"That won't be necessary!" Qin Yinan uttered coldly to interrupt Cheng Qingchong. "Those presents were bought to make you fall into the trap, so they were worth every penny! Furthermore, I haven't given you a cent of alimony from our divorce, so if you insist on giving me that money, consider it your alimony!"

Cheng Qingchong's eyes watered, and her tears, which had finally stopped moment ago, started to fall silently again.

On the phone, Qin Yinan was silent. Realizing that Cheng Qingchong hadn't said anything in return, he scoffed condescendingly, and the derision in his voice was transferred through the electrical signal into Cheng Qingchong's ears. "Why aren't you saying anything? Is it because you think the amount is too low? Then again, for a liar, do you think you have any right to demand more money from me?"

Cheng Qingchong's face was drained of blood. She bit her lower lips tightly and tried to stop herself from making any noise. Her body was shaking from the force that she needed to stop herself from crying on the phone.

Qin Yinan continued to mock, and since Cheng Qingchong still didn't respond in any way, he probably lost any interest in continuing this conversation, so after a few seconds' pause, he concluded easily and cruelly, "To be honest, I haven't even thought about giving you any alimony. The only reason I refuse to take the remaining few ten thousand from you is for the sake of my peace. So please, Miss Cheng, from now onward, stay as far away from me as you can. Don't come looking for me with the pretext of loaning money or something of that sort because I really don't want to have anything to do with you anymore…"

Cheng Qingchong's slender body shook. A very small sob escaped from her bloodied lips. The sobbing was weak, and it lasted barely a second. Cheng Qingchong quickly pushed her palm to her mouth to stop herself from crying.

That sound was barely above a whisper, but Qin Yinan still captured it. His string of berating words suddenly stopped. He was silent for quite some time. Afraid that she might make a noise to expose herself, Cheng Qingchong bit on the ball on her palm. After a while, she realized she could just hang up the phone.

However, before she could do that, Qin Yinan ended the call. The dial tone on the phone appeared intensely sharp in the quiet room.

Cheng Qingchong sat there dumbly with tears falling down her face before she lay back down in bed and closed her eyes. Qin Yinan's chilling tone filled her ears.

"So please, Miss Cheng, from now onward, stay as far away from me as you can…"

"… I really don't want to have anything to do with you any more…"

Every time the phrases were repeated, Cheng Qingchong's heart twitched with pain. She raised her hands to clamp them over her ears, but it only made his words louder in her mind. In the end, she surrendered herself to the torment. Hugging the cover, she curled into a fetal position and stared blankly out the window to wait for the sun to arrive.

…

After that phone call, Cheng Qingchong really did disappear from Qin Yinan's life. It was not because she had purposely been trying to avoid him—it was simply because they no longer belonged in the same world.

Cheng Qingchong didn't return to ST Empire after lying to Qin Yinan for the sake of Su Zhinian.