Chapter 33 Island Xia Tingxue.
The cold light reflected on the malicious, voyeuristic faces of the onlookers. Their fingers flew across the screen, constantly refreshing the page, muttering complaints like "Are they here yet?" and "Hurry up!" as if they could transform into righteous magistrates at any moment, their faces filled with disdain, ready to pronounce judgments on morality and justice.
A chill ran down her spine, her heart stopped, and Yu Wu could no longer sit still. She no longer cared about Ke Yanchen's feelings; only one clear thought occupied her mind—
We can't let anyone see that video.
We must never again have our flesh and blood stripped open to probe our dignity.
Just as she stood up and headed towards Jian Mengyu, her arm was pulled hard to the side, and she fell back onto the sofa. Only then did she look up and see the person who had been kept out of the noise due to the big gossip.
Cheng Yi stood up, his tall figure rushing to Jian Mengyu in a few steps, snatching the phone camera, and smashing it fiercely into Ke Yanchen's face with a bang.
In a flash, Ke Yanchen slightly tilted his head, and the machine flew over with a whoosh, instantly turning into a pile of fragments. The loud noise startled all the girls present, who screamed "Ah!" and dropped their phones to the ground.
Blood began to seep from Ke Yanchen's forehead. He made no extra movements, only slowly lifting his thin eyelids to meet Cheng Yi's gaze.
...
Yu Wu had never seen Cheng Yi like this before; this was what he truly looked like when he was angry. When he got angry, the surrounding air instantly turned freezing cold, causing no one present to dare utter another word.
His thin, cold eyebrows and half-raised eyebrow arc exuded a powerful aura of disdain and mockery.
The air seemed to become a solid mass weighing thousands of tons, pinning everyone to a certain angle, unable to move.
The restlessness in the room was completely suppressed, leaving only silent, breathless endurance.
Ke Yanchen remained seated, the crimson blood slowly trickling down his face. He half-opened his eyelids and met Cheng Yi's gaze.
No one dared to make a move. One was the local tyrant of the south, and the other was the prince of the circle. Their statuses were more and more important than the other.
Ye Ren also stood outside the circle, his mouth slightly open and his brows furrowed, his face full of anxiety, and he didn't dare to say a word.
......
"Your circle is really low-class." Cheng Yi looked down at Ke Yanchen calmly, said this, and turned his head to Yu Wu without any emotion, telling her to come over by herself.
Yu Wu was speechless. She stood up, and Ke Yanchen grabbed her wrist.
Yu Wu seemed to hear the entire audience gasp in shock.
"I'll take you home." Ke Yanchen stubbornly held onto Yu Wu's wrist. He was a little dazed, unsure whether it was from drinking too much tonight or from something that had damaged his brain.
"You're injured, you need to go to the hospital." Yu Wu lowered her eyelashes, her voice soft. As many times before, Ke Yanchen had indirectly caused her harm. At this moment, all she wanted was to leave.
Cheng Yi lowered his gaze, his expression extremely indifferent.
Yu Wu and Ke Yanchen were locked in a stalemate, each second stretching endlessly, when they heard a cold, disinterested laugh.
"Come here." Cheng Yi's tone was calm and even, yet it conveyed an extremely strong sense of pressure.
Yu Wu pursed her lips, glanced at Ke Yanchen, and, under everyone's watchful eyes, slowly pried open his fingers before walking towards Cheng Yi.
......
The crowd parted like flowing water to make way for them, and no one dared to look them in the eye.
Yu Wu and Cheng Yi were unable to drive because they had been drinking, so they waited for Mu Su in the club's rest area.
Cheng Yi looked down at his phone, his expression indifferent, and said in a calm voice, "I'll handle what happened just now, don't worry."
He said he would clean up the mess, and he would do it flawlessly. Just like last time, after Mr. Tang's son, Tang Yuncheng, caused trouble, Mr. Tang apologized to Yu Wu with great sincerity and respect, and said that he had sent Tang Yuncheng abroad and that Yu Wu would never see him again. After several interactions, Yu Wu had become very convinced of his abilities.
But why would Cheng Yi help her?
Will he believe those rumors?
