There was no soul behind her words; it was like she had lost her spirit, and she was merely repeating those words on rote.
Su Zhinian was rattled. After a few seconds, he heard her begin again.
"Please, please don't do this, please…"
Su Zhinian shivered violently, and he woke up from his drunken stupor almost instantly. The great anger that resided in his eyes gradually and silently dispersed, until there was barely a trace left.
It was then that her thoughts drifted into his mind. They were dripping with fear, resistance, helplessness, and despair. Is he going to rape me like he did five years ago?'Is he going to rape me like he did five years ago?'
This sentence was like a sharp knife that pierced deeply into Su Zhinian's very core. It twisted around, mutilating his heart.
His eyes turned dark, and his pupils rapidly contracted. As if shocked, he suddenly jumped off her body and stumbled back several steps before he stopped.
He should not have returned home; if he hadn't, the most he would have done was dwell in his own misery and heartache at the company… After he returned, when he saw her on the phone with Qin Yinan, he was reminded of how she had ditched him for Qin Yinan and the words she had said when she cared for Qin Yinan. The envy, the jealousy, and the anger unsealed the emotions that he had suppressed for so many years.
She was still crying; her tears had wetted her hair. Her weak pleadings could be heard occasionally in the quiet living room. "Please, please…"
After a long while, she finally realized he had gotten off her. Her body instantly curled in a defensive position and shrank back into the sofa. She pulled the clothes that he had torn to cover her exposed body.
Her reaction stung his heart. Subconsciously, he squatted down beside the sofa and extended his hand to her. He merely wanted to help her dry her tears, to tell her he was sorry…However, as his finger went toward her, she noticed his approach, and her wide, teary eyes glanced at him with guardedness. Afraid that he was going to resume what he had just started, she shrank deeper into the cushions of the sofa. Her body curled up into a smaller ball, and she started to shake violently. Fear was written on her blanched face.
Su Zhinian stopped moving as he stared into her eyes. He saw the sadness, pain, and a trace of helplessness in them.
His hand hung in mid-air for a long time before they clenched into fists. He pulled them back awkwardly and allowed them to fall weakly by his side.
He stood beside the sofa and looked at her with his head lowered. His lips moved like he had something to say. However, in the end, he said nothing but took two steps back, closed his eyes, and turned to leave.
The cold of the winter night caused Su Zhinian, who was already half-woken from Song Qingchun's tears, to completely awaken from his haze of inebriation.
He stood under the light of the porch, listening to the sound of weeping that drifted out from inside the house. Every sob was like a sharp knife that was aimed at his heart. He turned his head around to look at the light in the window. He bit on his lips and took his first step to walk out the bungalow gate.
…
Cheng Qingchong drove for a long while before realized the 'crown jewel' was still sitting on the passenger seat. She hesitated before deciding to turn the car around.
