Chapter 89 Sinking into Depravity: To live a life of shame in the name of family is to go to hell...
There weren't many people at the tasting area. Several new yogurts and ready-to-eat biscuits were displayed on the stall, and a salesperson was enthusiastically promoting them: "These biscuits are low in sugar and high in protein. Would you like to try them, miss?"
Ye Yuying had already picked up a toothpick, poked a piece of nut cookie into it, and handed it to Cheng Mingdu with a smile, saying, "Try it, it's very similar to the handmade cookies we used to buy. Do you like hazelnuts?"
Her tone was exactly like that of someone feeding a pet dog, and he obediently lowered his head and took a bite from her hand.
Ye Yuying was taken aback when she saw that he had just been acting like a stranger and now he was so agreeable.
"How is it?" she asked, looking at Cheng Mingdu's profile. She felt that his chewing movements were not very obvious when he ate.
"It's too sweet," he said in a low voice.
"Huh?" She blinked. "Don't you eat sweets? I remember you used to have a lot of sweets."
Her tone was so natural, as if she had truly forgotten.
Cheng Mingdu didn't say much, but simply turned his head slightly to look at her, his eyes calm.
She seemed to sense something, turned her head away from his gaze, and smiled mischievously: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"You forgot?" he asked.
She tilted her head, bringing her face very close, "Did I remember wrong?"
This statement sounds like a joke, but it's more than just a joke.
Cheng Mingdu frowned slightly.
"Please get us one," she said politely to the sales clerk as she turned around.
Before he could answer, she had already taken the box from the sales clerk and tossed it into her shopping cart.
Cheng Mingdu pushed the shopping cart forward and stood next to her.
Ye Yuying didn't look at him, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "...I remember."
After saying that, she smiled and walked into the hot pot condiment area.
As Cheng Mingdu watched her retreating figure, he felt that she had changed, and that the mischievousness of her eighteen-year-old self had grown out of her maturity.
He knew she remembered everything.
But she deliberately puts on an act over such trivial matters, intentionally creating distance.
Cheng Mingdu stepped forward, and Ye Yuying suddenly said, "I want to eat hot pot."
He had no objection, "Then let's buy some ingredients to take home."
The two dawdled, stopping and starting, and spent a full two hours browsing in the supermarket.
They hadn't experienced such a vibrant, everyday moment together in many years.
As soon as I left the supermarket, it was nine o'clock, and it was completely dark.
The lights at the supermarket entrance softened the night.
Ye Yuying stood by the steps, leaning on her cane. The wind blew up the hem of her trench coat, making it look like cloud patterns that had just been rippling on water.
Cheng Mingdu opened the trunk, neatly arranged the bags of ingredients, and then opened the passenger door for her.
Without hesitation, Ye Yuying shoved her cane into his hand and climbed into the car herself.
After fastening my seatbelt, my stomach started to feel empty and growled at an inopportune moment.
Ye Yuying glanced at Cheng Mingdu and saw that his expression was normal, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Cheng Mingdu always drives quietly, but Ye Yuying always has to listen to something, whether it's the radio or old songs, only in this way can she relieve the boredom of the journey.
He reached out to try turning on the car stereo, and with a ding, it automatically connected to Cheng Mingdu's phone via Bluetooth.
Before Ye Yuying could even speak, Cheng Mingdu had already taken out his phone from his trouser pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to her, saying, "Find what you want to listen to yourself."
Eight years later, their mobile phones have undergone several generations of changes.
But when she opened Cheng Mingdu's playlist, she was silent for two seconds.
She asked, "You still like Queen?"
How can anyone's tastes remain unchanged over the years?
Cheng Mingdu looked straight ahead and gave a barely audible "hmm".
Familiar music slowly drifted from the car stereo, and they all fell silent.
Ye Yuying reached behind her and grabbed a bag of cheese-flavored tortillas, probably a Korean brand. She tore one open, took a bite, and revealed an undisguised expression of satisfaction.
"Want to try some?" she asked, glancing sideways.
"No, you can eat it yourself." Cheng Mingdu kept his eyes straight ahead, always mindful of driving safety.
And he just can't quite accept touching the steering wheel after eating snacks...
Suddenly feeling a foreign object on his lips, Ye Yuying placed the corn tortilla against his lips, causing his delicate, thin lips to be slightly deformed. It seemed that only in this way could Ye Yuying believe that his well-defined lips were not just for decoration.
For a moment, Cheng Mingdu was stunned, then slightly opened his mouth.
The snacks were easily placed inside.
Ye Yuying sat back down in her original position, her eyelashes fluttered, and she suddenly laughed: "You still ate it, didn't you?"
Cheng Mingdu: "..."
And so, she took a bite and kindly offered a bite to Cheng Mingdu, who was driving.
