Chapter 0040 Breakup
Ruyi stayed alone in the bedroom for a long time, from 3 pm to 9 pm. During that time, He Caiyu knocked on the door to call her for dinner. She answered through the door, saying that she had eaten snacks in the afternoon and was not hungry.
He Caiyu couldn't help but try to persuade her a few more times, but there was no response from inside. She then grumbled, "How old are you? Still acting like a child..." But then she thought that eating too much at night could cause indigestion, which was not good. Since she really didn't want to eat, she decided to let her be.
Ruyi had stopped crying; she had cried all the tears she needed to shed. She felt neither thirsty nor hungry. She lay on her back in bed, the computer leaning to one side, having already shut down automatically due to lack of power.
She stared at the ceiling, her eyes unfocused, a strange thought suddenly rising in her blank mind.
Is this considered retribution?
Long ago, she knew Chen Yan was no good, but she gradually succumbed to the dual pleasures he gave her, both physical and mental. She was captivated by his handsome appearance and willingly submitted to his powerful strength, to the point that she forgot he was an absolute scoundrel.
At the age of 15, he was able to force himself on her for his own selfish desires, frequently threaten her, disregard her personal wishes to force her to return, and constantly deceive her...
He indiscriminately antagonized all the men around her and used extreme methods to humiliate Li Jinghao. She was only angry and afraid at the time. She and Li Jinghao were actually the same kind of people, ordinary people trying to make a living. He could so easily manipulate her. Who knows if he would turn into a venomous snake and swallow her whole when the passion faded?
Yet, she was still hopelessly inclined to forget as time passed, forgetting the harm Chen Yan had done to Li Jinghao, and forgetting the chilling aspects of his nature.
The fact that she is now suffering the consequences is probably a sign of divine intervention, a way of upholding justice for Li Jinghao and punishing her for her long-standing foolishness and weakness.
She really deserved it...
Tears that I thought had dried up began to trickle down my cheeks again.
After an unknown amount of time, all was quiet, the moon was high in the sky, He Caiyu was fast asleep next door, Ruyi got up weakly and walked out of the house like a walking corpse.
She walked for a while in a daze before realizing she needed to hail a taxi. She opened the app and placed an order. The ride-hailing driver, who was working the night shift, saw that the pretty young woman had red eyes and a dazed expression. He guessed that she had suffered a major heartbreak and was afraid that she might do something rash in the car. He tried his best to use his humor to comfort her, but it was no use. He could only shut his mouth, speed up, and finish the fare as soon as possible.
Pushing open the door, the room was dark. Ruyi turned on the light switch and found Chen Yan lying on the sofa, whom she hadn't seen for several days. Just two days ago, he was in Europe doing business and watching a game, and now he was sleeping here. There were more than a dozen cigarette butts lying haphazardly in the ashtray on the coffee table, and an 800ml bottle of foreign liquor was almost empty. He reeked of smoke and alcohol, and her nightgown was covering his face.
"What a master of time management," she thought coldly.
He hadn't been sleeping well, and the slightest noise woke him up. Feeling the light filtering through his thin clothes, he pulled down his skirt and saw her standing in the doorway. It was as if she had appeared out of nowhere. A hint of surprise flashed across his tired face, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Didn't you go home? Why are you here at this hour?"
He got up to hug her.
Ruyi didn't want to talk to him. She had no energy and no interest. She avoided him, her mind filled with only one thought: to pack her things, leave, and never come back here again.
Chen Yan assumed she was disgusted by his smell of smoke and alcohol, so he smiled and stopped being so persistent. Instead, he lazily followed behind her, watching her movements.
Ruyi kept going in and out, throwing her belongings into her suitcase. Chen Yan gradually came to his senses, his brows furrowing slowly. He stepped forward, grabbed Ruyi's hand, and asked, "...What are you doing?"
Afraid of hurting her, he didn't use force, but was easily pushed away. Ruyi's expression was cold as she said, "Don't touch me."
He had already worn down her patience, so he wasn't angry anymore. Instead, he coaxed her, "Who has offended you this time? I'll stand up for you."
Who offended her? Ruyi couldn't answer for a moment. At this moment, in her eyes, everyone in the Chen family was despicable.
As Chen Yan's closest relatives, they couldn't possibly be unaware that he had already registered his marriage with Zhao Nanyue, yet not one of them informed her, coldly watching her being kept in the dark, like a clown being made a fool of.
She repeatedly accepted gifts from Chen Yan's grandmother and maternal grandmother. Beneath those kind and warm smiles, were they mocking her for being shameless and incredibly foolish?
