Her fingers were still trembling uncontrollably. Meng Zihan gripped the powder puff with all her might, like an emotionless craftsman, pressing the thick layer of powder onto her burning cheeks, bit by bit. The cool touch of the foundation and the burning sensation on her skin intertwined, creating an indescribable torment.
The face in the mirror was so unfamiliar that she almost didn't recognize it.
His eyes were vacant, his smile stiff, like a mannequin in a shop window.
She carefully wiped away the lipstick stains that had smudged from the corners of her mouth when she twitched in pain with a cotton swab, and then reapplied a bright color, finally managing to get things sorted out.
Fortunately, Zhou Shixian did not nitpick anymore.
He stood up from the sofa, gave her a cold look, then picked up a hair clip inlaid with tiny pearls from the coffee table and tossed it over, as if giving alms to a beggar.
"Put it on."
Meng Zihan didn't dare to ask any more questions, or even say that the hair clip didn't match her dress.
She carefully caught the hair clip and quickly inserted it into her hair bun.
She was facing the mirror, wondering if she needed to adjust her position, when Zhou Shixian took out a pair of diamond earrings and threw them directly into her outstretched hand.
"Put them on," he commanded.
"good."
Meng Zihan nodded, took off the pair of earrings from her ears, and then, with trembling hands, threaded the cold earrings through her ear piercings.
My cheek, which had just been slapped, was still throbbing, and my ears were also a little numb, making the act of getting my ears pierced seem particularly clumsy.
Fortunately, I managed to put it on quickly.
Zhou Shixian's gaze lingered on her for a few seconds, seemingly satisfied. He turned around and coldly ordered, "Let's go."
In December, the port city, though not as dry and cold as the river city, is filled with a dense, persistent dampness mixed with the sea breeze, which seeps right into your bones.
Meng Zihan was only wearing a thin pink dress. As soon as she stepped out of the apartment building, the night wind made her shiver and goosebumps instantly rose all over her body.
Even after getting into the car with the heater blowing, she still couldn't help but shiver slightly, the chill seeming to seep from her very core.
Outside the car window, the neon lights of Victoria Harbour stretched into a dazzling sea of light, casting colorful shadows of the city's nighttime prosperity onto the glass.
Wrapped in that thin dress, she looked at her blurry reflection in the car window and felt like a puppet on strings, sitting alone in a luxurious cage.
But she would rather sit here than go back to her dilapidated little house in Jiangcheng.
She chose this path, and even if she has to crawl on her knees, she will walk it to the end and never turn back!
The banquet was held on the rooftop of a luxury hotel, where crystal chandeliers shone brightly, and elegantly dressed guests mingled amidst the clinking of glasses.
Led by Zhou Shixian, Meng Zihan moved among the pot-bellied, greasy-smiling men like a fine accessory.
From beginning to end, she had to maintain a flawless smile.
Her teeth were practically aching from clenching so hard she could barely suppress the trembling in her body.
That smile was like a mask welded onto her face; over time, she forgot how to make other expressions.
During the meal, she could clearly feel the men's unabashed gazes, from her face to her neck, and then to her slender legs beneath her skirt. Every now and then, rough, warm hands would "inadvertently" brush against her arms or waist as they toasted or brushed past her.
She felt nauseous, but she had to keep her smile even sweeter.
She knew better than anyone that her sole purpose in being there was to be a pretty vase, accompanying Zhou Shixian to social events, helping him get drinks for his business partners, and even becoming a tacit joke at their dinner table in exchange for a chance to cooperate.
She endured until the end of the banquet, her legs aching and numb, as if she were walking on cotton.
I felt lightheaded and only managed to stay upright thanks to my last bit of willpower.
The black Mercedes-Benz came to a smooth stop in front of her apartment building, but there was still a short walk to the building entrance.
Zhou Shixian didn't get out of the car, nor did he intend to escort her upstairs. He simply rested his hand on the steering wheel, glanced at her sideways, and suddenly asked, "Are you cold?"
Meng Zihan was about to get out of the car when she heard this. She quickly put on a smile, shook her head, and said in a voice so gentle it could melt your heart: "It's alright, Brother Zhou, I can handle it."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Shixian sneered, "It seems that the punishment I gave you was too lenient."
Meng Zihan was startled, and the smile on her face instantly froze.
She quickly changed her tune, her teeth chattering: "Cold...cold, Brother Zhou, I...I'm so cold."
“That’s good, it’s cold.” Zhou Shixian stared at her darkly. “Next time, before you act on your own, consider your place. I tell you what to do, and you do it. I don’t need your own ideas. Do you understand?”
Meng Zihan lowered her head like a student who had made a mistake, nodding repeatedly: "I understand, Brother Zhou, I understand."
"get off."
Zhou Shixian turned his head forward and impatiently uttered two words.
Upon receiving the pardon, Meng Zihan quickly pushed open the car door and stepped out, trembling.
The cold December wind was like a rogue, wrapping itself around her thin body and almost making her lose her balance.
Behind them, the car engine roared and sped away.
She walked alone on that road, her high heels making a hollow sound on the concrete.
When I pushed open the apartment door, the room was pitch black and silent.
Meng Zihan's body was as cold as if she had just been pulled out of ice water, but a fire was burning in her chest.
All the grievances, shame, and fear came crashing down on her at that moment, breaking down her last line of defense.
She couldn't hold on any longer, so she slid down to the ground against the cold door, buried her face in her knees, and burst into tears.
The sobs escalated from suppressed whimpers to desperate wails, sounding particularly desolate in the spacious and expensive house.
After that night, Zhou Shixian's attitude towards her completely changed.
He no longer had a pleasant expression, and even the smallest thing that didn't suit his mood would become a reason for him to vent.
At first, he would just throw things, curse at her with the most offensive language, or push her hard.
Later, it turned into taking direct action.
Show no mercy, beat them mercilessly.
Compared to Liu Mingxuan before, he is even better.
Meng Zihan had long since spent all the money she brought back from Jiangcheng, and Zhou Shixian had stopped giving her pocket money.
She was trapped in this gilded cage, struggling to make ends meet. Sometimes she could only afford one meal a day, and she didn't even have the money to go out shopping or relax.
For Meng Zihan, going home was no longer a time of relaxation, but the beginning of a nightmare.
The days were like being soaked in bitter water, each one a torment.
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