Chapter 47 He lost control because of her
The bag of "old things" Lin Weiwei had brought with her was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake. Though roughly shoved into the locker by Huo Tingxiao, it still sent ripples through Su Wanqing's heart, waves that would never subside. The contents of the bag were like a silent yet heavy reminder of a past she could never partake in, a past she could never erase, and of Lin Weiwei's seemingly gentle, yet insidious, threat.
Although Huo Tingxiao's attitude was cold and resolute, the flash of irritation and vigilance in his eyes, followed by his subsequent silence and even a bit of gloom, made Su Wanqing feel uneasy. She knew that those "old things" had finally triggered some memories in him that he didn't want to talk about.
Over the next few days, the atmosphere at home was even more depressing than usual. Huo Tingxiao seemed even busier, coming home later and later. Even when he was at home, he almost completely shut himself away in his study, the air around him visibly low. Su Wanqing carefully maintained her daily routine, trying not to disturb him, but her heart was filled with an indescribable sense of suffocation and a hint of grievance.
That evening, Assistant Chen brought dinner as usual. Su Wanqing set the table, hesitated for a moment, and then went upstairs to the study to call Huo Tingxiao to eat.
She knocked lightly on the door, and a deep voice came from inside: "Come in."
She pushed open the door. Huo Tingxiao was sitting at his desk, staring at his computer screen with a frown on his face. A half-burned cigarette was between his fingers, and the ashtray was already piled with butts. The room was filled with the strong smell of tobacco and a suppressed sense of anxiety.
"Chief, dinner is ready." Su Wanqing said softly.
Huo Tingxiao didn't look up, his eyes still fixed on the screen. He just waved his hand impatiently, "Leave it there. I'll eat it later."
His tone was clearly irritable and dismissive.
Su Wanqing's heart was slightly stabbed, and she retreated silently, closing the door gently.
She sat alone in the restaurant, looking at the food gradually getting cold on the table, without any appetite. The feeling of being ignored and excluded was like a cold vine, wrapping around her heart, tightening more and more.
Time passed minute by minute, and there was no movement in the study.
Su Wanqing sighed, stood up, and took the food back to the kitchen to keep it warm. She washed the dishes, cleaned up the kitchen, and was about to return to her room when the landline phone in the living room suddenly rang.
She walked over and picked up the phone: "Hello, how are you?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and then a gentle voice with a hint of a strange smile came from the other end, which she definitely didn't want to hear - it was Lin Weiwei.
"Sister Su, good evening." Lin Weiwei sounded cheerful. "Is Brother Tingxiao home? I need to see him for something urgent."
Su Wanqing's heart sank suddenly. Her fingers clenched the receiver tightly, and she tried to speak calmly, "The commander is busy. Miss Lin, if you have anything to say, you can tell me and I will convey it to you."
"Haha," Lin Weiwei chuckled, her tone tinged with pride and defiance. "Telling you? I'm afraid it's not convenient. It's about... among the things I sent last time, there was a very important old photo, and I think I accidentally put it in there. That photo is very important to me. It's... the only photo of me and Brother Tingxiao together when we were little. I have to ask him where he put it. I have to get it back."
The only photo of me and Brother Tingxiao when we were little...
These words were like a poisoned dagger, piercing Su Wanqing's most sensitive and aching nerves with pinpoint accuracy! She was showing off! She was nakedly declaring the inseparable, deep past between her and Huo Tingxiao!
Su Wanqing's breath instantly choked, her face turned pale, her chest heaving violently, and a huge wave of anger and humiliation suddenly rushed to her head! She almost couldn't control herself and yelled at the person on the other end of the phone!
But in the end, she bit her lower lip hard, forced herself to calm down, and replied in a cold voice: "I have no right to interfere with the chief's things. If Miss Lin wants it, please contact him directly." After that, she hung up the phone without waiting for the other party to respond!
"Beep-beep-beep-"
The busy tone sounded.
Su Wanqing still gripped the receiver tightly, her knuckles white from the strain, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. Lin Weiwei's smug laughter and provocative words echoed in her mind like a demonic sound, irritating her frayed nerves.
This is too much! This is really too much!
Over and over again! Never ending!
A huge sense of grievance, anger, and powerlessness surged in her chest like a volcano, almost exploding! She was fed up with this endless temptation, provocation, and humiliation! She was fed up with living like an invisible person in the shadow of that man and being compared to another woman!
She turned around abruptly, wanting to rush upstairs, wanting to push open the study door without hesitation, wanting to ask him what he meant! Wanting to ask him what those old things were! Wanting to ask him what he thought of her!
However, just as she impulsively took the first step, the study door was suddenly opened from the inside!
Huo Tingxiao's tall figure appeared at the door, his face terribly gloomy, his eyes sharp as knives shooting at her, his voice icy cold: "Who called just now?!"
He had evidently heard the phone ring, and perhaps even her last, cold reply.
Su Wanqing was stunned by his sudden appearance and terrifying presence. Her anger and grievance were instantly replaced by an inexplicable fear and stubbornness. She raised her head, meeting his icy gaze, her voice trembling with a barely perceptible tremor and a hint of anger. "It's Miss Lin calling! She wants your childhood photo!"
She practically shouted these words, with a sourness and accusation that she herself was not aware of.