"Thank you." Yu Wu lowered her head and stared silently at her toes. Many times, she still didn't know how to face Cheng Yi, and when she was alone, she felt like she was walking a tightrope high in the air, every cell in her body tense to the extreme.
"Next weekend, I'll invite everyone to go to the beach. Ke Yanchen will go, and you should go too."
The tone is completely commanding, leaving no room for negotiation.
Yu Wu looked up at his well-defined profile, the soft light illuminating his handsome nose. She didn't understand what he was doing. He had just been so harsh to Ke Yanchen, and now he was inviting him to hang out next week.
Yu Wu owes Cheng Yi a lot of favors, so there's really no reason for her to refuse.
She nodded.
...
Mu Su arrived quickly. When they reached Xi Ting, Cheng Yi got out of the carriage with Yu Wu and instructed Mu Su to go back.
Yu Wu wanted to tell him not to see her off, but she swallowed the words. Too much had happened tonight; it was best not to provoke him.
When they reached the fourteenth floor, Yu Wu opened the door, hesitated, and looked at him with moist eyes.
He looked at her too, his dark eyes beneath thin eyelids extremely deep, the intrusiveness of his gaze slightly reduced. His handsome face, illuminated by the warm light of the hallway, made his features appear even more profound. Further down were his broad shoulders, the sheen of the high-quality suit fabric revealing a hint of softness.
For some reason, Yuwu felt that he also had something to say.
The corridor was quiet, with only a few wisps of cool night breeze passing through the windows between buildings. Time passed second by second, and Yu Wu felt as if she were being sucked into his dark eyes, which held a restrained sharpness, and the instinctive vigilance in her body slowly tightened.
In the end, Yu Wu spoke first, tentatively saying, "Good night, go home early."
Cheng Yi pointed upstairs, "I live on the fifteenth floor."
Yu Wu's eyes widened: "What?"
Xiting is a mid-to-high-end residential community, or even not high-end. Why would Chengyi live here?
When did he start living in Xiting? I haven't heard any renovation noise upstairs. Could it really be such a coincidence that he bought a property in Xiting a long time ago?
"Call me if you need anything." After saying that, he vigorously ruffled Yu Wu's hair, turned around, and went upstairs.
...
On weekdays, Ke Yanchen would come to Yuwu Company to see her with extra care, and would wait for her to have lunch for a short while.
The two of them tacitly agreed not to mention that night again.
The more Yuwu hated him, the more obedient she became in his presence.
As they got to know each other better, they had more physical contact, and their feelings for each other gradually warmed up.
*
On Friday night, as Yuwu stood on the island, smelling the salty sea breeze, she still felt a sense of unreality.
We arrived too late that day, so after settling into the villa, everyone went to sleep.
I don't know if it's because I'm not used to sleeping in the same bed, but Yuwu woke up very early this morning. On the island in June, a gentle breeze was blowing, and everything was peaceful.
She wore a white ankle-length sundress, her hair casually tied back, and went to the kitchen to make breakfast. It was only six o'clock, and Yu Wu figured she had nothing else to do, so she decided to make breakfast for everyone.
She had cooked a pot of seafood porridge and was cutting tomatoes to make sandwiches when she heard a faint sound behind her. She turned around and saw Ke Yanchen.
He wasn't wearing a shirt, just a pair of casual beach shorts, his hair was slightly disheveled, and his eyes held the lazy weariness of an early riser. Yu Wu's gaze shifted slightly downwards, taking in the powerful, slender abdominal muscles emanating from his narrow waist.
Ke Yanchen was also looking at Yu Wu. Her skin was snow-white, her soft hair was tied back, and she was fiddling with the bread machine with her head down. The sunlight from the window gently shone on her serene face.
Her cool and aloof demeanor gives people a sense of serene elegance.
"Ke Ke." Yu Wu spoke first, smiling as she greeted him, her eyes sparkling.
Ke Yanchen hummed in agreement, walked straight to her, and stared at the seafood porridge and sandwiches on the table, asking, "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet." Yu Wu reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Do you want to eat now?"
Ke Yanchen took a bowl, gestured with his chin for Yu Wu to sit down, and then asked, "Porridge or a sandwich?"
Yu Wu sat at the dining table, propping her head up with her hand, looking completely innocent. "I want them all, but I definitely can't finish the sandwiches."
