Chapter 26 His smile vanished from his eyes.
Jiang Zhiyan used all his strength this time, and Ren Yu's body arched up like a shrimp, staggering and half-kneeling on the ground, panting from the pain.
That wasn't all. Jiang Zhiyan grabbed him by the collar, the hem of his expensive coat falling to the ground. Jiang Zhiyan, who was usually a bit of a germaphobe, seemed oblivious as he raised his fist, expressionless, about to smash it into Ren Yu's face.
Xia Zhiyu was terrified. The blush on her face turned pale, and she was frozen in place, unable to move.
She deliberately showed closeness to Ren Yu in front of Jiang Zhiyan just now, which was indeed intended to provoke Jiang Zhiyan.
She wanted Jiang Zhiyan to back down and never bother her again, but she didn't expect Jiang Zhiyan to react so strongly that he hit Ren Yu directly.
This was completely different from the Jiang Zhiyan she remembered.
Isn't Jiang Zhiyan the kind of calm person who would remain unmoved even if the sky were to fall? When did she become so emotional?
Jiang Zhiyan's fist was aimed straight at Ren Yu's face.
Before her brain could react, her body acted first. Xia Zhiyu frantically grabbed Jiang Zhiyan's arm and said:
"Jiang Zhiyan, what's wrong with you now?!"
A soft warmth climbed up his arm, and Jiang Zhiyan froze. Xia Zhiyu hadn't hugged him like this in a long time.
How long has it been? Jiang Zhiyan searched his memory, but he soon realized with sorrow that, let alone holding his arm, they had barely even held hands since he returned from America.
His relationship with Xia Zhiyu was like it had entered an ice age.
Taking advantage of Jiang Zhiyan's distraction, Ren Yu punched him in the face after regaining his composure.
Although he did not receive boxing and judo training like Jiang Zhiyan for many years, Ren Yu's physical fitness was greatly enhanced by his life and routine in Wangcuo over the past two years.
Jiang Zhiyan's head was turned to the side after being hit, and red marks quickly appeared on her fair skin. The corner of her eye, which had been grazed by her knuckles, was so red that it looked like it was about to bleed.
His vision blurred, and he saw Xia Zhiyu hurriedly release his arm, asking Ren Yu in a worried tone where he felt unwell and whether he needed to go to the hospital. She didn't even have time to give him a glance.
He was clearly the one who looked more seriously ill.
The salty, bloody taste spread across his lips. Jiang Zhiyan watched Xia Zhiyu's attentive care for Ren Yu, and his blood surged in his chest. He felt that the scene before him hurt even more than the punch Ren Yu had just delivered to his cheekbone.
Xia Zhiyu suddenly turned to look at him, and Jiang Zhiyan felt a glimmer of hope in his heart. He even subconsciously brushed the dust off the corner of his clothes.
"Why did you rush up and hit me without even asking what happened? You're a law student, don't you know what intentional assault is? If you keep doing this, I'm going to call the police."
She trembled with anger, her eyes filled with heartache and indignation for others, and her lips, which once spoke sweet words, now held nothing but resistance towards him.
The plastic bag was blown up by the wind, zigzagging through the air before landing on the ground beside him. Jiang Zhiyan stared intently at Xia Zhiyu, his expression growing increasingly cold and somber.
All of this felt too detached from Jiang Zhiyan. In his relationship with Xia Zhiyu, he had always been in a superior position. He was used to Xia Zhiyu putting him first in everything and enjoyed the admiration and deep love in Xia Zhiyu's eyes when she looked at him.
So when he was abruptly dumped, everything seemed particularly bizarre, unreal, and unacceptable to him.
Every time Jiang Zhiyan returned home to find the house empty and Xia Xiaojiang standing high above him, coldly looking down at him, he felt that the meaning of his struggles had been cruelly erased.
The only thing he looked forward to each day was seeing the WeChat icon light up, and Chen Ruoyu sending him bits and pieces about Xia Zhiyu.
