Chapter 179
Huo Youcheng’s cold laughter intensified upon hearing this answer. “Well, well, so you started this affair so early, Ye Zhi. I underestimated you. Turns out you’re capable of seducing men and engaging in such despicable acts!”
Ye Zhi struggled to steady himself, raising his voice slightly in response to Huo Youcheng’s accusations. “Yes, I seduced him. He was good to me, very good. He would help me with my injuries, take care of me when I was sick. But falling in love with someone else… that’s normal.”
Huo Youcheng couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He stood up, trembling with rage. “So what? You both started this affair behind my back! While I was planning surprises for you, thinking about how to earn your forgiveness, you were lying in bed with my brother!”
He paced back and forth, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging with fury. “I was a fool! A complete idiot! I thought I found true love, spent every day thinking about how to make it up to you! I wanted to compensate you, to treat you well! I risked my life to avoid surprises for you, dreaming of giving you the most romantic, grand wedding! And all you wanted was to betray me!”
He grabbed Ye Zhi’s arm and shook it forcefully. “When I was fighting for my life, all I could think about was not dying. I hadn’t even properly loved you yet, and I was determined not to die! And you… were you hoping for my death?”
“I wasn’t!” Ye Zhi winced as Huo Youcheng’s grip tightened. He felt guilty hearing Huo Youcheng’s words. “I never wished for your death.”
“But you wanted a divorce from me, wanted to be with my brother!”
Ye Zhi admitted, “Before I fell for Ah Qiao, I already wanted a divorce from you.” He met Huo Youcheng’s gaze directly, speaking each word deliberately. “Marriage with you was painful.”
“But wasn’t it your family that pushed for this marriage? Didn’t you choose this path yourself?” Huo Youcheng’s face contorted with anger. “Why? Why did you cheat on me after I fell in love with you?”
“Because I’m human,” Ye Zhi replied softly.
“Because being insulted hurts, feeling pain makes you despair, and when a marriage lacks fidelity, you want to end it.”
“I did want to marry you at first, because I liked you and wanted a beautiful future. But all you brought to our marriage was pain and embarrassment. I never felt an ounce of warmth from you… Huo Youcheng, your attempts at compensation were too little, too late for me.”
Huo Youcheng, surprised by Ye Zhi’s response, felt his moral high ground crumbling beneath him. He widened his eyes, slowly releasing Ye Zhi’s arm and sneering. “My brother has taught you well. I never expected you to be so eloquent one day!”
“I may have been a jerk in the past, I may have redirected my anger at you, but I never stooped so low as to sleep with your own brother!” Huo Youcheng glared at him. “And you? Both of you? One is my legal partner, the other is my own brother, yet you kissed and slept together behind my back! Disgusting! If this gets out, you’ll both be drowned in spit!”
Ye Zhi’s worst fear had been exposed by Huo Youcheng. He felt frozen, his thoughts scattered.
Huo Youcheng seized on his weakness, continuing his verbal assault. “Your actions are immoral and shameless, you adulterer and adulteress!”
He wanted to lash out with every vile word he could muster. He had been devastated by the truth he had discovered the previous night.
“What if Father finds out? Will he break my brother’s legs? What about Mother? And Huo Ran, if she finds out about your relationship, she’ll be disgusted with you both until the end of time! You’ve probably been having affairs behind her back too, haven’t you? Don’t you have any shame?” Huo Youcheng’s words grew more vicious, as if only by being cruel could he release the pain he felt deep inside.
With each word, Ye Zhi’s face grew paler, his eyes dimming. In the room, despite nothing being out of place physically, it felt like chaos reigned. A once ill-suited couple had now reached the nadir of their relationship.
After a long silence, Ye Zhi spoke softly. “He’s still… your brother. You shouldn’t… do this…”
They couldn’t let this come out, the surveillance footage, this whole affair, none of it could come to light.
As long as he could keep this secret, Ye Zhi was willing to pay any price.
Huo Youcheng sneered, “When my brother was screwing my wife, did he ever think about being my brother?”
Ye Zhi trembled as he spoke, “I made the first move… it was all me… he tolerated me many times… he never thought about betraying you… it’s all because of me… Ah Cheng, please… spare him. He still has a promising career ahead of him, he shouldn’t be affected by this…”
Huo Youcheng exploded with anger, “You love him that much?”
His eyes pleading, Ye Zhi whispered, “I betrayed you… I’m sorry… I’m willing to… give my life… or you can lock me up, lock me in a small dark room, you can torture me however you want… as long as you don’t expose this…”
He was terrified, unable to bear the consequences if Huo Youqiao was implicated because of him. In today’s society, public opinion was crucial; he should have had a bright future ahead. If this scandal broke out, everything would come crashing down.
