Chapter 133 A Sudden Storm His kiss was like a violent storm, making...
“It’s not Uncle’s fault… Liu Shuang, so many years have passed. You shouldn’t continue to carry such a heavy burden.” The man’s warm hand stroked the back of her neck again and again, as if trying to soothe all the pain in her heart. “All the blame should be placed on that troublesome passenger. If he hadn’t hit Uncle with a blunt object, the tragedy… wouldn’t have happened.”
"Really...is that really so?" She slumped into his arms, her voice wavering. For over a decade, this question had tormented her, weighing heavily on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
To her surprise, He Ming's reaction was unusually calm.
Zhu Liushuang's anticipated shock, hesitation, and fear did not materialize. He readily believed her entire story, without seeking verification, without questioning, and even... without a second thought, naturally sided with her.
"It's strange, senior doesn't seem scared at all..." Her voice suddenly turned sharp, "I'm the daughter of a murderer, my father has ten lives on his hands..."
At this moment, she was like a hedgehog with its quills raised, throwing all her unease and resentment at the man who was holding her tightly: "If I told you that the bus crash into the lake was real, but all the reasons I made up to exonerate my father were fabricated... would you still defend my family so unhesitatingly, senior?"
Zhu Liushuang clearly didn't want things to be like this, but she couldn't control herself.
Her mind was filled with shouts and curses; countless figures surrounded her, calling her "the murderer's daughter." Day after day, year after year, this malicious title was like an incurable scar, deeply imprinted on the trajectory of her life.
She thought time would wash away the unfounded stigma, and that growth would give her unwavering faith, helping her escape those hysterical nightmares. But the reality was quite the opposite; the gloom still lingered, merely hiding beneath a facade of calm, always sneaking out to sting her in the dead of night.
"Liu Shuang... Liu Shuang, look at me, calm down." The man gripped her shoulder, forcing her to look up.
The balcony curtains were half-drawn, and the few streetlights standing by the roadside were the only source of light in the house.
Fine snowflakes streaked across the windowpane; outside, the wind and snow raged, but inside, all was deathly silent.
As if waking from a deep dream, Zhu Liushuang hesitantly raised her head and met his gaze in the dim light streaming in from the balcony. The light was too dim, and his face blurred into the darkness, except for the clear glimmer of tears in his eyes, like stars that had not yet faded in a snowy night, illuminating her heart.
“Liu Shuang, don’t slander yourself, and don’t doubt your father…” The man gazed at her tenderly, his fingertips digging into her flesh. “That accident back then was known to everyone in Gucheng. It was reported on the news countless times. I remember it. So… I know you’re not lying. What you’re saying is the truth.”
It turns out that He Ming had already been following the relevant reports back then!
No wonder—after hearing the whole story, he was able to analyze the whole situation so rationally for her.
"Is that what you thought back then, senior?" she asked him, her voice muffled.
“Hmm…” He Ming coughed lightly, quickly organizing his thoughts, “The black box released the surveillance video from inside the car, and I can see clearly who is right and who is wrong.”
His answer was so straightforward that Zhu Liushuang was deeply moved. She murmured, "Back then, you were only in the first year of junior high, right? You could see it clearly, so why couldn't those adults? They kept harping on my dad's mistakes and pointed the finger at me and my mom..."
She was about to continue when He Ming interrupted her, saying, "Liu Shuang, a person's perception has nothing to do with age. Every time a major accident occurs, public opinion will be divided into several camps; this is human nature, and we can't change it. Since the authorities and the vast majority of rational voices have already cleared your father's name, the remaining few who criticize and slander cannot shake the truth itself. You must know that in this mixed and chaotic society, there are always some people who like to use saintly standards to judge others. Whether it's the truth or not is not important to them; their venting is just to satisfy some distorted desire for expression..."
As the fog cleared and he listened to those thought-provoking words, a faint light gradually appeared in Zhu Liushuang's eyes, which had been as dark as a dry well.
"Thank you... thank you, senior." She snuggled against his chest and buried her head in his arms.
She not only found warmth in He Ming, but also gained unwavering courage.
The man's comforting words continued. His stubble-covered chin pressed against her smooth forehead as he spoke softly, "Liu Shuang, don't let those harsh words shake your heart, and don't let the scattered dark clouds become a cage that traps you... I know it's difficult. But you are a strong and brave girl. Don't think about the past, don't look back. Things will get better from now on. I will... always be by your side."
The snow was falling softly outside the window, but the lights inside the house remained off.
Later that night, they cuddled together in the darkness for a long time. Zhu Liushuang made up her mind to be honest with her lover, so she completely laid bare her past, presenting him with all the secrets that no one else knew.
