HC Chapter 36 Part 2: I Don’t Love You (VI)
Dong Ci walked away, leaving an empty glass behind her. Shi Ze closed his eyes. After he confessed about everything that was burdening his heart, he finally felt relieved.
Shi Ze could admit, at least to himself, that when he was young, he had liked Dong Ci – but that feeling wasn’t great. Sometimes, he couldn’t tell whether he loved Dong Ci, or felt brotherly affection for her. As such, he was confused for a long time.
After finding out about her relationship with Jing Rong, Shi Ze was sad. But that feeling wasn’t caused by the sense of loss, but by anger that Dong Ci hadn’t found the right person to love and cherish her as she deserved.
‘Do you think that by relying on your money and influence you can get her heart?’
‘You are wrong. I don’t rely on being rich and powerful to keep her by my side. I rely on other, more dishonest means.’
At that time, when Shi Ze saw Jing Rong’s confident smile, he found the other’s face to be an eyesore. He couldn’t comprehend it. They were almost the same age, but why was Jing Rong so much better than him?
‘You are not cruel enough, not decisive enough, and you can’t even figure out what you want. What qualifications do you have to compare with me?’
Every word that Jing Rong spoke went straight to Shi Ze’s heart. Regardless of the differences between their methods and styles of getting along with people, Shi Ze admitted holding slight admiration for Jing Rong.
‘I am giving you a chance to go abroad. It is up to you whether you choose to continue living an ordinary life, or strive for future glory.’
‘…’
That was the day Shi Ze grew up in an instant. He wanted to mature. He wanted to be able to protect his loved ones. And for this goal, he chose to spend many years abroad.
But later, he discovered that there were people he might not be able to surpass despite a lifetime of hard work. Now that he has returned to China, he has discovered that the person he wanted to protect the most no longer needed his care. And even if he wanted to, he didn’t have the ability to hide her away from life’s troubles.
This was probably the weakest he felt in his life.
Shi Ze picked up the glass of wine and raised it in the same direction Dong Ci left. Gently, he whispered, “Alright.”
If you can, let the past be left behind. Let’s forget it all.
It was already dark when Dong Ci walked back to her community. A car drove past her, then suddenly braked at a tricky angle.
Dong Ci calmly stopped for a moment, turned, and walked in another direction.
“You don’t want to see me?”
A familiar voice came from behind, then there was the sound of a car door slamming shut. Obviously, the speaker was in a bad mood.
Jing Rong caught up to her in a few steps, forcefully pulled back her shoulder so she had no way of walking away, and quietly demanded, “Look at me.”
“Okay!”
‘Pa—’
As soon as the sound of her agreement rang out, Dong Ci raised her hand and slapped his face with all her strength. She lifted her head, but her eyes were red and watery. She glared at him, and with a tightly controlled voice angrily questioned, “When will you finally disappear from my life?!”
The strength of her palm wasn’t weak – its force made Jing Rong turn his head to the side. His presence seemed to exude coldness, but he was surprisingly calm.
“Were you drinking today?”
Jing Rong gently grasped her trembling little hand, and carefully wrapped it in his palm. He sighed, then chuckled – but the smile didn’t reach the depth of his eyes. “It’s the first time that Xiao Ci hit someone. You look so scared, and your hands are still shaking. Are you afraid of me?”
He was a hypocrite. He wore such a hypocritical smile, but the look in his eyes could have cooled one better than an air conditioner.
“Don’t be afraid. I love you so much, so even if you hit me – I won’t fight back.”
“Let me go!”
How could Dong Ci believe him? She tried to take her hand out of his palm, but Jing Rong tightened his hold until she almost thought that he was going to crush it with his strength. In the end, Dong Ci couldn’t bear it. She leaned down and directly bit his wrist.
“Bite me again.” Jing Rong snorted. Acting as though he couldn’t feel any pain, he stretched out his other hand and stroked the back of her exposed neck. When he found a certain spot, he suddenly pinched it, making Dong Ci loosen her teeth.
“You seem to bite me every time you lose your temper. This habit of yours is really bad.”
Perhaps he ran out of patience, or perhaps he could no longer be bothered to maintain his gentle appearance. Jing Rong pressed her shoulders and turned her around, slamming her into a car behind. “Why don’t I, as your husband, take the responsibility of helping you cure this habit?”
The anger that was suppressed for a long time finally erupted. Jing Rong pressed himself against her body and resolutely kissed her lips. But it wasn’t really a kiss – it was more like a brutal bite. Gradually, Dong Ci felt the familiar taste of iron spreading in her mouth.
“Ah…”
When Jing Rong slid his hand into her clothes, Dong Ci could no longer manage her emotions. Salty tears flowed down her cheeks, reaching the corners of their connected lips. Suddenly, Jing Rong stiffened against her mouth, stilling all of his movements.
“Don’t cry.”
Her eyes were wet with tears, looking lonely and helpless. Jing Rong’s heart twitched. He raised his hand to help her wipe the wet patches away, softly whispering, “Xiao Ci, don’t cry.”
At that moment, he regretted his rash actions.
“Can you let me go?” Dong Ci turned away from him, trying to avoid his deceptive touch. “You are always trying to suppress and control me. You left me without a job and without any friends. Did you think that I would come back to you if you acted like this? Jing Rong, let me tell you – even if I die, I won’t look back to you in this life!”
“…”
“Do you really hate me that much?”
These were probably the most vicious words Jing Rong has ever heard in his life. His heart felt as though it was going to be painfully squeezed out of his chest. His breaths quickened – it was difficult to inhale air because of the invisible pain, but he couldn’t bear to make the person in front of him hurt as much as he did right now.
“I am sorry.” This was the first apology that ever escaped Jing Rong’s lips.
His tall body enveloped Dong Ci as he leaned over and gently hugged her, seemingly using no strength at all. Weakly, he buried his head in her neck and whispered:
“Go. I won’t force you anymore.”
In the desolate moonlight, Dong Ci mercilessly pushed him away. From beginning to the end, she avoided looking at Jing Rong, so she didn’t notice a flash of sadness passing through his eyes.
Jing Rong watched her leave without blinking. When her back completely disappeared from the view, he looked up at the waning moon above his head. His squinted eyes were filled with white light, and there was a little shimmer in them. It was hard to tell what it was – tears or just the reflected glow.
There were still some traces of her bite on his wrist. The wound was slightly painful. Jing Rong slowly stroked the circle of tooth marks with his fingertips, then raised the hand and gently kissed the marked place with his thin lips.
“Xiao Ci.”
He knew she was gone, but he still called her name. His voice was full of possessiveness and lifelong obsession.
There seemed to be a thousand words that he wished to say, but in the end, Jing Rong just smiled and turned around.
His expression, as it hid behind the shadows, was both seductive and evil.
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