After the Most Hated Persona Faked Their Death, the Ex-Husband Lost His Mind - Chapter 18

“Li Zhi,” Chu Mingzhang said, “You are a lunatic.”

In S City, there are many wealthy people, but those who can be called “top-tier” can be counted on one hand. Similarly, there are many luxury estates, but when it comes to mountain villas, there are only a few worth mentioning.

Of those few villas, the Chu family owns half. The one chosen for this year’s birthday banquet isn’t the most extravagant, but it is certainly the most serene and scenic.

“I can only take you this far.” The driver pointed to a sign by the mountain road that read No Unauthorized Vehicles Beyond This Point, then gestured toward the intelligent barrier arm ahead. “The car can’t go in.”

For Chu Mingzhang’s birthday, the Chu family had dispatched private cars to shuttle guests listed on the invitations to ensure privacy. The barrier automatically recognized pre-registered license plates and kept outsiders at bay.

Li Zhi clutched the box in his arms tightly. “But it’s still a long way to the villa.”

“Hey, the sign is right there, so it can’t be far. Maybe two or three kilometers at most. You’ll be there in no time.” The driver, hurrying to catch his next fare, brushed him off casually. “Trip’s over.”

Li Zhi opened his mouth to speak but knew there was nothing he could do. He climbed out of the car dejectedly, holding the beautifully packaged cake box, and watched as the taxi sped away in a cloud of dust.

Actually, the driver hadn’t lied to him. The distance from there to the villa was three kilometers at most. Normally, walking that distance wouldn’t be a big deal, but today he was carrying a cake. Worse than a regular cake, it was an ice cream cake.

Chiffon base, chocolate mousse, and a meticulously poured chocolate coating; Li Zhi had lost count of how many times he had failed. After working for nearly several hours, Li Zhi finally succeeded. Although it was still a far cry from his initial expectations, it was at least presentable.

A rush of joy hit him, and Li Zhi couldn’t wait to bring the finished cake to Chu Mingzhang. This intense desire outweighed everything else; he didn’t even have the presence of mind to check the time.

It was only 7:00 AM then. Since it was a holiday, the household servants and drivers hadn’t started work yet. Li Zhi couldn’t wait any longer, so he hailed a car and headed toward the location Zhou Baiyu had previously given him.

The distance between the Zhou residence and the villa was significant. Without traffic, it would take about an hour and a half, but Li Zhi hit the morning rush hour and was stuck on the elevated highway for nearly an hour.

He sat in the car, consumed by anxiety. Although he had packed ice packs, he was terrified they would melt. Once they cleared the highway, Li Zhi couldn’t help but urge the driver to go faster every few minutes. After several prompts, even the driver couldn’t help but speak up: “Young man, I’m already going as fast as I can. Don’t be in such a rush.”

Now, just as he was about to arrive, he was stopped by the barrier. It wasn’t even 9:30 AM yet, and not a single car was visible on the mountain road. Of course, even if there were, they wouldn’t necessarily be willing to give him a lift.

So, Li Zhi had to rely on his own two legs. After only a moment’s hesitation, he clutched the cake box, ducked under the barrier, and began running up the mountain.

Late August is the hottest time of year. S City was like a giant furnace. Even in the lush mountains under layers of tree shade, the sweltering heat was inescapable. Before he had run very far, Li Zhi was drenched in sweat, his overlong hair sticking to his neck.

His breathing grew ragged, and his heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst from his chest. His shoes felt like the red shoes from the Grimm fairy tale, forcing him to run forward uncontrollably; he didn’t dare stop even when he was utterly exhausted.

His internal organs felt twisted together, and a surge of acid rose in his throat. Li Zhi forcefully suppressed the nausea. He saw it; he saw the manor.

It was magnificent, but heavily guarded. The main gates were tightly shut. Li Zhi didn’t dare step forward to negotiate with the guards. He wasn’t so stupid as to forget he had essentially sneaked in. Li Zhi stealthily circled around the front gate; he knew these kinds of villas always had a back mountain.

After finally scrambling up the back mountain, he managed to catch a glimpse of the villa’s interior scenery. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Between him and the manor stood an iron fence. Outside the iron fence was another layer of netting, a high-voltage electric fence. It seemed Li Zhi had no choice but to stop there, unless he wanted to become a pile of charred meat.

Li Zhi stared at that layer of netting. All his surging, passionate emotions cooled at that moment. His arm muscles ached so intensely and felt so weak that he could barely hold the cake box steady. He turned around, walking back in utter dejection like a pathetic, cowardly deserter.

The wind swept through the treetops, and the crisp chirping of birds echoed in the valley. Verdant leaves swayed occasionally in the breeze as Li Zhi walked along a quiet forest path. Suddenly, he heard a clack; his toe had kicked a pebble.

Everything that followed seemed to happen in a split second. The pebble was flung violently toward the electric fence, but nothing happened. There were no crackling sparks, and the pebble wasn’t scorched black; it landed on the ground, kicking up a small puff of dirt.

It was perfectly fine.

Li Zhi’s eyes slowly widened. Madness is sometimes just a single thought. Life and death are separated by a very thin line.

Li Zhi bit down on the ribbon of the cake box, occasionally diverting his attention to support the bottom of the box to prevent it from suddenly falling apart. He gripped the bars through the electric netting, climbed up, and cautiously flipped over the spikes at the top of the fence.

