Chapter Twenty-Seven: Uncontrollable Emotions

"Madam!" Ah Chen's question struck Lin Tang's heart like a heavy hammer. "Every single thing Master Qiao did for you was done with his whole heart. Don't you care about that at all? Just because this Chen guy is back, you can erase all the good things Master Qiao did for you? Is your heart... really made of stone?!"

His last words were almost a shout, filled with endless sorrow and accusation, echoing in the silent courtyard. The afterglow of the setting sun shone brightly on his bloodshot eyes.

Lin Tang's face gradually lost all color, turning as pale as paper. Tears fell onto the crape myrtle flowers, causing the petals to tremble and one to fall.

Chen Kan tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer, his voice cold: "Ah Chen, Jin Tang remembers Master Qiao's 'goodness,' but she remembers even more what he did."

The lid of Lin Tang's mourning hall was suddenly slammed down. She remembered this day six years ago when she watched Bai Mu die in front of her!

Now, he's finally back by my side!

Should I still remember the person who murdered Bai Mu, and shed tears for what he did?

No!

“Ah Chen,” her face hardened, “go back. Tell Master Qiao I will not forgive him.”

Ah Chen swayed, looking at Lin Tang, the light in his eyes gradually fading: "Madam, are you... really so heartless?"

Lin Tang swayed.

Chen Kan shielded her, coldly saying, "When it comes to ruthlessness, who can compare to Qiao Yuan? Didn't he deliberately kill me back then and take Jin Tang? But since he got her, why didn't he treat her well?"

Ah Chen's voice was hoarse, "Master Qiao is extremely good to his wife..."

"How is it good?" Chen Kan sneered. "Good enough that you let her, a perfectly healthy woman, become lame and half-dead, and then grandly marry a dancer to embarrass her?"

Ah Chen was speechless.

Chen Kan stared coldly at A Chen, as if he were looking at a dead dog.

"You were involved in what happened back then! If I have to see you harass Jintang again, my Chen family will not let you get away with it!"

After Chen Kan finished speaking his harsh words, he stopped looking at A Chen and followed behind her.

When Lin Tang reached the moon gate, she stopped and looked back.

Ah Chen was still standing there, the afterglow of the setting sun stretching his shadow long, like an abandoned child.

The wind swirled petals past her ankles, making her shiver.

"It's windy here, let's go inside!" Chen Kan's voice came from behind, with a hint of urging.

Lin Tang snapped out of her daze, nodded blankly, and said, "Yes!"

Ah Chen's back hunched for a moment in the setting sun as he gazed at Lin Tang and Chen Kan standing side by side.

Lin Tang was wearing a moon-white satin cheongsam with a thin velvet shawl loosely draped over her shoulders. She was tilting her head slightly back. Her face no longer held the cold and resolute hatred she had shown in the Qiao residence. Instead, it carried a kind of fragile confusion and a faint weariness, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted, that A-Chen had never seen before.

The person opposite me was reflected in those clear, bright eyes.

Chen Kan stood in front of her, very close.

His hand was gently brushing a strand of hair that had been ruffled by the night wind from Lin Jintang's ear, the movement so gentle as if he were afraid of startling something.

The moment her fingertips brushed against the ends of his hair, Lin Jintang seemed to tremble slightly, but she did not look away. She simply looked at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions, as if she were drowning in a river of distant time.

Chen Kan's lips moved slightly, as if he were saying something. His voice was low, like whispered words between lovers, or a sigh to soothe old wounds.

The two stood where light and shadow intertwined, surrounded by a quiet courtyard and the silent moonlight.

The tenderness of that moment and the gentleness of bygone days, like an invisible veil, temporarily separated them from this cold and cruel world.

Ah Chen's heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an icy hand, then suddenly released, leaving behind a hollow, dull pain and violent tremors.

All of this is so similar to what I saw at the Powell Foundation; they are such a perfect match...

But Master Qiao... he truly has his wife etched into his very bones...

He thought of the night Liang Kuan ambushed the lady.

After a near-death experience, Qiao Yuan, in a frenzy, rushed his wife to the hospital.

He remembered the hospital, where his wife lay on the pale hospital bed, the sheets beneath her soaked in blood, her face as white as paper, her breath so faint it seemed she might vanish at any moment.

At that time... the master also gripped the lady's hand tightly, his eyes bloodshot as if they were about to bleed...

A tremendous sense of reluctance, like an icy tide, instantly overwhelmed Achen.

Maybe……

I shouldn't say anything more.

"Madam..." he called softly, his voice so low he could barely hear himself, "I hope that after leaving Master Qiao, you can live the life you want..."

Thinking this, Ah Chen finally turned around. His figure flashed at the end of the courtyard before disappearing into the deepening twilight.

Lin Tang stood under the corridor, seemingly sensing something, her gaze following that shadow.

The evening breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying the lingering warmth of the day, and ruffled the stray strands of hair that fell across her forehead, but she was completely unaware of it.

The wisteria blossoms hung heavily from the wooden frame, a few late-falling petals swirling in the wind before silently dropping into the cracks of the bluestone slabs at her feet.

She looked at the petals as if they were her own uncontrollable thoughts, futilely falling into the dust.

"Regret it?"

