Will someone save me if I scream my lungs out?
"Yes, Jiang Chengjing drugged us all. I rescued you and we went home, but you insisted on having sex with me."
I screamed until my throat was hoarse, but no one cared. I could only be taken by you. I never thought that someone as tall as me, who has worked out for so many years, would still have to submit to your tyranny when it came to that...
The man beside her kept rattling off accusations, and Lin Zhen'er, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, was at a loss for words. That woman, whose birthday it was yesterday, had gone to such lengths to drug them—of course, it was to break them up.
Besides, I hadn't seen this guy before I fainted. He might have been poisoned before me, and then…
"So you were drugged too? Then you were sexually assaulted by Jiang Chengjing first, and then you went to save me? Hmm..."
Recalling the scene in her mind, she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and ran out of bed, washing up while looking at the man behind her with disdain.
Jin Yanzhi felt his face flush red to the roots of his neck when his wife laughed at him. He had no idea what was going on in his screenwriter's mind, that she would come up with an explanation for this matter that he could never have imagined.
"What do you take me for! Do you think I'm someone people can just do whatever they want with?
She did try to take advantage of me, but I fought back desperately and preserved my chastity. I never expected you to turn around and accuse me.
Don't look at your phone yet, go downstairs and have breakfast.
The man, complaining of being hungry, snatched his wife's phone from hers as she was about to reply to work messages. The PR department should have already removed both trending topics, but dealing with the gossip from marketing accounts will still take time.
He pretended to be calm as he served his wife side dishes and poured her soy milk, but inside he was panicking. Breakfast today was rice noodle rolls he'd gone to great lengths to have brought from Yunnan, served with a peppered pork tripe and chicken broth—presumably her favorite flavor. But this meal, originally intended as a delightful surprise, had now become a way to stall for time.
There was nothing he could do; Jiang Chengjing was even more insane than he had imagined. He had never thought that the other party would grow into a completely opposite person to the timid and innocent girl he had been in after years of family feuds.
The woman who risked everything to marry into a top-tier wealthy family, seemingly glamorous but actually enduring humiliation, finally turned into a monster. After her plan to sow discord failed and she was repeatedly exposed and humiliated, she chose the path of mutual destruction.
The only fortunate thing today was that he woke up a little earlier, and there was still time to arrange for the public relations department to handle the matter urgently. However, the other party's offensive was insidious and swift, releasing a bombshell news story during the morning rush hour and making headlines. By the time the Jin family made their move, frankly, it was already too late.
"This rice noodle roll is so delicious. I didn't get to eat this when I was detained."
The person who obediently finished everything in her bowl, even drinking the soup clean, finally uttered a shocking statement while wiping her mouth, which almost made Jin Yanzhi vomit her breakfast. It turned out that she had seen it in just a few seconds while looking at her phone.
He looked at the woman who had remained expressionless just moments before. Her face, devoid of makeup, was partially obscured by long hair, making it impossible to discern her full expression. Her large, round, dark eyes turned away when she sensed his gaze, revealing no strong emotions.
It wasn't until his gaze shifted downwards that he noticed a hint of panic in the small hand tightly gripping the tissue on the table. The tissue, which should have been thrown away, was now crumpled into a small ball and held tightly by fingers that were turning white with effort.
“Zhen’er, Jiang Chengjing is a crazy woman. I overslept today and didn’t control the situation.”
But entertainment news will come out in the afternoon and overshadow this, and in a couple of days everyone will forget about the morning's news. Besides, the PR department has already handled it pretty well. I thought that by delaying a bit, I could keep it from you.
Not daring to look his wife in the eye, President Jin stared down at the table, extremely nervous. This moment was more unbearable than any negotiation he had ever attended. He regretted not protecting his beloved wife, and also regretted his emotional outburst the previous night, which had angered that crazy woman, Jiang Chengjing.
As a teenager, when faced with the ruthless ambition of his family elders to force him and his mother to relinquish their shares, he remained silent, unyielding, and clenched his teeth, refusing to express his opinion. As an adult, facing the cutthroat world of business, he became unyielding, relentlessly pressuring his opponents.
In those moments, no matter how bad things felt, things weren't beyond repair. But now, from last night until now, a series of unexpected incidents have robbed me of all my chances to defend myself, leaving me helplessly watching all the accidents happen. The guilt in my heart is overwhelming, to the point that I'm speechless.
"Whether I forget it or not doesn't matter, I was indeed detained."
Lin Zhen'er's voice held a weary calm; she couldn't really hear what her husband was saying. That stormy night from many years ago had enveloped her again, dragging the now-grown girl back into the abyss of darkness.
If she hadn't just turned nineteen that year, if she hadn't received her part-time pay that day, if, if that night, in that ordinary-looking but luxurious Western restaurant, the mother and daughter hadn't been seen by that man wearing the new clothes she bought with her earnings from working under the scorching sun.
