After hanging up the phone, Xiao Su sat at the edge of the bed in a daze. Young Master Ye had taught him a trick, but he couldn’t make heads or tails out of it. How am I supposed to utilize the trick of injuring oneself to gain the enemy’s trust? If I used this method, can I persuade Jiang Xiaobai to stay? What if it makes her even angrier? What will I do then? He felt overwhelmed by his thoughts.
For the past few days, the dinner table was unnaturally quiet when everybody ate together. Liang Yahe tried her best to lighten the mood and made Xiao Su help Jiang Xiaobai fill her plate with food. As the elders were around, Jiang Xiaobai did not express her resistance toward it. When Xiao Su put something on her plate, she turned her head toward Liang Yahe and said, “Thanks, Mom. Please eat quickly.”
“Sure, sure. Make sure you fill your stomach. Don’t let yourself get hungry. It’s very important during your confinement.”
Then, she tilted her head and mulled over something before she suddenly asked, “Mom, I’ve been in confinement for nearly half a month. I want to go out this afternoon; may I?”
When they heard her say she wanted to go out, everyone at the dinner table instantly placed their chopsticks down warily and looked at her anxiously. Although it was a coincidence that they all had the same response, she found it hilarious and upsetting at the same time. “What is with you guys? It’s been half a month. I think I should be able to go out by now, right? I saw many celebrities returning to work very quickly. So, I don’t think it will be a problem.”
“It’s not like that, Xiaobai. The confinement period is usually a month. It hasn’t been a month yet. It’s best if you don’t go out. How can we compare ourselves to those celebrities? Our bodies are important!” Liang Yahe immediately took Jiang Xiaobai’s hand in hers anxiously. “Besides, why do you want to go out? Is there something you need to buy? You can just ask Xiao Su to buy it for you.”
Jiang Xiaobai smiled and gently replied, “Mom, there are some things I need to buy, but he can’t help me with them. So, I plan to go myself. Besides, I plan to go shopping with my friends.”
“It’s still better if you don’t. Finish your confinement first, then we’ll see,” Du Xiaoyu piped up from the side, giving her a dim look. “Don’t trouble others.”
On the other hand, Xiao Su acted as if his meridian points had been pushed when he heard that Jiang Xiaobai wanted to go out—he sat there with his gaze fixed firmly on her. Unfortunately, she did not spare him a single glance, treating him as if he was transparent. Why did she suddenly bring up the topic of going out? Could it be that she is going to leave? He felt as if his life in the future was shrouded in shades of gray. No, no; Xiaobai can’t leave me!
Then, he grabbed her slim wrists and pulled her up. She was just about to eat when he grabbed her without warning. Without waiting for her to react, he picked her up in a princess carry and walked toward the room.
The two elders were still at the dinner table, so she did not expect him to do this. By the time she realized it, her face was hot as she hit his shoulder as hard as she could. “What are you doing? Quickly put me down! Don’t you know our elders are watching?”
When Liang Yahe saw this, she was so angry that she stood up and was about to rush over. However, Du Xiaoyu stopped her. “Don’t go. It’s their problem; let them handle it on their own.”
“But, the way Xiao Su is, will he hit Bai? No, no! I need to check on her.”
Liang Yahe was very worried. It took Du Xiaoyu a lot of effort to hold her back, then she quietly said, “These are matters between a man and a woman. Don’t put your nose in it. I think we should go out and stretch our legs, then come back later. I can tell that Xiao Su isn’t the type of person that would resort to violence. Besides, he needs a breakthrough with Xiaobai’s current situation or else there would be no progress.”
Du Xiaoyu made her decision swiftly and finally managed to convince Liang Yahe to go with her idea. Then, they quickly tidied up some stuff and left the house together.
On the other side, Xiao Su paid no heed to anything else as he carried Jiang Xiaobai into the room and closed the door behind him. She finally found a chance to jump out of his arms. After that, she saw that his eyes had become cold and terrifying. Although she felt scared inside, she acted tough on the outside. “W-What are you doing?” Standing there with her chin lifted, she glanced sideways at him. “Xiao Su, why are you going crazy all of a sudden? Will you believe me if I said I want a divorce?”
“I believe you!” He inched closer to her, step by step. Then, he held her by her shoulders; his gaze was dark. “You are already planning to abandon your husband and your child. What is a divorce to you? And, what is it to me?”
The weight of the words ‘abandoning your husband and your child’ was so heavy that she furrowed her brows. However, she did not refute it because her original intention had been to do so. As the thought crossed her mind, she sneered, “So what if I am abandoning my husband and my child? You don’t even have a place for me in your heart! Am I supposed to make myself miserable and continue in a relationship with you? What do you take me for? Am I some object for you to fill the void with when you’re feeling lonely? I’m just a tool, aren’t I?”
“What are you talking about?” He frowned. “When have you not had a place in my heart?”
“If you loved me, you would not have chosen to help her and left me behind without a care in the world! Honestly, nothing happened that day. But, if something did happen to me that day, would you have regretted it?”
Xiao Su froze for a moment; his hands hanging down his sides subconsciously clenched into fists.
“In the past, I thought that if I gave you some time, you would be able to put her behind you. I thought I could gradually take over the place she held in your heart. However, the incident the other day has clearly shown me that there are some things and some people that cannot be replaced. I was too naïve before—drunk on my fantasies. But, I don’t want to keep my eyes closed anymore! I want to wake myself up from this, okay?” After saying that, Jiang Xiaobai tried to circle him to go out. As she walked by him, he reached out and stopped her, then locked her in his embrace. “Who says you have not replaced her in my heart?”
She was taken aback and stared at him blankly.
“I got over her a long time ago!” Then, he lowered his head and kissed her fiercely.
“Umph—” She thought he would explain himself, but he came on her suddenly instead. Moreover, his kiss was fierce and urgent; his teeth hit her on her lips. The pain from it nearly brought her to tears. This b*stard! She reached up and pushed against him. I refuse to accept such a rough kiss! It’s like he’s taking it out on me!
Her struggles made him think that she had not taken a single word he said to heart. Thus, his movements became fiercer in response to his emotions. He pressed her against a nearby bookshelf. Then, he grabbed her lower jaw and pried her teeth open, forcing his kiss on her. “Umph—”
As they struggled against each other, their movements shook the bookshelf and it swayed unsteadily. The books placed at the top of the shelf came raining down on them. In response, he subconsciously brought his arm up to shield them.
Slap! Jiang Xiaobai slapped him across the face the moment she got free. “Get out! I don’t ever want to see you again!”
Xiao Su felt as if his face had caved in from the force of her slap, but his body remained motionless. Then, he slowly said, “What can I do to make you believe me? To believe in the fact that I really do love you?”
