Click.
Hearing the sound from the entranceway, Ruan Zhixian, who had been lying on the sofa, immediately put down the game controller and turned to look.
“Ah, Su Ling, you’re back…..”
“Ah! Su Ling, your face! And all these messy marks on your body! What’s this red stuff? Blood?! Su Ling, are you hurt?!”
Standing at the entrance was a disheveled black-haired girl. Her once smooth and flowing jet-black hair was now matted and stuck to her sweat-dampened forehead and neck.
The right side of her cheek was noticeably swollen and red, with a blurry palm print faintly visible, a stark contrast to the pale, paper-white complexion of the left side of her face.
The sharply tailored suit she wore was covered in dust and stains, and the slightly sheer black stockings were speckled with darkened blood stains—whether hers or someone else’s, no one could tell.
Seeing Su Ling like this, Ruan Zhixian hadn’t even managed to say “Welcome home” before letting out a startled exclamation, immediately followed by a barrage of questions.
After a brief silence, the disheveled black-haired girl finally spoke.
“Zhixian, I’m fine. This blood is not mine…”
“Phew! As long as you’re okay! Sit here and wait, I’ll get something to help you.”
Before Su Ling could finish, Ruan Zhixian grabbed her hand, pushed her down onto the sofa, then hurried to the kitchen and began rummaging through the fridge.
“Wait, Zhixian, I… I have something to say……”
“Ah, Su Ling, just wait, I’ll be right back!” The girl busied herself in the kitchen without looking back.
“Zhixian! I have something really important to tell you!”
Su Ling suddenly raised her voice.
“Hm?”
Ruan Zhixian poked her head out of the kitchen, holding a makeshift ice pack she’d just prepared with ice cubes wrapped in plastic.
“Su Ling? Did something happen?”
The blonde girl tilted her head slightly, her beautiful eyebrows furrowed in concern.
“Yes, I have something very important I want to say to you, Zhixian.”
The black-haired girl on the sofa looked straight into Ruan Zhixian’s eyes, speaking each word solemnly.
“So, Su Ling, what is it you want to say to me?”
Ruan Zhixian walked over and sat beside Su Ling, gently pressing the ice pack against the swollen side of her face.
Oh, oh, oh, so it’s something important! Could it be that Su Ling finally couldn’t hold back her feelings and was about to confess to me?!
The blonde girl’s heart fluttered with anticipation as she looked eagerly at the black-haired girl.
“Zhixian…. I….”
Su Ling’s words faltered.
“Mm-hmm!”
Ruan Zhixian nodded encouragingly to show she was listening.
“I… I want to say…. I…”
Oh! Is she finally going to say it?!
“I… I’m sorry!”
“Eh?!”
The ice pack slipped from Su Ling’s hand. Ruan Zhixian’s face froze in confusion, wondering if she had misheard.
“Zhixian! I’m sorry! All this time I’ve been lying to you!”
“The Yuan family never had any trouble! The so-called protection was all fake! I just selfishly locked you up here!”
Having finally said everything she wanted to, Su Ling felt as if a heavy stone had dropped from her heart and let out a long sigh. But right after, an endless wave of fear and anxiety crashed over her.
What will Zhixian think… will she accept my apology… what can I do to earn her forgiveness…
“But, why?”
The blonde girl seemed to have just come back to her senses, looking confused.
“Why did you lock me up, Su Ling?”
“That’s because I heard you were going to get engaged to Gu Tian!”
The black-haired girl hurriedly replied.
“Eh? Engaged? To who? Me and Gu Tian?!”
“No way! I’d never get engaged to that second-generation rich kid, that jerk! No chance!”
Without hesitation, Ruan Zhixian immediately denied it.
“That’s great! I knew you definitely didn’t like him!”
Even though she had already guessed this, hearing it directly from the girl in front of her still made Su Ling happy.
“But Su Ling, you still haven’t explained why you locked me up. Even if you heard such news, why did you keep me here?”
