Chapter 15
You really, really know how to torture me.
The evening sea breeze, still carrying the scorching heat of the day, stung Cheng Sangluo's burning face, making her skin sting.
But for some reason, my heart also aches faintly.
The judgment that they were "destined to please" abruptly reversed the slightly improving relationship, bringing it back to square one.
Cheng Sangluo pressed the tip of her tongue against her cheek to try and hide her utterly unspeakable disappointment.
She was disappointed in herself. Why did she always hold onto a sliver of hope for the crazy woman? Despite having her trust completely drained countless times, she still couldn't learn to deal with it intelligently.
She stood there in silence for a long time before replying in a hoarse voice, "You're always like this, constantly pretending to be kind to me, and then constantly throwing out all sorts of humiliating choices for me, but you've never gotten an answer from beginning to end, have you?"
Gazing into the puppy's sad eyes, Lin Jin's smile froze slightly.
She brushed the stray hairs that had been ruffled by the wind from her forehead, her expression indescribably broken. "I'm not greedy, I just want to have you, but it's so hard to get you."
Even after revealing her true feelings, this stubborn person still did not back down. "It's okay, you have one night to think about it. Let things play out for a while."
Upon receiving such a response, Cheng Sangluo straightened her back as before, "I will not be humiliated by the same room card, and you will never have me, never. I'm not going to play along anymore."
Cheng Sangluo just wanted to leave as soon as possible, but when she was about to turn around, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder, which distracted her.
"What a coincidence, we meet again."
Ji Nanxing suddenly appeared, a rare relaxed smile on his face.
She was still wearing her crisp police uniform with a casual suit draped over her arm, looking like she had arrived in a hurry and could only spare some time to change.
Cheng Sangluo was surprised for a moment before politely exchanging pleasantries: "Yes, we meet again."
"Is it convenient for us to talk?" Ji Nanxing lifted the hem of his coat. "You should know that not changing into a police uniform means I'm communicating with you as a police officer."
“Alright, let’s talk in private.” Cheng Sangluo responded and followed Ji Nanxing toward the cruise ship.
Her intentions were obvious: she deliberately left Lin Jin standing aside, deliberately remained silent, and even coldly refused to give her a second glance.
Lin Jin maintained an arrogant posture until she was left alone, at which point she slowly slumped her straight shoulders.
She stared coldly at the receding figure, then gave a defiant sneer: "Hmph, trying to play these tricks on me?"
......
Ji Nanxing chose the top deck of the cruise ship, where no one was around, making it convenient to talk undisturbed.
Once on the terrace, she didn't speak immediately. Instead, while Cheng Sangluo was lost in thought, she grabbed his arm and tried to deliver a hard back throw.
Cheng Sangluo's long legs drew a beautiful arc in the air, but she did not fall to the ground as Ji Nanxing had expected.
In the instant she was airborne, she unleashed a powerful burst of core strength, using the momentum to throw Ji Nanxing flat on his back as his legs landed smoothly.
This technique of using an opponent's force against them was executed flawlessly, quickly changing the roles of offense and defense.
It's hard to imagine that this person is still suffering from a persistent high fever.
She gripped Ji Nanxing's arm so tightly that it would dislocate with a single twist. She glanced down at his leg, which was tightly entangled, and laughed, "If you can't break the cross lock, your arm will be crippled first."
Ji Nanxing patted the deck to indicate that he had given up, "As expected of a soldier, his reaction was faster than I thought, and he was very aggressive."
"You flatter me. It's not that I'm amazing; you just used less than the first level of skill." Cheng Sangluo reached out and helped Ji Nanxing up. "I guess you didn't just want to test my skills, did you?"
Compared to their confrontation on the yacht, the two seemed to have become friends today, even though they had a falling out.
Ji Nanxing brushed the dust off his clothes and got straight to the point: "I've opened your case file. The chain of evidence submitted to the prosecution is complete, and I can't see any problems. If you have doubts about the police and insist on overturning the case, you'll need to submit a completely new chain of evidence, which is a very time-consuming and laborious task."
"You invited me here just to talk about this?" Cheng Sangluo asked, disappointed, then added sarcastically, "That's right. The public security, procuratorate, and court are all in agreement, and I've already been released from prison. Bringing up these old grievances would be too much trouble for anyone."