She didn't hold on tight when she was collecting the sheets, and the white sheets were blown by the strong wind to the tree in front of the shop. Xia Zhiyu rolled up her sleeves and nimbly climbed the tree, laughing triumphantly and smugly as she grabbed the sheets.
At an altitude of 5,000 meters on Mount Gongga, Xia Zhiyu, wearing sunglasses, smiled brightly and made a peace sign in front of the camera. Her smile was even brighter and more dazzling than the golden mountain under the sun behind her.
...
He saved the photos and videos by date, filling up a seven or eight terabytes of hard drive in three months.
These videos couldn't make him happy. In fact, while watching them, he would repeatedly realize that Xia Zhiyu's happiness at this moment came from another man. But not seeing Xia Zhiyu's figure and smile only kept him trapped in a vortex of anxiety day and night, unable to escape.
These videos are like an overdose of morphine injected into a dying patient; after the pain is briefly relieved, what remains in the body is an ever-increasing craving.
What is she doing?
Are you used to living on the plateau?
Sangzhu said she had severe altitude sickness. Did the medicine he sent her work?
I want to see her.
I want to touch her.
I want to kiss her.
...
I want to get inside her.
Their lips intertwined, exchanging saliva, their fingers clasped together.
Then he grabbed her by the neck and threatened her that she could never leave him.
The kisses were accompanied by the acrid smell of blood.
Like a hyena seizing a hard-won, precious meal.
If Jiang Zhiyan had been told three months ago that he would be stared at by Xia Zhiyu like an enemy in the future, he would have definitely called and sent that swindler to a mental hospital.
What a joke! Everyone in this world would hate him, except Xia Zhiyu. Xia Zhiyu loves him so much.
His beloved Xia Zhiyu got together with a scumbag like Ren Yu not long after breaking up with him, and even planned to marry Ren Yu.
In the five years he was with Xia Zhiyu, how come she never mentioned marriage even once?
Compared to the two, Jiang Zhiyan felt the coldness of the world and the chill in his bones. Even an idiot like Ren Yu could dance on his face.
"It's okay, don't worry about it. I should have beaten him up back in Beicheng. He bullied my kid, didn't he?"
Ren Yu shielded Xia Zhiyu behind her, staring coldly at Jiang Zhiyan. Every word she uttered seemed to be dancing on Jiang Zhiyan's nerves.
"Your child?"
Jiang Zhiyan's eyes grew colder and colder, and she sneered, "Is your attitude towards your child to abandon her when she fainted in the hospital?"
Ren Yu's face stiffened, and the arm protecting Xia Zhiyu unconsciously lowered a little.
The fact that he abandoned Xia Zhiyu in the hospital is a hurdle he can never get over in his life. Every time it is mentioned, it feels like a knife cutting into his heart. And Jiang Zhiyan's specialty is to rub salt into other people's wounds.
"But I forgave him."
Xia Zhiyu clung tightly to Ren Yu's arm, with most of her body shielded behind him, only half her face visible. Her tone was resolute.
“As long as I forgive him, this matter is nothing. Don’t use things from the past to hurt our relationship.”
Jiang Zhiyan took a step closer, her tall figure pressing aggressively, "Then what about me? You can forgive anyone else, so why can't you forgive me? It's not like I can't change."
His tone was subdued, his dark pupils fixed on Xia Zhiyu, whose face was pale and whose eyes still held fear. He wished he could pull her out from behind Ren Yu and let her compare how different Ren Yu was from him.
Xia Zhiyu felt uneasy. The Jiang Zhiyan in front of her was not like the person she knew at all. His gaze was filled with burning obsession and indignation, and his eyes were scorching. She almost dared not look up to meet Jiang Zhiyan's gaze.
Panic fermented in her heart, a chill spread through her body, and Xia Zhiyu's fingertips trembled as she fumbled for her phone. She clutched Ren Yu's sleeve, her voice filled with suppressed fear.
"Let's go home and stop bothering him."
Ren Yu gently gripped her arm, protectively shielding her shoulder, "Don't be afraid, it's okay, I'm here."