Ke Yanchen, who was serving porridge, lifted his eyelids and glanced at Yu Wu. "You girls are all like this, big appetites but small bellies."
Yu Wu's eyes widened slightly, her tone tinged with reproach: "Ke Ke is also very familiar with other girls?"
Ke Yanchen didn't reply. He placed the porridge in front of Yu Wu, affectionately pinched her nose, and said gently, "Nothing's wrong, eat."
Yu Wu nodded obediently and ate her porridge little by little. The shrimp that were delivered in the morning were very fresh, making the seafood porridge taste extra delicious.
In the end, Yuwu still hadn't finished the sandwich, leaving half of it uneaten.
After dinner, Ke Yanchen asked Yu Wu what her plans were. Yu Wu said that since it wasn't hot in the morning, she wanted to go to the beach to collect seashells.
Ke Yanchen put on a T-shirt, and Yu Wu changed into a knitted sweater and shorts. The two went out together.
The two walked side by side, a soft breeze ruffling Yu Wu's slightly curled long hair, strands brushing against Ke Yanchen's arm, tickling him. Their hands accidentally brushed against each other as they moved, sending a tingling, electric current through them.
Ke Yanchen glanced at her sideways. Her face was small and delicate, her ears were pink and translucent, and she turned her head to look at him with her eyes curved, her eyes even cleaner and clearer than the blue jelly sea behind her.
Because of his brief, one- or two-second pause in his gaze, her ears became even pinker, and she wanted to pinch them, kiss them, and bite them.
Ke Yanchen suppressed the unease that was rising in his heart, his Adam's apple bobbed down, and he reached out his fingertips to pinch her plump earlobe, his voice low and deep.
"So cute."
Yu Wu looked slightly stunned and shy, and lowered her head as if she were embarrassed.
Ke Yanchen patted Yu Wu's little head, his voice carrying a slight chuckle: "I won't tease you anymore, let's go."
......
This is a resort island located on the western side of the Pacific Ocean, called Coconut Island. It offers excellent privacy and is exclusively for the wealthy and powerful.
The island is covered with tall and straight coconut trees, their broad green leaves trembling slightly in the sea breeze, and tropical plants with vines growing freely all around, creating a beautiful landscape.
The two arrived at a rocky beach where the fine sand was as soft and delicate as flour. Yu Wu excitedly squatted down to look for pretty coral shells, occasionally handing them to Ke Yanchen and asking him if they were pretty.
Ke Yanchen nodded in agreement with a slight smile, and also lowered his head to help Yu Wu find some particularly ugly seashells, which made Yu Wu complain and scold him.
The atmosphere was harmonious, and after some time, a female voice sounded from behind.
"elder brother."
Yu Wu and Ke Yanchen looked in the direction of the sound and saw someone who shouldn't be there.
Xia Tingxue.
That is, the one who Ke Yanchen dumped Yu Wu and seamlessly connected with her throughout the three years of high school.
Yu Wu pursed her lips and looked at Ke Yanchen, who frowned slightly and squinted at Xia Tingxue.
Xia Tingxue was as beautiful and delicate as ever. She had the kind of pretty girl-next-door look, an innocent and harmless beauty, exuding a pure and alluring charm. Some say that every boy has a white moonlight like Shen Jiayi in his heart during puberty. And Xia Tingxue was undoubtedly Ke Yanchen's white moonlight.
During her interactions with Ke Yanchen, Yu Wu used Xia Tingxue as a model for her outfits and makeup.
How beautiful and delicate is Xia Tingxue? Since high school, Xia Tingxue has been constantly following and unfollowing Yu Wu on Weibo to provoke her, yet Yu Wu still can't bring herself to hate her.
She looked at Ke Yanchen with her large, watery eyes, her expression pitiful. "Brother, I want to talk to you."
Ke Yanchen didn't respond to her, and turned around and walked forward.
Xia Tingxue slowly walked this way, then suddenly stopped, frowned slightly, and called out again for help, "Brother."
Her voice was timid and soft.
Not to mention Ke Yanchen, Yu Wu felt that she wanted to protect her.
Ke Yanchen indeed stopped.
Xia Tingxue pursed her lips and said gently, "There are sea cockroaches, I'm scared."
