First playthrough complete
First playthrough complete
I clearly realized that Xie Yonghe was different from the others.
At first, I thought that the reason he was angry was simply because I had played him for a fool. I had used him to make him testify for Yu Xu in court, and he wanted to get revenge on me, humiliate me, and vent his anger.
It's nothing, I'll just bear with it and it'll pass. Anyway, I've made up my mind never to see him again.
But Xie Yong's grip on me was different from his punishment. He didn't seem very strong, but I couldn't break free. His long, slender, and artistically crafted fingers were gently lifting my short mint green cardigan, his large, well-defined hands caressing the most delicate part of a girl's body.
I looked up and saw Xie Yong's full forehead, straight nose, and thin, pursed lips. His features were handsome and refined, yet they seemed to be affected by the emotions he was experiencing, adding a touch of sensuality. He looked down at me, sweat trickling down his chin and onto my neck.
It's a little itchy.
I hunched my shoulders. The meaning in Xie Yong's eyes was all too clear. I felt a chill in my heart for no reason, and I couldn't deceive myself.
"No, don't..." I gestured to him, "Don't force yourself on me... You said you wouldn't force yourself on me unless I agreed."
Xie Yong smiled and said, "Break up with him."
The absolute oppression, the aura of possession and aggression was overwhelming, so direct and blatant that it made my scalp tingle.
Countless images flashed through my mind in an instant.
I remembered that I just didn't like Jiang Mingzhuo's all-encompassing control over me and wanted to break up. He was so determined and domineering that I was speechless.
I glanced at the bag that had fallen to the ground. A red dot appeared and disappeared, but Xie Yong didn't seem to notice it.
I refused to answer. Just as Xie Yong's kiss was about to land, a glass of water was suddenly splashed from my side, drenching both of us completely. The ambiguous feelings between us were completely extinguished by the water. Xie Yong propped himself up on his arm and looked over. I immediately saw Ye Fenglin standing there, and I was so frightened that I almost screamed.
Ye Fenglin was only wearing a black short-sleeved T-shirt, clearly having come up from downstairs. His handsome face was expressionless. He looked at Xie Yong and me, our faces covered in water, and placed the cups on the table next to the sofa.
Raising an eyebrow, "Awake?"
Xie Yong gave him a cold look and asked, "How did you get in?"
Ye Fenglin smiled and said, "Brother Yong, have you forgotten the permissions you gave me? We've been best friends since childhood, why are you making such a fuss over a woman?"
After saying that, Ye Fenglin looked at me with that complicated expression again. My face was wet with tears, and my hair was tangled. I knew I looked terrible. I bit my lip, knowing that my eyes were already red, and large tears fell onto the back of my hand.
"I underestimated you." Ye Fenglin frowned slightly, but his expression wasn't one of disdain. He scrutinized me with a critical gaze, and after a while, he smiled again.
The air became stuffy and suffocating. I picked up my bag from the ground and, regardless of Xie Yong's refusal, placed the bank card in front of him. The water running down my face was icy cold. I took a tissue and wiped it off, then left the room without looking back.
I was walking towards the subway station when I noticed a silver Porsche following me at a respectful distance. I frantically wiped away my tears, knowing Ye Fenglin wouldn't let me off easily, but I also had to admit that his actions earlier were actually to help me out of a difficult situation.
I stood there, waiting for the car to approach me.
Ye Fenglin's voice trailed off, "Get in the car, I'll take you home."
He was very casual today, not as fussy about his outfit as he usually is. He wore a simple, comfortable black sports jacket, looking clean and refreshing, and his demeanor was much more understated. His appearance, however, remained striking.
I hesitated for a moment, but then got into the passenger seat.
Compared to Xie Yong, Ye Fenglin was obviously easier for me to lower my guard. Although his temper was always unpredictable, I knew about his feelings for Lin Zhi'en, which made me feel more relaxed.
I asked him why he had helped me earlier.
