Urban Villain: The Game of Wealth and Women

{Chapter: 262 I am willing…!}

With heavy steps, she went straight to her room and fell onto the bed, burying her face in a pillow. Her long hair fanned out across the sheets, and her thoughts spiraled.

"I should have asked… I should've asked him…"

But instead of pressing forward, she'd backed off like a coward.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Then, suddenly, she sat up, bit her lips hard, and stomped her feet in frustration.

For the first time in her life, she regretted canceling her engagement with Lin Yuan.

Back then, when the engagement had been called off, she had been thrilled—elated, even. It had felt like a liberation. She had looked forward to breaking free of what she thought was a meaningless arrangement.

But now… the emotions in her heart were far more complex.

If the engagement had never been canceled, they would have already held an engagement banquet. Their names would already be tied together. Perhaps, not long after, she might have become his bride in white.

That thought caused her heart to skip a beat.

She let her imagination take over—just for a moment.

In her mind's eye, she wore a snow-white wedding gown, delicate lace draping down her arms, a veil over her radiant face. The air smelled of rose petals, and the platform was lit with soft, dreamy lights. Below the stage, she imagined Song Xuan and Lin Yuan's parents watching on proudly.

And standing in front of her was Lin Yuan, looking handsome and composed in a tailored black suit. He kneeled on one knee, holding a velvet box in his hand. A dazzling diamond ring sparkled inside.

With a soft voice and gentle eyes, he asked, "Will you marry me?"

Her heart thudded at the imagined words, warmth surging through her chest. She wanted to cry out: "I'm willing!"

But just as she opened her mouth in this daydream and uttered the words: "I am—"

The image in her mind shattered.

The bride in the wedding dress… was no longer her.

It was someone else.

Chi Qian.

That goddess-like figure she had seen during the concert at Jiangbei Conservatory of Music—so beautiful, so poised, so perfect.

The illusion crumbled like glass, and Yan Ruyue's face paled.

The image of Chi Qian in that white wedding gown—graceful, ethereal, confident—made her feel like she was drowning in insecurity. That girl was practically flawless in every way. Yan Ruyue felt as if her own elegance and beauty paled in comparison.

'Compared to her, what do I even have?' she thought bitterly.

'Aside from my long legs, what can I even offer?'

Her heart ached. Could that long hair she had seen on the passenger seat of Lin Yuan's car have belonged to Chi Qian? Was she the girl Lin Yuan really liked?

Yan Ruyue felt a lump rise in her throat. She curled up on the bed, pulling her knees to her chest and hugging them tightly. Her long, fair legs folded beneath her, and she buried her face between them.

'Should I… give up on Lin Yuan?'

The thought alone made her breath hitch.

Her heart twisted, clenching with pain. No—she didn't want to give up.

She didn't want to admit it, but deep down she already knew the truth.

She liked him.

Despite her misandry and the walls she had always put up around herself, Lin Yuan had managed to slip inside her defenses like sunlight through a crack.

He had infected her life like a sweet, slow-burning fever.

She liked the warmth in his arms.

She liked his nonchalant smirk.

She liked the way he scolded her and the confident way he played the piano.

She even liked the roughness of his kisses.

"I like him… I really, really like him!"

She squeezed her legs tightly and let out a muffled groan into her lap, embarrassed by her own confession.

Then, in a low voice, she whispered angrily at the plush toy beside her.

"It's your fault! All your fault! You little rascal! Bad stuffed animal! Bad!"

She lightly punched the stuffed bear, but the blush on her face only deepened. Her heart raced uncontrollably as her emotions swirled into a chaotic storm.

Clutching the soft stuffed bear in her arms, Yan Ruyue suddenly began to punch it repeatedly, venting her frustration without even realizing it.

"This is all your fault, Lin Yuan!"

It was Lin Yuan's fault—his fault for being so enigmatic, for having that frustrating, magnetic pull that kept tugging at her heart no matter how hard she tried to resist.

She blamed him for being too perfect, for showing up in her world like a storm and leaving her in a whirlwind of confusion.

She blamed him for being so assertive—so audacious—that he dared to steal her first kiss without permission.

"It's all your fault, Lin Yuan!" Yan Ruyue finally blurted out his name aloud, her voice filled with exasperation and longing. With one final punch to the bear's head, she sent it toppling sideways, its head now crooked at a funny thirty-degree angle. But she didn't even notice. Her heart was pounding too loudly.

