HC Chapter 31

HC Chapter 31: I Obey You (X)

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In the end, she didn’t casually go and ask Jing Rong to clarify this question. And, later on, he used his actions to clearly answer it, anyway.

Her major required Dong Ci to draw various designs, so she often stayed in Jing Rong’s study and sometimes even used his computer to look up information. Most of the time, he wasn’t there.

That day, when she needed to use his computer, Jing Rong happened to be smoking a cigarette in the study. Noticing Dong Ci’s approach, he quickly extinguished the cigarette and stared at her.

“Umm, I wanted to use the computer,” Dong Ci awkwardly explained the purpose of her visit. Unable to withstand his aggressive eyes on her body, she looked away.

Jing Rong grinned and slowly replied, “You are, of course, welcome to use it.”

Having gotten his permission, Dong Ci hurriedly sat down at the desk and logged in to her account, ready to download the documents that were sent into the class’s group.

Suddenly, a friend’s request appeared on the screen. Dong Ci didn’t look too closely at it and immediately clicked ‘Confirm’. She looked around, then remembered that she left her drawing book in the living room, so she got up to get it.

During this whole time, although Jing Rong wasn’t hovering near the desk, he was still in the study. When Dong Ci returned with the drawing book, she didn’t see him at first glance. Briefly, she thought that maybe he had already gone out, but when she turned her head, she found him sitting behind the desk.

“You…”

There was only one chair there, and Jing Rong was sitting there with no apparent intention of leaving. Just as Dong Ci was hesitating whether to shoo him away, Jing Rong hooked his arm around her waist and made her sit on his lap.

“Turns out, my Xiao Ci is popular.”

At first, Dong Ci had no idea what he was talking about. Then she noticed a chat dialogue box that was opened on the computer’s screen.

‘Hi, little beauty. I am the boy who sat next to you in a lecture today. I borrowed a pen from you, do you remember me?

‘Anyway, my name is Wang Tao. I have been interested in you for a long time. I heard that you don’t have a boyfriend yet. I would like to become a candidate for this position, so please consider me.’

Dong Ci was taken aback. Before she could react, there was a beeping sound, signifying the arrival of another message. Dong Ci clicked on it as it was from a female classmate who attended the same lectures as she did. It said: ‘A senior student in our faculty is interested in you, and wants me to give him your contact information. His name is Chen Zeming, and he is the Student Union’s Vice President. You should be aware of who he is.’

Releasing a low chuckle, Jing Rong put his chin on her shoulder and squinted his eyes at the screen. Softly, he asked, “Which one does Xiao Ci like more?”

“I, I don’t like either of them. I have no impression of them at all.”

“Oh—”

Jing Rong’s voice was flat as he asked a question as the hand around Dong Ci’s waist tightened: “Didn’t you tell them that you already have a man?”

“…”

The only thing that Dong Ci wanted to do today was to download the project documents from the class’s group. How did the situation become like this? It seemed that every time that something dramatic happened in her life, Jing Rong was nearby to witness it. Fortunately, he didn’t embarrass her too much, making Dong Ci release a sigh of relief.

In fact, she already rejected several people who confessed to her at the university.

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Usually, Dong Ci was taken to school by the driver every morning. Generally, he parked the car at the intersection not far from the campus. But whenever Jing Rong personally sent her to university or came to pick her up, he would always park his car right in front of the entrance.

Jing Rong had many cars. Dong Ci did not recognize all of the brands, but she could guess how expensive they were just by the reactions of the surrounding students every time they got off them.

There were still a lot of rumors about her, and with time, they got more excessive. Inadvertently, Dong Ci caught a glimpse of the surrounding students looking in her direction. She frowned. To this day, the stares made her feel particularly uncomfortable and exposed.

She thought back to her time in high school, when everything seemed so much simpler. Sometimes, she envied Yan Ning Shuang. The other girl’s name was also surrounded by many unpleasant rumors, but she was still so confident every day. Even when she was alone, with her temperament, it was difficult to discern whether she was lonely or unhappy.