Before long, the bag of snacks was empty. Just as Ye Yuying was about to open another bag, they went down to the underground parking garage and arrived.
The moment the car was turned off, Ye Yuying instinctively and excitedly blurted out, "We're home!"
Cheng Mingdu paused for a moment, then got out of the car and opened the door for her.
Today, the auntie who was in charge of cooking came down to the underground parking lot to greet us and helped us carry our bags and packages up the elevator.
Ye Yuying slowly got out of the car, but she didn't refuse Cheng Mingdu's hand; instead, she held it tightly.
She forgot all about being pretentious and even let Cheng Mingdu help her up.
Faced with Ye Yuying's recent sudden abnormality, Cheng Mingdu was about to say something when he lowered his eyes and saw her bitter and moved smile.
It appeared so bluntly on her face, a face already masked by her career.
Her eyes shone brightly, and with a hint of amazement, she said, "Brother, I have a home again."
Cheng Mingdu paused slightly, his eyes flashing with a complex expression, as if he were acquiescing, but his hands continued to move.
It seems he didn't know whether he should move forward or back when kinship and a sense of belonging were strengthened.
10:30, in the kitchen.
The hot pot on the table was bubbling away, and she scooped out the beef slices after swishing them in the hot broth for a few seconds.
“Here, try this dipping sauce, I made it myself.” She handed his chopsticks to his bowl.
Cheng Mingdu lowered his head, took a bite, and nodded. "Not bad."
Looking up, I saw that Ye Yuying had moved the sauce in front of me away. She said, "Then I always feel that the food in your bowl tastes better than mine when I eat your dipping sauce."
In particular, Cheng Mingdu's table manners were refined, and he did not easily show excessive love for food. However, his calm and polite demeanor made his food seem even more special.
Cheng Mingdu, who seemed to have gotten used to all of this, didn't say anything, and patiently accepted her dipping sauce, completing the exchange.
Across the steam rising from the hot pot, her profile was hidden behind the mist at the dining table.
He looked at her face, and for some reason, a sense of unreality suddenly arose in his heart.
She laughed too much today, her eyes were too bright, she spoke too lightly, and even her jokes seemed somewhat deliberate.
But he just couldn't find a flaw.
Her laughter was like the mist on a hot spring pool, seemingly joyful on the surface, but unfathomably deep beneath.
She kept it all well hidden; the more relaxed she seemed to smile, the heavier his heart felt.
*
After finishing their meal, Ye Yuying helped Cheng Mingdu put the dishes in the dishwasher, and then went to the bathroom to take a shower.
A moment later, Ye Yuying came out wearing a bathrobe, her hair wet, a drop of water sliding down her temple and landing on her collarbone.
She saw that the living room light was still on and went over to it.
Cheng Mingdu was the only one in the living room. The projection screen was completely lowered, and an old black-and-white film was playing on the screen.
In the scene, the sky is overcast, air raid sirens are sounding, and people are rushing towards air-raid shelters. The protagonist, Roy, wearing the uniform of the Scottish Highland Regiment, is crossing a bridge, preparing to return to his barracks.
Just then, the female protagonist Mara appeared on the bridge. She had just finished rehearsing and was on her way home when she was startled by the sudden alarm and the darkness. She had also dropped something and was lying on the ground picking it up when a carriage passed by and almost hit her.
Seeing this, Roy pulled Mara away and led her into the temporary shelter under the bridge—this is the beginning of Waterloo Bridge.
Cheng Mingdu leaned back on the sofa. He had just finished showering and wasn't wearing a bathrobe, but had changed into a clean shirt and trousers, probably because Ye Yuying was also staying at home overnight.
Ye Yuying turned off the only floor lamp, then leaned on her cane and silently sat down next to Cheng Mingdu.
He didn't move; he simply put down the remote and continued watching the movie.
The black-and-white image was projected onto her face and reflected in his eyes. The two stood side by side, neither of them uttering a word.
As the plot progressed, Ye Yuying grew a little tired of sitting upright, so she tilted her head slightly and moved a little closer to him.
Her breathing was very light, as if she was leaning against him unconsciously, or as if she was waiting for him to speak up and stop her.
Cheng Mingdu didn't move, his face deep and thoughtful, perhaps engrossed in the story.
The next second, she suddenly raised her hand, seemingly casually yet provocatively, her fingertips swiftly tracing his cheek.
Cheng Mingdu's expression changed drastically. He turned his head sharply and his voice deepened: "Ye Yuying, what's wrong with you today?"
Ye Yuying was taken aback, then laughed, a laugh tinged with mockery and a hint of self-destructive ruthlessness: "Is that not allowed?"
He stared at her, his eyes deep, and asked, suppressing his emotions, "You just saw Li Song off today."