Taking a deep breath, she walked over to her desk, opened a drawer, and gently pulled out a file bag. Inside were fragments of her past—scraps of paper she had once cut up in a fit of pride and rebellion.

Each piece bore faint traces of writing.

If someone were to piece them together, they could barely make out the title: "Betrothal Contract."

Yes, it was the contract of her and Lin Yuan's engagement.

She had torn it up herself on the day their engagement was cancelled, thinking that doing so symbolized her newfound independence and freedom. She had told herself she would finally be rid of the annoying, arranged future her parents had planned for her.

She had wanted to throw the scraps away. But in the end, she hesitated. Instead, she kept them—stored them in a file bag like a relic of a past she thought she would never look back on.

But now?

Now, everything was different.

Now she wished more than anything that she hadn't torn it apart.

At the time, she hated Lin Yuan. Truly hated him. Or so she thought. But now, her heart whispered a different story.

Now, she found herself thinking about him all the time. Missing him. Wanting to be near him.

She wasn't even sure if her misandry had been cured or not. But she was sure of one thing: she didn't hate Lin Yuan anymore.

In fact… she liked him.

No—she was starting to fall for him.

And once she realized that truth, it could no longer be hidden.

He had taken her first kiss. He kissed her one time afterward. He had embraced her with that warmth that made her heart flutter. He had ignited emotions in her that no one else ever could.

Now, she was determined to follow her heart.

She wanted to be with Lin Yuan.

More than that—she wanted Lin Yuan to want to be with her too.

For a moment, the old flame of pride and dignity returned. She was Yan Ruyue, the proud and unshakable president of her company. She had always carried herself with grace and power. She could not just chase after a man, no matter how much she liked him.

But even so, she had made a decision.

She would fight for Lin Yuan.

Even if it meant competing with that perfect goddess Chi Qian.

She would fight with everything she had, even if she was scared.

Feeling energized, Yan Ruyue began to reassemble the pieces of the betrothal contract. She treated it like a puzzle—carefully picking up the scraps and gluing them together one by one. Each piece was like a shard of memory, a fragment of their time together, a symbol of her growing affection.

In her mind, she was also piecing together her own feelings, rebuilding the fragile hopes she once buried.

The more she glued the pieces, the warmer her heart became.

The sweeter her thoughts of Lin Yuan grew.

She found herself daydreaming again—of holding hands with him, of him smiling at her, of him kneeling once more and slipping a ring onto her finger.

Her pulse quickened.

She didn't want to be the one to chase Lin Yuan outright—that was not who she was. But she had faith that he would come back to her. That he would realize he belonged with her.

She would wait. And when Lin Yuan came back and asked to be engaged again—when he sincerely proposed—she would say yes.

…At least, that was the plan.

But planning was easy. Reality? Not so much.

Especially considering how every time she stood before Lin Yuan, her determination seemed to vanish. Her cold, aloof mask would melt, and she would find herself succumbing to his teasing, his gaze, his touch.

Still, right now, Yan Ruyue was burning with a fighting spirit.

She was going to give it her all—even if it meant waiting in silence.

---

[Ding! Yan Ruyue's favorability +5 points! Reward: 2,000 Counterattack Points.]

In his car, Lin Yuan heard the familiar chime from his system and casually glanced at the notification.

A faint smile curled at the corners of his lips.

He had a pretty good idea of what had just happened.

It wasn't difficult for him to guess what was on Yan Ruyue's mind. She had probably wanted to ask him earlier about their relationship. To clarify where they stood.

But he had deliberately driven off before she could gather the courage.

He wasn't surprised her favorability increased.

He expected it.

After all, he knew how much he had affected her.

Still, Lin Yuan had no intention of making things clear to her. He wanted her to break first. He wanted her to fall deeper, to desire him so much that she'd come crawling back on knees. Like a licking dog.

Cruel? Yes.

But that was what made him a proper scumbag—someone who could win the hearts of multiple women and keep them dancing to his tune.

He had made up his mind a long time ago.

He wanted all of them.

However, what he didn't know was that Yan Ruyue had mistakenly assumed the long strand of hair she found in his car belonged to Chi Qian. She had now deemed Chi Qian a rival and made a secret vow: she would win Lin Yuan back and make him choose her again.

Lin Yuan had no clue how much Yan Ruyue was overthinking things—especially since the hair actually belonged to Qiu Wanxi.

Just then, as if on cue, Lin Yuan's phone vibrated in his hand.

He glanced down at the screen.

A message had just come in.

It was from Chi Qian.

*****

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