This chapter is really huge so I am dividing this into two parts of the same length as usual – nearly 2500 words.

Chapter 64

Jiang Yu Nan was surprised when he saw her.

The light in the bathroom was behind him, the two people looked at each other expressionlessly, one in the light and the other in the dark.

Because the light was behind him, Yan Liang could not make out the expression on his face , but his eyes were flashing brightly in the darkness. Instinctively, she wanted to avoid him.Standing up straight through sheer will power, she walked into the room.

In her current state, Yan Liang basically wanted to lie down on the bed and sleep. As she stepped to the side of the bed, her foot stepped on something. She felt it was somewhat familiar and was about to bend down, when a tall shadow appeared behind her, engulfing her own shadow on the bed.

He stood behind her but silently. Yan Liang gritted her teeth, bent down to remove the quilt lay down in the bed, pulled the quilt to cover herself and closed her eyes.

She turned sideways. She had made up her mind that even if he asked her why she was looking so ill she would not respond.

As long as she did not respond,, he would not be able to see her weaknesses and would not realise there was something wrong.

While she was thinking all this, she waited for either his questions or his footsteps leaving her.

However Jiang Yu Nan just stood silently near the bed. He didn’t leave, neither did he say anything; he just stood there watching Yan Liang curl into herself and sleep.

He stretched out his hand as if to touch her arm outside the quilt, but just before he could touch her, he changed his mind and withdrew his hand. Instead he squatted down and picked up two white tablets she had inadvertently trampled on earlier when she came near the bed.

When the door finally closed, Yan Liang opened her eyes. She gazed out the window , the day was inky black. She no longer felt drowsy, her mind was crowded with all kinds of thoughts..how would she convince Liang Ruiqiang ?

**** ****

Nightmare…

She couldn’t breathe.

In her sleep, she was back in the car, immersed in the cold water. She reached out to pull the door but it refused to budge. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t breathe, the fear of dying was tightly stuck in her throat, desperately she tried one last time when the door miraculously opened. She was delighted and swam out of the car. Just when she had reached the surface of the water and could breathe in the air, suddenly a strong force grabbed her ankle and pulled her down into the water. When she looked down in horror, the person who was pulling her down to die with him had Jiang Yu Nan’s face…

Yan Liang woke up.

Her ear was roaring as she emerged from her dream like state to reality. Her mouth and nose were still blocked, she breathed heavily. Looking up at the ceiling, she tried to remove the last traces of the face from her mind.

Outside , the rain was heavier than usual.

The constant ringing she was hearing was not because of her tinnitus; a cell phone was ringing.

It was raining heavily in the summer season, her bedroom was both humid and hot. The air conditioning was off. Yan Liang was sweating . Though it was hot, the sweating made her feel slightly better. Her brain was calmer now. She got down from the bed and followed the sound of the phone. It was placed under a wet shirt and trousers in the laundry basket. She pulled out the phone.

The phone was damp but still functional. As soon as the call was connected, before she could speak, the person on the other side hurriedly said, “Mr Jiang, you finally took my call..”

This was Secretary Li, a person dedicated to his master. Without the slightest enthusiasm in her voice, Yan Liang answered, “ It’s me.”

There was a short silence. Li quickly overcame his surprise and asked in a respectful tone, “ Mrs Jiang, I cannot contact Mr Jiang. Can you ask him to call me?”

“ Why are you looking for him ?”

“That..”

Li hesitated. Yan Liang did not want to hear some cliched response. She took the phone and peeked downstairs looking for Jiang Yu Nan. She was about to go downstairs when she saw a servant running upstairs. She stopped her, “Have you seen master ?”

She looked at her in surprise. The couple in this house hardly exchanged three words to each other in a year. Everyone was accustomed to the protracted cold war between the two. This was the first time ever that the madam cared about the whereabouts of her husband, how can she not be astonished ?

“He’s in his room…”

She said , “Tell him Mr Li is looking for him.”

The door was still locked, Yan Liang thought a bit, then told the servant , “Take the spare key.”

The servant quickly took the spare key and opened the door for Yan Liang. Just across her, Jiang Yu Nan was lying on the floor.

**** ****

Yan Liang was stunned. She rushed up to him. Kneeling next to him, she shook him by his shoulder, “ Jiang Yu Nan !”

She put her hand on his forehead, it was burning up. Even as she called his name again and again, he did not give the slightest reaction.

The servant heard her anxious voice and immediately rushed over. Yan Liang ordered her,” Take his arm. Help me pick him up.”

The servant nodded again and again. The two of them tried to lift him by holding him on both sides. But his body was as heavy as iron and Yan Liang was already weak. So they failed and sat down again.

After such movements, Jiang Yu Nan’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He frowned and gradually opened his eyes. The servant took the lead and immediately remarked with pleasure, “ Sir has woken up!”

Yan Liang reflexively looked at him. In that second, her eyes met his. His eyes were darker than the night, and seemed like two large bottomless pits.

His eyes flashed slightly. It seemed as if he was indulging in a happy memory. As he looked at her, he smiled slightly and reached out his hand to caress her cheek.

His movements were very gentle, as if the slightest bit of force would break this dream and it would be impossible to piece it together again ; his smile contained too many feelings he could not speak of; his gaze was too heavy with emotions. As he silently looked at Yan Liang , she was overwhelmed and shrank back subconsciously.