This oblivious intimacy was like pouring oil on Jiang Zhiyan's anger, instantly igniting his fury and malice.
"Xia Zhiyu, what do you like about this trashy guy? Besides saying nice things, what has he ever done for you? Are you blind?"
Ren Yu became famous.
"Even if all I can say is nice words, I'm still a hundred times better than you. What else can you do besides giving her the silent treatment and being mean to her? Yu Yu has told me everything. If you ask me, the biggest mistake she ever made was falling for a stupid idiot like you."
And that wasn't all, Ren Yu said with a cold smile.
"Why didn't Yuyu tell you that she runs a social media account? Think about how bad you are as a boyfriend that your girlfriend wouldn't even dare to tell you that she runs her own social media account. As her girlfriend, she's afraid of being scolded by you, afraid that you'll think she's not ambitious. You've manipulated a perfectly good girl into this state."
“I feel sorry for her even though you don’t. Jiang Zhiyan, don’t think that just because you have some money and power you can step on other people’s backs to be a father. Not everyone cares about you. Don’t even think about bullying Yu Yu anymore.”
Xia Zhiyu didn't speak, but silently tugged at the hem of Ren Yu's sweater, avoiding Jiang Zhiyan's gaze. She bit her lower lip, not saying a word, but standing clearly behind Ren Yu.
Jiang Zhiyan didn't spare Ren Yu a single glance, only staring silently at Xia Zhiyu. His black coat made his face appear even paler, and his tall body was stiff. Although he was dressed expensively and appropriately, his expression revealed a disheveled air.
Like a large dog abandoned by its owner, even after its fur is washed clean, it cannot hide the air of despair emanating from its body.
Her eyes and the tip of her nose were red. Although it was Ren Yu who was confronting Jiang Zhiyan, Jiang Zhiyan's gaze was fixed on Xia Zhiyu with despair and obsession, his gloomy emotions so intense that they were almost overflowing.
Xia Zhiyu consistently avoided his gaze, hiding most of her body behind Ren Yu, so he could only see her long hair being blown about by the wind.
Like a little fish raising its tail, it splashed water all over his face and then patted its tail mercilessly before leaving.
Who allowed her to run away?
Who allowed her to so heartlessly abandon him?
Jiang Zhiyan lowered his eyes, and suddenly felt a sharp pain on the front of his forehead, his nerves twitching.
The bleak autumn wind howled past, carrying with it Xia Zhiyu's intermittent laughter. The sound was very soft and faint, almost inaudible. Jiang Zhiyan raised his hand to support his forehead, the pain intensifying. All he could see was Xia Zhiyu's back.
Ren Yucheng held her slender shoulders protectively in his arms, and her figure receded further and further away from him.
How could you suddenly abandon him?
fraud.
-
Was the matter resolved so smoothly? Xia Zhiyu glanced back at Jiang Zhiyan, who was standing still, feeling a vague sense of unease.
Jiang Zhiyan has always been the kind of person who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Why did he let her go so easily this time? Does a person's conscience really grow? Does Jiang Zhiyan know he was wrong?
She whispered to Ren Yu, "Let's hurry up, Jiang Zhiyan doesn't have such a good personality."
Ren Yu patted her back to comfort her, saying, "It's okay. I don't believe Jiang Zhiyan has much guts in broad daylight. I've been training for years."
As he spoke, he even let Xia Zhiyu touch his bulging biceps.
The look of smugness between his brows was clear.
Xia Zhiyu couldn't help but laugh, feeling much more at ease.
"Remember to buy a Coke downstairs later. Oh right, don't let it slip that I drink alcohol, or my dad will scold me again."
"Don't worry, buddy, my mouth is top-notch."
Ren Yu made a zipping motion, which, combined with his somewhat fierce face, was quite amusing, and Xia Zhiyu smiled with her eyes crinkling.
When I'm happy, I even find the bare tree trunks by the roadside cute, wrapped in pink antifreeze film, looking like Patrick Star stuck upside down on Bikini Bottom beach.
