Chapter 40: Greedy
"It’s not impolite if the gift came with the right intentions." He retorted, crossing his arms. Why was she so stubborn? Didn’t women like receiving gifts? Especially ones that were expensive and classy?
Zhao Lifei blinked at his words. "Why are you so nice to me? I thought you hated me."
Her words surprised Yang Feng who also felt confused. She was right. Why was he so nice to her? The thought confused him.
"I don’t hate you."
For once, Zhao Lifei didn’t know what to say. She stared at him and studied his expression. With his firm eyes and unwavering posture, she could tell he wasn’t lying.
"But I do." She quietly muttered, turning her back and beginning to tidy her things.
Yang Feng was taken back by her words. Did she hate him? Why?
He had been so nice and protective of her to the point where the people misunderstood him as her boyfriend.
Why did she hate that? Many of the girls who approached him would die for Zhao Lifei’s position in his life, yet, the woman in question disliked everything he did for her.
"Why?" He instantly asked, the word leaving his mouth before he could stop himself. He cursed himself for sounding pushy and needy.
"Why what?" Zhao Lifei turned her head in his direction.
"Why do you hate me?"
Zhao Lifei sighed. "Because even after I saved your life, you saw me as a horrible person. You thought I was a greedy woman after your money, and you probably still think that. You keep on buying me expensive gifts that I don’t want-"
"But our recent encounter was not bad." He interjected, disliking the way her words jabbed at him.
He’ll admit, he was unable to refute her words. He truly thought she was just a common woman that loved money since those were usually the reasons why people tried to get on his good side.
Zhao Lifei stared at him. Was he dense? Was that the only thing he heard? Her lips thinned to a straight line.
"No, it wasn’t. But that doesn’t change your current mindset. You treat me like I’m someone you can easily buy with money. Buying gifts do not change anything." She looked around the room for clothes she could wear when leaving the hospital, but there was none.
Seeing her search for something, Yang Feng connected two-and-two together and draped his jacket over her shoulders. Zhao Lifei jumped in surprise at the warmth that suddenly wrapped around her. Using his jacket, he pulled her closer.
"I don’t think you’re an easy woman." He quietly said to her, zipping up the jacket and making sure she was comfortable in it.
Her lips parted in surprise and once again, Zhao Lifei felt at loss for words. He was so nice to her, she was scared about his ulterior motives. Did he have any? If so, what was it?
"As a matter of fact, I think you’re incredibly stubborn." He added, staring down at her. She wasn’t short, but because he was so tall, he towered over her. He found it amusing that the top of her head barely reached the middle of his neck.
Zhao Lifei frowned, forming lines on her forehead. "I’m not stubborn." She denied the truth, which ironically proved his point.
Yang Feng chuckled at her sour expression. "Don’t try to deny it." He tapped her forehead, using his long fingers to soothe the creases.
"Don’t touch me." She mumbled, swatting at his hands like a grouchy little cat.
Yang Feng stared at her, amusement dancing within his eyes. He swore she acted like a child sometimes, or perhaps, a cute little kitten.
Zhao Lifei ignored his obvious stare. She picked up her phone, placed it into her purse and then walked towards the door.
She was surprised he was letting her leave the hospital and glanced back at him, noticing him trail behind her.
Yang Feng didn’t bother forcing her to stay in the hospital. He knew they would just argue back and forth until one has their way.
"Why are you walking so fast?" He mused, seeing her hasten her footsteps when she saw that he was following her down the hallway.
"To get away from you." She blatantly said without looking back.
Yang Feng chuckled. This was the first time a woman ever told him that.
People would always engage him at social gatherings and banquets. Everyone was eager to be around him. They were either drawn by his charisma, wealth, or influence, but Zhao Lifei wasn’t.
He knew she wasn’t dense and stupid.
She knew who he was and the benefits that came from being associated with him, yet she decided to abandon the light and face the darkness. She was pushing away the opportunities being handed to her, and it was beginning to confuse him.
Was she playing a push and pull game? Why was she so eager to get away from him?
Yang Feng lifted his head to see her repeatedly push the elevator button as if pushing it more than once would urge the elevator to come faster.
He nearly laughed at how amusing she looked. With her tiny frame, her body was swallowed by his enormous jacket. It hangs loosely on her, emphasizing how slim she was.
If someone was to simply tell him the things that Zhao Lifei did, he wouldn’t believe it. How can a girl that looked this frail do massive damage? He had Chen Gaonan dig into Zhao Lifei further, which allowed him to discover her malicious past.
He read about her slandering Xia Mengxi’s name, attempting to kidnap her, bullying and teasing the woman, and forcefully turning the socialites against her.
But in a sense, he understood her motives. Yes, it had gotten way too far, but was it justified? Yes.
He knew she was promised to Zheng Tianyi at a very young age and that promise probably got to her head.
She had fallen deeply in love with the man that was going to be her husband. Devoting her entire being to fulfill the role of his wife, he could see why she was so scorned by the sudden entrance of Xia Mengxi.
Zhao Lifei saw her as an early mistress, and Yang Feng thought the same thing. Xia Mengxi might’ve been a poor commoner with little to none notable abilities, but everyone knew he had a fiancee. Yet, she actively pursued Zheng Tianyi and didn’t bother rejecting his advances.
If he was in Zhao Lifei’s shoes, he would have probably done the same. No, he would do so much worse. Yang Feng saw Xia Mengxi as a shameless woman with zero morals and in his eyes, she would forever remain that way.