Chapter 348 You are me, you can only love me
Cui Xiao's eyes widened. Belatedly, she pushed him hard, stomped on him, and finally bit him.
Zhou Mubin seemed oblivious to the pain, remaining motionless until Cui Xiao's lips went numb from the kisses and his eyes reddened, at which point Zhou Mubin finally released him.
The next second, Cui Xiao slapped him across the face.
A crisp "snap" rang out in the quiet night.
Cui Xiao's hand was still frozen in mid-air, her fingertips numb and painful.
Just now, she swung her hand out of sheer humiliation and anger, along with all the pent-up resentment she had suppressed over the years, which slammed hard into his face with the force of her palm.
Zhou Mubin's head was knocked to one side, and stray hairs fell from his forehead, obscuring the emotions in his eyes.
In the few seconds of silence, only the rapid breathing of the two could be heard. Cui Xiao could even see the taut curve of Zhou Mubin's jawline and the slightly throbbing veins on his neck.
Cui Xiaoyuan thought he would be furious. After all, Zhou Mubin was a prodigy, a young master from Hong Kong who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. How could he let it go after being slapped by a woman?
But Zhou Mubin simply turned his head slowly, his gaze falling on her reddened eyes, carrying a melancholy she couldn't understand.
Five clear finger marks were imprinted on his left cheek, their color an unnatural red, but they did not weaken his aura in the slightest; on the contrary, they added a touch of fierceness.
Zhou Mubin stared at her for a few seconds. "Feeling better now?"
Cui Xiao was stunned for a moment, then remained silent.
Zhou Mubin didn't react much, but his voice was lower than usual, "If it's not enough, we can have more."
Cui Xiao was speechless, unable to speak.
After a long while, Cui Xiao clenched her fists and asked, "Zhou Mubin, what exactly do you want?"
Zhou Mubin stepped forward, and Cui Xiao instinctively stepped back, but Zhou Mubin grabbed her wrist again.
This time, Zhou Mubin's touch was much lighter, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible heartache. "I told you, I want to marry you."
His voice was even lower, as if he were declaring, "Cui Xiao, you are me, and you can only love me."
Seeing the clear finger marks on his face, Cui Xiao felt a pang in her heart. But remembering his domineering kiss just now, and her years of unrequited love, she forcefully suppressed that wavering.
“Zhou Mubin, I don’t belong to anyone, I am just myself.”
Cui Xiao forcefully pulled her hand back, took two steps back to create distance, and said, "Besides, you want to marry me not because you love me, but because you're unwilling to accept it. You're unwilling to accept that the woman who has secretly loved you for so many years suddenly stops loving you, which makes your proud self-esteem feel an unprecedented sense of defeat. That's why you're so desperate to marry me, to make me fall in love with you again. But what will happen after you marry me? Once the novelty wears off, once the competitive spirit is gone, our marriage will vanish like smoke. You will eventually grow to hate me, and I will eventually become a bitter, resentful woman in a wealthy family. When we both despise each other, there will truly be no going back."
Zhou Mubin was stunned.
He had never thought about these things.
I never imagined that Cui Xiao saw through everything so clearly.
Cui Xiao stopped looking at him and turned to walk away.
This time, Zhou Mubin didn't chase after her. He watched as the evening breeze blew her long hair, obscuring her face and the unspeakable emotion in her eyes.
Zhou Mubin stood there for a long time, watching her figure grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the building entrance.
He raised his hand and touched his cheek where he had been hit; it still retained her warmth, yet carried a chilling coldness.
After Cui Xiao returned home, she stood by the window for a while, making sure Zhou Mubin had left before she drew the curtains.
She collapsed heavily onto the sofa, her mind in turmoil.
I suddenly have a strong urge to drink.
Cui Xiao got up, her bare feet stepping on the cold marble floor, and walked step by step towards the bar in the corner of the restaurant.
Above the bar was a glass wine cabinet. He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes hard, as if trying to completely erase the scene from his mind.
Cui Xiao took out an unopened bottle of whiskey. To be honest, this was the first time she had ever drunk alone at home.
Because she used to have to be at Zhou Mubin's beck and call 24 hours a day, and couldn't drive after drinking, Cui Xiao wouldn't drink even on holidays.
Since there was no bottle opener at home, I simply used brute force to unscrew the cap, and the pungent smell of alcohol instantly filled the air.
Cui Xiao didn't even bother to find a glass. She tilted her head back and took a big gulp from the bottle. The burning sensation of the whiskey slid down her throat to her stomach, making her wince in pain.
Cui Xiao slumped onto the sofa, clutching the wine bottle. The bottle leaned against her legs, and the amber-colored liquid dripped slowly from the bottle's neck, leaving a small, dark stain on the light-colored sofa cover.
The night outside the window grew darker, and the city's neon lights shone through the gaps in the curtains, casting flickering shadows on her face.
As the alcohol began to take effect, Cui Xiao's head became dizzy, and her vision began to blur.
First it was Zhou Mubin's face, then it became Mo Ziqian's face, but in the end it became Zhou Mubin again.
He's really persistent; she's already resigned, what more does he want?
Cui Xiao got completely drunk and unknowingly fell asleep on the ground.
The next day, everyone at the law firm knew that Attorney Zhou had stayed at the firm all night and his eyes were practically bulging from lack of sleep.
The main issue is that while Attorney Zhou is highly skilled, he is definitely not a diligent person. How did he end up staying up all night to review cases?
Therefore, there is an unspoken understanding among everyone in the law firm.
Zhou Lu is in a bad mood, so it's best to avoid him.
Since no assistant has been chosen yet, the person who delivers coffee to Zhou Mubin in the morning is under immense pressure; it's a thankless task that no one wants to do.
Every morning, the administrative and human resources departments draw lots to decide who gets the job.
Because everyone knows that not delivering coffee will get you scolded, and delivering coffee is still the same as getting scolded.
A veteran employee from the administration department was assigned this arduous yet significant task. She knocked gently on the door and only dared to enter after hearing a "come in."
Holding a cup of coffee, he smiled and placed it on the desk, "Lawyer Zhou, your coffee."
Zhou Mubin's eyes were bloodshot. He picked it up, took a sip, and frowned as if he were wearing a rope. "Is this coffee? Even chicken poop tastes better than this."
As expected, it's become commonplace.
The employee smiled and said, "Attorney Zhou, these are the coffee beans that Assistant Cui used before."
Zhou Mubin put down his coffee and glanced at her hand. "Are those chicken feet?"
The employees couldn't smile.
This is a blatant personal attack.
Fortunately, Zhou Mubin wasn't one to make things difficult for his employees. "Go out."
Employee: "Yes."
She went out, gently closed the door, took a deep breath, and sighed, "Life was so much better when Assistant Cui was here. What kind of life have I been living these past few months?"
A colleague walked up to her and teased, "This love is now just a memory, for at the time it was all in vain. Sigh, sigh, sigh..."
Just then, a young woman walked into the law firm.
No one took it seriously, until the young woman said, "Hello, is Cui Xiao here? I'm her sister."
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