Love Turned Into Hatred
1563 Words
The cool breeze of late spring seeped through Frost’s skin, making her shiver.
Only then did she realize she’d rushed out without her coat.
All the warmth, laughter, and lights remained inside the brightly lit villa.
The parking lot was quiet beneath a sky scattered with only a few stars.
She didn’t want to go back inside.
After searching for a while, she spotted He Tingzhou’s all-black Koenigsegg still parked where it had been.
The car was there.
Its owner wasn’t.
So she waited beneath a tree.
The deeper the night grew, the emptier the sky felt. The darkness stretched endlessly overhead, while the cheerful voices from the villa seemed trapped behind an invisible wall.
Footsteps echoed in the distance.
A tall figure emerged from the shadows, walking with unhurried confidence.
Long legs.
Straight posture.
Even the night seemed to make way for him.
He Tingzhou reached his car and pressed the unlock button.
A small figure stepped out from beneath the tree.
“Tingzhou.”
He instinctively took half a step backward.
“Damn.”
One hand landed on the roof of the car as he steadied himself, calming the nerves that had just been startled in the middle of the night.
His sharp eyes narrowed toward the tiny silhouette before him.
She was barely over his shoulder…
Yet somehow she’d managed to scare him.
“What are you doing hiding here?”
“Planning to rob me?”
I’m five-foot-five. You’re over six-one.
How exactly am I supposed to rob you?
Frost had been standing in the cold for quite a while.
She didn’t waste time with pleasantries.
“The blueberry mousse you ate…”
“I made it for my brother.”
To prevent him from denying it later, she’d even taken a picture of the cake before the party.
She held up her phone as evidence.
He Tingzhou glanced lazily at the photo.
His perfectly sculpted face showed not the slightest hint of guilt.
“What?”
“Did you poison it for your brother…”
“…and I accidentally ate it instead?”
Frost lowered her phone, completely speechless.
“Why would I poison my brother?”
He leaned casually against the car door.
“Love turned into hate?”
“Couldn’t have him…”
“So you wanted revenge?”
Her fingers unconsciously tightened around the fabric of her dress.
The cold wind crawled down her spine.
For a second…
Even her blood seemed to freeze.
She opened her mouth.
No sound came out.
Other people only whispered rumors behind her back.
He Tingzhou…
He stabbed directly where it hurt.
The wind brushed across her face, her bare arms, her legs.
Every inch of exposed skin felt painfully cold.
She forced herself not to run away.
Maintaining a calm expression, she quietly said,
“I didn’t mean anything else.”
“You already ate the cake.”
“So just…”
“Please reconsider cooperating with Feixue.”
She hadn’t dared ask for too much.
It wasn’t because she didn’t want to.
A birthday cake simply wasn’t worth that much.
But…
It was the birthday cake she’d made for Shen Yu.
Since He Tingzhou had eaten it…
Asking for one small favor didn’t seem unreasonable.
⸻
He Tingzhou suddenly fell silent.
Completely still.
If the branches behind him hadn’t continued swaying in the wind…
He would’ve looked like a frozen frame from a movie buffering on bad internet.
Frost frowned slightly.
Three whole seconds passed.
He didn’t move.
Just as she was about to speak—
He finally nodded solemnly.
“I’ve considered it.”
“No.”
“…”
If frustration had a physical form…
It would’ve been the eye roll Frost barely managed to suppress.
The blood that had frozen moments ago immediately started boiling again.
“Could you consider it seriously?”
Apparently, He Tingzhou had no intention of honoring the universal rule that people owed favors after accepting someone’s food.
“Weren’t those three seconds serious enough?”
He smiled lazily.
“You’re surprisingly persistent, Princess.”
He simply wasn’t going to help.
Not even a little.
Frost’s shoulders slumped.
He had already eaten the cake she’d made for Shen Yu.
It wasn’t as though she could ask him to spit it back out.
…Actually.
Knowing He Tingzhou…
He just might.
The thought alone was horrifying.
“Forget it.”
She never should’ve expected anything from him.
He looked at her.
“That’s it?”
She blinked.
“What do you mean?”
He remained leaning against the car.
“My stomach’s pretty delicate.”
“Your cake didn’t sit well.”
“I’ll probably need a medical checkup tomorrow.”
