Chapter 16

The bloody taste spread in her mouth, Xia Xi furrowed her brows, and she punched and kicked the man who was forcing himself on her.

Useless.

That man was like a stone pillar, showing no reaction at all.

And she was like a rabbit whose neck was choked; no matter how she struggled and fluttered, she could not escape.

Time passed bit by bit; Xia Xi grew tired, ran out of strength, stopped resisting, but he still refused to let her go.

Their intertwined breathing was infinitely magnified in the darkness; anyone passing outside would suspect that something ambiguous was happening inside.

Xia Xi did not know what Xu Yanfeng's motive was for kissing her—revenge, or…

Another possibility, she didn't even dare to think about.

By now, how could she dare to be sentimental and think he still had her in his heart?

She knew better than anyone that she didn't deserve it.

She didn't deserve Xu Yanfeng's love.

Gradually, the fierce kiss, like a sudden storm, changed its flavor, carrying a hint of soothing, just as it had been when the two of them were deeply affectionate before.

Xia Xi's eyes grew hazy, almost losing herself in the kiss, forgetting what night this was.

Perhaps it was in a dream?

Just as she instinctively wanted to respond, Xu Yanfeng released her. In an instant, Xia Xi snapped out of her daze, returned to reality, her whole body feeling as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her, making her shiver.

She couldn't see Xu Yanfeng's expression; that was fine, he probably couldn't see her current intoxicated look either.

Xia Xi's hand hanging at her side clenched into a fist, her nails digging hard into her palm to force herself to stay calm, then she asked in an icy tone the man who had forcibly kissed her over a disagreement: 'Xu Yanfeng, what kind of madness is this?'

Xu Yanfeng let out a cold snort, not answering her question, his palm up as he pinched her cheeks on both sides, his breath blowing on her face: 'I'd rather ask you, when you dumped me for Zhou Du back then, why didn't you stay with him forever?'

If the man standing here today were Zhou Du, he would have accepted it willingly, even smiling and wishing this dog couple a hundred years of harmony. Too bad her boyfriend isn't Zhou Du.

What is Lu Mingji anyway? Since she could break up with Zhou Du, why didn't she choose him?

Could he not even manage to be a spare tire? He really wanted to poke Xia Xi's heart and ask her, 'How can you be so heartless, woman?'

Xia Xi closed her eyes; regarding Zhou Du, she had nothing to explain, so she didn't explain.

'Speak up!' Xu Yanfeng roared at her in a low, hoarse voice.

That gritting-teeth ferocity, as if he wanted to swallow her whole and strip her alive.

Last time at the hotel confrontation, Xia Xi had her back to him and couldn't see his scarlet eye corners; this time was the same, because the surroundings were pitch black, she couldn't see his bloodshot eyes, nor the love-hatred intertwined in their depths.

Xia Xi had nothing to say; her body was exhausted to the extreme, her heartache numbed, and she only lightly advised him: 'Xu Yanfeng, calm down a bit. I have a boyfriend, you have a girlfriend, we each…'

She hadn't finished speaking when Xu Yanfeng cut her off with a cold laugh: 'You just like the thrill of cheating, don't you? This is exactly what you want.' He gripped her waist, pressing her body against his; she genuinely felt his body temperature, scorching hot, and his indifferent voice sounded again above her head, devoid of any emotion: 'I'll satisfy you.'

The instant his words landed, his scalding lips fell on the skin at the side of her neck, like a red-hot branding iron stamped there. Xia Xi's body shrank, and a huge sense of humiliation welled up in her heart.

Back then she had chased him with a thick skin, and even at his most impatient he had never humiliated her like this.

The contrast between past and present churned, making Xia Xi's five viscera and six bowels ache.

She knew this was of her own making, no one to blame, yet she couldn't hold back, and bean-sized tears rolled from the corners of her eyes.

Plop, plop.

Two drops of tears hit Xu Yanfeng's face; he jerked hard, as if his heart had been pierced with two holes, blood slowly seeping out, the pain coming slowly yet intensely.