Xia Zhiyu took out her phone and aimed it at Patrick Star's sprawled, chubby body. Just as she was about to press the shutter button, Ren Yu's phone suddenly rang like a death knell. Xia Zhiyu had heard Ren Yu's phone ringing earlier, and seeing that Ren Yu still didn't seem to be answering, Xia Zhiyu frowned.
"What's wrong? Answer it. It's all fine now."
Ren Yu's shoulders slumped. A few words were spoken urgently in Tibetan on the other end of the phone. Ren Yu's expression changed, and she hung up the phone, her brow furrowed with regret. She said:
“There are a few kids at the school whose enrollment is being held up. The deadline is this afternoon. Are you able to go home by yourself? I need to go to the Education Bureau now.”
"You go quickly, I'm fine here. Jiang Zhiyan didn't catch up just now, but he won't be here for long. I'll be home soon."
Ren Yu hurriedly gave her a few more instructions. With something on his mind, he quickly turned around and ran off in the opposite direction.
As soon as Ren Yu left, Xia Zhiyu's sixth sense gave her a vague feeling that something was wrong. Looking back, she saw that Jiang Zhiyan was not in the same place either. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickened her pace.
The sound of a car door opening suddenly came from the roadside. Xia Zhiyu turned around reflexively at the sound. Jiang Zhiyan grasped her wrist from behind, his dark eyes deep and unfathomable, yet his tone was unusually gentle.
"Good fish, we can talk alone now. It took me a lot of effort to get that kid Ren Yu away."
"Who wants to talk to you alone?"
Xia Zhiyu forcefully shook off his hand, her face pale.
Jiang Zhiyan gripped her wrist, his tone cold.
"If you like Ren Yu so much, don't you want to know why he suddenly went to Wangcuo? Why did he give up his promising future and turn to a poor, remote place to open a guesthouse? Do you really think it's as simple as he told you?"
When he said the word "like," there was a hint of gritted teeth in his tone.
"And regarding your father's case, did you get through to the court by phone? Did a court clerk respond to you?"
The words of resistance were on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't say them. Xia Zhiyu slowly opened her eyes wide as if startled, and looked at Jiang Zhiyan with disbelief in her eyes.
"Don't look at me like that, baby," Jiang Zhiyan raised his hand to cover Xia Zhiyu's eyes and sighed, "I'm not a bad person."
A light dampness spread across his palm, and Jiang Zhiyan tugged at the corner of his lips, a self-deprecating smile spreading across his eyes.
-
The best hotels in this small county town are nothing more than chain hotels like Atour. In the past, Jiang Zhiyan would rather fly to another city than stay in such a hotel. Rich kids often have this kind of spoiled habit.
This problem was cured after he traveled with Xia Zhiyu a few times. Xia Zhiyu loved visiting ancient ruins, and many ancient buildings were hidden deep in the mountains and forests and had not yet been developed. After staying in a tent seven or eight times, Jiang Zhiyan became more obedient.
Before, I would lie on the hotel bed with my eyes open all night and not be able to sleep. But after being led around by Xia Zhiyu for a few days, I was so exhausted that I would collapse on the bed and sleep like a pig. Since then, I have never been picky about hotels again.
Thanks to Xia Zhiyu, many of Jiang Zhiyan's old ailments have been cured, especially insomnia.
Jiang Zhiyan followed her into the room, and with a click, the security chain snapped shut.
Xia Zhiyu's heart tightened for a moment, and she looked at Jiang Zhiyan with slightly nervous eyes. She pressed the volume button on the side of her phone, ready to press it three times to dial the police at any time.
The aroma diffuser on the cabinet emitted a light and soothing fragrance, exactly the same as the scent in their home, which unconsciously eased Xia Zhiyu's tense nerves for a moment.
"What are you afraid of?"
Jiang Zhiyan lowered his head, meeting Xia Zhiyu's slightly fearful gaze, and smiled, tilting his head, "Me?"
The smile didn't reach his eyes.
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Author's Note: Updates should be around this time recently, around 10 AM. Just come around then! [Heart emoji]
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