"I, Lin Mengting, always keep my word."

...

The countless twinkling stars in the night sky shone through the window and were reflected in the girl's eyes.

An Youhe tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep no matter what she did.

This is the fifth day since Ye Zhou left.

She refrained from messaging Ye Zhou, wondering how he was doing there, whether he was eating well, and if he was missing her.

I heard it was a very important match. Ye Zhou must be very nervous during the match right now, right?

Moreover, I've heard that people overseas can't receive messages from China; sending them is pointless.

She stared at the screen, thinking that if she sent the message this way, Ye Zhou wouldn't receive it, so it wouldn't disturb him from focusing on the competition, right?

"Are you eating well? Are you having fun?" An Youhe didn't know what to say, but she just wanted to contact him.

I heard that nighttime in China is daytime in the US.

An Youhe stared at the screen, turning over several times. More than an hour passed, but she still hadn't received a message.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but she couldn't hold on any longer and fell into a deep sleep.

When An Youhe woke up the next day, she opened her phone and found a new message.

It was sent by Ye Zhou at 1 a.m.

Do you miss me?

The girl's lips curled up slightly, revealing a sweet smile.

"miss you."

In LA, a city in the M country, thousands of miles away.

Inside the Octagon.

Ren Gan shouted, "Brother Zhou, hurry up! We've been waiting for you. Go in now, the competition is about to start!"

Ye Zhou looked at his phone and smiled knowingly. It's nice to have someone thinking of you.

He turned off his phone and walked into the semi-final arena.