Chapter 139
How can we make a lone wolf show weakness?
This unexpected drama came to an abrupt end.
Shu Wan was still not satisfied, but she was also bothered by the slap Lin Jin had given her, probably because she didn't like Cheng Sangluo being wronged in the slightest.
Seeing Lin Jin disappear into the crowd, she quickly grabbed Cheng Sangluo's arm and teased, "What are you standing there for? Be careful your wife doesn't really run off with another woman."
Cheng Sangluo ignored her warning, covered her cheek, sat back on the bar stool, picked up the wine bottle, and toasted the chaotic dance floor, "To freedom!"
She laughed loudly as she chugged vodka, letting the strong liquor slurp down her throat. Her smiling eyes welled up with tears, revealing her deep pain.
Of course we should respect freedom, because she has been trapped in high ice walls for too many years. Now she has won her freedom through reason and hard work. Why should we celebrate with tears?
Shu Wan beckoned her men to watch over Cheng Sangluo, then hurriedly left the bar.
After all, she and Lin Jin were on the same side. If some misunderstandings weren't cleared up on the spot, they might become arguments for future conflict. When it comes to interests, she knew better than anyone which was more important.
Shu Wan jogged to the bar's parking garage and, following the scattered footsteps, found the two people getting into their car. She called out urgently, "Lin Jin, wait a minute."
Lin Jin, holding onto the car door, looked towards the distance following the sound. When she saw who was breathing slowly, her eyes turned cold instantly, and she stared at Shu Wan without saying a word.
Qin Shuhuai felt she didn't need to participate in the conversation, so she got into the car first, deliberately leaving space for the two of them to talk.
Shu Wan walked up to Lin Jin, glanced at her injured foot, and teased, "You're walking like the wind! Looks like your foot injury is almost healed."
Lin Jin crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back as usual, and urged in a cold voice, "Get to the point. I'm not in the mood to waste time with you."
"Well, I came here specifically to dispel your doubts. Meeting your 'woman' was purely accidental. There's nothing wrong between us." Shu Wan's words were full of hidden meaning. She used "your 'woman'" to refer to Cheng Sangluo, both openly and secretly trying to clear herself of the stigma of being a homewrecker.
"Innocent?" Lin Jin scoffed, then retorted sharply, "If I hadn't arrived in time, you would have touched every place you wanted, wouldn't you? Don't you think that's presumptuous?"
“It’s normal to have some physical contact in a place where people are indulging in pleasure. Besides…” Shu Wan didn’t shy away from her actions towards Cheng Sangluo. She simply walked around to Lin Jin’s side, spread her hands, shrugged, and explained, “I’ve been trying to persuade her not to get a divorce. You can confront her if you don’t believe me.”
Lin Jin subconsciously took two steps back, frowning as she asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"You slapped her, said you didn't want her anymore, and then just walked away? Isn't that a bit too heartless? She's all alone and has no one to rely on. You can't just abandon her like that. I came here to say two things." Shu Wan held up two fingers, her laughter fading as she said seriously, "First, I've already explained what I needed to explain. Believe it or not; second, if you really don't want Cheng Sangluo anymore, don't blame me for taking advantage of the situation. It's true that I like her. Someone as smart as you can see that at a glance. So I want to confirm with you again, are you really, really, really not going to want her anymore?"
"Shu Wan!" Her low, scolding voice suddenly echoed through the otherwise quiet parking garage.
Lin Jin was furious, his bloodshot eyes glaring as if he wanted to tear the person next to him to pieces. "Don't keep crossing my bottom line. You can't withstand my methods. I'm warning you, don't even think about making a move on Cheng Sangluo. She's mine!"
"Hahaha—hahaha—" Shu Wan suddenly burst into triumphant laughter, laughing so hard she bent over, clutching her stomach. "I knew it! You two are truly born in the same bed, saying the harshest things but doing the softest things. Are you both masters of empty words?"
Lin Jin's attention was diverted by the sudden laughter, and she became even more annoyed. "What are you laughing at? What do you mean?"