"You can't say that. I didn't handle your case, so we need to think things through carefully. I know you're very good at tracking down leads, but I still need to remind you not to act recklessly."
"So what? You're testing my skills because you're afraid I'll become a destabilizing factor in society?" Cheng Sangluo's tone was firm, but she couldn't hide her disappointment. "Don't worry, I've had enough of prison. I know what it means to be law-abiding."
Ji Nanxing genuinely believed that someone like Cheng Sangluo should not be a prisoner; the dignified sense of justice in his speech could not be faked.
She patted Cheng Sangluo on the shoulder. "I understand your anxiety. After all, the longer it goes on, the harder it is to overturn the case. But you must stay calm. These things can't be rushed."
......
After their brief conversation, Cheng Sangluo followed Ji Nanxing to the VIP room. Upon entering, she was greeted by a scene of elegant ladies and graceful women.
The two men share some similarities in temperament, both disliking extravagant and decadent settings.
"Make yourself at home. I have a case to handle. Excuse me." Ji Nanxing didn't even bother to step inside, and casually made up an excuse to leave.
After all, she is a public official; it's better for her to avoid the topic than to get involved.
In terms of conduct, Cheng Sangluo admires Ji Nanxing; prioritizing principles is inherently a charming quality.
Just as she was about to leave, a cheerful greeting came from behind her.
"Miss Cheng, so you've been here."
Shu Wan's stiletto heels pattered on the velvet carpet without making a sound as she approached, much like a silent cat.
Holding a glass of champagne and a glass of orange juice, she asked with a smile, "Which one would you like to drink?"
This is a gentle, subtle influence that incorporates respect into the choices you make, instantly bringing you closer together.
"Orange juice, please." Cheng Sangluo naturally took the cup, thanked him politely, but then didn't know what else to say, so she could only sip her drink.
Shu Wan left her with few but excellent impressions. Compared to that strange and crazy woman, she was more than just gentle and refined, knowledgeable and reasonable.
It was an illusion that could make people lower their guard; her tone was calm yet had a pleasant warmth, and her smile was sincere and warm, just like her name, gentle and graceful.
Shu Wan took a sip of champagne and asked gently, "Are you not used to this kind of occasion?"
"A little, I'm not very good at socializing," Cheng Sangluo answered honestly, her hands holding the cup revealing her restraint.
Shu Wan smiled gently, her eyebrows arching and her eyes sparkling. "It's okay. If you don't like it, you don't have to fit in. Just focus on eating your food, and when you're full, go outside to enjoy the scenery. It's quite pleasant."
Cheng Sangluo gazed at Shu Wan's gentle appearance and sighed inwardly at who had compared women to water; such a description had been vividly and concretely embodied at this moment.
But then that cold and hypocritical face flashed through my mind, and just thinking about it made me feel suffocated.
Cheng Sangluo ran her fingertips along the rim of the cup, secretly thinking: Lin Jin, you really pale in comparison!
This person just can't be allowed to think about things, otherwise whatever they want will come true.
Lin Jin had no interest in socializing; she just wanted to find the puppy quickly in the crowd, so she wandered over to the two of them.
She didn't approach immediately, but leaned against the table, sipping her red wine and quietly observing.
Even though their interactions were mundane, she saw them as unforgivable sins.
It turns out that the puppy can smile gently and respond to other women in soft, inaudible words; every frame of their witty banter is painful to the eyes.
She downed the entire glass of red wine in one gulp, the sourness on her tongue followed by a deep bitterness, and a sense of resentment for what she could not have welled up in her heart.
Cheng Sangluo had keen senses; feeling a chill run down her spine from being stared at, she couldn't help but turn around and look.
When she met those eyes filled with a faint red of resentment, her breath caught in her throat, and she had the strange feeling that she had been caught red-handed.
She shook her head lightly. She hadn't done anything shameful, so what was this talk of being caught red-handed?
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Shu Wan took a small step as she looked at Lin Jin.
She leaned close to Cheng Sangluo, feigning intimacy, and murmured, "President Lin seems to care about you a lot."
Cheng Sangluo shuddered, swallowing the rhetorical question "I care" that was stuck in her throat.