He looked at the traffic light ahead and smiled sarcastically: "Help you? You should be helping Xie Yong. If we let him go all the way, his father's opposing campaign team will receive your recording tomorrow, and the whole Empire State will know that Congressman Xie's son is a womanizer."
I lowered my eyelids, and my face instantly turned pale.
I didn't expect Ye Fenglin to discover my purpose so quickly.
He said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, with Xie Yong's brain, he'll figure it out in a bit. He won't come looking for you again until his father wins the mayoral election."
"..." What if I won the election? I dare not think about it. I only regret that I had no trump cards at all, yet I dared to provoke Xie Yong, a man who stands at the top of the social hierarchy, someone I could never afford to mess with. @Unlimited good articles, all at Literary City
As I thought about it, I probably couldn't hold back my tears. Ye Fenglin turned his head to look at me, stopped the car, and cupped my face in his hands. "Crying again? Why are you so prone to crying?"
His tone was a little helpless. I hesitated, blinked, and as luck would have it, tears fell from my eyes.
Ye Fenglin's smile vanished, and his fingers paused on my face for a moment. I saw my reflection in his dark pupils.
Tension, surprise, doubt, fear... all sorts of emotions surged up. I struggled slightly, but Ye Fenglin didn't let me go. His fingers were burning hot, like burning flames, instantly igniting the already ambiguous atmosphere.
"..." "Don't do this," I said, futilely grasping his hand, trying to stop him from going any further.
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Ye Fenglin's thin lips curved into a smile, "Do you remember when I told you that I'm no worse than Xie Yong?"
I used my free hand to write in his palm, “I have a boyfriend.”
Besides, why would you seek refuge with another man just to avoid one?
I had already done this when Jiang Mingzhuo was planning to bully me. I went to Jiang Zhao and begged him to take pity on me and protect me, but the outcome was obvious.
"Does your boyfriend mind this?" Ye Fenglin's eyes held a hint of determination. He kissed me, but not fiercely. His kiss was light and gentle, barely touching my lips. But his eyes were burning with passion.
I turned my face away from him, and simply told him...
“Yu Xu and I have kissed countless times. He doesn’t mind, and I don’t care either. I forgot about it after I got off the bus.”
I know that Ye Fenglin just doesn't want to lose to Xie Yong. In every aspect, they are childhood friends, but they are also equally matched competitors. Ye Fenglin doesn't want to lose to Xie Yong, and Xie Yong never thinks that Ye Fenglin can surpass him. They are just competing with each other.
After I leave, they will simply follow the original trajectory of the game, fall in love with the "female protagonist," and continue to fight for her attention.
It has absolutely nothing to do with me, a nobody who has long been forgotten by the game developers.
Ye Fenglin seemed to have anticipated my reaction, and slowly released me, raising an eyebrow.
"Our deal isn't over yet. You're not leaving me unless I get tired of it."
That day, after I got home, I went straight to sleep. When I woke up, I blocked both Xie Yong and Ye Fenglin, and then took a car with Yu Xu back to the small town in Xinzezhou.
The town has a small population, only tens of thousands.
The buildings on the street are mostly old and antique, some even only two blocks apart. The streets are lined with Victorian-style houses, and the main street is full of unique little shops, bookstores, pubs, and restaurants. It's quiet, beautiful, and without a trace of urgency. In the forest, you can see wild deer, rabbits, and squirrels everywhere.
Yu Xu's aunt runs a flower shop in the small town. We rested for a few days, wandered around, took photos, and usually helped out in the shop.
"Xiao Fu, there's a small market at the library entrance today. Would you like to go check it out?" Yu Xu asked me as he entered the house. He looked travel-worn, having just carried a heavy bouquet of flowers back into the shop. I, on the other hand, was helping the auntie trim the flowers and put them into a red bucket filled with water.
I nodded.
Although it's a small town, it has a lot of activities. There are often agricultural product trades and secondhand book sales. The people in town are also very enthusiastic, and you can always find a lot of good things.