Chen Kan's voice rang out abruptly, carrying a deliberately lowered, tentative tone, like a cold pebble suddenly thrown into the stagnant waters of Lin Tang's heart.

She snapped back to reality and realized that Chen Kan's gaze was heavy on her face, scrutinizing her and carrying a hint of barely perceptible coldness.

Lin Tang's heart clenched at that gaze, and she instinctively looked away. Her fingers unconsciously clenched the edge of her sleeve, crumpling the soft fabric.

"Regret?" she repeated, her voice slightly unsteady. "Qiao Yuan has committed such a grave mistake against you! I, Lin Tang, could never forgive him!"

Chen Kan stared intently into her eyes, as if trying to extract even the slightest hint of wavering from her forced composure.

"That's good." He finally spoke, his voice low and slow. "Jintang, you must remember this: Qiao Yuan is evil to the core. The evil deeds he has committed are too numerous to count! Any pity for him is superfluous and should not be shown."

He leaned slightly closer, his warm breath brushing against Lin Tang's forehead, carrying an undeniable air of dominance, "Such a villain deserves his just deserts! To be torn to pieces would be too lenient for him!"

He emphasized the word "retribution" heavily, carrying a naked sense of curse.

Lin Tang felt a chill suddenly surge up her spine, causing her to involuntarily tense up. She instinctively wanted to take a step back to avoid the sudden, oppressive feeling.

However, at that very moment, Chen Kan's gaze fell on her slightly parted lips, and the dark color surging in his eyes suddenly became thick and scalding.

Without any warning, he suddenly leaned down and kissed me with an irresistible force!

That was by no means a gentle test. His lips, burning with an almost predatory intensity, pressed heavily against hers.

Lin Tang's mind went blank for a moment, as if struck by an invisible hammer.

Fear and a strong sense of offense were poured over my head like ice water.

Lin Tang suddenly came to her senses, and with all her strength, she pressed her hands hard against Chen Kan's solid chest and pushed him outwards!

"Chen Kan!" she cried out urgently as if she had been burned, her voice filled with undisguised panic and a trembling sob.

She stumbled back a large step, her back slamming heavily against the cold pillar, the impact stinging but instantly bringing her to her senses.

Her chaotic heartbeats pounded against her eardrums like a rapid drumbeat, making her dizzy.

Her eyes darted around in a panic, unable to meet Chen Kan's gaze, which now burned like a dark fire. She lowered her head hastily, staring at the dappled light on the flagstones beneath her feet, disturbed by the shadows of the two figures. Her voice was soft and barely audible, yet it clearly drew a line in the silent night:

"I...I'm not divorced yet...this can't go on..."

The courtyard was deathly silent. Only the soft rustling of the evening breeze through the wisteria leaves sounded like a silent sigh. The few petals that had fallen into the cracks in the stone slabs were blown even further away by the wind.

Chen Kan staggered back a step after being pushed by her, and stood still. The heaving of his chest had not yet subsided, and the burning desire that had gone out of control just now was like a branding iron being plunged into ice water, making a sizzling sound, and suddenly cooling and solidifying.

The dark fire surging in his eyes hadn't been extinguished; it was merely forcibly covered by a thick layer of ashes called "reason." Beneath that layer of ashes lay an unsatisfied, forcibly suppressed restlessness, and a trace of unspeakable gloom after being rejected.

He took a deep breath, the cool night air filling his lungs, but it couldn't extinguish the burning frustration in his heart.

He slowly raised his hand, his movements deliberately slow and stiff, and straightened his clothes, which had been slightly disheveled by Lin Tang's push.

"Heh..." A low, hoarse groan escaped his throat, carrying a hint of self-mockery and bitterness, yet also seeming to be concealing something.

He raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Lin Tang again. At this moment, she was like a frightened rabbit, her back pressed tightly against the cold pillar, her head lowered, her dark hair slightly loose.

The repressed desire deep in his eyes was like a caged beast, relentlessly ramming against its cage, twisting the "gentlemanly" facade he had been trying so hard to maintain into an almost ferocious distortion. Looking at her thin shoulders pressed tightly against the cold pillar, looking at the panic and resistance she tried so hard to hide under her lowered eyelashes... an indescribable anxiety and frustration entwined his heart like a poisonous vine, tightening more and more.

The only sound in the courtyard was the wind. The lantern's glow seemed to have dimmed, casting deeper shadows on his sharply defined face.

Finally, Chen Kan took another deep breath, forcing the muscles in his face to relax, and even tried to squeeze out a soothing, gentle smile.

"Jintang..." he began, his voice deliberately low and gentle, trying to erase the roughness and arrogance from before, but deep within that voice, there was still a hint of tension that was hard to detect, "Did I scare you?"

He shook his head slightly, the forced gentleness on his face barely holding up, and a barely suppressed undercurrent in the depths of his eyes. "It was me... I couldn't control myself for a moment and acted impulsively."

He turned slightly to the side, no longer facing her directly, his gaze fixed on the deep night in the courtyard. His voice softened, carrying a deliberate distance and restraint, as if he were reciting a line he hadn't memorized:

"I... I apologize. I was impolite just now. You're right, I... lost my temper."

The candlelight in the corridor flickered gently, and a drop of scalding candle wax slowly slid down, winding a solidified, cold line on the lampshade.