Female lead’s Delusion of Starting Over - Chapter 64

Chapter 64: A Different Cao Yingying

“Snap.” Forcefully shaking off Zhang Ziqin’s hand, he also ended up throwing her to the ground in the process.

Lu Li spoke with a cold tone: “I’ve said it before; we are not on terms to address each other by first names. Please show some self-respect, Miss Zhang.”

Turning his head, he said to Cao Yingying: “I apologize for the scene. Let’s go.”

“It’s alright, after all, these are old matters from adulthood. If not handled well, they indeed can cause you trouble,” Cao Yingying said with a gentle smile. She had been worried that Lu Li still harbored illusions about Zhang Ziqin. Now it seems, when a man decides to give up on a relationship, he indeed does so with absolute determination!

Lu Li did right by treating Zhang Ziqin this way.

Even though she knew she shouldn’t think this way, seeing Zhang Ziqin in such a sorry state truly made Cao Yingying feel gratified.

That’s for humiliating and bullying Lu Li in the past. Now wanting to chase him back? Dream on. A woman who only knows to cherish after losing deserves nothing but continuous loss. You’re not worthy of Lu Li’s love!

Sitting in the car Lu Li drove over, they left without looking back.

Zhang Ziqin slumped to the ground, staring at the scattered rose petals around her. The fallen petals, much like her and Lu Li’s relationship, scattered, fallen, unable to return to how things once were.

Even after preparing herself to return everything she owed Lu Li, to feel the pain he had gone through, to experience what he had endured, only by experiencing it could she know the feeling Lu Li once bore.

In the past, she always did this, discarding Lu Li’s flowers without a second thought, throwing them in the trash, casually tossing them away. She coldly rejected his invitations without sparing a moment’s consideration, even humiliating him in public.

Eight years of such treatment for Lu Li!

Seeing Cao Yingying leaving happily with Lu Li, Zhang Ziqin thought back to her previous life when she always behaved similarly with Ye Chen, leaving Lu Li aside. What must have Lu Li felt back then!

Perhaps Lu Li had already stopped loving her by then, as he stood numbly by the side, his pursuit of her turning mechanical, like fulfilling a task.

The pain, it truly hurt. She couldn’t accept it herself, yet in her previous life, she expected Lu Li to trust and understand her. How shameful!

The heart-wrenching pain made it difficult for Zhang Ziqin to breathe.

Experiencing Lu Li’s suffering again, Zhang Ziqin felt more than ever that she owed him too much. Just this brief experience felt like her guts were being torn apart.

How much more must Lu Li have suffered!

After who knows how long, Zhang Ziqin collected herself, carefully gathering each fallen petal, holding them in her palms as if trying to grasp the love she lost, unwilling to let their relationship wither like these petals.

“I won’t give up, even if it costs me everything. I’ll win you back. Perhaps it’s impossible to mend what’s broken, perhaps you don’t love me anymore, but I still want to be by your side.” She reaffirmed her resolve silently. She couldn’t break down; this was just the beginning, merely a fraction of what Lu Li had endured in the past.

If Lu Li could persevere for eight years, then she would spend her lifetime making it up to him.

Returning to her car, she cast a painful glance at the Lu family estate and silently drove away. She would come back tomorrow. She wouldn’t heed Lu Li’s words unless it concerned not seeing him again.

***

Lu Li felt rather upset. It was supposed to be a happy day, but Zhang Ziqin, that eyesore, showed up again. Maybe he should expedite his plans to have Zhang Ziqin die sooner.

That thought barely crossed his mind before Lu Li dismissed it. Lu Ya died too easily, Zhao Lu too. Zhang Ziqin definitely couldn’t be allowed to die so easily.

“Zhang Ziqin must not die just like that. I want her to experience all despair before dying miserably. You love business the most, I’ll make sure you lose everything, become homeless, and have nowhere in the world to rest. Only after experiencing all this can you die.”

A dense killing intent flashed in his eyes. Zhang Ziqin’s miserable state couldn’t satisfy Lu Li; his goal had never changed.

“What’s wrong, did Zhang Ziqin’s appearance upset you?” Cao Yingying asked worriedly. Although Zhang Ziqin’s misfortune was satisfying, Lu Li’s grim gaze still made her anxious.

“It’s nothing much, just that I almost couldn’t resist killing Zhang Ziqin just now. Do you think I’m normal?” Adjusting his mood, since Cao Yingying, the female lead, has a discerning heart, nothing can escape her eyes, Lu Li decided to speak frankly.

“There’s nothing abnormal about it. Miss Zhang disregarded your pursuit in the past, and now that the company is facing difficulties, she immediately comes to you. Such people are indeed disgusting,” Cao Yingying said with a soft smile, a hint of malice in her eyes.

In her previous life, if not for Lu Li’s sake, she would have wanted to deal with Zhang Ziqin herself.

Belated affection, lower than weeds.

If not for Zhang Ziqin insisting on cooperating with that scoundrel Ye Chen, how could Lu Li have ended up in that situation?

Just the thought of Lu Li appearing numb after losing everything made Cao Yingying feel heartbroken.

“Oh, I didn’t expect Miss Cao Yingying to have such thoughts?” Lu Li looked at her surprisingly. The female protagonist, beautiful and intelligent, with the purity of a lotus, unexpectedly had such an extreme side.

Cao Yingying responded with a smile, saying nothing. If Lu Li truly wanted to act against Zhang Ziqin, she’d be the first to draw her sword.

She might be elegant, but she wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt Lu Li, the man she loved the most.

As they entered the house, Cao Yingying saw two women inside and paused, slightly stunned.

Chen Xiaoyi was there, which was not surprising since she had come with Lu Li to the Cao family’s Hangzhou residence during the grandfather’s birthday. Although Cao Yingying didn’t know why Chen Xiaoyi would be by Lu Li’s side in this life, with Lu Li’s changed appearance, she attributed it to the butterfly effect and silently resolved to keep a close eye on her.

The other woman… she recognized her too. In her previous life, during her revenge against Ye Chen, this woman was the most crazed, stabbing Ye Chen dozens of times, deliberately avoiding vital spots to prevent him from dying easily.

If she wasn’t mistaken, this woman named You Meng should still be under Ye Chen’s command. How did she end up here?

And… kneeling on the ground, was she cleaning the floor?

Could it be the butterfly effect again, and she successfully found Lu Li?

Her gaze complicated: “Lu Li, she is…”

“Oh, she’s a little girl I used to help. Later, she went to Ye Chen’s side, but after finding me, she wanted to stay by my side, so I found her something to do,” Lu Li said casually.

He would need the Cao family’s favor to deal with Ye Chen, there was no need to hide his enmity with Ye Chen.