“That day, when we were taking inventory, the warehouse suddenly lost power… The reason I suddenly lost control was because…” She was tired after saying so much, and her voice grew softer and softer, “Senior, I’ve kept these things to myself all this time, and I haven’t even told my mom or Ayu. Now that I’ve said it all out… I feel much lighter.”
When talking about herself, Zhu Liushuang seemed like a completely different person.
There were no painful sobs, nor hysterical accusations; her eyes were calm and her tone was so indifferent that it sounded like she was telling someone else's story.
The more casually she described it, the more intense the pain in He Ming's heart became.
He never knew that the girl in his arms, whose eyes always crinkled with a smile, had swallowed such profound bitterness alone. At just over ten years old, an age when she should have been innocent and carefree, she suffered malicious retaliation and slander from others. She must have been utterly desperate then.
Even so, she still chose to shoulder everything with her frail body.
How did she manage to get through all these years?
As the dull knife cut into her flesh, He Ming repeatedly questioned himself about what he should do and say to make her feel better.
He dared not force her to forget, because he had experienced firsthand that some wounds, once inflicted, are not so easy to forget.
In the darkness, the man's breathing grew heavier.
His fingers clenched into fists, his jaw clenched white, a profound sense of powerlessness rendering him unable to utter any words of comfort. If time could turn back, how he wished he could return to those months after the accident. He would have done everything in his power to rescue the girl who was being hurled at and trembling in the small warehouse, crying uncontrollably. He would have told her that she was not wrong, and neither was her father.
No!
He should have gone back to before the tragedy happened. If he could have prevented the accident, both his and her lives would have been rewritten.
Unfortunately, the cruelest thing in this world is that there is no "if".
He Ming lowered his head dejectedly, rested his chin on her shoulder, and said with a pained tone, "Liu Shuang, I have no idea how to comfort you..."
Zhu Liushuang sniffed, suppressing her surging emotions: "Senior, I'm telling you this not to get your comfort or sympathy... You said that lovers shouldn't have any grudges, and should be honest with each other. So I've opened the darkest, most secret corner of my heart to you. From now on, besides my mother and Ayu, you are the person I can trust the most..."
As soon as he finished speaking, He Ming clenched his fist again, which he had finally managed to loosen.
His lips tightened even more, and a hint of panic flickered between his trembling brows.
His disguise was almost exposed.
When she said, "Lovers should be honest with each other," his heart skipped a beat. But he couldn't tell her the truth. In fact, he didn't have the courage to let her know the truth.
Let the truth remain forever at the bottom of the lake!
Darkness swallowed his unease, and he repeatedly reassured himself: everything he did was for her own good. Love certainly needs honesty, but sometimes, a white lie can last longer than harsh reality.
"Liu Shuang, you are also the person I love and trust the most, now and forever." He gently kissed her forehead, his lips slowly and reverently kissing every inch of her skin, trying to numb his own senses.
Zhu Liushuang tilted her head back, accepting his kisses that rained down upon her.
The man's lips moved down her nose, and just as they were about to touch her upper lip, he suddenly grabbed her chin with his hand.
The force wasn't great, but it still made Zhu Liushuang, who was completely unprepared, cry out in surprise.
Taking advantage of that soft gasp, the man's tongue brushed against her teeth and plunged deep into her mouth.
This kiss was unlike any she'd ever experienced before; it was like a raging storm, leaving her defenseless. The man's warm tongue swirled around hers, sucking and licking repeatedly. But that seemed insufficient; he continued his invasion, lifting the base of her tongue and seizing her uvula…
His teeth scraped against her lips, causing a sharp pain. Zhu Liushuang whimpered involuntarily, but the man only intensified his actions. He swirled wildly in her mouth, giving her no chance to breathe or retreat. The saliva she couldn't swallow slid down the corners of her mouth, which he wiped away with his thumb while deepening the kiss by holding the back of her head.
Until... she could no longer bear his intense demands, and patted his chest, pushing him away with all her might, his eyes, which had been filled with desire, gradually regained their clarity.
Zhu Liushuang's face was already flushed red, and her lips were slightly swollen from his excessive sucking. Her limbs felt weak, and she was panting heavily.
"Are you scared?" He Ming touched her lips, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it could jump out of his throat.
"Hmm..." Zhu Liushuang was indeed startled, but she had to admit that He Ming, filled with such desire, made her unable to resist. If it happened a few more times... she probably wouldn't be able to stop.
Of course, she wouldn't tell him these things openly.
She shook her head silently, then took his hand and whispered, "Senior, I'm a little hungry."
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Author's Note: [Please] I just couldn't get into the emotions for this chapter, I was stuck for ages [crying emoji]
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