Chapter 28: The Ex-Boyfriend (A Warning: Male Lead Losing His Mind)

The black umbrella fell onto the snow-caked ground, splattering mud-flecked slush. A little duck made of packed snow was crushed into a shapeless lump.

Then came the dull thud of a body being shoved to the ground, followed by the sound of fists raining down.

As Yu Siyan turned to follow Jiang Ying’s stunned gaze, he was tackled by a powerful force, a stinging pain igniting on his cheek.

It all happened too fast; Jiang Ying was paralyzed with panic.

She had no idea why Lu Zhixi was here. They had agreed to break up, and there had been no contact since. Yesterday, he had suddenly called to say a string of incomprehensible things, and today, he had appeared on campus to assault Yu Siyan.

If she wasn't hallucinating, then Lu Zhixi must have lost his mind.

Seeing Yu Siyan pushed to the ground, she finally snapped out of her shock. Just as she rushed forward to pull Lu Zhixi away, Qi Wen intercepted her.

Qi Wen told her to stand back and walked over to grab Lu Zhixi, trying to mediate. "We agreed no fighting!"

Yu Siyan, quick-witted and strong, blocked a second punch, shoved his assailant away with his knee, and seized the chance to land a fierce kick to Lu Zhixi’s abdomen.

"Siyan!"

Jiang Ying rushed to help him up, checking him with a heart full of distress. A bright red mark marred the right side of Yu Siyan’s fair cheek, and his lip was split—a shocking sight that proved Lu Zhixi hadn't held back in the slightest.

Lu Zhixi’s expression was grim. He lunged to reach them again, but Qi Wen held him back.

Lu Zhixi was tall and had undergone high-intensity physical training since childhood for tennis; his strength was immense. Qi Wen used every ounce of his energy to restrain him, cursing under his breath the entire time.

Fortunately, the area was deserted, but the commotion was loud; if anyone walked by, it would immediately draw security.

Qi Wen pleaded with him, warning that security arriving would only make matters worse. Lu Zhixi didn't listen until Qi Wen mentioned that Jiang Ying was terrified, which finally forced him to calm down slightly.

Lu Zhixi’s gaze fell upon Jiang Ying.

She was truly frightened. Sheltered behind Yu Siyan, she stared at him, her face pale, her dark eyes filled with horror and disbelief.

This wasn't the look he wanted; he hadn't intended to scare her.

As reason slowly returned, he managed to suppress the urge to rush forward and throw more punches.

Yu Siyan frowned at him, guessing his identity after a moment’s thought. "You're Lu Zhixi?"

"Yingying, come here."

Lu Zhixi ignored him, his attention fixed entirely on Jiang Ying, whose eyes were brimming with unshed tears. His tone turned uncharacteristically gentle.

That gentleness felt like the calm before a storm, making Jiang Ying feel even more uneasy.

She clutched Yu Siyan’s sleeve, leaning closer to him, and said with a trembling voice, "Siyan, I have no contact with him anymore. He called yesterday, and I already told him about us..."

Sensing her nerves, Yu Siyan pulled her into his arms protectively, soothing her, "It’s alright. Don’t be afraid."

At that moment, Jiang Ying felt Lu Zhixi’s gaze turn even more terrifying. He stared at her with such undisguised, predatory hunger that she shivered in fear.

This was not the Lu Zhixi she knew.

"Let’s go. We need to get you cleaned up at the school clinic."

Jiang Ying no longer dared to look at the man across from them, burying her face in Yu Siyan’s chest.

Yu Siyan said to Lu Zhixi, "As far as I know, you were the one who initiated the breakup, right? What is this display supposed to be? Don't bother her again."

They turned to leave, but Lu Zhixi strode forward.

"Yingying, let’s talk."

His voice was strained with suppressed emotion. He gripped Jiang Ying’s wrist and pulled her into his arms.

"Let go of me!" Jiang Ying struggled with all her might.

But the hand gripping her wrist was terrifyingly strong. Before she could react, she was dragged away from the path.

Yu Siyan was incensed and lunged forward to retrieve her, but Lu Zhixi had already brought her to the main thoroughfare, where there were more people.

With school security and the local police station nearby, Qi Wen feared the situation would escalate and chased after them.

A strikingly handsome boy, his eyes red, was dragging a girl toward the school gate, followed by two other handsome men. The scene was as dramatic as it could get.

Students on the road stopped to watch, with whispers of "Holy crap," "There's three of them," and "Wait, there's another one coming, what the hell."

The person running behind them was Qi Zhou, who had received a message from his brother during his noon accounting class and had risked skipping class to stop the fight.

Earlier, when Qi Wen had tried to pin Lu Zhixi by the waist, he’d been elbowed so hard he felt like he was going to vomit. As for Jiang Ying’s new boyfriend, he seemed to have taken taekwondo; his resistance was competent enough to cause quite a struggle.