"I smell something sour," Shu Wan joked, gently pushing her. "Go and comfort her."
Cheng Sangluo staggered two steps, and when she turned around, Shu Wan was already exchanging pleasantries with other guests.
She looked at Lin Jin again. The crazy woman was holding a newly opened bottle of red wine and was still leaning lithely against the table.
Lin Jin stared intently at the puppy with his cold, sharp eyes, then gulped down another mouthful of red wine in frustration.
Cheng Sangluo wanted to turn around and leave, but after hesitating for a moment, she strode up to Lin Jin.
She reached out as if possessed, trying to snatch the bottle away, saying, "Drink less."
"Did my drinking bother you?" Lin Jin's tone was slow and deliberate, yet soft and barbed, making people uncomfortable.
"That's true, I was meddling in other people's business." Cheng Sangluo chuckled, picked up a plate of small cakes and ate them by herself.
The silence lasted only a moment before Lin Jin was the first to break down.
She slammed the bottle down on the table, then turned and grabbed Cheng Sangluo by the collar.
"Do you greet everyone with a smile?" Lin Jin's eyes were slightly red, her tone filled with resentment: "Is it only me who gets the cold shoulder?"
Cheng Sangluo wanted to slap away the hand at her collar, but she had to protect the cake that was about to be overturned, so she could only scold in a low voice, "What kind of drunken rage are you having?"
"As expected, I'm the only one who doesn't get any credit from you." Lin Jin slapped away the dish that was in the way. "I'm just being drunk and acting crazy, so who dares to stop me?"
This sudden outburst drew sidelong glances from those around them, but once they realized it was Mr. Lin who had done it, they all seemed unsurprised.
"Let go!" Cheng Sangluo was pulled so hard that she had to bend her neck. She instinctively tried to pry open the fair wrist, but the thought that crossed her mind was not to hurt her.
With a stubborn determination akin to fighting to the death, Lin Jin dragged Cheng Sangluo through the crowd, like leading a dog through the city, until they burst into the rest room of the private room, at which point she slammed the door shut with her heel.
This brief stretch of road was nothing more than a spectacle of a sugar daddy patron polishing his companions for the wealthy people outside the door. But for Cheng Sangluo, it was an unparalleled humiliation, a dark and callous disgrace.
Lin Jin pushed and shoved her into the sofa, raised his knee between her legs, and pinched her chin hard with his palm, his cleavage nails digging deep into her flesh.
How could Cheng Sangluo not have the strength to resist? She could easily overturn and suppress the out-of-control person in front of her.
She was furious, so much so that her molars were grinding together, yet she remained as calm as a cold stone, unmoved and unresponsive.
She finally learned to be smart and fought back.
It turns out that tormenting Lin Jin is so simple; all it takes is passive-aggressive behavior to shatter that arrogant and overbearing attitude.
"Speak! Why won't you speak!" Lin Jin's hair was disheveled, and the redness at the corners of her eyes made them even more moist. "How can you be so gentle with other women? You really... really... know how to torment me..."
She became hysterical, almost straddling Cheng Sangluo's lap, her hands tightly clenching her lips as she forcefully shoved the red wine into her mouth.
The glass bottle's mouth pressed against Cheng Sangluo's teeth, the red wine mixed with the taste of blood flowing over her tongue, much like the rusty taste in her memory.
The scarlet liquid choked his burning throat, then poured down his lips like a madman, staining his new clothes and crushing his heart.
"Cough cough—cough cough—" Cheng Sangluo coughed violently and uncomfortably, as if she were coughing up her lungs.
She braced herself on the sofa with both hands, her hair sticking to her face, obscuring her pitiful and pathetic expression.
“Heh...ha…” Cheng Sangluo let out a desolate laugh, his shoulders trembling slightly.
The intertwined pain of body and mind converged into a stubborn silence, and that 'non-resistance' smile was like a bullet, piercing Lin Jin's heart.
[Author's Note]
1. I'll be live-streaming again at 9 PM on Children's Day (June 1st). Feel free to come chat with me on Douyin (TikTok).
2. I got so carried away writing this chapter that I didn't keep up with the word count!
3. Is it because my writing isn't good enough? Why are there so few comments? Please, everyone, leave more comments! Please! [Crying]
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