The Billionaire's Debt-Bound Lover

010

The summer evening lingered with a crimson glow at the horizon. Gazing at the scenery outside the car window, Yi Lanyou fell into a deep trance.

​They used to be so innocent. Yet, in just a few days, everything had changed. Suddenly, she had become the successor to the Yi Corporation. To become a worthy heir—and more importantly, for her mother’s sake—she had sold her own body. Finally, to uncover the truth behind her father’s death and prove her mother’s innocence, she had become engaged to a man who should have been a complete stranger.

​No, they weren't strangers. He had taken her "first time," and he held a deep-seated grudge against the Yi family.

​However, she could tell none of this to Yun’er or Brother Dijun. They would surely try to stop her; they wouldn't let her take such risks alone. If she insisted on her path, they would plunge into these murky waters without hesitation just to protect her. To keep them safe and away from harm, she had to hide everything until it was all over.

​"Miss, we’re at Happy Bar!" The taxi driver’s voice jolted Lanyou from her daze.

​"Oh, thank you!" She handed him the fare and stepped out of the car.

​"Xiao You, you're here! Yun’er is waiting for you in the private booth. She looks pretty upset, so watch out!" As soon as she entered, Xue Tao approached her. He was the owner of Happy Bar and Yun’er’s boyfriend.

​Xue Tao was a bright, sunny person. Running a bar, he naturally attracted plenty of "butterflies," and most women acted sweet and demure around him. Only Yun’er treated him with punches and kicks—ironically, their relationship had blossomed out of their constant bickering.

​"Got it, thanks!" Lanyou stuck out her tongue playfully and walked toward the back with a sense of resignation.

​The Confrontation

​"Ah—" Just as Lanyou’s hand touched the doorknob, the door swung open. It seemed Yun’er had spotted her through the glass window long ago.

​"Get in here!" Di Yun’er grabbed Lanyou and pulled her inside, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at her friend.

​"Sit. Confess. Peace if you talk, penalty if you don't!" Pushing Lanyou into a chair directly opposite the sofa, Yun’er sat down, crossed her legs, and began the interrogation.

​"Could you guys not treat me like a criminal?" Lanyou sat in the middle of the room, looking at the two of them. She felt like a prime suspect, while Di Jun just watched her, a shadow of sorrow in his eyes.

​"Then start talking! Why are you suddenly the heir to the Yi Corporation? Why the lightning engagement? Why didn't you tell me immediately? What do you take my brother and me for?" Yun’er fired off her questions in one breath, waiting for Lanyou’s explanation.

​"Because my surname is Yi, I am the heir."

​"Because I think CEO Han is handsome, I had a lightning engagement to tie him down."

​"Because you were in Australia and international calls are too expensive, I didn't notify you immediately."

​"And... I take you and your brother for—Chinese people!"

​Lanyou sat upright, looking straight ahead, answering every question with a deadpan expression. However, anyone with half a brain could tell these were all lies.

​"Fine, Yi Lanyou! You dare play with me? Don't act like a defiant martyr in front of me; I’m not falling for it. It seems you won't talk until I use 'torture'!" With that, Yun’er prepared her ultimate weapon—tickling.

​"Ah—hahaha! I... haha... I surrender! Hahaha—" Lanyou laughed so hard she slid from the chair onto the floor.

​"Yun’er, stop playing," Di Jun finally spoke. His voice was raspy, sounding as if it came from a great distance.

​"Xiao You, we consider you family. Is it because you're now the heir to the Yi Corporation that you don't care about us anymore?" Di Jun stepped forward, gripping Lanyou’s shoulders with a hint of agitation.

​Seeing the faint blue stubble on Di Jun’s face, Lanyou suddenly felt he had matured a lot. Her own blood relatives spent their time plotting against her, yet Di Yun’er and Di Jun did everything in their power to help her. In her heart, they truly were her family—her closest kin. How could she not care?

​Tears suddenly burst from her eyes like a broken dam.

​"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Xiao You, I wasn't blaming you or doubting you... it's just... oh, don't cry! I'm sorry!" Di Jun pulled her into a protective embrace, gently patting her back.