30 Chapter 30
◎I can't stand being abandoned a second time◎
Sang Xinqi staggered and pushed open the door. The alcohol made her steps light and ethereal as if she was walking on clouds. She forgot to close the door. The night wind quietly sneaked in through the open door, ruffling her scattered hair.
The low stool in the living room became a trap in the dim light. She tripped and fell forward. The dull sound of her knees hitting the floor was particularly clear in the silent room.
"Be careful!" Liao Yishen rushed in and supported her elbow with his warm palm in time. When the girl fell into his arms, he smelled a faint scent of jasmine mixed with red wine.
Sang Xinqi curled up on the carpet, pearl-like tears hanging between her eyelashes.
She lifted her skirt to reveal her knees, and a bruise suddenly appeared on her skin that was once as white as mutton-fat jade, like ink spilled in the snow. "It hurts..." The nasal whimper made Liao Yishen's heart suddenly tighten.
He bent down and picked her up horizontally. The girl immediately wrapped herself around him like a vine, her hot cheek pressed against his neck.
As his back sank into the sofa, she suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt. "Liao Yishen..." Her drunken eyes reflected the warm light of the wall lamp. "Have you missed me all these years?"
The air froze instantly. Liao Yishen clenched his hands at his sides into fists. He wanted to think. How could he not want to think? Every midnight, memories cut through his flesh like a blunt knife in his dreams.
Sang Xinqi, who didn't get an answer, suddenly exerted force.
He was caught off guard and was pulled down by her, with his hands on her ears.
The tips of their noses touched, and the blending of their breaths was filled with the richness of wine. The girl's misty eyes fell on his lips, and suddenly she tilted her head back to touch that warmth.
"Don't..." When the rejecting hand touched her thin shoulder, the alcohol mixed with years of pent-up longing burst out.
He took the initiative and held the back of her head. The kiss went from tentative to fierce, as if he wanted to make up for the past eight years.
Sang Xinqi's clumsy biting gradually turned into broken gasps, but she still stubbornly wrapped her arms around his neck.
Outside the window, the door that was not closed tightly was still shaking gently, and the moonlight drew a swaying silver line on the floor.
At some point, Sang Xinqi's white dress had been pulled down to her waist, with the silky smooth fabric piled around her slender waist.
Her smooth skin shimmered like pearls in the dim light, and her collarbone was as delicate as porcelain, rising and falling gently with her rapid breathing.
Liao Yishen's breathing suddenly became heavier, his Adam's apple rolled, and dark currents surged in his eyes. The girl's panting was soft and delicate, like a feather tickling his nerves, making his heartbeat completely out of control.
He leaned over, pressed his hot lips against her round shoulders, and kissed them gently, moving all the way down. Every inch of her skin seemed to be soaked in honey, making him indulge in it and unable to extricate himself.
Sang Xinqi shuddered slightly, her fingertips unconsciously clenching the carpet on the sofa, her breathing becoming increasingly irregular...
The night wind rushed in from the open door, and Sang Xinqi's exposed skin trembled slightly.
Liao Yishen's movements suddenly stopped, the muscles in his arms supporting her tensed, and his Adam's apple moved with difficulty twice. He stared at her, a dangerous undercurrent swirling in his eyes.
Reason and desire tore at each other in his mind. Finally, he stood up suddenly, grabbed the blanket on the sofa and wrapped her tightly. When he turned around, his knuckles were blue and white.
"Feel sorry."
The coolness gradually dissipated the mist in Sang Xinqi's eyes, and she half-raised herself with her elbows.
"Are you leaving now?" She raised the last line of her voice, like a small hook, "Liao Yishen?"
The man's back paused noticeably.
She called out again deliberately, this time with a trembling voice that sounded a little aggrieved.
He turned around suddenly, but his pupils shrank the moment he saw her appearance.
The irritability that had been suppressed surged again, and he had to clench his fists to maintain his composure. "Now that you're awake, I..."
"Ah!" The girl suddenly cried out in pain.
Liao Yishen immediately knelt on one knee beside the sofa, only to see her fingertips gently touching the bruise on her knee. When she raised her face, her eyes were red like a kitten caught in the rain, "It hurts..."
The sob pierced his heart, and he asked, "Is there a medicine box?"
"No."
He stood up.
The corner of her clothes was suddenly grabbed, and Sang Xinqi curled up in the corner of the sofa with her legs curled up. Her voice was so soft that it was almost inaudible, "Stay with me a little longer..."