Huo Tingxiao's brows knitted together instantly, the coldness in his eyes growing even colder, even a hint of an extremely rare violent rage flickering across his face. He strode down the stairs, and in a few steps, he was in front of her. His tall figure loomed over her with a tremendous sense of oppression, and his voice was terrifyingly low: "What did you say to her?!"
His questioning, the undisguised anger and distrust in his eyes, were like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing all the flames in Su Wanqing's heart, leaving only bone-chilling coldness and despair.
He...was he questioning her about Lin Weiwei? What did he think she would say to her? Was she really that unbearable in his eyes?
All the grievances and anger burst out at this moment!
Su Wanqing suddenly raised her head, her eyes red, her voice shrill with excitement: "What can I say to her?! I told her to come find you herself! Huo Tingxiao! What do you want?! Those old things! Those memories! Your past! How long are you going to haunt you?! If you can't let go! If you can't let go! Why did you marry me in the first place?! Why let me be a nuisance here?!"
She almost spoke without thinking, pouring out all the resentment and pain that had been pent up for a long time, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
Huo Tingxiao was stunned by her sudden outburst. He stared at her red eyes and uncontrolled emotions in disbelief. The anger in his eyes gradually gave way to a deeper, more complex shock. He seemed to want to say something, and his lips moved.
But Su Wanqing had completely lost control. She pointed fiercely at the locker, her voice choked with sobs but filled with determination and madness: "Those things! They're right there! Go get them! Go find the photos she wants and give them back to her! Don't leave those precious memories of yours here with me and disgust me!"
After saying that, she couldn't bear it anymore and turned around and wanted to escape from this suffocating place!
The moment she turned around!
"Bang--!!!"
A loud bang suddenly exploded behind her, shaking the entire living room!
Su Wanqing trembled with fear, stopped abruptly, and turned around in horror——
Huo Tingxiao punched the locker door hard! The solid wood door was dented by him, and sawdust flew everywhere!
The back of his hand was instantly covered in blood, with bright red blood dripping down his knuckles, a shocking sight!
And he was like an enraged beast, his chest heaving violently, his bloodshot eyes staring at the smashed cabinet door, his whole body emitting an almost destructive, terrifying rage and loss of control!
Su Wanqing was completely stunned. All her anger, grievances, and tears were instantly frozen by this horrific scene! Her face turned pale as she stared at his bleeding hand and the horrible cabinet door in disbelief. Her heart was pounding so hard that it almost jumped out of her chest!
He...what happened to him? !
Huo Tingxiao turned his head abruptly, his scarlet eyes fixed on her. They were filled with pain, violence, and a bottomless despair and... madness that she could not comprehend at all.
He approached her step by step, and every step seemed to step on her heart, bringing a suffocating feeling of oppression.
Su Wanqing was so scared that she subconsciously stepped back until her back hit the cold wall with no way to retreat.
He stopped in front of her, looking down at her condescendingly, his injured hand still dripping with blood. His voice was hoarse and broken, yet with an almost paranoid ruthlessness, he spoke to her word by word:
"Those things! They're worthless!"
"Me and her! Nothing!"
"How many times do you want me to say it?!"
"Su Wanqing! You are my wife! Now! And forever!"
"Stop pushing me out there! Do you hear me?!"
His roar echoed in the empty living room, making Su Wanqing's eardrums buzz and her soul tremble!
She was completely stunned, her mind blank. She could only stare blankly at his handsome face, which was distorted by rage, at his bleeding hand, at the dark emotions in his eyes that she had never seen before, surging violently and threatening to consume her...
He lost control.
Completely out of control.
And this loss of control... was actually because of her? Because of her misunderstanding? Because of her... "pushing outward"?
A huge shock and unspeakable heartache instantly gripped her, making her forget her fear and grievances. All that was left was worry about his current condition and... an extremely subtle, yet unignorable throbbing.
"Your hand..." Her voice trembled, and she subconsciously reached out to touch the back of his bleeding hand.
Huo Tingxiao suddenly swatted her hand away with such force that she stumbled. He stared at her intently, breathing heavily, his eyes still terrifying, but the destructive rage seemed to be slowly fading, gradually replaced by a deeper, exhausting pain.
He stopped looking at her, turned abruptly, and strode towards the stairs, his injured hand hanging at his side, blood dripping onto the smooth floor, leaving glaring red spots.
"Bang!" The study door was slammed shut.
The loud noise woke Su Wanqing from her daze.
She stood there alone, looking at the shocking bloodstains on the ground and the smashed cabinet door. Her heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and she was in so much pain that she couldn't breathe.
The air was still filled with his lingering anger and the smell of blood.
She slowly slid down to the ground, hugged her knees, buried her face deeply in them, and her shoulders began to tremble violently.
This time, it was not because of grievance or anger.
But because of a huge, unbearable shock and...heartache.
He lost control.
Because of her misunderstanding, because of her accusations, because of her... retreat.
He responded to her doubts in the most violent and tragic way, declaring his...care?
This realization, like a strong lightning, split open all the fog and ice in her heart, revealing the surging truth underneath that she could not face directly.
Tears flowed silently.
For his injury.
For his pain.
And also for the twisted yet extremely real... bond between them.
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