Nie Yixiao’s face completely fell as he tossed her onto the big bed beside him: "No one’s here to indulge your capricious madness!"

The moment Qiao Yongyong was thrown, she exclaimed, instinctively hooking onto his shirt, and with a thud, she landed on the soft bed!

At the same time, she saw a small box fall out of the pocket of his jacket onto the floor.

The lid of the box flew open, and a sparkling ring rolled on the floor, coming to a stop.

Before Nie Yixiao could bend over to pick it up, Qiao Yongyong had already swiftly jumped off the bed and picked it up!

It was a diamond ring...

Paired with that box, it was clearly an engagement ring intended for a marriage proposal!

She suddenly understood: "Were you planning to propose to Miss Chu tonight?"

Nie Yixiao didn’t answer her question, but his face darkened with a stormy expression: "Give it back to me."

"Did Miss Chu reject you?"

Qiao Yongyong had no idea how devastating her words could be. As soon as the words left her mouth, he took a few steps towards her, pressing her down onto the bed with one hand, pinning her tightly, while trying to pry open her hand with the other: "Stop talking nonsense, give me the ring back."

But Qiao Yongyong had made up her mind, hiding her hand behind her back: "She rejected you, so why keep the ring? Are you going to look at it and feel bad every day?... One should always look forward, not live in the past!"

"I’m telling you again, give it back to me." He gritted his teeth, fury rising as he wasn’t about to be lectured by a girl so much younger than himself, "Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude!"

"When a woman rejects a man’s proposal, there’s no other reason—she just doesn’t love him anymore! How can you not understand that?!"

He easily twisted her slender arm, flipping her over effortlessly!

"Ouch— it hurts! Let go of my hand, it’s about to break..." Qiao Yongyong could no longer restrain herself,

"Serves you right!" He showed no sympathy or mercy, holding onto her wrist firmly, then forcefully prying open her hand that held the ring. His tall, imposing figure leaned down, close to her ear, and hissed angrily: "I’ve told you before, don’t meddle in my affairs!"

"Ouch, it hurts, really hurts, Brother Yixiao..." As Qiao Yongyong saw him about to take the ring, her tone carried a hint of coquetry mixed with a trace of tears, close to crying: "It hurts! Brother Yixiao..."

This damned woman!

Besides acting coquettish and seducing men, what else is she good for?

But seeing her tearful, gleaming eyes looking genuinely in pain, he hesitated for a moment, and for no clear reason, his grip loosened slightly.

Seizing the opportunity, Qiao Yongyong pushed him away and ran toward the floor-to-ceiling windows of the bedroom, "Bang" she threw open the window!

Nie Yixiao watched in disbelief as Qiao Yongyong rushed onto the terrace and fiercely hurled the diamond ring down below!

A flash of silver light, and the ring traced a parabola in the air, quickly disappearing into the rainy night!

Nie Yixiao’s veins bulged, his face as cold as if he had crawled out of purgatory, colder than the night’s own chill, as he strode forward and slapped Qiao Yongyong across the face: "What the hell are you doing!"

The sound of the slap was brutally sharp!

A five-finger imprint immediately appeared on Qiao Yongyong’s delicate cheek, yet she held back the tears of pain, curving her red lips: "I want you to forget about her!"

He stared at the girl in front of him, grabbed her by the collar and hoisted her off the ground, his angry breath assaulting her face: "Do you think you’re still at Longding Society, surrounded by people who are your and your brother’s subordinates?" As he spoke, he released his grip!

Qiao Yongyong fell to the ground and watched him run downstairs in a rage.

A few minutes later, she came to her senses, got up, and looked downstairs.

Below the night sky, Nie Yixiao had already rushed down to the terrace, searching for the ring in the light of the street lamps.

The night rain hadn’t fully stopped.

Below the terrace was the Huo Mansion’s courtyard.

It was lush with shrubbery and flower beds everywhere.

Finding such a tiny diamond ring in there would be exceedingly difficult!

But he continued to bend his waist, not stopping his search as he personally ran into the flowerbeds like a crazed lion—recklessly rummaging through, drenched in rainwater and mud, utterly disheveled, yet he didn’t care.

Qiao Yongyong’s eyes widened in shock.

She never knew this diamond ring held such significance in this man’s heart.

It turned out that Miss Chu meant something truly extraordinary to him...

In this world, no other woman could possibly replace Miss Chu, could they?

Perhaps that diamond ring represented his most beautiful hope, yet at this moment, she had shattered it.

A strong sourness surged up her throat, unclear whether it was envy, jealousy, or loss.

Qiao Yongyong couldn’t help but clench her fists tightly, slumping onto the balcony floor.

She didn’t know how long had passed, but the rain started to lessen.

Qiao Yongyong heard footsteps approaching closer and closer, and on looking up, she saw Nie Yixiao, drenched, coming upstairs.

The gloom on the man’s face indicated that he hadn’t found the diamond ring.

"Brother Yixiao..." Qiao Yongyong got up and rushed over, mumbling with her lips, "I’m sorry, I didn’t know..."

This time he didn’t lose his temper, nor did he blame her, but the cold gaze he fixed on her made her shiver: "Starting tomorrow, someone else from the security team will take over the task of protecting you. I will not come again." With that, he walked towards the main door.

"Brother Yixiao—" She took a few steps towards him.

He paused his steps, his voice cold: "Shut up, who gave you the permission to call me that? In the whole world, only one person has that right, and it’s not you. Please leave!"

At the same time, with a bang, he flung open the door of the room!

His brows were filled with finality and disgust, yet in an instant, all energy seemed drained from him, leaving him profoundly defeated.

Qiao Yongyong silently walked out, just leaving the surveillance room when she heard the door slam shut with a ’snap’ behind her.

Her body swayed forward with the vibration of the door, barely managing to steady herself.

She was a pampered daughter of the heavens, always held in the palm of hands, no one ever treated her this way before—disrespecting her, and even delivering a harsh slap.

If it were in the past, this would have been unimaginable.

With anyone else, she would have exploded in a fit of temper, completely dismantling the other party.

But at this moment, facing this man whom she had not known for long, not only could she not get angry, she actually felt terrible.

She stood there dazed for several minutes, Qiao Yongyong still hadn’t come back to her senses.

Until a maid came over, looking at her pale face in surprise: "Miss Qiao, it’s getting late, you should go back to your room to rest—"

Before the maid could finish speaking, Qiao Yongyong suddenly pushed her away and ran down the stairs, sprinting out of the villa.

"Miss Qiao, where are you going—"

The maid, startled, chased after her down the stairs.

Qiao Yongyong ran out of the villa and went under the balcony of her room; the rain had stopped.

Looking around, Nie Yixiao had searched everywhere.

If he hadn’t found it, then...

She looked to the side, the villa’s swimming pool was nearby.

Could it have fallen into the pool?

She didn’t think long, rushing to the poolside, stripping off her robe, and gracefully diving into the water.