"I was just trying to get some information out of you, to see how heartless you really are towards Cheng Sangluo, but you're so easily hurt." Shu Wan's sarcasm was laced with amusement, but then she became serious and said, "She poured out her grievances all night but still couldn't get it out. When it came to actually breaking up with you, she seemed terrified. Someone who only has you in their heart can't bear to say a bad word even at the end, so why are you so concerned about who she's with? You should go back first. I'll send someone to take her home later. Life is long, and arguments are inevitable. This time, I'm helping you out as repayment for the favor you did by increasing the price of the Lin Group shares."
Lin Jin didn't say anything more, angrily opened the car door and sat down. Before leaving, he still half-peeked at Shu Wan and awkwardly instructed, "Don't let her continue drinking."
Shu Wan nodded happily, then pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered, "Damn it, so I was part of your argument play?"
......
In the shimmering midnight light, a sudden winter rain washed away the city's glitz and glamour.
Cheng Sangluo leaned her head against the car window, watching the pedestrians running to avoid the rain in a daze, and suddenly let out two strange laughs.
Shu Wan, who was sitting next to her, followed her gaze and seemed to understand that her smile hid the shadows of the past. She simply reached out and patted her leg, "Would you like some water?"
Cheng Sangluo raised her hand and waved, her gaze still fixed on the drenched people under the rain, and said self-deprecatingly, "I should be one of them, not sitting in a luxury car as an indifferent bystander."
"Where in the world is there absolute freedom?" Shu Wan succinctly revealed the truth, and then used an analogy: "Take Lin Jin and me for example. In your eyes, what kind of people are we? Can we do whatever we want just because we control money and power? In essence, we are just like you, bound by countless goals and material things. Freedom is relative. Perhaps Lin Jin was wrong for not giving you relative freedom, but that doesn't mean you have no freedom. There was a problem with communication between you. You were born with a mouth but were mute. You deserve it."
“It’s different…you’re different from me…” Cheng Sangluo covered her face in anguish, her eyes filled with images of herself in prison garb. “Have you ever seen what a square sky looks like? That world is filled with the smell of rust. Even though I got used to the rules and constraints in the military, I still can’t accept the rules and regulations of prison, because those rules shouldn’t be mine to bear. That’s why I’m so attached to and yearning for freedom. I love her, so I can give up my freedom, but that doesn’t mean she can arbitrarily deprive me of my freedom, much less use such methods…”
As she was speaking, Cheng Sangluo's words came to an abrupt halt, choked by Lin Jin's words about the GPS chip implanted in her throat, leaving her speechless and pale.
The extreme and unfair treatment she suffered was truly unspeakable and baffling to others.
Shu Wan was curious about what method had broken up their relationship, but she didn't ask, thus protecting Cheng Sangluo's most vulnerable side.
The black van sped along the winding mountain road until the garden gate of the villa halfway up the mountain came into view.
Cheng Sangluo patted the back of the driver's seat, "Just drop me off at the door."
Shu Wan quickly pulled her back and arranged, "It's raining so hard, I'll have someone take you inside."
Cheng Sangluo smiled wryly: "Are you afraid I'll run away? Just leave me here. Some things we have to face sooner or later."
Shu Wan wouldn't force anyone, and immediately found a way to back down, "I'm just seeing this through. If something really happens to you, won't Lin Jin skin me alive? I'll watch you go in before I leave."
Cheng Sangluo didn't know why she drank so much alcohol, but instead of getting drunk, she got herself into a lot of trouble.
She covered her face to wake herself up, and politely thanked him as she opened the car door: "I'm sorry for troubling you tonight."
"I'll remember you owe me a favor, there will be plenty of opportunities to pay it back in the future." Shu Wan always liked to talk about favors, but in fact she never asked Cheng Sangluo for them.
Cheng Sangluo smiled and turned to rush into the pouring rain.
She ran through the iron gate outside the villa, through the garden that had become increasingly desolate in the winter, as if using the hurried rain to conceal her desire to see someone.
The rain, carried by the icy wind, soon soaked her to the bone, and the last trace of her drunkenness was washed away in the dark night.
This man, who always walked with a steady gait, stumbled and nearly tripped while stepping over the steps leading to his house for the first time in his life.