He made it over. It didn’t seem that hard after all. Li Zhi already had one foot on the stone step beneath the iron railing. As soon as he found his footing, his collar was suddenly grabbed from behind. A sudden force pulled him downward. Li Zhi lost his balance and crashed heavily onto the ground, with the cake box falling right beside him.

Beams of blinding light flashed toward him. Before Li Zhi could even stand up, he was pinned down by someone using a standard grappling technique. A knee pressed hard into his back, forcing his chest nearly against the ground, but Li Zhi ignored the pain and struggled incessantly.

Was the cake broken? It couldn’t be broken!

“Don’t move!” A sudden coldness pressed against his temple. Li Zhi realized what was pointing at him; the hair on the back of his neck stood up, and his hands and feet went cold.

“What are you doing here? Speak up, now!”

“I,” Li Zhi’s voice was as faint as a mosquito. “I’m here to celebrate a birthday.”

“Outsiders are prohibited. What is that!” Li Zhi saw the man questioning him point to the cake box on the side.

“A cake.”

“Dangerous item! Dispose of it.” As soon as the words were spoken, someone immediately moved to pick up the box. Li Zhi grew frantic. “No! It’s not dangerous! Give it back to me!!”

Li Zhi began to struggle again, and the scene became chaotic. He was like someone under a spell; his heart and eyes were filled only with that damn cake box. His thoughts were a mess, and his ears felt like they were filled with water; he couldn’t hear a thing.

If Chu Mingzhang had arrived one second later that day, Li Zhi’s ending might have been very different. But he arrived; it was just that coincidental. “What’s going on?”

The crowd immediately dispersed. Someone said respectfully, “Young Master!”

Li Zhi looked up. The sun was too bright, and his glasses had long since been knocked off to who-knows-where. Li Zhi squinted, trying his best to identify the person in front of him.

Chu Mingzhang looked down at him. Li Zhi couldn’t see his expression clearly. He wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere, but Chu Mingzhang didn’t speak, so Li Zhi remained silent.

“Young Master, may I ask who this is?” someone finally asked timidly.

Chu Mingzhang took a deep breath. He didn’t answer the question but instead barked at the person to Li Zhi’s back right: “Why are you still holding that? Put it down!”

“What happened?”

“This person climbed inside from outside the fence and was just spotted by us.” He explained the situation to Chu Mingzhang. “Because of the power outage, we specifically came over to check, and we didn’t expect to see this.”

Li Zhi more or less understood now. Because of the power outage, the high-voltage fence wasn’t functioning. He felt he was truly lucky. Who knew when the power would come back on? Maybe in a minute, maybe the next second.

Chu Mingzhang spoke then, looking at Li Zhi. “What did you come here for?”

“Oh, I came to wish you a happy birthday.” Chu Mingzhang’s sudden directness surprised and delighted Li Zhi. He was finally able to hold the cake box in his arms again. “This is a birthday cake. I made it!”

Chu Mingzhang was silent for a long time. His gaze moved from behind Li Zhi, onto Li Zhi himself, and finally to the cake box he was holding up. The path of his gaze was very telling. Chu Mingzhang remained expressionless, but Li Zhi somehow felt that something had undergone an earth-shattering change in those few short seconds.

“Li Zhi,” Chu Mingzhang said, “You are a lunatic.”

It was a statement of fact. Li Zhi lowered his head in embarrassment. Chu Mingzhang didn’t give him another look and turned to leave, leaving Li Zhi standing awkwardly in place, not knowing what to do.

After taking a few steps, Chu Mingzhang stopped. He turned his head, and Li Zhi actually detected a hint of exasperation in his tone: “What are you still standing there for?”

Li Zhi froze for a moment. A light gradually flickered in his eyes, his heart trembled, and the breath he caught in his throat was hard to let out. “I… I’m sorry!”

He followed behind Chu Mingzhang and truly entered the villa. It was designed in a classical garden style by masters; the interior decor was, of course, elegant and grand, but Li Zhi’s eyes could no longer hold anything else.

Many years later, when Li Zhi looked back on this day, everything had become blurred. He couldn’t remember what the manor looked like at all. The only thing that remained clear was that tall figure from behind. After all this time, it hadn’t faded one bit.

Li Zhi followed Chu Mingzhang as they wound through the villa. He had already run three kilometers, and his legs were nearly numb. Finally, Chu Mingzhang brought him to his room.

Li Zhi couldn’t help but look around. The room was huge, and besides black, white, and gray, there were almost no other colors. The computer on the desk was still on, showing a “Game Over” screen.

“Have you seen enough?” Li Zhi turned his head to see Chu Mingzhang leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Sorry!” Li Zhi quickly looked away and stood up straight like a schoolboy waiting for a lecture.

Chu Mingzhang pointed to the cake box in his hand. “Put it on the table.”

Once Li Zhi had set the cake down, Chu Mingzhang pointed at him. “Go take a shower.”

“Why do I need to take a shower?” Li Zhi asked, stunned.

“Why do you need to take a shower?” Chu Mingzhang let out a cold laugh, then tilted his chin up slightly, his gaze shooting straight at Li Zhi. “Do you really intend to attend my birthday banquet looking like that?”