Dusk seeped in through the half-open car window, casting a long shadow on the leather seat, like a wound that was hard to heal.
"What's wrong with you?" Xu Zhuohua's voice trembled with a broken tone, her slender fingers tentatively covering his tense back. Where her fingertips touched, her back heaved violently, as if a trapped beast was struggling inside.
Cheng Muyun slowly straightened up, pressing his fingertips hard against his throbbing temples, unable to conceal the turbulent emotions surging in his eyes.
When he finally raised his eyes, the afterglow of the setting sun fell into the deep blackness, as if the starry sky had been crushed and scattered into his eyes.
He suddenly laughed, a bitter laugh tinged with self-mockery, his Adam's apple bobbing as he squeezed out hoarse words: "I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this."
Outside the car window, dusk was deepening, and streetlights were turning on one after another.
The withered branches of the sycamore tree rustled in the evening breeze, trapping the two of them in this small space.
Xu Zhuohua gazed at his profile, sculpted by light and shadow, and suddenly reached out to brush away the messy strands of hair from his forehead, her palm pressed against his burning skin: "There's nothing to apologize for."
Her voice was soft, yet it was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, stirring up a thousand waves in Cheng Muyun's heart. He grabbed her hand in return, and the warmth of their intertwined fingers finally allowed his tense nerves to relax for a moment.
"Do you believe me, Zhuohua? I really don't want to take a concubine."
Xu Zhuohua grasped his hand. "I believe you. We've argued about this so many times before, but we finally understood each other's feelings. I believe you."
Cheng Muyun gripped Xu Zhuohua's hand tightly, "But..."
Xu Zhuohua knew what Cheng Muyun was thinking.
She immediately interrupted him, "Are you saying that if you married Luo Yunqiao, I wouldn't have to die?"
Cheng Muyun nodded, his eyes fixed on Xu Zhuohua's reaction.
After all, he was going to marry another woman, and he didn't know if Xu Zhuohua could accept it, but most women probably couldn't, so he was very nervous.
Cheng Muyun wanted Xu Zhuohua to be safe, but he didn't want to marry Luo Yunqiao. However, the current situation seemed to be pushing him and forcing him to make a choice.
Xu Zhuohua died.
Or perhaps Xu Zhuohua was heartbroken.
He prefers the latter.
Xu Zhuohua sighed, "I don't know, Cheng Muyun. I can't see the current situation clearly. I don't want you to be infamous, nor do I want you to marry the innocent Luo Yunqiao, but it seems there is no better way."
It's not that we can't see the situation clearly, it's that we see it too clearly and can't make a choice, fearing that one wrong step will lead to total defeat.
Cheng Yuguang is right. As long as Cheng Muyun marries Luo Yunqiao, Chairman Luo will definitely protect Cheng Muyun. At that time, the Si family and the Ke family will not be able to harm Cheng Muyun.
This preserved Cheng Muyun's reputation.
Similarly, even if Cheng Muyun is still stigmatized by the public, people will naturally target his new love, Luo Yunqiao.
This saved Xu Zhuohua's life.
It's clearly a win-win situation.
However, neither of them could bring themselves to make a choice.
Because once Cheng Muyun marries Luo Yunqiao, a rift will inevitably develop between them.
Neither in terms of feelings nor in terms of values should the two people be forced to make a choice.
However, time waits for no one.
The shadows of the sycamore trees outside the car window swayed in the moonlight, casting dappled shadows onto the windshield.
Cheng Muyun's thumb unconsciously rubbed the veins on the back of Xu Zhuohua's hand. Their breaths intertwined, forming a dense web, yet neither of them broke the heavy silence.
"Thump, thump, thump"
Three soft knocks broke the stillness in the air, and Xu Zhuohua suddenly gripped Cheng Muyun's clothes tightly.
The man in the black police uniform bent down, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the cold light of the streetlights, his eyes behind the lenses like snow that never melts, still indifferent and cold.
Chen Hede's slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the car window, and the faint smile on his lips was like the coldness of Arctic ice.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