Yu Xu and I held hands and arrived at the entrance of the Public Library. There were already quite a few people there. There was honey, fresh fruits and vegetables, and some handmade crafts. Although it couldn't compare to Walmart, I still found it very interesting. As I bought things, Yu Xu took pictures of me with his phone.
"..." I held up a teddy bear and showed it to Yu Xu. Yu Xu was holding his phone. Seeing him like this, I simply pretended to be a bear and pounced on him. Yu Xu laughed and hugged me. The people around us also laughed, and the atmosphere was very lively.
After buying some berry jam and vegetables, Yu Xu and I went home. That evening, I was drawing when Yu Xu suddenly spoke up, "Xiao Fu, the video we filmed this afternoon got a lot of likes."
I leaned over and glanced at it. It had millions of views. You have to know that Yu Xu only has a few hundred fans, most of whom are his classmates and friends. The post from this afternoon alone had tens of thousands of likes. Yu Xu glanced at the comments and said, "So many people are praising you for looking especially beautiful today."
"Wasn't she pretty before?" I asked him defiantly.
Yu Xu kept laughing and pulled me into his arms. Looking at the ever-increasing number of views and likes, he was a little worried. "Could it be that the likes were bought? It would be terrible if the account got banned."
I looked up at him, a bad feeling creeping over me. But Yu Xu had only recently emerged from the shadow of the car accident, and I really didn't want him to worry again.
Before the weekend, the weather forecast on the news reminded us that there would be heavy snow this week. Early in the morning, Yu Xu and his aunt went to stock up on food for the family before the supermarket closed. I was alone in the flower shop. The small shop, which was less than 30 square meters, was very cleaned by his aunt. I cleaned up the dead branches on the shelves and prepared to pack up the violets that the neighbors had ordered and deliver them to them.
Perhaps because of the snow, the shop was quiet and even a little eerie, with only the hum of the air conditioner ventilating the room.
"...!" My hand accidentally touched a thorn, and blood flowed, dripping onto the light-colored wrapping paper.
I looked up and realized it was completely dark outside, but Yu Xu and Auntie hadn't returned yet. I picked up my phone, but Yu Xu hadn't even called me.
I don't know why, but I felt a little nervous and scared, and a chill ran down my spine.
The little bear wind chime hanging on the door suddenly made a sound, which startled me. After calming myself down a bit, I was about to go out from behind the counter to greet the customer when, just a few seconds later, I smelled a mixture of smoke and pine wood.
The smell of this cigarette is very strong and aggressive; it's from a very niche e-cigarette brand that Jiang Zhao loves.
I stepped back a little, my vision becoming even more blurry. I stared blankly, forgetting even to run away. I only saw a man in a long black trench coat walk into the store, cruelly crushing the lilies blocking his way under his feet. He had very handsome features, sharp and defined contours, and exuded an air of nobility.
"Have you had enough fun? I've already found her." Jiang Zhao seemed to be saying something to the person on the other end of the receiver. His slender fingers, clad in black leather gloves, removed the Bluetooth headset, revealing the distinct angles of his Adam's apple.
It was only then that I realized what was happening and tried to escape, but the shop was so small that I had nowhere to retreat and could only watch Jiang Zhao get closer and closer.
He threw what he was holding onto the table. I glanced at it and didn't dare say a word.
It was the earring I lost that day at the Lin family banquet.
He curled his lips into a sinister smile, dangerous, exuding a natural sense of oppression and a frenzied predatory desire.
"Are the men outside fun, Xiao Fu?" he asked me, his voice deep and undisguised, revealing his obvious jealousy and resentment.
Before I could resist, Jiang Zhao hugged me and whispered, "You'd better not make me angry, otherwise I can't guarantee what will happen to the owner of this shop and her nephew who is about to graduate."
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I felt as if I had been struck by an electric current, freezing for a moment before slowly curling up in his arms and starting to tremble.
There's no escaping it; I'm going to be taken back to that villa full of surveillance cameras, the one that makes me tremble with fear every day.
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