Perhaps that indelible detention record wouldn't have followed her like a shadow for so many years, and she wouldn't have been repeatedly harassed when looking for a job or asking for a raise. Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in many things, and those memories cannot be erased.
"I will not let the Jiang family get away with this, and the Jin family will sever all ties with them from now on. Zhen'er, those who hurt you will pay ten times, a hundred times the price. This time, Jiang Chengjing will not get away easily either."
Jin Yanzhi looked at those eyes staring blankly into the distance and felt his heart break. He didn't know what that little brain was thinking, but if he had to be tormented by such a wave of public opinion, he wished he could be that person.
If it weren't for that dear friend who passed away many years ago, leaving that last bit of goodwill for that madman, none of this mess would have happened. Ultimately, it was my own soft heart and lingering attachment to youthful memories that led to the person I loved most being placed at the center of this vortex.
"I was just thinking, should you hate Jiang Chengjing for going crazy again and again, escalating the situation and ultimately causing the Jin family to lose face, or should you hate her more for not telling you the whole truth sooner, so as to stop you from wasting money and effort on a rotten person like me, and even having a relationship with me?"
The woman's voice trembled slightly as she finished speaking. She suddenly withdrew her gaze from the distance and turned to look steadily at the man who was trying so hard to comfort her. His face was so handsome it was mesmerizing, yet the man who possessed that face also had an impeccable background.
This perfect whole, coupled with those stinking and sticky fragments of memories, made her sometimes soberly feel unworthy, and at other times unable to resist indulging in those undeniable tenderness and love, covering her ears to the noise.
"I hate her because she hurt you! Because I love you! I hate anyone who can hurt you, and I hate myself for not protecting you."
"What are you thinking, Lin Zhen'er? I've given you my heart, can't you see that? Is that little bit of trivial matter such a big deal? I don't care, I don't care when I find out."
The hands gripping her shoulders tightened slightly; the slight pain and the bloodshot eyes of the man reminded her that the scene before her was real. That stubborn, domineering CEO—his love was real, his heartache was real, and his endless regret was absolutely true.
However, her courage to respond was now severely stifled by her inferiority complex, leaving her speechless.
Seemingly afraid of hurting his beloved, Jin Yanzhi withdrew his hand just as the shouting stopped. His mind a jumble of thoughts, he lowered his head in silence for a moment, then got up and went upstairs without saying a word.
"I want to be by myself for a while, so I'll stay here."
Mrs. Jin stared blankly at the huge sun totem on the wall for a while after entering the study, then sat down on the floor in front of it. She turned her head to face the sunlight streaming in through the French windows, closed her eyes, hugged her knees, and quietly closed her eyes, looking like a kitten sunbathing, lazily falling asleep after being groomed.
Standing outside the door, Mr. Jin sat down next to her, staring at her retreating figure like a statue waiting for its owner, not daring to blink. The sun outside the window went from glaring to warm yellow and then disappeared, and the two shadows sitting inside and outside the door remained there until nightfall.
By evening, the news released by the Jin family had, as expected, overshadowed the morning news. The phone was flooded with calls and messages from the Jiang family seeking reconciliation, and the family group chat was in an uproar just like when they were together.
The man, who was with his wife, didn't even have the interest to glance at those contents. He carefully brought in dinner, watching the silent and obedient woman sip her porridge, then slowly retreat to sit near the door, still not daring to say a word.
Lin Zhen'er knew that the person behind her had been with her for several hours.
She wanted to tell him to leave several times, but in the end she didn't open her mouth. She knew that among those unspoken emotions, besides being unaccustomed to someone coaxing her like a precious gem, there was also a large part that she was unwilling to admit: she was too dependent on him, and at this moment, she needed him to be with her like this.
"I want to sleep in the guest room tonight. I haven't slept alone in a long time, so it'll be nice and quiet."
Lin Zhen'er didn't dare to look into her husband's eyes, which were filled with grievance and sadness. He was such a big man, but sitting there, he seemed like her honest little dog, only daring to silently observe her emotions, but not daring to say anything.
She lay down on the unfamiliar bed in the guest room, opened her phone to check the messages on her social media, but hesitated for a long time before turning the screen off again. After thinking for a while, she buried her face in the soft down pillow and closed her eyes in fear and helplessness.
"Let's be ostriches for one more night," the person huddled under the covers bit their lip in the darkness, only opening their eyes again when they heard the doorknob turning softly.
"Jin Yanzhi! Who gave you permission to come to my bed?"
The man who jumped onto the bed and crawled under the covers spoke in a muffled, almost roguish tone:
"I haven't slept alone in a long time, I'm scared..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com