“If it turns out you’ve injured my stomach…”
“You’ll be responsible.”
“…What?”
Frost stared at him in disbelief.
Her mind couldn’t keep up with his completely illogical train of thought.
She hurriedly reviewed every ingredient she’d used.
Everything had been freshly bought that morning.
There shouldn’t have been any problem.
Seeing her genuinely confused, He Tingzhou continued with exaggerated generosity.
“For your brother’s sake…”
“I won’t pursue the matter.”
“Just remember to tell Shen Yu…”
“…he owes me one.”
⸻
A couple emerged laughing from the villa and climbed into their car.
Moments later, the vehicle disappeared into the night.
Another gust of wind lifted the hem of Frost’s dress.
She’d come to collect a favor.
Instead…
She’d somehow ended up owing one.
She hadn’t wanted Shen Yu indebted to He Tingzhou.
Yet after everything…
She’d lost her cake—
And somehow her brother had gained a debt.
She knew perfectly well she’d been played.
There was nowhere to complain.
Nowhere to argue.
She could only swallow her frustration.
⸻
Today…
She really wasn’t okay.
It felt as though a soaked sponge had lodged itself inside her chest, swollen with every emotion she’d been suppressing.
One by one…
They pressed against her heart.
Against her throat.
Against her eyes.
Shu Yang’s rapidly weakening body.
Chen Peiran’s smug face.
The family that never truly welcomed her home.
And…
The beautiful actress leaning comfortably against Shen Yu.
Her vision blurred.
Warm tears welled up before she could stop them.
She lowered her head.
“If you don’t want to help…”
“Then forget it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I wasted your time.”
Without waiting for a response…
She turned and walked away.
Quickly.
⸻
At the moment she turned…
He Tingzhou caught the faint shimmer of tears in her eyes.
She was slender.
Not frail…
Just delicately built.
The black dress traced the graceful lines of her figure, making her look impossibly small from behind.
The night wind was strong.
She walked so fast…
It almost looked as though the breeze might carry her away.
Leaning against his car, He Tingzhou watched her disappear into the darkness.
For several quiet seconds…
He found himself wondering.
…Did I bully her a little too much?
⸻
“So President He is actually that kind of person?”
Shu Yang looked genuinely stunned.
She’d only met He Tingzhou once.
It had been at an international drone technology expo.
That conference had gathered world-renowned researchers, industry leaders, and top entrepreneurs.
After pulling every string she could, Shu Yang had finally secured an invitation.
While pitching Feixue’s liquid-hydrogen drone project to a potential investor…
He Tingzhou happened to overhear.
That brief encounter was exactly why Yundun Group had later taken interest in Feixue.
Still…
The people she’d dealt with afterward had all been middle management from Yundun’s drone division.
She’d never spoken to He Tingzhou directly.
Her only impression of him came from that day.
He stood among conference chairmen, academy fellows, and the biggest names in the industry.
Tailored suit.
Tall.
Elegant.
Completely untouchable.
Even while countless people surrounded him, eager to flatter him…
His expression had remained cold and indifferent.
The very picture of power.
⸻
Although Frost had insisted Shen Yu stay out of it…
He had still quietly arranged a VIP hospital room for Shu Yang.
The chemotherapy had hit her hard.
Only after anti-nausea medication did she begin to feel slightly better.
Her complexion remained pale.
She looked utterly exhausted.
“I honestly thought he was just impossibly handsome and impossible to approach.”
She sighed.
“I never imagined…”
“…he’d be such a jerk in private.”
“If he didn’t want to help, fine.”
“But he’s your brother’s friend.”
“How could he bully you like that?”
Frost smiled bitterly.
“I shouldn’t have expected anything.”
“Just because he’s my brother’s friend doesn’t mean he owes me anything.”
She rubbed the space between her brows.
“I guess…”
“I’ll have to ask my brother after all.”
“No.”
Shu Yang immediately stopped her.
“Don’t.”
She shook her head.
“Someone like He Tingzhou is impossible to move.”
“If he wanted to do your brother a favor, he would’ve agreed before you even finished asking.”
“The moment he refused…”
“…he’d already made his decision.”
She smiled weakly.
“We’re adults.”
“When someone makes their position that clear…”
“We shouldn’t force something that was never meant to happen.”
- Writer
