Night had fallen, and the Cang family mansion was quiet. It was dark and gloomy, with only the chandelier in the hall emitting a pale orange light.
Ling Ruoke sat on the sofa, a small dining table in front of her, eating her dinner alone, bite by bite. The period drama playing on TV happened to be showing the scene where the female lead escaped alone to a dilapidated temple, crying loudly in the darkness but daring not to make a sound.
Human potential is indeed limitless. She no longer cowers under the covers, trembling and silently weeping. She used to be too afraid to stay home alone overnight, but now she is no longer afraid to be alone in this empty, secluded mansion.
I had no taste for the food, and even felt nauseous, but I kept putting food into my mouth. My mother always said that no matter what happens, you must take care of your body. If you don't take care of yourself, who else can you expect to?
Suddenly, a low screech of brakes rose and fell, gradually fading into silence.
Ling Ruoke shuddered, dropping the steamed egg custard from her spoon onto the table. She looked down silently at the pale yellow dot, a lump forming in her throat. She clenched her left hand tightly, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, she continued eating as if nothing had happened.
The door opened from the outside. Before anyone was seen, a woman's coquettish laughter rang out, accompanied by the distinctive clatter of high heels. Then, a tall man in a black suit appeared in the doorway, with a woman in a tight black miniskirt clinging to him. The woman's serpentine body clung to the man as if boneless, giggling incessantly.
Ling Ruoke's throat tightened, and she lowered her head even further, stirring the steamed egg custard in her bowl. She pretended not to see them, thinking that they would just go back to their room. But they seemed unwilling to let her go.
Mechanically, she put a spoonful of steamed egg custard into her mouth. The next second, a shadow enveloped her. The air was thick with the scent of perfume. She felt a churning in her stomach and quickly grabbed a tissue, covering her mouth and nose tightly.
Once the nausea subsided, she heard the lingering, intimate breaths of a man and woman entwined. Ruo Ke slowly raised her head and looked at the opposite sofa, where a man and a woman were tightly embracing and passionately kissing. The man's hand slipped under the woman's skirt, while the woman's hands frantically unbuckled the man's belt…
"Ugh..." Ling Ruoke abruptly threw the dining table aside, covered her mouth and nose, and rushed to the bathroom. After a violent bout of vomiting on the toilet, Ruoke leaned weakly against the sink, panting. Her eyes were tightly closed, and a single, glistening tear slid down her cheek.
Returning to the living room, the man was gone; only the woman remained, lounging lazily on the sofa, striking seductive poses. She knew this woman was Lian Yi, the woman Cang Weiwo had brought home most often. She was tall, sexy, and alluring, possessing a charm that could make any man's blood boil.
Ling Ruo used a tissue to wipe away the stains on the dining table, then cleared away the dishes and prepared to return to her room.
"I'm hungry. Make me a bowl of steamed egg custard," the woman commanded haughtily, glancing at her like a queen.
Ruo Ke paused for a moment, then ignored him. Cang Weiwo had given all the servants in the mansion a long leave, so she had to do everything herself, but that didn't mean she would grovel and take care of the women he brought back.
"I want steamed egg custard, didn't you hear me?" Lian Yi felt a surge of anger rising within her as she saw that the woman was ignoring her. "No figure, no looks, can't even serve a man properly, and you're deaf and mute too! If I were you, I'd rather be dead! How dare you stay in the Cang family? You're shameless, everyone is ashamed for you!"
Ruo Ke glanced at her, watching her lose her usual haughty and aloof demeanor, and growl at her like a madwoman. She opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing, turning back to quicken her movements. What could she say? What would be the point? Each additional word would only intensify the dull pain in her heart.
However, Lian Yi perceived her attitude as provocation and contempt. The thought of her clinging to the position of Mrs. Cang and refusing to relinquish Cang Wei filled her with hatred. This hatred ignited into a raging fire, prompting her to kick the dining table.
Startled, Ruoke clutched a bowl and looked up in alarm, only to have her wrist grabbed. Before she could even process what was happening, a sharp, stinging slap landed on her face. The thread of her restraint snapped, and Ruoke raised the bowl in her hand, smashing it hard against Lianyi's forehead.
"Ah—" Lian Yi screamed, wiping her forehead with her hand, sticky liquid clinging to her hand. "Ah, blood..."
Ling Ruoke was terrified as she watched the blood trickle down her forehead. She instinctively took two steps back, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest. "I...it's you..."
"What's all the noise about!" a man's displeased voice rang out as he appeared shirtless at the top of the stairs on the second floor.
Lian Yi burst into tears. "She hit me! She smashed a bowl on me! Look, I'm bleeding so much! What if I'm disfigured...?"
"Shut up!" Cang Wei shouted, slowly walking down the stairs.
As he passed by Ruoke, he glanced thoughtfully at her swollen face, noticing the five distinct finger marks. He understood what had just happened.
If she felt a chill, she twisted her fingers and backed away, her clear, bright eyes staring at him warily. Then she quickly turned and ran upstairs, only stopping when she was inside her room and had closed the door. She then leaned against the door, panting, her legs barely able to support her body.
After a long while, she slowly moved her legs and gently sank into the soft bedding. Lying on her back, she silently stared at the crystal chandelier on the ceiling. Her heart felt like it was being scratched by hundreds of cats—painful, empty, and unbearably uncomfortable.
Tears, without her noticing, slowly slid down her cheeks. Helplessly, she closed her eyes, her hands clutching her clothes tightly.
She had lost everything; all she had left was this dignity.
...
In the living room.
Lian Yi clutched her forehead, glaring fiercely at Ling Ruoke as she ran back to her room. Turning her gaze away, she looked timidly at the god-like man standing before her. His expression wasn't the tenderness she'd expected, but a terrifying, sinister one. Her lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face. "Only I..."
She cried out pitifully. Blood seeped from between her fingers as she covered her forehead, making her look somewhat disheveled. She felt wronged and angry, but dared not make a scene as before. For some reason, she was acutely aware that the man wouldn't allow her to be so unrestrained. She could only look at him with pitiful, pleading eyes.
The next second, a loud slap shattered the silence.
Lian Yi staggered a few steps after being hit, almost falling to the ground. Ignoring her dizziness, she covered her face, staring in disbelief at the man who had already turned and headed towards the stairs. "Only I..."
"I can torture her however I want, but you don't have that right." A cold, metallic voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of a man's footsteps climbing the stairs.
The man slapped her with all his might, and her face swelled up instantly.
As soon as the man disappeared through the doorway, Lian Yi's fingernails dug fiercely into her palms. She turned her head, glaring at another tightly closed door, her white teeth almost grinding to powder. Blood streamed down her cheeks and around her eyes, her blood-stained pupils filled with hatred, like a scene from a horror movie.
Ling Ruoke, I will not let you get away with this!
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