Zhao Lifei's heart shook at his fierce declaration. His eyes always seemed to look right through her soul. Her heart stopped upon peering into his onyx eyes, which was reputable for being lifeless and cold, but were so warm and filled with love whenever he looked at her. She reached up to touch his face and he leaned into her hand on reflex, never drawing his eyes away from her.

He placed a large and engulfing hand over her tiny ones, maintaining eye contact while he slowly said, "Even if you try to leave me, Zhao Lifei, I will never let you go."

She realized his feelings for her was like a double-edged sword. He was loving and kind, but possessive and overbearing. Even so, she felt herself falling harder and harder for him. The sense of belonging she felt from him, security that he won't ever cheat on her, she didn't want it all to go.

"I know." She smiled.

His lips curve into a very satisfied smile at her words. "Good." He pulled her in for another hug and finally registered her dress. His brows crinkled upon seeing it was completely different to the one he purchased for her. Why did she suddenly change her mind?

Zhao Lifei noticed his eyes and spoke up. "Someone outbid the one from Granse…"

Yang Feng glanced up, a vexed expression on his face. "I'll look into it." He declared, his stormy eyes sweeping over the gown once again. He did not mind the change in her gown. She looked stunning in her current one and each time she moved, she radiated like the sun.

He was more worried about the events that unfolded than the dress itself.

"Did the store clerks give you any hard time?" The bodyguards assigned to her didn't say anything, but his extra layer of security — a group of his men watching from a distance — mentioned an alarm going off.

Zhao Lifei studied his expression, wondering which one of them snitched on her. "They did, but don't worry, I already handled it." She calmly responded, watching as he brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I had no doubt you didn't." He mused, fixing her appearance for her so that she wouldn't complain that he had ruined her hairstyle. She was an independent and strong woman who knew how to fight her own battles and he loved that part of her.

"I've seen the rumors. The images are all wiped from the media, but it was too late. You were subjected to a lot of hate, I apologize." His private intel informed him too late, for the pictures were posted in the middle of the night, when half the city was asleep — but the country was not.

Overnight, her reputation was dragged through the dirt again. The people stupid enough to leak those pictures were currently rotting away in the Underworld and their banks were drained dry. He thought blacklisting and bankrupting one media company would set a warning, but who would've thought individuals would do it?

"It's fine. I'm used to having people slander my name." This was not the first time she suffered a backlash from the media and she has no doubt, it would not be the last time.

Now that she was publicly known as Yang Feng's woman, all of the eyes would be on her again. She knew if she wanted to become the Queen of the Socialites again, she could, but currently, she did not desire such a tiring position.

"Well, don't get used to it anymore. From now on, I'll destroy anyone that tries to abuse you, this I can swear to you." He could not stop the people from talking about her, but he would most certainly unleash hell upon whoever was stupid enough to do so.

- - - - -

Afterward, the two went back to the banquet where eyes were trained on them everywhere they went. Zhao Lifei recounted her grandfather's words. He did not want her to hide in the corner of the room. Instead, she should be networking, making more connections, and finding potential partnership companies for Feili. She knew there would be a day where she had to introduced herself as the true mastermind behind the flourishing company.

Yang Feng noticed her wandering eyes, curiously analyzing everyone she saw. He realized what she was doing and decided to help pave the way for her. He didn't have to walk up to anyone, for the people hurriedly went up to greet him wherever he went.

Zhao Lifei was completely aware of what Yang Feng was doing for her. She wanted to make these connections herself, not borrow the one he had, but realized with her current standing, it was best to rely on the ones he had before she started branching out on her own. She paid attention to the interactions, laughed at the right moment as multiple people came to them.

She knew it was no surprise so many people came up to them.

Yang Feng was a very prominent figure in the country and upper society. Whatever he says goes. All he had to do was lift a finger and multiple families would tremble on the spot.

With his perfectly chiseled features and mysterious persona, women always tried to draw closer to him, intentionally or unintentionally. He had the type of cold persona that made people want to try their best just to see the slightest uplift of his lips.

She realized he rarely smiled unless he was looking or talking to her. In all of his exchanges, his face remained stoic, unwavering, and neutral. Though he did not look pleased, he also did not look particularly happy. His posture and stance made him look too powerful to even entertain these people, but she knew he was doing it for her sake.

"Zhao Lifei was it?" A man spoke up, in his late twenties, sporting a glass of deep red wine in his hands. "President Yang is quite kind to introduce you to his people." She understood what his words were instigating. She was leeching off of his authority.

"I never asked for his help." Her curt response shocked the crowd, a wave of silence passing by.

They could not believe she spouted this bold and daring response. Was she crazy? It was normal for socialites to be arrogant, but in front of the great Yang Feng, she dared to put him down like this?

The women smirked inside, she was done for. Many of them had known Yang Feng for a while, even though he did not acquaint himself with them, and all of them knew he disliked women who were too contemptuous for their own good. Now that this woman had offended Yang Feng, it would surely be the straw that broke the camel's back!

Everyone knew Yang Feng, whom, despite his mild and calm persona, had the shortest and worst temper than all the other rich heirs or CEOs. His wrath knew no limits and the word mercy did not exist in his dictionary.

The crowd was blown away when a serene smile lit up Yang Feng's face, the tiny uplift of his lips was enough for the women to swoon and blindly gawk at his beauty.

"Of course," The arm loosely wrapped around her became tighter as he tugged her to him, but she did not budge. "Even without my help, you can still make a lot of connections." He looked at her, a relaxed expression on his face, but generous tenderness in his eyes.

At how fast he was tamed, the people nearly coughed up blood. They were so shocked by the scene, none of them were able to mask their surprised expression. This man, instead of tossing her to the curb, actually fixed his tone of voice and temperament just to suit her needs? How could this be?! It was always the women catering to his every whim, not the other way around!

Zhao Lifei did not respond nor did she look upset, but Yang Feng knew her best. He could already see her temper flaring, her eyes brewing a calamity waiting to befall on him.

His eyes briefly glanced at the foolish third-heir of the Ming family that dared say such a thing to her. He made a mental note to contact the Mings and ensure this buffoon never touched his family's wealth or fortune again, much less fathom the idea of being the CEO of his family's legacy.

When Yang Feng's icy stare shifted to the third Young Master of the Ming family, he shivered. His confident posture shrank as his shoulders caved in and his head dropped, as if apologizing for his words. "I apologize, I didn't mean to offend Miss Zhao—"

"Get lost." Yang Feng scowled, his face filled with contempt.

The young man flinched at the words, as if he had been harshly slapped by it. "R-right away..." He muttered, completely defeated even before he had a chance to defend himself. He knew he had lost what little good grace he had with Yang Feng and walked off, moping to himself in the corner of the banquet.

Zhao Lifei wordlessly peered at Yang Feng through her thick lashes. He was fulfilling the promise he made to her early in the day and a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through her chest upon realizing it.

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