Chapter 5 The Torn Photograph

• The man was 185 cm tall. Despite wearing stilettos and standing on her tip-toes, the latter only reached the tip of his nose. He evaded her attempts easily.
• “Well, look at you. Did you steal my company's classified information in my absence to make a killing for yourself?” Huo Chen asked with a chilling smile as he noticed Bai Yunjin's nervous blush.
• For the past few years, the Huo's vast expansions in their business made them the target of attack from their competitors. Nevertheless, she never thought that he would actually suspect her of corporate espionage.
• “Give it back!” She reached out in a panic. Although she was used to his crude sarcasms, his words still cut her deeply.
• “What will you do if I say no?” He seemed excited by the interaction between them as he watched the woman with her reddened face bounce around him.
• Just when his aloofness was melting away, he glanced at the prize in his hand.
• Bai Yunjin knew it was too late for her to make amends. She gave up fighting and tried to explain herself. “I-I didn't... I saw it by accident. It w-was...”
• Time froze.
• The amusement gradually vanished from Huo Chen's eyes as recognition hit him. His expression became hostile and the woman could feel the anger radiating from him.
• In the photograph, the oval-faced girl looked gentle and innocent, like a blooming lily. It was also his best memory of her until he learned the truth that shattered his illusion.
• Bai Yunjin could feel her heart pounding in her chest when she saw Huo Chen's gloomy face. Thinking she had angered him because she had stolen something from him, she asked meekly, “This photograph belonged to me. Why is it with you?”
• The latter's expression was terrifying.
• “If-If you want it, you can have it.” She relented, hoping to appease him. The man was scaring her.
• “Ha!” Huo Chen finally snorted after a long time, as though he had just regained his senses.
• He gripped the photograph tightly and stared at Bai Yunjin. “What gives you the impression that I cared about this picture?”
• The woman was dumbfounded. With widened eyes, she looked into the former's eyes.
• “Huh?” She didn't understand what he was saying.
• Rip. The sound of tearing paper pierced the silence.
• The photograph which was intact a moment ago had been torn into two. To add salt to her wound, he crumbled the pieces into a ball and held it before her eyes.
• His reaction caught Bai Yunjin by surprise.
• “Why...” She was at a loss for words.
• “If I have caused you any misunderstanding by keeping this, I'll destroy it,” he sneered and walked towards her. “Bai Yunjin,” he asked in a whisper as he held her chin, “Do you know why I kept this?”
• “Its existence is a constant reminder that your innocence was just a pretense!” His icy gaze was the opposite of his charming and flirtatious face as he spat each word out of his mouth.