She didn't know their motives for concealing the truth. Perhaps they saw her as an insignificant ant, unworthy of knowing the truth. Perhaps Chen Yan still had some lingering affection for her and chose to remain silent for the sake of the child and his desire to enjoy the blessings of having two wives...
As I said before, this is God's retribution for her, and she accepts it.
Her expression was indifferent, devoid of love or hate. She looked at Chen Yan as if he were a stranger. She spoke slowly, her tone cold and desolate: "Why aren't you with your wife? What are you doing arguing with me here?"
Chen Yan was caught off guard, as if struck head-on, and took a half-step back, staring at Ruyi in shock, as if he couldn't believe it. How could she have known...?
Seeing his reaction, she had no room for explanation. She closed her eyes in disgust and suddenly didn't even want to pack her things anymore. She naturally wouldn't take the jewelry given to her by the elders of the Chen family. She only went to the study and took out the important documents: her ID card, passport, degree certificate, doctoral admission notice... She swept them all into a bag, picked it up and was about to leave when Chen Yan grabbed her tightly from behind.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Chen Yan choked up, apologizing repeatedly, his face pressed against Ruyi's, tears streaming down his face, indistinguishable from one another's.
“My uncle offended someone, and someone wants to get rid of him. Only Zhao Nanyue’s father can protect him,” he explained in a hoarse voice, a sense of helplessness and despair overflowing from deep in his throat.
"What is your relationship with your uncle?"
"He is the biggest protector of the entire Chen family. Once he falls, when the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact..."
"What did he do wrong? Embezzlement and bribery, or disregard for human life?" Ruyi smiled lightly, "Then he truly deserves to die..."
"No, he just chose the wrong side and was made an example of. But the officialdom is corrupt, and people have no choice in their own lives. In his position, how many can withstand close scrutiny? Who dares to say they haven't done anything against their conscience?"
In his initial fit of rage, he ordered the gang rape of Li Jinghao, a despicable act comparable to digging up someone's ancestral graves. He only managed to quell the situation thanks to the influence of his uncle, Chen Weide. Once he falls from power, it's hard to guarantee that Director Jiang won't use this as a pawn to curry favor with his new patron. He even considered killing him. However, the Li Jinghao incident has already caused him to reap the consequences of his actions, and he must restrain himself and be cautious in his words and deeds.
If it were just him going to jail, that would be one thing, but his father, Chen Weiren, had a very close relationship with his uncle. With his uncle's downfall, Renxin was already riddled with problems and was bound to collapse, allowing its covetous rivals to seize the opportunity to take it over.
Going back further, Chen Weide's rise to power was not unrelated to his grandfather Chen Qin's maneuvering during his time in office. Although it was done covertly, pulling up the radish would inevitably bring up the mud, and it was not impossible that it would not implicate the old man, causing him to lose his reputation and bear infamy at an age when he should have been enjoying his retirement.
Chen Yan recounted all of the above to Ruyi, except for the matter of Li Jinghao, which was only mentioned vaguely. Ruyi remained unmoved after listening.
"Oh, that's none of my business."
Unable to break free from Chen Yan, she suddenly remembered the jade hairpin in her hair, pulled it out, and smashed it to the ground, where it shattered into pieces with a crisp sound.
"Let me go!" Unable to break free from her restraints despite her best efforts, Ruyi suddenly erupted and shouted uncontrollably.
"I won't let go."
"Chen Yan, you've already turned me into a complete scumbag and a joke. Do you want to continue?"
She broke down in tears, her heart shattered into pieces, the pain piercing to the bone.
Because she hadn't eaten for most of the day and was emotionally agitated, she cried until she passed out, her whole body aching. She collapsed weakly into Chen Yan's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
Her appearance terrified Chen Yan. He frightened her and laid her flat on the bed, combed her disheveled hair around her face, and then hurriedly fed her water and broke chocolate into small pieces to put to her mouth.
Before even putting it in her mouth, just smelling that fishy, sweet odor made Ruyi feel nauseous and vomit. She gagged and coughed violently. Chen Yan stood by her side, anxious and at a loss, only patting her back and offering empty words of comfort.
Regardless of what he said, after recovering, Ruyi lay back down, closed her eyes, her hair disheveled, and kept repeating the same few words: "Let me go... I don't want to see you... Let me go..."
Chen Yan got into bed, wrapped his arms around her, and held her tightly like a clam shell, then gently stroked her back.
Ruyi felt dizzy, weak, and drowsy, but the warm chest so close to her tasted so familiar and comforting. The gentle, soothing touch on her back helped her stop thinking about the painful things. Gradually, she stopped struggling and fell into darkness.
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