A sour and bloated feeling suddenly swept through the chest.
He should have hated her, the back that didn't even turn back eight years ago, and the smile she showed to others during this period.
But at this moment, looking at the little swirl on the top of her hair, the surging emotions turned into more complicated ones, with a mixture of pity and resentment.
"I have medicine at home," he said as he stood up, and immediately heard uneasy rustling sounds behind him.
Sang Xinqi stepped barefoot on the carpet, her fingertips trembling slightly as she tugged at the hem of his clothes. "Is it coming back?"
The man paused for a long time, then he hummed softly, picked up the blanket on the sofa, and wrapped it around her. His fingertips accidentally brushed against her collarbone, causing both of them to tremble at the same time.
Liao Yishen looked up at her, with an undercurrent in his eyes, "I'll get it."
Sang Xinqi nodded obediently, but her fingertips unconsciously twisted the edge of the blanket.
To her surprise, Liao Yishen actually came back very soon. Her heart finally settled down as he walked in carrying a medicine box.
He placed the medicine box on the coffee table and opened it.
Sang Xinqi suddenly put her legs on his knees, and her white toes shone like pearls under the light.
Liao Yishen stopped holding the ointment in mid-air and looked at her sideways.
Under the influence of alcohol, the corners of her eyes turned red and her eyes were watery, making her completely different from the proud Sang Xinqi in her daily life.
"Don't you want to apply medicine?" She tilted her head, her hair sliding down her shoulders.
Liao Yishen's Adam's apple moved slightly, and he silently applied the ointment. The moment the cotton swab touched the bruise, Sang Xinqi gasped and her knees instinctively trembled.
"Be patient," he said, moving gently, his fingertips brushing the skin of her legs lightly. Silence spread between them, with only the sounds of each other's breathing intertwined.
"Okay," he was about to stand up when Sang Xinqi suddenly grabbed his wrist, "Liao Yishen, let's start over!"
The lid of the medicine box snapped shut.
When Liao Yishen turned to look at her, the tenderness in his eyes had frozen into ice. "Don't joke like that."
His voice was hoarse. “I can’t stand being abandoned a second time.”
Sang Xinqi grabbed his sleeve, the fabric crumpling in her palm, "This time I won't..."
"Your promise," he pried open her fingers one by one, "is no longer valid."
He stood up and left quickly, the door closing with a sound like a dull hammer.
Sang Xinqi looked at the closed door, a self-deprecating smile on her lips.
Yes, it was she who left without looking back. What right does she have to talk about starting over now?
Her pearly teeth sunk into her lower lip, and her heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand.
But then I thought, since I'm already a bad guy, I might as well stick to it.
She took out her phone and sent a message to the familiar social account, "See you tomorrow."
The message fell on deaf ears, but Sang Xinqi didn't care. She stood up and limped into the bedroom to wash up.
-
The next morning, Sang Xinqi woke up in a daze when the sunlight shone through the gauze curtains onto the bed. She glanced at the alarm clock and saw that it showed 10:07. She sat up suddenly and didn't even bother to pull up the shoulder strap of her silk pajamas as it slipped off.
"It's over, it's over..." She rushed into the bathroom barefoot, brushed her teeth, washed her face, put on makeup, then changed clothes and went out. The whole process took less than an hour.
After hurriedly arriving at the studio, the assistant heard footsteps and looked up from her busy work, "Boss, what's going on today..." His eyes swept over her slightly messy hair and he suddenly smiled knowingly.
"I overslept," Sang Xinqi said calmly as she pushed open the office glass door. Xiao Zhang teased her from behind, "Being the boss is great. You don't get your salary deducted for being late."
She turned around and blinked, "Why don't you also work hard and strive to become a boss?"
Xiao Zhang smiled and said, "Okay, I'll try my best."
After chatting for a while, Sang Xinqi walked into the office and started her busy day.
By the time she finally finished the last design, the lights outside the window were already on.
While stretching, he glanced at the screensaver on his phone. It was a photo they took eight years ago when they came out of a movie together.
After packing up and leaving get off work, she bought some fruit on the way home. When she got home, she did not open her own door, but walked to the door opposite. After hesitating for a while, she pressed the doorbell.
Unexpectedly, the door opened quickly.
Liao Yishen was wearing home clothes and a dark grey apron. The aroma wafting from the kitchen made Sang Xinqi's stomach growl.