She adjusted her pace and didn't stop even after entering the villa. She had no patience to wait for the home elevator, so she simply buried her head and climbed the stairs.
She already had a deep understanding of Lin Jin in her subconscious, so she ran straight to the study on the second floor.
The villa was pitch black, and only one room in the long, narrow corridor was lit by a red light.
Cheng Sangluo suddenly felt a strange emotion, a kind of weightless tension similar to the feeling of being close to home but feeling apprehensive. However, the light emanating from the study was not like lamplight, because the light was constantly flickering and looked like fire.
Cheng Sangluo gasped, her heart skipped a beat, and without thinking, she kicked open the half-closed door.
Lin Jin was wrapped in a thick bathrobe, but she still looked thin.
She sat in a rocking chair by the window, with a small stainless steel bucket at her feet. The fire inside the bucket was burning brightly, and the air was filled with the unpleasant smell of burning plastic.
Even though there was a muffled noise coming from the doorway, she didn't look up and continued to slowly throw something into the bucket.
Cheng Sangluo strode closer and asked in a questioning tone, "What are you doing? It's dangerous!"
During the questioning, she looked at the photos that hadn't been completely burned in the iron bucket, then glanced at the kraft paper file in Lin Jin's hand. But before she could continue asking questions, something slipped out of the gaping hole in the file and fell to the ground.
It was a military medal, but it was from so long ago that Cheng Sangluo couldn't remember for a moment that it was earned during a mission.
For some reason, the medal was missing a corner, but fortunately, against the backdrop of the flickering flames, it could still faintly shine.
It is very much like a microcosm of Cheng Sangluo's life. Time has washed away all the glory, leaving only cruel experiences and a tragic mottled and damaged state.
Cheng Sangluo slowly squatted down, her hand trembling uncontrollably as she reached for the medal. Rainwater dripped down her face, revealing her disheveled and desolate state.
Lin Jin burned her own persistent past; in those photos, there was only one protagonist—Cheng Sangluo, wearing a military uniform.
Even though most of the photos were taken secretly from various angles, they still couldn't hide the person's high spirits at that time.
Cheng Sangluo clutched the medal to her chest, looked up at Lin Jinshi with bloodshot eyes, and said, "How dare you destroy my things?!"
This indiscriminate accusation did not elicit a reaction from Lin Jin, who continued to throw photos into the fire without any reaction, as if she were resolutely cutting ties with the past.
Her obsession was not redeemed at this moment, but instead plunged her into an even deeper abyss.
She stubbornly loves Cheng Sangluo. The words she uttered in the bar, "I don't want you," were meant for the Cheng Sangluo of today. So, at this moment, she is burning old photos to strengthen her resolve. Even if time has passed and the person she deeply loves has become someone she hates, she will forget what her lover was like in the past and love him again with unwavering devotion.
Cheng Sangluo snatched the item from Lin Jin's hand, hissing, "Say something!!!"
"I didn't destroy this medal, do you believe me?" Lin Jin blinked, a sickly glint appearing in her sorrowful eyes, her smile pale and helpless: "I'm just studying right now..."
She reached out and wrapped her arm around Cheng Sangluo's, slowly sliding her hand down to his palm like a snake, then suddenly raised it to her lips.
She held his gritty fingertips in her mouth, letting her tongue linger on them, her gaze both pleading and assertive. "I'm learning how... how to make this lone wolf like you show weakness to me... Perhaps burning away my obsessive past... I can love you again..."
"You are...you are a hopeless madman!" Cheng Sangluo fiercely pulled her hand back, even wiping it repeatedly on her wet pants.
She ripped open the shirt that clung to her body, revealing the hideous scars on her back, soaked by the rain: "You've already embedded a GPS tracker in my spine, what more do you want from me? Haven't you had enough of this 'slap and then give a candy' act? You're always like this, constantly torturing me, torturing me for no reason!"
"What do you want?" Lin Jin asked, drawing out her words. She stood up and walked to Cheng Sangluo, her cool palm touching his damp chest. "I want to live here... because I've lived here before... so I greedily want to occupy this place... Was I wrong?"
[Author's Note]
1. My pre-order novel, "The Sinful Lover," is available for collection.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com