Chapter 12 Escaping You and Gu Qingyan were never from the same world to begin with...
For the past two years, Gu Qingyan would prepare breakfast every morning and knock on Lin Yuwei's door several times before waking her from her dreams. But today, she was awakened by his very light footsteps. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Gu Qingyan was already dressed and carrying an exquisite breakfast tray, silently pushing the door open and entering.
Morning light streamed through the crack in the open door, casting long, bright rays onto the floor. Gu Qingyan walked to the bedside, put down the plate, and bent down to help her sit up. However, the moment his fingertips touched her shoulder, Lin Yuwei's body tensed uncontrollably—a conditioned reflex of tension stemming from yesterday's memories.
Lin Yuwei opened her mouth almost mechanically. The sweet porridge melted on her tongue, a familiar taste she had once demanded when she was sick or depressed. Back then, she had enjoyed his care and taken it for granted, but now, the same gesture made her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles, each swallow feeling like she was swallowing a piece of burning coal, an unbearable torment.
She dared not show the slightest resistance, for fear of further provoking the now unfamiliar and dangerous Gu Qingyan in front of her. She forced herself to empty her mind and relax her body, hoping to end this torture-like feeding as soon as possible.
"Slow down," he said softly, gently wiping away the porridge stains from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. The slightly warm touch made her flinch again. She looked at his long, slender, well-defined hands—the same hands that had done those horrible things to her last night… Thinking of this, a wave of ambiguous and embarrassing heat surged up her cheeks.
After feeding her the porridge, Gu Qingyan picked her up and placed her on a large beanbag chair. He deftly removed the messy sheets from the bed and laid out new bedding that smelled clean and fresh from the sun. Then, he carried her into the bathroom and patiently and gently washed her body. Lin Yuwei was like a soulless doll, letting him do as he pleased, her eyes blankly staring at the blurry reflection on the mirror, blurred by the steam.
Gu Qingyan controlled her movements perfectly, thoroughly cleaning every inch of skin while carefully avoiding yesterday's wounds, leaving no new red marks.
He carefully wrapped her in a large bath towel, carried her back to the bedroom, and the newly changed sheets felt dry and soft, carrying a unique fragrance from being sun-dried, which indeed made Lin Yuwei feel much more comfortable. Gu Qingyan lay down next to her, turned to his side, and held her tightly in his arms.
His gentle, tender kisses fell like spring rain, from her smooth forehead and trembling eyelids to the tip of her delicate nose, finally covering her slightly shaking lips. His kisses traveled downwards, lingering on her neck and collarbone, deliberately lingering and sucking on certain sensitive areas. Lin Yuwei closed her eyes, letting her body be overwhelmed by this familiar yet terrifying pleasure, her reason gradually succumbing once more.
Just then, the sudden ringing of a cell phone shattered the ambiguous atmosphere in the room. Lin Yuwei's heart tightened. It was her phone. Could it be Yang Mingyuan? Before she could react, Gu Qingyan reached out and took the phone from the bedside table. She quickly glanced at the screen, and sure enough, the name "Yang Mingyuan" was flashing.
"He'll probably die, won't he?" Lin Yuwei thought, closing her eyes again, giving up all hope. Now was definitely not the right time to leave. She had to continue to comply, to lower his guard, so that she could find an opportunity to escape.
To her surprise, the next second, something cold touched her cheek. Lin Yuwei opened her eyes and found that Gu Qingyan had placed the phone to her ear. Yang Mingyuan's voice came through the speakerphone, each word like a knife stabbing into her heart: "Weiwei, are you ready? I'm coming to pick you up..."
Lin Yuwei froze, not daring to even look at Gu Qingyan's expression. On the other end of the phone, Yang Mingyuan was still enthusiastically describing his vision of their future cohabitation, his voice sounding particularly jarring in the quiet bedroom.
