Chapter 51 Declaring Love
The sound of the door closing was like a heavy hammer blow, making Xie Lin stagger.
He curled up on the sofa, the cold touch of the door frame still lingering on his fingertips. The smell of alcohol mixed with the smell of cigarettes filled his nostrils, but he couldn't suppress the pain that spread from his heart to every part of his body.
The dull pain in my stomach is a lingering effect of last night's stomach bleeding.
He clutched his stomach, curled up in a ball, all he could see in front of him was Lin Mianmian's forced smile in the restaurant, a smile that looked more like a grimace.
How aggrieved she must have felt when she was fired? How humiliated she must have been when Su Wan publicly humiliated her?
These images, like needles, pierced his internal organs, causing him excruciating pain that almost suffocated him.
It turns out that his obsession with her had long since turned into an illness. It was an addiction he couldn't break, a poison that seeped into his bones, an incurable disease for the rest of his life.
At three o'clock in the morning, Xie Lin's car stopped downstairs at Bai Xiulin's apartment building.
He leaned against the car door, a cigarette between his fingers, the embers reflecting the madness churning in his eyes. Bai Xiulin's words still echoed in his ears—"Between you, it was over a long time ago."
Finish?
In Xie Lin's life, the word "end" never existed, especially for Lin Mianmian.
He stubbed out his cigarette, strode upstairs, and without knocking, used the spare key he had prepared to unlock the door.
The thin blanket in the living room slipped to the floor, and Lin Mianmian curled up on the sofa, her brows slightly furrowed and tear stains still clinging to the corners of her eyes.
Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, outlining her slender figure, as fragile as a porcelain doll that would shatter at the slightest touch.
Xie Lin walked over quietly, squatted down by the sofa, his fingertips trembling, wanting to touch her cheek, but then stopped abruptly.
He was afraid of waking her, afraid of seeing the alienation and fear in her eyes.
But he was even more afraid that if he didn't get closer, he would really lose her.
Lin Mianmian was awakened by a familiar, cool fragrance. She opened her eyes and met a pair of bloodshot eyes. Her heart clenched, and she instinctively wanted to back away.
"Don't dodge." Xie Lin's voice was terribly hoarse, carrying an undeniable force. He reached out and gripped her wrist tightly, with a strength that seemed to crush her bones.
Lin Mianmian struggled, her eyes instantly reddening: "Xie Lin, let me go! This is Xiu Lin's home!"
"So what if Bai Xiulin's home is his?" Xie Lin sneered, leaning close to her ear. His warm breath, carrying a faint smell of alcohol, burned her eardrums.
"You are mine, and no matter where you hide, I will find you."
Before Lin Mianmian could speak again, he bent down and picked her up in his arms.
Lin Mianmian gasped and instinctively hugged his neck, her tears falling onto his shirt with a "plop," leaving a small, dark stain.
"Xie Lin, you bastard!" She raised her hand and pounded his chest, but the force was light, like tickling.
Xie Lin ignored her and carried her straight to the entrance. The moment the bedroom door was pushed open, Bai Xiulin rushed out.
Seeing this, his face instantly darkened, and he quickly stepped forward to stop him: "Xie Lin, put Mianmian down!"
"Get out of my way." Xie Lin raised his eyes, the coldness in them almost freezing. "This matter has nothing to do with you."
"How can it be unrelated?" Bai Xiulin clenched his fists, his chest heaving violently. "Mianmian doesn't want to go with you! What you're doing is no different from kidnapping!"
"Kidnapping?" Xie Lin chuckled, his laughter laced with sarcasm. "What kind of kidnapping is it if I take my own woman away?"
He looked down at Lin Mianmian, who was crying uncontrollably in his arms, and gently brushed his fingertips across the corner of her eye.
His tone was forceful and left no room for refusal: "Mianmian, stop making a fuss. Come home with me, and I'll take good care of you."
Lin Mianmian turned her head away, refusing to look at him, but her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Xie Lin ignored Bai Xiulin, picked up Lin Mianmian, walked past him, and strode out of the apartment.
A cold night wind swept over her, and Lin Mianmian shivered, instinctively snuggling closer into his arms.
Xie Lin paused for a moment, then quickened his pace and shoved her into the black Maybach parked downstairs.
He fastened her seatbelt, leaned closer to her, and gently stroked her flushed cheeks with his fingertips, his voice low and husky: "Be good, don't force me to hurt you."
Lin Mianmian turned her head to look out the window, tears silently streaming down her face. She knew that Xie Lin meant what he said. This man had always been so stubborn and domineering.
The car sped along and finally stopped in front of a luxurious villa.
Xie Lin carried Lin Mianmian out of the car and walked straight into the villa. The warm, soft light in the entryway could not dispel the chill in Lin Mianmian's heart.
She had never seen this villa before.
Xie Lin carried her upstairs to the second floor and into a spacious bedroom.
