Silence...
The entire living room was deathly silent. He couldn’t hear a thing.
Chen Yuan swallowed. He cautiously opened his eyes, and in that instant, he saw two pairs of red, swollen, bloodshot eyes staring intently at him.
Their lashes didn’t even tremble.
For Jiangg Ning, who was an expert at killing with a look, he had already died hundreds, if not thousands, of times. And Jiangg Yao, who always listened attentively no matter what Chen Yuan said, was not the least bit moved by his heartfelt confession this time.
There was emotion in her eyes, but she was by no means moved.
Chen Yuan felt a prickly sensation all over his body, as if he were being stuck with needles. He grew flustered, unconsciously wringing the corner of his shirt.
He had never imagined what it would be like to say those words out loud. Perhaps he hadn’t dared to. Every time he’d tried to entertain the thought, his head would BUZZ, a sharp pain would follow, and his scalp would tingle, forcing him to give up.
Because Chen Yuan knew the scene would be absolutely terrifying.
And yet, he had said it. Backed into a corner, with no preparation whatsoever.
It had been a beautiful day. He had been so happy, fantasizing about a blissful life with the two sisters as he jogged all the way home... Reality was always so brutish and unreasonable. It seemed plans could never keep up with change.
’Am I going to get slapped?’ It was like that time when he was a kid and skipped class to go to an internet cafe. He’d been on edge the whole time, and when he finally walked out, he suddenly saw Liu He standing at the door. His heart had dropped. His friends, who had been laughing and joking just a second before, froze on the spot before scattering like birds. Back then, Liu He hadn’t said a word either. She just led him around the corner, then suddenly turned and slapped him across the face.
Chen Yuan’s thoughts drifted aimlessly. He thought Jiangg Ning’s expression right now looked a lot like Liu He’s had back then.
’Was it hatred? No. But it certainly wasn’t love, either... It was heartache. Disappointment.’
Looking at that expression, he felt as if a small knife were scraping away at his heart, turning flesh and blood into a mangled mess.
"I don’t want to laugh at how childish you are," Jiangg Ning said, suddenly lowering her head. "But your idea makes me want to laugh. Chen Yuan, whether or not I marry you is entirely up to me. I’m an independent and free individual. Just because I’m dating you doesn’t mean I have to marry you. Of course, I admit, there were many moments when I did fantasize about marrying you. Before your birthday, I wanted to try on a wedding dress for you... to take a picture as your nineteenth birthday present. But then I realized it might not have been a gift for you, but for me."
She snapped her head up, biting her lip, and said, word by word, "Don’t think that just because I love you, I’ll agree to all your ignorant and unreasonable demands. You’re delusional. Do you even understand what you’re saying? That I should marry you along with my little sister? Who do you think you are?"
"I will not marry you with her. Moreover, I won’t even share a boyfriend with her."
"Before, I expected too much from you, Chen Yuan. I think I was wrong... I apologize. Maybe our relationship was a mistake from the very beginning, getting the three of us tangled up in this huge mess. I’m done playing this self-deceiving game..."
"I’m voluntarily bowing out."
As she spoke, Jiangg Ning stood up. She straightened her clothes and hair and picked up her phone from the table.
Chen Yuan didn’t react in that brief moment. By the time he realized what was happening, Jiangg Ning was already preparing to leave. His face instantly paled, and he reached out, grabbing her wrist.
"Don’t be like this... There’s more than one way to live in this world. Let’s just talk about it properly," he said frantically.
"There’s nothing to talk about. I will not compromise on a matter of principle. Don’t waste your effort, and don’t you ever mention this to me a second time... I never want to hear such an absurd thing again! What do you take me for?! Chen Yuan, were you even thinking when you said that?" Jiangg Ning suddenly grew agitated. She had been able to control her emotions just seconds before, but as she spoke, she finally exploded.
She said coldly, "I’m not as cheap as you think! I’m not so pathetic that I would share a boyfriend with someone else. Not before, and definitely not ever! I considered every possible answer, but I never imagined you would say something like this. You’ve really opened my eyes today."
Her gaze was almost too painful to look at.
The utter disappointment in them was simply beyond words.
"Why is that pathetic? Wouldn’t the three of us be happy living together? Isn’t that how we’ve been living these past few days?! How is that pathetic and cheap?" Chen Yuan’s eyes were filled with confusion.
"Fine, then tell me, have you ever thought about how other people would see me? How they’d see us, the two sisters? If we had children, have you thought about how you, as their father, would explain it to them? Have you thought about the stares and the gossip we would have to endure? And what about our status? The law? Do you think you make the rules in this world? You tell me!"
"We can fend off their stares together. We can be careful when we explain it to the children... I’ll figure out the other things. As long as you’re willing, we can overcome all of it... I can promise you, I’ll be a worthy guardian, enough to protect you both—"
"Enough! I don’t need your promises! If you say one more word, I swear I’ll slap you," Jiangg Ning said, pointing a finger at Chen Yuan’s nose in a fury. "I don’t want to make a scene. For you, Chen Yuan, I’ve already humbled myself enough. I gave up my job at the university. I lowered my standards again and again, and this is how you repay me..."
Chen Yuan was speechless. He just stood there, stunned, watching Jiangg Ning.
’It’s even worse than I expected.’
Jiangg Ning would never compromise on this. Now, she was voluntarily bowing out. After nearly a year of this entanglement, she was tired...
The sound of hurried footsteps followed as Jiangg Ning walked into the closet. Then came the RUSTLING of clothes. Chen Yuan didn’t have to look to imagine the expression on her face as she changed.
But he was wrong again.
In truth, he couldn’t have imagined it.
Because Jiangg Ning, who seemed so desperate to leave this very instant, had tears streaming down her face like a river bursting its banks. They soaked her collar before dripping onto the clean floor.
The lights were off in the dim closet.
She cried silently, choking back sobs as she bit down on her teeth. She used the collar of the shirt she was pulling on to wipe her tears away, but fresh ones easily streamed down her cheeks again.
Scene after scene from the past flashed before her eyes. The tears clinging to her lashes blurred her vision, and the halo of light was hidden within the shimmering droplets, like hazy phantoms of days gone by.
She finished changing, grabbed her bag, and picked up a pair of high heels.
Jiangg Ning did all this methodically, her grief not affecting her movements.
In the living room, Chen Yuan and Jiangg Yao faced each other in silence, neither knowing what to say at a time like this.
「Half a minute later.」
Her figure emerged. She turned to open the door, about to leave.
"Where are you going?" Chen Yuan called out from behind her.
"None of your business," Jiangg Ning replied.
"You have work tomorrow. We can talk then," Chen Yuan suddenly said, the words coming out of nowhere.
This made Jiangg Ning whip her head around.
"Why on earth would I go to work at *your* company? From now on, I’m going to get as far away from you as possible! I’ll go anywhere in the world. Starting today, I’m disappearing! Do you understand me???"
"You won’t leave. I know you. You signed a work contract, and you’ll be responsible for your job. Besides being my lover, you’re also my secretary," Chen Yuan said cautiously, watching her.
If it were any other woman in the world,
he could never have used this to threaten her.
But she was Jiangg Ning.
"Chen Yuan, you are a shameless bastard!"
Jiangg Ning took off one of her high heels and, in a fit of rage, threw it in a perfect arc straight at his head.
Without a doubt, Chen Yuan had been right.