"So what?" she retorted, her gaze meeting his directly. "Now that Li Song is gone, won't I be able to get closer to you more openly?"
His fingers tightened slightly, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his tone suddenly turned cold: "If you think you can have two people in the name of family, you're mistaken."
She didn't answer, slowly lowered her eyes, and a sarcastic smile slowly spread across her lips: "I don't care about these things."
Faced with this candor, the earnest Cheng Mingdu seemed like a novice, passively enduring Ye Yuying's mockery.
She steadied herself, opened her eyes, looked directly at him, and said in a resolute and clear voice, "Life is short, I want to be close to you..."
"Ye Yuying".
He interrupted her, turning his head to look at her with barely suppressed anger and pain, "How could you provoke me again just when I've finally accepted these realities?"
He looked down at her, his eyes seemingly filled with a thousand piles of snow, bringing a chill to spring.
"If you're going to provoke me, why did you try to reclaim the title of 'family'?" He bluntly stated the key point, his words almost harsh. "You know, living under the guise of family is a path to hell."
Ye Yuying raised her head, pursed her lips, adjusted her posture, and something surged in her eyes for a moment, but her voice was nonchalant: "We should have gone to hell eight years ago."
She chuckled, her voice trembling, her eyes slightly red: "Let's go to hell and be judged together then, one more time won't make a difference."
“You’re really crazy…” Cheng Mingdu’s voice was extremely deep.
"Yes, I've gone mad." She looked up at him fearlessly, but tears welled up in her eyes beneath his sharp, stern gaze.
But the next second, she wiped her face, blurring her tears and laughter, her eyes red and her voice trembling: "I'll be leaving your house in two days, and then I'll disappear like I'm dead, and you won't have any more worries."
He couldn't speak; his entire face was taut.
She spoke to him with the most cutting words from the very first word; she clearly knew what he cared about most.
His voice was strained: "What exactly do you want?"
Ye Yuying looked at him, a stubborn light appearing in her eyes: "Then kiss me. Right now, immediately."
"Where do you put your boyfriend?" His voice was icy cold, as if the air itself had turned frosty.
She remained resolute, enunciating each word clearly: "I don't care about anything else, it's now, kiss me, or I'll disappear for another eight years!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the echo of her voice still reverberated in the air, but all other sounds in the world vanished.
Her lips suddenly stung.
Cheng Mingdu reached out and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her tightly into his arms. He lowered his head and kissed her fiercely.
Without any build-up or tenderness, only emotions that had been suppressed for too long completely broke out of control at this moment.
His kiss was deep, filled with punishment and anger, as if he wanted to devour her whole, crush her, and swallow her whole.
She was almost dizzy from the kisses at first, breathless, and pinned to the sofa, only a muffled groan escaping her throat.
But she neither dodged nor struggled.
She closed her eyes, gripping his collar tightly, her nails almost digging into the flesh of his shoulder.
She kissed him without showing any weakness, biting his lips until she tasted the sweet, metallic taste.
They were both too familiar with each other's bottom lines, so familiar that they could accurately tear apart each other's self-control, and so familiar that they knew there was no way out for each other.
He seemed to be punishing her madness with a kiss, while she seemed to be using madness to cover up her cowardice.
As their lips and teeth intertwined, all reason was crushed to dust.
"Do you know what you're doing?" He moved slightly away from her lips, pressing his forehead against hers, his voice hoarse and almost distorted, his breath ragged.
"I know." She gasped for breath, her eyes shining with an almost sickly light. "I've wanted to bite you until you bleed for a long time."
There was no reason whatsoever; it was like an instinct.
She doesn't care about public order and good morals at all; she's just a wild beast that follows its instincts.
Her words carried the poison of despair, seeping into his wounds.
"How did you suddenly become so crazy, Ye Yuying..." He gritted his teeth, but then lowered his head to kiss her again, as if digging his own grave.
It was a deeper, almost destructive kiss.
She kissed him back, wildly, uncontrollably, and recklessly. Even though her tears had already inexplicably overflowed, it didn't matter. All that remained was this one desperate act of courage.
She whispered softly in his ear, her voice trembling as if it were a final confession: "I can't find a better way. I just want to skip all the steps; any step is superfluous..."
Cheng Mingdu felt as if his heart had been struck by something heavy, a dull pain, an explosion, and an inability to breathe.
He gripped her chin, forcing her mouth half-open, his fingers tightening around her back inch by inch, his voice almost escaping his throat: "I don't have much of a moral compass, I'll do anything, as long as you come back to me."
At that moment, what surged in his eyes was not anger, nor regret, but utter defeat.
He was finally dragged into hell by her, and they both sank into it.
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Author's note: 50~
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