But the next second.

Julian shook her hands off and left without looking back.

At the same time, bodyguards arrived in front of Sienna and spoke in a professional tone:

"Ms. Sienna, regarding the actions you took in university that infringed upon the rights of others, Mr. Julian has already provided evidence to the police. We will be taking you to the police station."

Sienna slumped on the ground, her hair messy and her eyes brimming with tears, looking utterly disheveled.

...

After the dinner was over, Celine had just hailed a taxi for the drunken Sun Shiya and was preparing to head back herself.

The next moment, a black Bentley pulled up in front of her.

The window rolled halfway down, revealing Julian’s handsome profile.

"Celine, let’s talk."

His voice was a bit hoarse, permeated with a sense of exhaustion.

"There is nothing for us to talk about."

Celine turned to leave.

But Julian stepped directly out of the car, his large hand gripping her wrist to pull her back.

"Let go!"

Celine struggled, frowning, but he held her even tighter.

She raised her foot to kick him, but he pinned her down, forcefully pressing her against the car door so she couldn't move.

"Julian!"

Her voice rose. "If you’re sick, go to the hospital; don't go crazy in front of me!..."

"I’m sorry."

Julian bowed his head, his voice filled with apology and guilt.

Celine was stunned.

"I was wrong. Whether it was five years ago or now, I was completely, thoroughly wrong."

Chapter 17

"I have already handled Sienna’s situation; I will make her pay the price for what she has done. As for us..."

Julian watched her intently with both eyes.

In his mind, he recalled the moment Sienna questioned him about whether he had truly fallen in love with Celine.

"Five years ago, I actually did fall in love with you."

He let out a breath and finally admitted it.

"It was only because I didn't recognize my own feelings at the time that we missed out on each other for so many years."

"Actually, in these five years, I searched for your whereabouts more than once, but to no avail. Now that we can meet again, how can it not be fate giving us another chance to continue our unfinished journey?"

"Julian, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Celine looked at the surging emotions in his eyes, feeling somewhat confused. She wanted to push him away, but he held her hands tightly.

"I’m trying to say that I love you."

Julian’s tone was sincere. "Even after five whole years, I still can't forget you. So now, I want to make up for my past confession. Celine, be with me."

Faced with the sudden confession, Celine froze for a moment, then exerted force to pull her hands away from his grasp.

"I refuse."

Her voice was flat. "We had no relationship five years ago, and five years later, it is even more impossible..."

"Then dare you say that you have never loved me?"

Julian’s tone suddenly grew agitated. He pinched her chin, forcing her to look up and meet his eyes. "Do you dare say that you have already let me go over these five years?"

Celine frowned slightly and spoke slowly: "I don't love you..."

"You’re lying!"

Julian’s gaze landed on the necklace around her neck, as if he were determined to tear through all her disguises and lies.

"If you really didn't love me, if you really had let me go, then what about the necklace you’re wearing?"

HYX.

"HYX. Julian. You’re still wearing a necklace with my initials to this day. Celine, how much longer are you going to deceive yourself? You love me!..."

"Let go!"

Celine pushed him away forcefully. Subconsciously, her palm clutched the pendant on the necklace, avoiding his gaze. "This is my private business and has nothing to do with you! If you pester me again, I will call the police!"

Having said that, she stopped looking at him and walked away straight ahead.

But before she had gone two steps, loud whistles and laughter erupted in front of her.

Several drunken thugs wobbled forward, blocking Celine’s path, and teased:

"Hey, did the little beauty have a fight with her boyfriend? Why not come with us brothers? Let us brothers show you a good time!"

As they spoke, greasy hands reached toward Celine’s face.

But before they could touch her, a fierce fist cut through the air and smashed into them with great force!

Chapter 18

With a dull

thud

.

The man screamed, his body staggering backward as he flew out and crashed into the ground.

"You dare to touch her, just because of who you are?"

Julian’s voice was cold, permeated with intimidation.

The remaining three drunken thugs froze, then became enraged with embarrassment and swarmed him while cursing.

Julian’s movements were agile, clean, and fierce. In the blink of an eye, he had neatly subdued two of them.

But the next second, he was ambushed—a glass bottle was smashed against the back of his head!

"Julian!..."

Celine’s exclamation hadn't even finished fading.

CRASH!

The sharp sound of shattering glass rang out.

Shards flew against Julian’s fair temple, and warm, scarlet blood spiraled down his eyebrow bone, soaking his sharp jawline—a shocking sight.

Yet he did not retreat. Instead, he subconsciously tightened his arm to protect Celine behind him more securely. Relying on his remaining ferocity, he spun around and landed a heavy punch on the attacker’s chest, then raised his foot to neatly sweep the last man off his feet.

Following several cries of pain, all four thugs lay sprawled on the ground, wailing incessantly and unable to climb back up.

Julian’s vision became somewhat blurry due to blood loss and the impact.

But he only raised his hand to casually wipe the blood from his cheek before immediately turning sideways to look at Celine behind him, asking with concern: "Don't be afraid, it’s all over, you’re safe."

Celine stood in place, watching his blood-stained face. A flash of complex emotion crossed her eyes, but it vanished instantly.

She avoided his gaze, took out her phone, and kept her fingers steady and calm: "I’m calling an ambulance."

It was as if the man bleeding before her for her sake was merely an insignificant stranger.

Julian’s hand at his side tightened suddenly. His heart felt as if it were being fiercely gripped by a sour, chilly sensation—painful in a way that eclipsed the wound on his forehead—and a suffocating, dense feeling swept over his entire body.

"Are you still holding onto what happened five years ago, refusing to forgive me, even now?"

Celine simply lowered her eyes, looking at the emergency call on her phone screen. Her long eyelashes hung low, hiding all the emotions in her eyes. She neither denied nor admitted it.

Julian looked at her cold, distant features, his own bloodshot eyes burning with deep, dark light. Finally, he let out a breath.

"That’s okay."

He smiled, and then, word by word, clear and solemn, it pierced through the chilly evening breeze:

"I will prove it to you, and let you see my sincerity with your own eyes."

The next day, the Julian Group held a press conference. The theme was—

Julian, President of the Julian Group, publicly apologizes to Celine.

Chapter 19

The vast press conference venue was packed, and the live stream was broadcast across the entire internet.

Julian, dressed in a formal black suit, stood alone in the center of the stage. The microphone in front of him carried his voice clearly to every corner.

"I am holding this press conference today not for the sake of the Julian Group's reputation or any business dispute, but for one person—Celine."

Gasps and whispers erupted from the audience.

But Julian ignored them and continued:

"The cheating case during the college entrance exam five years ago was a frame-up that I carried out myself."

"After the incident, Celine never admitted guilt. She desperately gathered evidence, doing everything in her power to prove her innocence. She could have cleared her name and possessed a bright, open future."

"But I..."

His voice grew heavier and deeper. Every word and sentence was a form of self-torture.

"It was I who personally destroyed all the evidence she had gathered to prove her innocence, and I used the Julian Group’s connections and power to forcibly send her into a detention center."

The audience was already dead silent. Everyone looked shocked; no one dared to make a sound anymore.

"I also indulged Sienna’s evil deeds, and time and time again, I hurt her..."

Julian mentioned Sienna, mentioned having Celine locked in the cellar, and mentioned the rumors and insults.

He laid bare every single injury he had once inflicted on Celine before the eyes of the whole world:

"The darkness, humiliation, and despair she suffered—all the physical and mental pain, all the unhealable scars—all stemmed from my selfishness, paranoia, and injustice."