Being "Crushed" - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Following the gaze of the man in front of her, Song Yuhan could only catch a glimpse of the slightly shiny crown of the middle-aged man’s head outside the elevator door. She had just opened her mouth to say something when Lu Sifang suddenly leaned in closer—so close she didn’t dare to move a muscle.

At that moment, if she so much as twitched, she would easily brush against his skin. And she had no intention of letting this shameless scoundrel, who clearly didn’t keep his word, take advantage of her again! So she could only watch helplessly as the elevator doors closed once more…

Suddenly, the spacious elevator fell into silence—only their breathing and heartbeats remained. For a moment, it was impossible to tell whose was whose.

In the quiet, it was as if faint sparks flickered in the air where their gazes met. The atmosphere ignited, and the elevator’s temperature began to rise. A heat laced with tension and unspoken desire filled the space.

Sensing the unusual shift, Song Yuhan’s gaze flickered and her lashes trembled. She slightly lowered her eyes to avoid that burning, searing stare.

Lu Sifang’s thick brows drew together, his eyes shifting slightly. He couldn’t help but reach out toward her brows and eyes.

His cool fingertips must have startled her, because she shuddered instinctively and turned her head away in a huff, dodging his touch again. Her rosy lips were tightly pressed together, her brows furrowed—not just in defiance, but something closer to heartbreak.

His heart suddenly clenched. Lu Sifang withdrew his hand at once, his fingers curling into a loose fist. After a pause, he lowered his gaze, the bitterness and disappointment in his eyes hidden beneath his long lashes.

When he looked up again, the warmth and tenderness had vanished. In their place were obsession and possessiveness—growing wild and unchecked like a storm.

Even the corners of his eyes reddened faintly as he slowly curled his lips into a smile. He reached out and tilted Song Yuhan’s chin upward, firmly turning her face to his—not too hard, but just enough to force her to meet his eyes without hurting her. His tone was unreadable:

“Do you hate me?”

Song Yuhan couldn’t fight him off and had to endure his actions. The posture was humiliating, and compared to him, she was far too small and fragile—like a puppet at the mercy of someone else’s hands, stripped of all dignity.

And coupled with the lingering shadows of their past…

Her heart fell into chaos.

Then, in a burst of anger, she somehow found the strength to shake off his grip. In his moment of surprise, she shoved him away!

“Let go of me!”

Breathing unsteadily, eyes tinged red, her expression was hard to read—but when she caught the fleeting look of disappointment on his face, she suddenly let out a cold, mocking laugh.

Beautiful, wicked, and full of sarcasm.

He was the one who broke his promise first—what right did he have to look hurt?

After a moment, her smile faded. Her eyes turned completely cold.

“Yes. I hate you.”

Hearing those words so resolute and final, Lu Sifang stood frozen half a meter away, his breath catching in his throat, his complexion visibly paling. His lips parted, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

It wasn’t clear how much time passed before he swallowed hard, forcing down the bitterness that threatened to spill from his throat, locking it back into his heart. When he looked up again, he wore an expression of indifference and cynicism, as if her hatred didn’t matter at all—let alone affect him.

But seeing that only made the anger and hurt in Song Yuhan’s heart boil even more violently. She refused to look at him, biting her lip hard as if trying to use the pain to suppress the mess of emotions churning inside her.

Just think of him as a heartless stray dog who bit her. Nothing more.

“If you don’t want me to call the police, get out of my sight. If you follow me again, I won’t be so polite…”

Upon hearing that, he looked at her deeply and chuckled lightly:

“Call the police? Miss Song, aren’t you overthinking things a bit?”

Song Yuhan frowned. She watched as he calmly pressed the floor number button, then tilted his head toward her with a mocking smile.

“Sure, Miss Song is indeed stunning… but not enough to make me follow you all the way to a hotel.”

He stared at her cold, elegant face, refusing to miss any shift in her expression—and sure enough, he caught that brief flash of embarrassment and fluster.

His eyes narrowed, and the corners of his lips curled up, as if his earlier foul mood had been completely swept away.

“What floor are you on, Miss Song? Even if I’ve been rejected, I can still be a gentleman—it’s no trouble at all.”

Song Yuhan fumed silently. How could something this ridiculous actually happen?! His annoying tone only made her clench her fists tighter.

She shot him a defiant glare, as if she could see a Doberman tail wagging proudly behind his broad figure.

Then, her eyes landed on the elevator button he’d pressed—her pupils widened in disbelief, and she was instantly silent.

To Lu Sifang, even though she was glaring at him, her seductive eyes still glimmered with irresistible charm.

Those slightly upturned corners of her eyes were like hooks, tugging at his heart, tickling it like feathers brushing gently against skin.

He crossed his arms, fingers tapping idly against his bicep. Seeing her remain silent, he tilted his head as if pondering something. Moments later, the smirk on his face deepened.

