"Does your hand... hurt?"
Yu Jiuyuan's heart clenched suddenly.
She thought he would be angry, would question her, and would rebel.
Even Lin Yanran's fury and Xie Zhecheng's cold indifference were within her expectations.
But he didn't.
He calmly accepted the slap and calmly carried out the almost humiliating "rules" she had just set.
His compliance was like a fine net, instantly enveloping her, leaving her prepared harsh words and pent-up anger stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered or swallowed.
"It doesn't hurt." She turned her face away, her voice a little tight, "but seeing you like this makes me feel really uncomfortable."
This was the first time she had shown any weakness in front of him, even if it was just a slight hint of panic.
Rong Shenghan looked at her tense profile and her forced composure, and suddenly chuckled softly.
The laughter was soft, yet it carried an indescribable weariness and... indulgence.
"Then what can I do to make you feel better?" he asked, his tone devoid of any resentment, only pure inquiry. "Just tell me, and I'll do it."
His compliance completely ignited Yu Jiuyuan's last shred of rationality.
What she hated most was this feeling of being out of control. She hated that he could always defuse her sharpness in the gentlest way, and she hated that she should be proud, but instead felt as if something was blocking her heart.
"Get out." She took a step back abruptly, pointed to the door, her voice trembling slightly with anger, "Get out of here and never let me see you again."
Rong Shenghan's face paled, but he didn't move.
He just looked at her, his eyes filled with an almost stubborn insistence: "If I leave, who will take care of you?"
"I don't need it."
"Your stomach isn't good, so you need to eat breakfast on time."
He seemed not to hear her, continuing to speak in a hoarse but unusually clear voice, "Xie Zhecheng will be delivering the data this afternoon. Don't discuss it with him too late, you'll get tired. The roads in Yuanxu's lab are slippery, have the driver bring extra snow chains. Also..."
"I told you to get out!" Yu Jiuyuan grabbed the soup bowl on the table and smashed it at him.
The celadon bowl flew past his shoulder and shattered on the ground, splashing scalding ginger soup all over him. But he seemed oblivious, simply staring at her intently.
“Jiuyuan,” his voice was soft, carrying an almost humble plea, “After I’ve dealt with the Su family’s affairs, I will definitely…”
"I don't want to hear it!" Yu Jiuyuan interrupted him, her chest heaving. "Get out now! Take your secret and never show your face in front of me again!"
Rong Shenghan looked at her reddened eyes and her forced strength, and finally slowly stood up.
His movements were somewhat unsteady, clearly due to the fever making him dizzy, but he still kept his back straight.
"Okay," he said, his voice as soft as a sigh. "I'm leaving."
But he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he walked up to her, took a small medicine box from his pocket, and placed it on the table: "This is fever reducer. If you feel unwell..."
"Take it!" Yu Jiuyuan waved her hand, knocking the medicine box away. The pills scattered all over the floor like fallen stars. "I don't need your things!"
Rong Shenghan's hand froze in mid-air before he slowly withdrew it and turned to walk towards the door.
His back was still upright, but it exuded an indescribable loneliness. Every step he took was like stepping on broken glass, heavy and difficult.
He stopped at the door, without turning around, and said softly:
"Remember to eat on time."
Then, he opened the door and stepped into the swirling snow outside.
The heavy door closed behind him with a dull thud, like the end of an era.
The restaurant fell completely silent, leaving only the mess on the floor and the faint smell of medicine in the air.
Yu Jiuyuan stood there, looking at the closed door, the pills scattered on the floor, and the cold ginger soup he had left on the table. Suddenly, she felt all her strength drain away.
She slowly squatted down and buried her face in her knees.
The red marks on my palms still throbbed faintly, but they couldn't compare to the sudden, intense, dull pain that exploded in my chest.
She won.
She successfully got rid of him, successfully maintained her control, and successfully implemented the cruelest rule in the "taming manual".
But why... do I feel so bad?
The snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier, as if it were going to bury the whole world.
Yu Jiuyuan curled up on the cold floor, listening to the sound of wind and snow hitting the windows. For the first time, she felt that this villa was so empty that it was frightening.
Rong Shenghan, you'd better not come back.
She silently repeated it to herself, but tears unexpectedly streamed down her face, splashing onto the cold floor and leaving a small, dark stain.
Like a lie that has been exposed and disguised for too long.
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