The man on top of her suddenly tightened his grip on her waist, the force almost making her cry out in pain. Fortunately, she reacted quickly, biting her lower lip hard to stifle the sound. The sweet, metallic taste of blood immediately filled her mouth; she had bitten her lower lip until it bled.
Gu Qingyan's previously calm gaze instantly darkened like the deep sea before a storm. Lin Yuwei braced herself and spoke into the phone, her voice trembling almost imperceptibly: "Mingyuan, I... I have something come up here, so I... I won't be moving over today. You, you don't need to come looking for me."
"Why?" Yang Mingyuan's voice was filled with confusion and urgency. "Didn't we agree last night? You said you were looking forward to our cohabitation, that we could be together every day and wouldn't be bothered by your cousin Gu Qingyan anymore..." These words made Lin Yuwei's face turn deathly pale. For the first time, she found Yang Mingyuan's voice so annoying and foolish. Stop talking! Stop asking! Hang up! She screamed internally, otherwise Gu Qingyan would really kill her on this bed!
Yang Mingyuan continued to ask with concern over the loudspeaker, "Weiwei, why aren't you saying anything? Hello? I'm coming to pick you up right now?"
Lin Yuwei could only look at Gu Qingyan with pleading eyes. Gu Qingyan temporarily slowed down, giving her a moment to catch her breath.
Lin Yuwei tried to calm her suspicious breathing and said into the phone again, "You don't need to come over... I, I'll contact you after I've dealt with things, sigh!" However, Gu Qingyan seemed extremely dissatisfied with her words, and increased the pressure on her hand. The sudden attack made her cry out.
Yang Mingyuan was clearly not stupid either. His tone became suspicious and anxious: "Weiwei, where are you now? Who are you with?" Lin Yuwei was too busy to speak properly and could only struggle in vain with intermittent gasps for breath.
The voice on the other end of the phone kept pressing, each question more urgent than the last: "Hello? Weiwei, are you listening? Hello?"
Lin Yuwei's tears finally welled up. Extreme fear and the helplessness of being driven to the brink made her shout into the phone, "Yang Mingyuan! Stop asking! Let's break up!" Taking advantage of the moment when Gu Qingyan was slightly distracted by her words, she suddenly reached out and hung up the phone.
Gu Qingyan tossed his phone aside and pulled her into a tight embrace that made Lin Yuwei feel like she was suffocating. Gu Qingyan's burning lips whispered against her earlobe, "Say you're mine, say you'll never leave me, say it now, don't stop." His voice held the stubbornness of a child begging for candy, but his actions were as fierce as a predator.
Amidst the chaos, Lin Yuwei could only cling to Gu Qingyan and repeat the vow haltingly, her voice broken by tears. Finally, Gu Qingyan pinched her chin, forcing her to look directly at him: "You didn't lie to me?" She nodded vigorously, gently stroking the hair behind Gu Qingyan's head, trying to gain a moment of peace with this weak comfort. Gu Qingyan seemed to have finally received the long-awaited confirmation, and buried his head contentedly in the crook of her neck.
The intense struggle had exhausted all their strength, and finally, Gu Qingyan's breathing became even and long as he fell into a deep sleep. Listening to his soft snores in his sleep, Lin Yuwei's heart pounded like a drum. She slowly, inch by inch, broke free from his now-loosening embrace. Grabbing her clothes and her phone scattered on the floor, she tiptoed towards the door like a cat.
She frantically pulled on her clothes as she rushed toward the door, her heart pounding. When her fingers finally touched the cold doorknob, a symbol of freedom, she almost burst into tears of joy.
However, just as she turned the lock, Gu Qingyan's low, sinister voice suddenly rang out behind her. The voice was like a cold, venomous snake, instantly climbing up her spine to the top of her head: "Weiwei, where are you going?"
Lin Yuwei froze, her blood instantly freezing. She dared not turn around, or even breathe. She could only rely on instinct to twist the lock and rush out like a madwoman.
But the next second, a pair of hands grabbed her waist from behind, so tightly they almost broke her. She was lifted into the air, and the moment her feet left the ground, her heart almost stopped.