“Don’t tell me…?”

Realizing he’d figured it out, Song Yuhan closed her eyes in resignation, fingers nervously pinching her own fingertips—completely unlike her fierce demeanor moments ago.

Lu Sifang withdrew his gaze from her hands and was seized by the urge to tease her—just like when they were in Yunsheng High School years ago.

“So tell me, Miss Song. How did you find out my schedule? Booked a room here just to ambush me?”

“You’re sick, Lu Sifang!”

“Yeah,” he said without thinking. “And you’re my… cure.”

His voice softened toward the end, as if even he hadn’t realized what he was saying until it slipped out.

Song Yuhan: “……”

Lu Sifang: “……”

One clenched his fists; the other quickly averted her gaze in panic… and once again, both fell into an awkward silence, the elevator filled with heavy tension.

His unintentional words had clearly struck a nerve in both of them. And now, the sound of their hearts beating in the small space was even louder than before.

Their breath quickened involuntarily, the air charged with electricity…

Lu Sifang gritted his teeth, frustration flashing across his face. Whether he was upset at failing to tease her or at accidentally blurting out his true feelings, even he wasn’t sure.

He coughed twice in an attempt to cover the silence. Seeing that she still didn’t react, he awkwardly turned his gaze to the floor display, though his peripheral vision never left her.

Damn it. Why is this elevator so slow?!

Behind him, Song Yuhan appeared calm and collected—as though completely unaffected.

But inside, her heart was pounding wildly, especially after hearing that familiar line.

In that instant, she felt like she had been transported back to that sunny day long ago—under a blazing sky, a carefree boy on a dark blue skateboard speeding toward her, wild and free. He was the highest-flying bird among a flock soaring across the sky.

That bird had once paused for her, dropping the softest feather from its chest into her hands—only to soar away again, never looking back.

She slowly looked up at the tall figure before her, dazed. He was no longer the lanky teenager she remembered. His frame had grown stronger, but the wild arrogance in his bones remained unchanged.

So he still remembers…

He remembered everything.

She lowered her head slightly, hiding the sadness in her eyes. Still, a few crystal-clear tears slipped out and fell onto the cold elevator floor.

The elevator was too quiet. And with Lu Sifang’s eyes always on her, it was impossible to hide those tears.

He stiffened. Then slowly turned around and saw the teardrops on the ground. Looking back up at her, his eyes were full of confusion and curiosity—and something darker, deeper.

“You’re crying? Let me see.” Without hesitation, he stepped forward and grabbed her wrist to pull her closer.

“No,” she instinctively denied, blinking fast as she tried to pull away. But with his size and strength—not to mention that he was a trained athlete—escaping was impossible.

So she was forced to stand before him, her reddened eyes staring into his… only to catch her own reflection in his deep gaze.

Something made her stop resisting.

Lu Sifang gently touched the corner of her eye. Seeing her suddenly so quiet, his hand paused. His gaze slowly fell from her eyes downward, gradually losing focus…

Just like in a movie, the male and female leads were drawn to each other—getting closer, and closer—

“Ding—”

As luck would have it, the elevator arrived at their floor, and the doors slowly opened.

The crisp sound was both timely and jarring, snapping both of them back to their senses.

Just a breath away from her lips, Lu Sifang stopped himself in time. Looking at that face he’d dreamed about for years, he almost couldn’t help himself…

Song Yuhan quickly looked away. “Ahem. I said I’m fine—the elevator’s here.” To ease the awkwardness, she lightly poked his chest with one finger, motioning for him to move aside.

Lu Sifang stepped back a pace, gentlemanly gesturing for her to go first.

She eyed him warily for a few seconds, her thoughts churning.

This bastard… is he planning to follow me and find out my room number?!

No way. If he does, who knows what he’ll do to torment me again?

After some quick internal calculations, she strode out of the elevator, pretending to walk normally but glancing back frequently to observe him.

Lu Sifang read her mind. He raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips. “Relax. I’m not some rabid dog—don’t worry, I won’t barge into your room just yet…”

That put her a bit more at ease.

As annoying as he was, Lu Sifang did keep his word when it counted. So she stopped stalling and pulled out her room key—

“Ding—”

The elevator chimed again. Then came footsteps and hushed voices growing closer:

“That’s right, I saw him come back—with a woman! This is big news!”

“I checked—his room’s that way! Let’s go, catch him off guard!”

Lu Sifang had just been standing there all relaxed, hands in his pockets. But when he heard those whispers coming closer, his face paled in alarm!

After all these years, his instincts had been honed—he could spot paparazzi a mile away and react in a heartbeat.

In the very next moment, as the room door opened, he wrapped his arms around Song Yuhan from behind, pulling her into his embrace—and pushed them both into the room together…