Xu Yanfeng's lips left her neck, he slowly straightened his body, and his hand fumbled for the switch on the wall.

A blazing white light flared up, filling the room. Xia Xi was already tear-streaked all over her face; she startled for a moment, like a ghost that cannot bear the light, her two hands hurriedly covering her face as she curled up and squatted on the ground, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Xu Yanfeng lowered his gaze, staring fixedly at her, his hand reaching out but then hovering in midair.

He also didn't know why things had turned out this way.

The mocking words 'boring' on the tip of his tongue were never spoken.

He was afraid that if she heard it she would cry even harder.

*In the private room, the gathering was practically over.

Ding Wen Qi summoned the waiter to settle the bill, only to be told it had already been paid; upon asking, he learned that Xu Yanfeng had instructed it to be charged to his account.

Everyone stood up to say goodbye, forming small groups of three or two, asking each other how they'd get home, and if it was on the way they'd carpool.

Ling Yan looked around but didn't see Xu Yanfeng's figure; after thinking a bit, she recalled he seemed to have gone out and never returned, then she glanced at the others present and realized Xia Xi wasn't there either.

She suddenly had a bad premonition, stood up, grabbed her bag, said nothing to the others, and left the private room first.

The hallway was empty, and the terrace at its end was also empty.

As Ling Yan walked back, she passed a private room and heard a man's low voice from inside: 'Don't cry.'

Her steps halted abruptly; Ling Yan turned her head in surprise toward the closed door, thinking it might be… Xu Yanfeng's voice.

Ling Yan raised her hand and knocked on the door, her tone slow and tinged with uncertainty: 'Ah Feng, are you in there?'

Xia Xi, crouched by the door, jumped in fright, hastily wiped the tears from her face, and stopped crying.

'Ah Feng? Ah Feng? Are you in there?'

Outside the door, Ling Yan kept knocking persistently, calling Xu Yanfeng's name, her voice sounding very anxious, as if she would try to break the door down if it didn't open soon.

Xia Xi couldn't imagine herself and Xu Yanfeng appearing before others in their current state, what kind of misunderstanding it would cause; thinking of that, she didn't care about anything else, reached out and tugged at his pant leg: 'You go out first…'

Xu Yanfeng glanced at her, said nothing, turned the lock, and pulled the door open to go out.

Xia Xi hid behind the door, never showing herself the whole time.

Ling Yan saw Xu Yanfeng, put her heart back in her chest, and raised a smile: 'Ah Feng, what are you doing in there…'

Before she could even utter the word 'what,' her attention was drawn to Xu Yanfeng's lips; the smile on her face faded gradually until it vanished completely.

Xu Yanfeng's lips were crimson, stained with blood.

Ling Yan wanted to deceive herself, thinking it was just an accidental bump, but another voice in her mind told her clearly: 'Don't be naive; it could hardly have been a knock.'

Her gaze swept past him, probing toward the door behind him.

Is Xia Xi inside?

What did they do? Is it what she imagined? Have they rekindled their old romance? How could that be?

Could Xu Yanfeng have forgotten how that woman betrayed him? Countless questions flooded his mind, but Ling Yan lacked the courage to ask. Not only did she lack courage, she lacked the qualification. Her face drained of color bit by bit, becoming as white as the wall.

At that moment, a group of people chatted and laughed as they came out of the private room, seeing the two silently facing each other, they were a bit curious: "General Manager Xu, Miss Ling, haven't you left yet?"

Zhao Lei wanted to say goodbye to Xia Xi, but didn't see her, and wondered: "Where did Xia Xi go? Did she slip away to the restroom?"

"No way, her boyfriend is still here."

Lu Mingji belatedly realized that Xi Xi had been in the restroom for too long; he worried something might have happened to her in there, after all she had drunk so much alcohol. He pulled out his phone from his trousers pocket and dialed her number.

The ringtone of the incoming call came from the private room behind Xu Yanfeng.

It's still quite... a shura field... slipping away, see you tomorrow~(End of chapter)