"You really... were still lying to me." Gu Qingyan's voice was as cold as ice, but Lin Yuwei heard something deeper, a kind of despair on the verge of collapse. Gu Qingyan threw her back onto the bed heavily. In the instant the mattress shook, Gu Qingyan leaned closer, and she finally saw his face clearly.
His eyes were bloodshot, his eyelashes were wet and stuck together, as if he had just been crying, but his gaze was terrifying, like a demon crawling out of an abyss, staring intently at her, a twisted smile even tugging at the corner of his mouth, his fingers digging into her waist, his knuckles turning white, as if he wanted to nail her to the spot.
“You love the outside world so much…” His voice was so low and hoarse that it was almost unrecognizable. His other hand trembled as he touched her face. “How could you… possibly be willing to stay with me?” The last few words were almost squeezed out between his teeth, with a heavy nasal tone. His eyes were almost broken, like a trapped beast forced to the edge of a cliff. Despair and madness intertwined into an airtight net, binding her tightly.
“But you promised me!” He lowered his head, his forehead against her shoulder, his breath hot: “You promised... you wouldn’t leave me... Weiwei, you can’t escape, Weiwei…” His voice grew softer and softer, until it almost turned into a suppressed sob, tinged with tears.
Lin Yuwei was dragged back into that hell filled with desire and despair.
She didn't know how much time had passed; it felt like an eternity. Lin Yuwei's consciousness began to fade, and all she could see were blurry lights and shadows on the ceiling that swayed with her movements. In a daze, she heard a rustling sound beside her and felt the mattress bounce back; Gu Qingyan had gotten up.
His footsteps faded into the distance, and then the door closed softly. His hushed voice could be faintly heard outside, indistinct but brief. Soon, Gu Qingyan returned, carrying an almost eerie, deathly calm.
He placed her phone and a neatly folded set of clothes by the bedside. The fabric still carried the faint scent of laundry detergent. Gu Qingyan turned his back to her and silently put on his shirt. Sunlight filtering through the crack in the door traced his silhouette, casting a sharp and lonely shadow on the floor, like a chasm between the two of them.
"I will move out as soon as possible." His voice was hoarse, each word seemed to be squeezed out, as if he was suppressing some emotion that was about to burst forth.
Lin Yuwei was stunned. For a moment, she thought she had misheard. However, Gu Qingyan did not explain or say another word and walked straight out of the room.
What is this? A sudden receding tide after a storm? Whatever it is, even if it's a trap, she has to take the plunge. Lin Yuwei didn't dare hesitate. She quickly dressed, grabbed her phone, pulled her suitcase that was lying by the door, and almost stumbled as she rushed towards the door. Only after running out of the apartment building and the afternoon sun shining on her did Lin Yuwei confirm that no one was chasing her before she took a taxi to a nearby hotel.
The hotel lobby was bright and bustling with people. "Hello, what type of room would you like?" The receptionist's gentle smile put her at ease.
"King-size bed, high floor, thank you."
Lin Yuwei's mother called as soon as she received the room key.
“The property management told me everything.” On the other end of the phone, her mother’s voice was as cold as ice: “You said you couldn’t get used to living in the dormitory and wanted to move out, and I agreed. But for more than a year, you’ve actually been living with Gu Qingyan?” Lin Yuwei listened to her mother’s scolding, her fingers holding the phone trembling slightly. She had a lot of grievances in her heart, but her throat was tight and she couldn’t say a word.
The mother's unquestionable words continued: "Aunt Gu has been fired from the family. Gu Qingyan will be moving out of your place soon. Weiwei, it's not that I'm old-fashioned, but you're not a child anymore. Don't do such ridiculous things that will cause misunderstandings. You and Gu Qingyan are from completely different worlds. Don't let him ruin your future."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Yuwei stared at the darkened screen and finally understood why Gu Qingyan had suddenly changed his mind and wanted her to leave.
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