Chapter 1168: A Confusing Dream
Xia Yingluo recalled what had happened earlier in the room when she advised him to gather more good karma for himself. Was he mocking her now?
She said a little stiffly, "I don't need it."
"No, you do," he said.
She was fuming. "So you know what I need, huh? What I need is—"
"I'll send you back." He smiled as he cut her off mid-sentence.
She was a little stunned. Upon following his gaze, she saw that he was looking at Zhao Yixuan and Pei Yan, who had turned around and was looking at them, puzzled. That was when she understood what was going on—well, how could this ephemeral lover that she met by chance donate this huge sum just for the sake of her karma?
Seeing their looks of disbelief, she felt like frustrating them further.
She smiled haughtily and stopped trying to reject Wei Lingnan. She simply said, "Alright then, let's just donate it. It's always good to gather some good karma, unlike some people who've used up all their ancestors', and can only be reincarnated into a beast!"
Her words were vile, and Pei Yan could not take it lying down. "Who are you insulting!"
"Whichever beast responds to me!" Xia Yingluo wasn't the least bit afraid of her.
"Fine... you're good!" Pei Yan pointed at her with a shaking finger. "Xia Lingluo, you're just a poor trainee at my family's training camp, how smug can you get? Believe it or not, I'll chase you out and make you sleep on the streets!"
"You don't have to worry about where I sleep." Xia Yingluo smiled. "Worry about yourself first. You're a Pei family Miss, and you've just been chased out of here after losing all your money, hahaha. If word gets out, what would your brother and uncle think of you as an embarrassment?" It was important for Misses of the high society to keep a good reputation. Evidently, Pei Yan had majorly embarrassed herself this time.
Pei Yan was so mad she couldn't say another word. She glared at her with bloodshot eyes.
Wei Lingnan was getting annoyed. He swept a glance towards the attendant. "Why are those miscellaneous things still around?"
Afraid of offending this big shot with three black gold chips, the attendant hurriedly got the security officers over to chase them out. Poor Pei Yan, a Miss of the reputable Pei family, and Zhao Yixuan, a renowned manager in this field—they were chased away under the disdainful gazes of everyone else.
Only then did Xia Yingluo feel more appeased. Then again, the man beside her was still annoying, why wouldn't he leave?
As if reading her mind, Wei Lingnan smiled. "You just accepted 20 billion yuan of mine, are you thinking of cutting all ties with me right now?"
Xia Yingluo scoffed. "What do you mean by 'accepting 20 billion yuan of yours'? 10 billion yuan went to the casino as a reward, and the other 10 billion yuan was donated to a charity organization at your own will. I didn't take a single cent from you, don't put it on me."
Wei Lingnan chuckled, not bothering to argue with her about the specifics. "I'll send you back."
His arm was still casually wrapped around her waist. With only the thin fabric of her dress between them, he could feel how tense she was and figured that she was terrified of him. "You don't have to be so afraid of me."
She said, "Who's afraid of you?"
She lifted her chin, looked right past him and strode towards the door.
Wei Lingnan watched her from the back and his expression darkened a little. He caught up from behind without saying a thing.
Only when he left was the blanket of repression finally lifted in the casino. All the other gamblers heaved a sigh of relief, while some even pat themselves on the chest. "What a scare... who exactly is this man? I've never seen someone so intimidating in my life."
"Exactly. That girl's so pretty, who knows if it's a blessing or a curse that she ended up in his hands."
"Huh? How could it be a curse? If someone was willing to donate 10 billion yuan for me, I'd change my gender right now!"
"Hahaha forget it, Old Liu. No one would want you even if you changed your gender!"
The group of people began chatting cheerily as they started a new round.
Xia Yingluo walked out the door and saw a jet black sports car parked right outside. She couldn't figure out the brand, but it seemed like a modified model. It felt almost like a sci-fi invention, mechanical, sleek and yet elegant. It was one of a kind.
"Like it?" The man behind her asked.
"Your car?" She turned around.
He didn't respond, but his expression said it all.
"It's alright." She was in awe on the inside but wasn't willing to show him how much it amazed her. The hurt from the previous night had not dissipated and she was still sore all over. If she could kill him, she would, without hesitation.
The bellboy had opened the car door for them.
Xia Yingluo weighed her chances of escape before getting into the passenger seat with resignation.
Wei Lingnan's lips curled into a smile as he got into the driver's seat.
He started the car and drove her to Imperial Entertainment's training camp.
Xia Yingluo looked out the window. "How do you know where I live?"
Wei Lingnan kept his eyes on the road. "Isn't it easy to check that out?"
"Huh, is it." Xia Yingluo scoffed as she thought about how he'd probably be begging her for mercy if she didn't have to hide her identity during this period. She entertained herself with imagined scenes of Wei Lingnan kneeling before her and crying for forgiveness, but found it boring after a while. With the steady murmur from the car, she began to feel a little drowsy.
Eventually, she really did fall asleep.
And even had a strange dream.
In her dream, she was running for her life amidst a foggy darkness...
And somehow, there was no way out of it.
She woke up with a cry, only to realize that the car had already been parked outside the Imperial training camp. Wei Lingnan's slender fingers were still on the steering wheel as he looked at her. "Had a nightmare?"
Her face was pale and she was shivering ever so slightly. But still, she had to put on a false front. "It's none of your business."
He couldn't be bothered to bicker with her. "What did you dream about?"
She went quiet in that instant. What did she dream about?
She had no idea, either. She'd been having the same dream ever since she was a child—running amidst a foggy darkness as if something was chasing her from behind. And yet, she never really knew what was in the fog; all she knew was that she was always gripped with fear, so much so that every cell would be screaming in terror. She curled up slightly.
She felt warm and fuzzy all of a sudden. Wei Lingnan had pulled her into his arms and was kissing her earlobe while tempting her. "Tell me about it."