Before Su Ling could finish feeling happy, the blonde girl began questioning again.
“That’s because… that’s because! Because I simply can’t imagine losing you!”
“I can’t imagine you being with someone else! I can’t imagine you marrying someone else! You’re mine! You have to be mine!”
Su Ling grabbed Ruan Zhixian’s shoulders fiercely. Her eyes darkened, and her messy black hair shook wildly with the movement, making the girl look terrifying and fierce at that moment.
“Wait, Su Ling, it hurts!”
The strength in Su Ling’s hands made Ruan Zhixian cry out in pain.
“Ah, sorry, Zhixian! I… I didn’t mean to!”
The cry from the girl she loved instantly brought Su Ling back to her senses. Flustered, she quickly released her grip.
“Ow… it’s okay…”
Seeing the blonde girl grimace in pain, Su Ling lowered her head.
“I’m sorry, Zhixian… I… I just like you too much…”
“I… I care about you too much…”
“That’s why when I heard about your engagement, I locked you up immediately and lied to you for so long…”
“This kind of love… is ugly and disgusting, isn’t it…?”
“But… but I really can’t bear to lose you!”
Su Ling grabbed Ruan Zhixian’s hand.
“Please! Please don’t hate me! I’ll apologize! I’ll make it up to you! As long as you forgive me, I’ll do anything!”
The black-haired girl lifted her head, her gaze humble. Her long eyelashes trembled as her beautiful phoenix-like eyes filled with naked, almost broken pleading.
***
After Su Ling finished speaking, there was a long, silent pause.
Then, under her hopeful yet fearful gaze—
The blonde girl slowly shook her head.
“No! No! Zhixian! I beg you……”
Before the nearly desperate cry could finish, a hand gently lifted.
“No, Su Ling, your love is not disgusting at all.”
Ruan Zhixian extended a finger, pressing it gently against Su Ling’s slightly chapped lips.
Her emerald eyes widened a little, looking directly at Su Ling without averting her gaze, her expression serious and focused.
“Su Ling, do you know? Actually, I like you too~”
The blonde girl picked up the fallen ice pack and softly pressed it against the black-haired girl’s swollen face again.
“I don’t know exactly when it started…”
“Maybe it was from the first time we met two months ago? Being with you always makes me feel relaxed.”
Ruan Zhixian spoke softly, a gentle smile in her eyes.
“Eh? But… why… why would you like someone like me…?”
Su Ling blinked in surprise for a moment, then broke free from the finger on her lips, hurriedly asking.
“Why would you like Su Ling…? Actually, I’m not sure either.”
Ruan Zhixian pressed her finger back onto Su Ling’s red lips, looking thoughtful.
“But I can tell you for sure, I really do like you.”
“I like the Su Ling who says she wants to live with me. You’ve prepared everything carefully so we can live together; the house is fully stocked, the bedroom decorations look just like mine, and the bookshelf is filled with the games I love.”
“I like the Su Ling who eats the food I cook. Every time we eat, you smile so adorably, it makes me think: Wow~ someone loving their own cooking is such a happy thing.”
“I like the Su Ling who brings me little gifts every day. You guess what I like and pick gifts carefully, you know my tastes and buy me snacks.”
“Even if you work late sometimes, you never forget to bring me little cakes. That bit of clumsy Su Ling is really cute and makes me like you even more~”
“It’s not just those things, there are so many more. If you want to know, I can tell you all of them!”
“Oh, and even Su Ling looking a bit scary just now—I like that too! Looking cool, it’s the side of you I’ve never seen before!”
As she said this, Ruan Zhixian kept smiling gently, her eyes never leaving Su Ling’s. Her emerald pupils reflected the black-haired girl’s incredulous figure.
“B-but…”
Su Ling’s voice cracked, her reddened black eyes slowly clouding with tears.
