Chapter 52 The End of the Heart Knot
The "Red House" is hidden in the most secluded corner of the Chao Phraya River. It looks like an inconspicuous gray-white building on the outside, but its interior is so magnificent that it is almost absurd.
The crystal chandelier reflects an ambiguous light, and the walls of the corridor are covered with famous paintings, each of which hides an unspeakable transaction.
"She's on the third floor underground." Mo Xiaohan's voice was calm, and no emotion could be heard. "You can call a halt at any time."
Ruan Xingchen hummed softly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the silver ring on his left ring finger.
When the elevator door opened, the smell of sweet incense mixed with a faint smell of blood hit me in the face.
Waiters wearing silver masks stood on both sides of the corridor. When they saw Mo Xiaohan, they all bowed their heads and saluted. Ruan Xingchen followed behind him, clutching the corner of his clothes tightly.
"Are you scared?" Mo Xiaohan looked at her sideways.
She shook her head and said softly, "With you here, I don't seem so scared."
He chuckled softly, and brushed his fingertips against her cold fingertips: "I'm here, don't be afraid of anything."
At the end of the corridor is a carved iron door with a bronze plate engraved with the gold-plated number "7" that looks like solidified blood.
Mo Xiaohan raised his hand and signaled the waiter to open the door.
"She's in there."
The room was dimly lit, covered with dark red carpet, and the air was filled with a faint smell of medicine.
A woman was curled up on a soft chair in the corner, her thin body wrapped in a silk nightgown. Purple bruises and fine wounds were faintly visible under the fabric. Her exposed wrists and ankles were adorned with delicate silver chains - at first glance, they looked like decorations, but upon closer inspection, one could see that they were specially made shackles.
The sound of the door opening startled her and she looked up suddenly. Her originally empty eyes suddenly narrowed when they met Ruan Xingchen.
"Star... Starry Night?"
Ruan Xingchen stood at the door, looking at her quietly.
Lin Miaomiao has changed.
Her face, which was once as beautiful as a rose, was now pale and almost transparent, with a dark blue tint under her eyes. Her long hair was cut short, and the ends were uneven, as if it had been ripped out by someone.
"You...how could you..." Lin Miaomiao's voice trembled, and when her eyes met Mo Xiaohan, she shrank back as if burned.
"She wants to see you." Mo Xiaohan said indifferently.
Lin Miaomiao's tears instantly welled up. She staggered to Ruan Xingchen's feet and grabbed the hem of her skirt with trembling fingers: "Xingchen...save me...they torture me every day...please...I know I was wrong..."
Ruan Xingchen looked down at her, his eyes calm and almost indifferent.
"Wrong?" she asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"I shouldn't have lied to you... I shouldn't have sold you to the auction house..." Lin Miaomiao cried and almost suffocated, "I regret it... I really regret it..."
Ruan Xingchen slowly squatted down to look her in the eye. Lin Miaomiao's eyes, once full of radiance, were now filled with pleading and fear.
"Regret?" Ruan Xingchen reached out his hand, gently wiping the tear marks on Lin Miaomiao's face with his fingertips. "Or... are you just afraid?"
Lin Miaomiao froze.
"If I hadn't been rescued by Mo Xiaohan, if I had really been auctioned off to a certain buyer..." Ruan Xingchen's voice was soft, but as sharp as a knife. "If I were like you now... would you regret it?"
Lin Miaomiao's lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a word.
Ruan Xingchen stood up and took a step back to avoid her grabbing hand.
"I won't forgive you." She looked at Lin Miaomiao's pale face and said calmly, "It's not because you lied to me, but because you never really treated me as a friend from the beginning to the end."
Lin Miaomiao collapsed to the ground, covering her face in despair: "Xingchen... please... for the sake of our past relationship... even if it means letting me work like a slave..."
Ruan Xingchen didn't look at her again and turned to walk towards the door.
Mo Xiaohan stood there, his eyes fixed on her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
"Are you going to let her die?" he asked.
Ruan Xingchen shook his head.
"That's it," she whispered. "Let her live and remember this day."
Mo Xiaohan curled his lips and raised his hand to signal the waiter to close the door.
The moment the iron gate closed, Lin Miaomiao's crying was completely blocked out.
Ruan Xingchen remained silent as the elevator rose.
Mo Xiaohan glanced at her sideways: "Uncomfortable?"
She shook her head and suddenly reached out to grab his cuff.
"I was just wondering..." she whispered, "If you hadn't recognized me that day, would the person locked up in the 'Red Room' now be me?"
Mo Xiaohan's eyes suddenly darkened. He grabbed her wrist, pushed her against the elevator wall, and approached with his head lowered.
"No ifs." His voice was hoarse, with an undeniable cruelty. "Even if I didn't recognize you that day, I would have turned all of Southeast Asia upside down until I found you."
Ruan Xingchen looked at the dark tide surging in his eyes and suddenly smiled.
"I know." She gently stood on tiptoe and placed a light kiss on his lips. "So... thank you."
The elevator door opened and sunlight poured in.
Mo Xiaohan took her hand and strode into the light. The sunlight spread over their clasped fingertips, and warmth spread along their skin, as if to dispel the past melancholy.
A few days later, in the VIP lounge of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, Professor Klein closed his final assessment report.
"My PTSD symptoms have been clinically cured." She pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose, her gaze behind the lenses calm and serious. "But the nerves after the trauma are like a spider web after a storm. They appear intact, but in fact they are fragile at the slightest touch."
Ruan Xingchen lowered his eyes and nodded: "I will pay attention."
"You did better than I thought." The professor rarely smiled.
Mo Xiaohan was standing not far away, explaining something to A Tai, but his eyes would glance over from time to time with concern that was hard to conceal.
"He's still very nervous." Klein whispered, a hint of understanding hidden in his tone.
Ruan Xingchen looked at the tall and straight figure and smiled softly: "Well, maybe forever."
The boarding reminder sounded, and Professor Klein picked up her briefcase and stood up. When she reached the door, she suddenly turned around and her eyes fell on Ruan Xingchen's face: "By the way, the Golden Triangle Medical Camp you mentioned earlier..."
"I just suddenly wanted to go take a look." Ruan Xingchen looked out the window at the planes taking off and landing, and the clouds slowly drifting across the blue sky. "No rush."
The professor looked at her deeply and said meaningfully, "Sometimes, returning to the starting point is not to reminisce, but to confirm how far you have come."
Ruan Xingchen was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, Klein had disappeared from the security checkpoint.
On the way back to the manor, Ruan Xingchen leaned against the window and fell asleep.
Mo Xiaohan gently put her head on his shoulder: "Tired?"
"Yeah." She closed her eyes and rubbed against his arms, the sharp smell of absinthe lingering on her nose, and the corners of her lips raised slightly, "But it's very solid."
Outside the car window, the night of Bangkok passed by like flowing water.
Those nightmares that once haunted me, the fears that penetrated deep into my bones, and the fragmented memories have finally become distant echoes.
And ahead is the direction of home. From now on, every morning when we wake up, we will feel each other's warmth, and every night when we embrace each other, we will breathe peacefully.
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