Yan Ning Shuang didn’t care about the gossip, and she would never let herself be affected by outsiders.

Dong Ci tried to imitate the other girl’s life philosophy, but she completely failed.

During a lecture, Dong Ci’s mobile rung multiple times. Fortunately, it was muted, so no one was disturbed – but it was still slightly annoying. Dong Ci picked it up and wanted to directly hang up, but the number displayed on the screen was very familiar.

“Shi Ze…”

They haven’t seen each other since the night he kissed her.

Dong Ci stared at the name on the phone in a daze. A struggle appeared in her eyes. In the end, she hung up.

“Dong Ci!”

After class, she didn’t expect Shi Ze to appear at the doors of the lecture hall. He had obviously been waiting for a while because his face was pale from the cold.

“Aren’t you going to give me an explanation?”

At this time, there were a lot of students in the hallway, and the pair of them standing there was particularly eye-catching. Dong Ci didn’t want to further exacerbate the rumors, so she pulled Shi Ze into a remote corner.

“After I came back home, I went to your house to find you. But your neighbor told me that your mother owed a lot of money to loan sharks, and was taken away. You also haven’t returned for a very long time. I called you many times, but you never picked up the phone.”

“Sorry.”

Shi Ze ignored her apologetic whisper and continued: “You never told me about your successful admission into the F University. After the start of the school year, I have made many inquiries before I was sure that you were here, and I heard a lot of bad rumors about you.”

“Sorry.”

Dong Ci lowered her eyes, no longer daring to look at him. She had no words to say, except that one pitiful ‘sorry’.

“Is it the only thing you are going to say? I worked so hard to find you, but the only thing I am going to hear is ‘sorry’?”

Shi Ze’s personality was cold, but he never reprimanded Dong Ci since childhood. Today, his gaze was icy as he looked at her, and slowly enunciated, “Dong Ci, I want to hear your explanation.”

Explanation?

How can she explain?

Dong Ci avoided looking at his cold expression by turning her head to gaze at the scenery outside the window. She took a deep breath and said with a wry smile, “Shi Ze, think about it. I have no money and no power. My mother also took a loan and even got sick. How could I have entered this university despite all this?”

Shi Ze’s face paled. For a moment, he seemed taken aback. Then he slowly said, “Someone told me that you were taken to be raised by a rich man. There were even some photos of you getting off different luxury cars. They said that you were seen visiting certain entertainment venues and that you are being supported by different men.”

The rumors have already progressed so much?

Dong Ci asked with a sneer, “Do you believe that’s true?”

“No, I don’t believe it,” Shi Ze quickly replied. He took a few steps forward and looked at the petite girl. “But I want to hear an explanation that would make this belief even firmer.”

“I understand, but I have nothing to explain.”

Dong Ci felt tired of this conversation with Shi Ze. She slightly closed her eyes and slowly continued, “The photos are real. I do get off different luxury cars quite often, and I do often go to certain entertainment venues.”

The cars belong to Jing Rong, and those places are frequented whenever he is bored. She can admit all of this, but she won’t say anything about the rest. In the end, it’s difficult to refute those assumptions that others have made.

“Who owns those cars? Who takes you to those places? Xiao Ci, just what kind of life are you living now?”

These series of questions suffocated Dong Ci. Before she could think of an appropriate explanation, Shi Ze walked over and held her shoulders. “Xiao Ci, do you remember what I said to you before?”

‘Xiao Ci, trust me. In the future, I will definitely protect you and Aunt Song.’

Of course, she remembered what he said at the time. She could even clearly remember the look on his face when the words spilled out of his mouth. If there was a choice, Dong Ci would’ve waited for him. But… the circumstances didn’t allow her to have that luxury.

In just a flash, Shi Ze was already very close to her. His lips lightly brushed against Dong Ci’s.

Recovering from her thoughts, she shivered in fright and quickly pushed him away.