Caught in the middle of all these gossiping gazes, Jiang Ying was on the verge of tears as she was pulled out of the school gate.

She had never seen such a spectacle, nor had she seen Lu Zhixi like this. Seeing Yu Siyan only a few paces away, Lu Zhixi yanked open the door of a dark grey sedan parked by the roadside and shoved her inside, half-holding her.

As soon as the door closed, Lu Zhixi ordered the driver to head to his apartment in the Chaoyang CBD, then pulled down the soundproof partition, blocking the driver’s view and the sound from the back seat.

Jiang Ying reached for the door, but he pulled her into his arms, holding her fast.

"I want to get out! You’re insane!" Her voice was thick with tears.

"Don't be afraid, Yingying. I just want to talk to you. I won't do anything else."

Lu Zhixi tried to soothe her with a calm tone.

But Jiang Ying couldn't hear him. She reached for her phone, her fingers trembling so violently she couldn't unlock the screen. As she typed the first digit of her password, Lu Zhixi grabbed her wrist and took the phone away.

"Yingying... Yingying... look at me, please?"

Jiang Ying cowered in the corner of the car, her eyes and nose red, her entire demeanor one of defense and resistance. Lu Zhixi lowered his voice and reached out to touch her cheek, but she flinched away.

She didn't know why things had turned out this way. The Lu Zhixi before her was so alien it made her panic, and she had brought such immense trouble to Yu Siyan. Everything was a disaster.

"What is wrong with you? We broke up so long ago. I made it very clear on the phone, I have a boyfriend... I want to get out..."

The word "boyfriend" shattered the last remnants of Lu Zhixi’s restraint. He gripped her face, forcing her to look at him.

"How far have you gone? Has he hugged you? Kissed you? Have you slept with him?"

When Lu Zhixi asked, an unprecedented wave of jealousy surged in his chest. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to hear the answer, even hoping for a second that if it had happened, she would lie and tell him no.

But just thinking about them doing those things made his breath hitch. His thumb brushed over her lips uncontrollably, as if trying to wipe away some mark he despised.

"I can do anything with him, and it has nothing to do with you... Don't touch me."

Jiang Ying dodged his hand. Her lips, pale from fright, were now red and swollen from his touch. Tears hung in her eyes, making her look incredibly pitiful.

This wasn't what Lu Zhixi wanted to hear, and he no longer dared to listen. He pulled her into his arms in silence, holding her tightly and burying his face in her faintly scented hair.

Lu Zhixi had so much to tell her, so much to explain. When he had proposed the breakup, he had misunderstood their relationship and never imagined Jiang Ying would be so heartbroken. He had thought it was the best solution for both of them...

"I regret it. I know I was wrong."

His voice was low.

"Keep loving me, Yingying. Don't look at anyone else, don't be with anyone else. I’ll go back to being the person you used to like, okay?"

Jiang Ying couldn't believe he was saying these things, and she didn't want to hear them anymore.

"...Let me out of the car."

Seeing that Lu Zhixi wasn't going to make any more extreme moves, she felt a slight sense of relief and tried to push him away. But the more she pushed, the tighter he held her, trapping her in his embrace.

Just then, her phone, which Lu Zhixi had tossed aside, displayed a call from Yu Siyan. Jiang Ying quickly reached out and tapped the answer button.

Yu Siyan asked anxiously, "Where are you?"

She had just managed to name the apartment building before Lu Zhixi hung up the phone.

"I won't let you go to him," Lu Zhixi said dully.

The car continued toward the apartment in Chaoyang District. Travel was slow in the snow, and there was still a long way to go.

Jiang Ying refused to speak to him, and he refused to let her go, resulting in a tense stalemate.

After a long silence, Lu Zhixi tried to talk about his recent life. "It's been over four months. Have you been well?"

In truth, he had found out everything that happened in her life, but he just wanted to hear it from Jiang Ying—he wanted her to talk about the interesting things around her, just like they used to.

But Jiang Ying ignored him, as if she hadn't heard the question at all.

Lu Zhixi spoke softly about himself.

"I bought a new apartment near the school. It’s very empty there, like a cold, hollow box."

"I always dream of you. I dream of you calling my name, I dream of you wanting me to hold you."

"I didn't throw away the teddy bear you gave me. I listened to the recording inside..."

Jiang Ying sighed and whispered, "Throw it away. It’s meaningless now."

The car fell into a deathly silence.

Lu Zhixi’s throat bobbed. After a moment, he continued, almost talking to himself, as if his incessant words could recover some warmth between them.

"Do you remember Danny? My father let him, his brother, and their mother break into our house during our Christmas Eve dinner. They sat together chatting as if they were a real family. When I came downstairs, they all looked up at me, mocking me, provoking me. That hateful look made me so angry..."