He gently placed her on the soft bed, leaned over to look at her, his eyes swirling with complex emotions—heartache, guilt, and an undeniable possessiveness.
"Mianmian," he whispered her name, his fingertips gently stroking her hair. "I miss you so much."
Lin Mianmian abruptly turned her head away, her voice thick with nasal congestion: "I don't want you! Xie Lin, let me go, I want to go home!"
"This is your home." Xie Lin's tone was firm. He leaned closer to her, his warm breath brushing against the nape of her neck. "Mianmian, let's start over, okay?"
"No!" Lin Mianmian pushed him away forcefully, her eyes filled with resistance. "Xie Lin, we're over!"
What exactly do you want?
Xie Lin's body stiffened abruptly, a hint of pain flashing in his eyes.
"Mianmian, I know I was wrong." Xie Lin's voice was choked with sobs. He reached out to hug her, but she pushed him away again.
"It's too late!" Lin Mianmian's tears fell even harder. "Xie Lin, it's all too late! I'm not the naive Lin Mianmian I used to be! I won't trust you anymore!"
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Xie Lin's own obsession was completely ignited.
He suddenly leaned down and pinned her down, his hands restraining her wrists and pressing them against the bed above her head, his eyes surging with a frenzied possessiveness.
"Too late?" He chuckled softly, his laughter tinged with self-mockery. "Mianmian, as long as I'm alive, it's not too late!"
His kiss, tinged with punishment, landed abruptly on her lips.
Lin Mianmian cried out in alarm and struggled desperately, but he held her down firmly and she couldn't move.
His kiss was domineering and passionate, with an undeniable force that seemed to want to devour her whole.
Lin Mianmian's tears welled up and slid down her cheeks, dripping onto the back of his hand, burning him slightly.
Xie Lin paused, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes.
He looked up at her red, swollen eyes, gently brushed his fingertips across her cheek, and said in a hoarse voice, "Mianmian, don't cry, okay?"
Lin Mianmian turned her head away, refusing to look at him, but her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Looking at her stubborn profile, Xie Lin's anger gradually subsided, replaced by a deep sense of heartache.
He leaned down and buried his face in the crook of her neck, his warm breath brushing against her skin, carrying a faint scent of alcohol. "Mianmian, I know you hate me."
His voice carried a hint of weariness, "I know I've let you down."
But I really can't help it, I can't let you get hurt.
Lin Mianmian's body stiffened slightly, and her struggle weakened.
Xie Lin noticed her loosening her grip and was secretly pleased. He released his grip on her wrist and gently put his arm around her waist, his strength still carrying an unyielding force.
His lips brushed against her neck, leaving a series of burning kisses that made her body tremble slightly.
"Mianmian, I miss you so much." He murmured over and over again, as if praying, or as if making a vow, "These days, not a single day has passed without me thinking of you. I stare blankly at your photos, and fall asleep listening to your favorite songs."
“I don’t even dare to appear in front of you, afraid that if you see me like this, you will hate me even more.”
Lin Mianmian's tears flowed even more fiercely, her heart felt as if something was blocking it, making her feel suffocated.
She hated him, hated his departure without saying goodbye. But she couldn't help feeling sorry for him, for the bloodshot eyes, for his pale face, for the weariness and despair in his voice.
Xie Lin's kiss gradually softened, and he gently kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes, his movements incredibly gentle.
"Mianmian, please don't push me away, okay?" His voice carried a hint of pleading. "Give me another chance, and I will spend the rest of my life making up for what I owe you."
Lin Mianmian bit her lip, tears blurring her vision.
Looking at his face so close to hers, at the obsession and deep affection in his eyes, her defenses crumbled little by little.
She wanted to say no, to say she hated him, to say that it was all over between them long ago.
But when the words reached his lips, they turned into choked sobs.
Seeing her softening expression, Xie Lin was overwhelmed with joy.
He leaned down and kissed her lips again, this time without the urge to punish, but with a tender, carefully cherished touch. His lips gently caressed hers, as tenderly as if handling a rare treasure.
Lin Mianmian's body trembled slightly. She closed her eyes, and tears slid down her cheeks, soaking the sheets beneath her.
She didn't know what to do, or whether she should trust the man who had hurt her so deeply.
But the flutter in her heart couldn't be hidden. Four years is enough to change many things, but it couldn't change her feelings for him.
Xie Lin felt her response, and the weight lifted from his heart.
He gently embraced her, holding her tightly in his arms, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones.
“Mianmian,” his voice was thick with nasal tone, “I will never let go of your hand again in this lifetime.”
The moonlight outside the window shone through the gaps in the curtains, falling on the two people embracing each other, as gentle as a pool of spring water.
The air in the bedroom gradually filled with an ambiguous atmosphere, entangled and pulled, like a long-planned descent into depravity.
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