“But my possessiveness is strong; if I don’t see Zhixian, I might start imagining things…”
“That’s okay, I’ll tell you every day where I’ve been and what I did in full detail.”
“But! But I might hurt Zhixian, just like I did just now!”
“That’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it. I’ll stay with you and help you control your emotions.”
“But! But! But I even fantasize about Zhixian’s body! I even secretly treat you like a side dish!”
“Ah, really?”
Ruan Zhixian covered her mouth softly, then looked at the girl before her with a big smile, watching the girl blush deeply from what she had just said.
“That’s okay! Shy Su Ling is really cute too!”
“But… but I…”
Before the anxious girl could find another reason, that slender finger pressed against her lips again, cutting off her words.
“I said, no matter what kind of Su Ling you are, I like you.”
“Although my feelings might not be as deep or as much as yours, I want to show you my love, show you how much I care.”
“I will make sure you feel safe with me, no matter what’s on your mind.”
“Let’s take it slow together, and get better together, okay?”
The blonde girl tilted her head slightly, her smile bright and gentle, as if it could melt ice and snow.
“Wah wah wah wah wah wah! Zhixian! Woo woo wah wah wah wah wah!”
After staring blankly at Ruan Zhixian for a moment, the black-haired girl stumbled into Ruan Zhixian’s arms, clutching tightly at her collar and bursting into tears.
“There, there, don’t cry, don’t cry….”
Ruan Zhixian gently patted the girl’s thin, trembling back. When the sobbing quieted down, she softly cupped Su Ling’s small head.
“I accept your apology. Starting tomorrow, we’ll turn the page, alright?”
Ruan Zhixian’s hands slowly lifted, gently brushing away the bangs stuck together from tears. Then, leaning in toward those tear-filled black phoenix eyes, she kissed her softly.
“Mm, mm…”
The black-haired girl blushed so deeply in Ruan Zhixian’s palm it seemed she might bleed, her voice faint as a mosquito’s hum.
“Damn it…….. Finally, I’ve escaped from that outskirts hellhole……”
***
On a street at night, Gu Tian staggered forward, his body stained with blood and dirt.
Though he didn’t know why the devilish woman and her secretary disappeared after he woke up, at least this gave him a chance to escape! Once I get back, I’ll definitely…
“Gu Tian! I finally found you!”
A sharp female voice rang out behind Gu Tian. He turned his head to see a petite figure in a red dress standing under the dim streetlight. Behind her was a large, dark mass of people.
“Finally, you made it easy for me, finding someone from the Gu family! Gu Tian! Hurry up and tell me where you’ve hidden Zhixian and Madam Ruan!”
Tang Jin’er planted her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at the disheveled man before her.
Hmph! The Gu family all hid away the moment trouble hit! Made me search all day! And I don’t even know where that idiot Mu went, leaving me to do this alone… When I see her tomorrow, she’ll regret it!
Tang Jin’er thought with satisfaction.
Why does Gu Tian look so miserable…? Could it be that after the Gu family lost power, some enemy who hated them captured and beat him? Whatever, it’s not important. No matter what, this guy deserves it…
Tang Jin’er gloated.
“What Madam Ruan? What hiding?”
Gu Tian looked completely confused, then a bad feeling rose in his chest…
“How dare you pretend not to know! Didn’t you admit before that your Gu family kidnapped Zhixian and Madam Ruan?!”
Tang Jin’er’s anger flared up instantly.
He admitted it before and was still so arrogant! And now that the Gu family is in this state, he still dares to act tough with me!
“Wait, I really don’t know….”
“Still dare to lie to me!”
The furious Miss Tang wasn’t interested in wasting more words. She waved her hand back.
“Guys, beat him! Beat him until he tells the truth!”
“Yes, Miss!”
A group of suited men cracked their knuckles and slowly advanced.
“Wait, wait! I really don’t know where the Yuans are! Help! Don’t come near me!”
Amid cries of pain, Gu Tian disappeared inside the circle of burly bodyguards.