“What are you doing!”

She was frightened. The force she used just now was so big that even she had to retreat by several steps. Unexpectedly, she slammed into the arms of a person behind her. Dong Ci hurriedly looked up and was met with Jing Rong’s cold gaze.

“This is really a big surprise you gave me.”

Jing Rong tightly encircled her waist with his arm, his other hand stretching out to fiercely rub her lips with his thumb. It felt as though he was trying to get rid of a layer of skin on them.

“Ah.”

Dong Ci painfully grabbed his arm, but as soon as she moved, Jing Rong’s arm on her waist tightened even more. He fiercely whispered, “Don’t move!”

He was very angry – so angry that Dong Ci immediately stilled, though her body couldn’t help but slightly tremble.

“Who are you? Let her go!”

Shi Ze felt that he has already seen this man somewhere before, but he couldn’t remember where. But his treatment of Dong Ci was very rude, so he stepped forward and took one of Jing Rong’s hands away from the girl, trying to pull her back.

“Let her go!”

Jing Rong’s enraged eyes were focused on the unfamiliar hand that took hold of Dong Ci’s small one. This person, he wasn’t allowed to defile her with his touch!

“It’s you who should let her go!”

Noticing Dong Ci’s reddening eyes, Shi Ze thought that she was scared. He once again pulled at her, and said, “Xiao Ci, come to me!”

Dong Ci shook her head. She felt Jing Rong’s anger with her very soul. Fearing that he would somehow retaliate against Shi Ze later, she had no courage of disobeying him now.

“Xiao Ci, your dear older brother is calling you over.”

Jing Rong suddenly let her go, hiding the dangerous aura that was on full display just a second ago. He smiled and pushed her – intentionally setting her up.

“I, I won’t go. I won’t.”

Even though Jing Rong’s expression was full of smiles, the cold gaze couldn’t be hidden so easily. Dong Ci already understood his temperament after knowing him for so long. She knows that if she willingly takes even just a step, she and Shi Ze will both suffer!

“Jing Rong—” Dong Ci flung Shi Ze’s hand away and hugged the other man’s waist, asking with a tremble in her voice, “Shall we go now?”

Jing Rong’s fingers slowly swept across Dong Ci’s cheeks as he let her hold him without reciprocation. He glanced at Shi Ze, who stood in one place as though stunned, and with a smile softly replied, “With Xiao Ci refusing to go over, won’t your dear older brother feel sad? Quickly, go over there.”

With the last words, he actually started to push her Shi Ze’s way.

“No.”

Dong Ci avoided looking at Shi Ze’s expression. She buried her face in Jing Rong’s arms, tightly hugged his waist and cried out, “I just want you. I want to be with you.”

“So disobedient, I have spoilt her too much,” Jing Rong deliberately spoke with a mock reprimand. He stroked the girl’s hair, adopting a victorious posture, and slowly said as he looked the other man’s way: “What to do? Xiao Ci doesn’t seem to want to go with you.”

This was obviously a provocative sentence, yet he acted as though he was helpless.

“Who are you?”

Shi Ze’s voice was a bit hoarse. Even though he witnessed everything with his own two eyes, he couldn’t believe that the girl he grew up with would become like this. He closely stared at Dong Ci’s back, as though trying to see through her.

“Who am I?” Jing Rong repeated. He picked up Dong Ci into his arms and kissed her right in front of Shi Ze. “I am the man who, as you said before, gave her a place to live and drove her to various entertainment venues in luxury cars.”

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T/N: The last chapter of ‘I Obey You’ part. The next chapter will be half of the ‘I Obey You’, and half of the ‘I Don’t Love You’ – 2. The ‘I Don’t Love You’ part is the continuation of Chapter 2, where it was cut off after Dong Ci tried to escape the house after she and Jing Rong were already married.

That being said, Patreon has chapters up until Chapter 34.

Thank you all for reading these series and showing support! ^^

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