Ke Yanchen paused for a moment before walking towards Xia Tingxue. As he passed Yu Wu, Yu Wu, feeling a chill run down her spine, tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Ke Ke, can we not go?"
Please don't abandon me.
Ke Yanchen didn't even glance at her, leaving behind a "Wait for me" before continuing on his way.
Yu Wu stood there, her mouth slightly open, speechless. The damp, salty sea breeze tousled her long hair. Yu Wu stood there, watching helplessly as Ke Yanchen walked towards his beloved, the one he couldn't bear to part with.
A strong sixth sense rose within her; Xia Tingxue's appearance was not a good thing for her.
Moreover, how did Xia Tingxue end up here? Apart from private jets, almost no flights pass over this small island.
As their figures gradually disappeared into the distance, Yu Wu felt a tightness in her chest, an indescribable sadness, and inexplicably thought of her high school days.
At that time, because of Huang/Yao created by Ke Yanchen and the criticism from many people, Yu Wu lacked confidence for a long time and often walked with her head down. But even with her head down, she would still run into Xia Tingxue and Ke Yanchen.
Even just by looking at the shoes, she could recognize Ke Yanchen.
Just like in this scene, they are always together, while she is always unimportant, left behind alone. She always watches their intimate backs from behind, her eyes filled with tears.
......
She lost interest in collecting seashells and started walking back along the rocks. She accidentally stepped on a nest of sea cockroaches, which scattered everywhere. Several of them crawled onto her slender, snow-white ankles, causing a slight itch.
Yuwu felt nauseous and tried to kick it away, but her foot slipped and she fell hard onto the rocks with a thud. Sharp stones pierced her flesh instantly, and Yuwu gasped, her whole body contorted in pain.
Yu Wu gritted her teeth and sat up to look at the wound on her calf. Bright red blood began to gush out, and those disgusting sea cockroaches were crawling all around her. She suddenly felt very wronged and gritted her teeth to wipe away the physiological tears that overflowed from her eyes.
As soon as Yu Wu stood up, Ke Yanchen strode towards her, staring at the wound on her calf and asking, "Are you alright?"
Yu Wu, for some unknown reason, got angry and glared at him with red eyes, "It's none of your business!"
Ke Yanchen remained silent, watching her stubborn expression as she gritted her teeth and refused to shed a tear. He lowered his eyelids and asked, "Why aren't you crying?"
Yu Wu lowered her eyelashes, clenching her teeth to refuse to utter a single sob. But the tears she swallowed only continued to fuel her grievances.
"Girls shouldn't be this strong," Ke Yanchen said calmly.
Yuwu knew she should act weak and cry on his shoulder to gain his sympathy.
But she remembered high school, in the gymnasium, amidst a barrage of insults and slander, he stood against her. She was in tears then, crying so miserably, and all she got was the "serves her right" response. After that, Yu Wu swore she would never cry in front of him again. He was her enemy; she couldn't show weakness in front of an enemy.
A genuine outpouring of emotion would only result in a ridiculous joke.
The absurdity of high school, like a suffocating pain from lack of oxygen, enveloped my entire heart, and Yuwu could barely control her surging emotions.
......
Xia Tingxue stood a dozen meters away, quietly watching the confrontation between Yu Wu and Ke Yanchen.
The sea breeze carried a damp, salty scent, and strands of hair floated in the wind, making her heart feel soft and moist. Xia Tingxue stood there, her gaze gently falling on Yu Wu's snow-white skin and her long, beautiful swan neck, and further up, on those tearful, stubborn eyes.
He didn't even glance at her.
Suddenly my eyes started to sting.
Xia Tingxue's thick eyelashes drooped and trembled, her fingertips clenched slightly, and finally her whole hand was clenched into a fist, so tight that it seemed to steal all the oxygen.
The damp, salty smell once again entered her nostrils without warning, its lingering intensity inexplicably reminding her of the fish stalls at the market. The floor was covered in sticky raw fish scales, carelessly discarded fish entrails half-covered in mucus and blood, piles of dead fish eyes, and wooden cutting boards repeatedly wiped with tattered brown rags… Even from afar, the damp, salty, and fishy stench was palpable, and her breath carried an indelible stickiness that made her almost nauseous.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