"It smells so good!" Her eyes lit up, and she took advantage of the other person's distraction to nimbly slip into the room.
The living room maintains a minimalist style, and the only bright colors in the gray and white main tones are a few pots of green plants on the balcony.
She deliberately placed the strawberries in the middle of the coffee table; the bright red fruits instantly brought life to the cool-toned space.
Liao Yishen frowned and stood in front of the kitchen door, "It's not good for you to do this."
"Why not?" Sang Xinqi shook the grapes in her hand. "It's normal for friends to have dinner together."
Seeing that he still had a stern face, she suddenly took a step closer and asked, "Are you afraid to eat with me?"
The whistling sound of the steamer was heard at the right time.
Liao Yishen's ears turned red as he turned around, but he heard brisk footsteps behind him, "I'll help set the table!"
Without his consent, she went into the kitchen, took the dishes and put them on the dining table in the living room.
When Liao Yishen brought the last dish of stir-fried seasonal vegetables to the table, the porcelain plate made a crisp sound when it collided with the glass table top.
The two of them sat opposite each other, and the sound of chopsticks occasionally hitting the edge of the bowl was particularly clear in the quiet restaurant.
Sang Xinqi ate rice in small sips, but couldn't help but steal a glance at the person opposite her. Under the warm yellow light, Liao Yishen's drooping eyelashes cast a light shadow under his eyes. His cheeks, which bulged slightly when he chewed, were still the same as eight years ago, but now the outline was clearer.
After dinner, Sang Xinqi pinched a strawberry and gently turned it. The bright red juice slid down her slender fingertips, spreading red spots on the white tablecloth. "Liao Yishen..." She suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with a tiny light. "I'm serious."
These words hit my heart like a piece of red-hot charcoal.
Liao Yishen clenched his water glass and said coldly, "Our relationship ended that summer."
Sang Xinqi's fingers suddenly froze.
The strawberry stem was still pinched between her fingers, but a sour feeling was rising from the bottom of her heart. She lowered her head and stared at the red mark on the tablecloth. Her voice was as light as a feather falling to the ground, "We can start over.
Liao Yishen did not answer her, but stood up silently. His bony fingers gathered the bowl and chopsticks, making a slight sound.
His back looked particularly distant under the light, as if an invisible wall had been built around him.
"Go back," he said in a low voice, with an irrefutable determination, "don't come here again."
After saying that, he turned and walked into the kitchen. The sound of water running from the faucet quickly cut off the last connection between the two.
Sang Xinqi stood there in a daze, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the table, until the cold touch seeped into her skin, and she suddenly came back to her senses.
My chest felt like it was being tightly gripped by something, making it difficult to breathe.
She slowly stood up and closed the door gently as she left, as if this could keep everything of the night inside.
After returning home, she mechanically washed and changed into pajamas. It was not until she lay down in bed that she finally let her emotions completely burst out. In the darkness, she stared at the ceiling, and his words echoed in her ears over and over again -
"Don't come here again."
Just five words, but they were like a knife, cutting her heart.
-
Although Liao Yishen's words were harsh, Sang Xinqi turned a deaf ear to them.
She was like a stubborn cat, scratching his door on time every day after get off work, and he let her in every time, as if the determination that day had never existed.
Until this day.
The door opened, but it wasn't the familiar face.
The woman standing at the entrance was wearing a beige knitted skirt, with slightly curled hair and gentle eyes. Sang Xinqi's fingertips were still hanging in the air, but her smile had already frozen.
She recognized this face. At the art exhibition, she stood beside Liao Yishen and whispered; in the restaurant, they talked and laughed; at the banquet, he blocked the wine for her.
"Hello, are you looking for Yi Shen?" The woman's voice was like a cup of warm water, just the right amount of intimacy.
Sang Xinqi's nails dug into her palm unconsciously, "Is he home?"
"Taking a shower," the woman turned sideways, and the sound of water in the bathroom could be heard faintly. The steaming hot air cast a blurry shadow on the frosted glass.
These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head. Sang Xinqi suddenly felt that the draft in the corridor was too cold, so cold that her teeth were chattering.
The woman suddenly laughed, not in provocation, but rather as if she saw the helplessness of a child who was angry.
"What are you laughing at?" Sang Xinqi heard her own voice sound strange and shrill.
She must be looking ridiculous right now, like a stray cat drenched in rain, stubbornly squatting on someone else's doorstep.
The woman was about to speak when the bathroom door clicked.
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