She withdrew her hand, stood up and stepped back.

The man watched drowsily as she swiftly escaped, but his movements were sluggish; he could only watch as she backed off little by little and then turned away..

This was similar to the torment he had been withstanding for what seemed like ages..

Yan Liang turned around and went back to her room. She picked up her phone and called the family doctor, asking him to come over immediately.

Then she went back to the room. Jiang Yu Nan had closed his eyes again. The servant had helped him to the bed. Yan Liang looked at his pale face and wondered why he smiled at her like that. Her heart skipped a beat.

**** ****

Dr Sun was the family doctor for the Xu family. He was the doctor who looked after Xu Jin fu when he was sick. The relationship between him and the Xu family had been good so far. So it was no accident that the news of Jiang Yu Nan’s illness soon travelled to Zhou Cheng.

The first meeting with Liang Ruiqiang was not very effective, but he was fairly happy. Liang Ruiqiang did not get personally involved in all his investment projects. As long as he was interested in the ideas, she could consider herself successful. Liang Ruiqiang’s secretary accompanied Yan Liang and Zhou Cheng till their car. Zhou Cheng kept looking at her as if he wanted to say something to her. When he looked at her through the rear view mirror for the third time, Yan Liang partially turned her head and looked at him directly, “ What’s on your mind ?”

“I heard a few days ago that Jiang Yu Nan was sick?”

“It ‘s just a mild fever. He won’t die. “

Her tone was slightly cold. Zhou nodded his head and did not ask anything else. He redirected his attention to the road. After a moment of silence, he decided not to hold back after all and with a meaningful glance at her , he remarked , “ See you’re still nervous about him.”

“Of course ! If he died right now, my whole plan would be wasted. Not only will I never get Xu back, Jiang Shi Jun will never let me go.”

“ You really think so, or are you just reluctant to admit your mistake?”

“ What do you think?” Yan Yan pulled her mouth into a semblance of a smile, but the fierceness in her eyes gave away the true answer to Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng carefully observed her. He wanted to strip the fierceness from her eyes and look into the real emotions behind the mask. But he ultimately gave up. He would never be able to completely guess her real motivations.

At this point, he could only remind her, “ If our co operation with Liang Ruiqiang becomes a success, then you and Jiang Yu Nan would never be able to reconcile in this lifetime. You need to consider that carefully.”

“ Why do you think I did not insist on divorcing him?” Yan Liang was angry now but her tone was only getting colder. “ I am not you, don’t judge me by your sentimental ways of thinking.”

“……” “…”

“Do not worry, I have already thought through things very clearly.”

**** ****

No one expected Jiang Yu Nan’s minor illness to impact his relationship with Yan Liang. The protracted Cold War between the two had actually changed, not for the better, but for the worse.

After two years, Yan Liang had again become the talk of the town. At night she was seldom home, the tabloids photographed her drinking with strangers. Some speculated that this was Mrs Jiang retaliating to the news of Jiang Yu Nan’s affairs.

Mr Jiang also seemed to ignore this behaviour. Whether it was because he was ashamed in his heart, or because any feelings between the husband and wife had really come to an end , he was completely indifferent to his wife’s antics, to the point that he almost had a laissez faire attitude..

It was already the third time in the week that Yan Liang had returned home really late at night.

Jiang Yu Nan did not seem to be at home, but the family servant looked at her gorgeous clothes as she drunkenly made her way upstairs. The fact that Yan Liang had again spent the night outside would surely reach his ears soon.

What was the limit this man had for her ? She was going to find out.

Yan Liang removed her make up and stood under the shower. The alcohol and the brightness of the evening washed away into the sewers and she was only left with a blank mind and a tired body.

She leaned her head back as the cold water poured over her when she heard a bang.

Surprised , she suddenly turned around.

She saw the bathroom door being pushed from outside with so much force that it hit the inside wall and swung back again.she realised immediately what was happening and as she stared at the door she saw Jiang Yu Nan standing there.

His figure was steady, his face was sullen.

Yan Liang turned back . She completely ignored him, raised her chin slightly and closed her eyes so that her head leaned back. Under the shower, she started rinsing her hair. He had not even taken off his shoes. She could hear his shoes treading on the ceramic tiles. She waited patiently for him to reveal why he was here.

The glass door to the shower cubicle was opened. Even before she could get a towel from the rack, Jiang Yu Nan pulled her out.

“ What’s wrong with you?”. She knew.

He was silent.

Yan Liang’s body was bare, her hair was wet. As he dragged her with him ,she dripped water on to the floor. She stumbled as he pulled her into the cloak room and then threw her on the stool

The drops of water on the dArk red stool turned some areas black, but the man opposite her had deep black eyes on a face red with rage.

Yan Liang pulled out a shirt from the closet to cover herself. When she looked up again, the man was coldly glaring at her face.

Jiang Yu Nan did not say anything. He impatiently rummaged in the closet, fiddled with the hangers and soon took out a lingerie set and threw it on the sofa, “ Put this on.”

“ Where am I going ?”

Jiang Yu Nan gritted his teeth and repeated, “ Put this on.”

Then he threw a nude coloured dress at her. Yan Liang knew wHat this combination meant. She sat there motionless, very reluctant to get up.

Seeing her unco- operative attitude, Jiang Yu Nan looked even more gloomy. But instead of bullying her, he bent down, pinched her chin with his thumb and forefinger and raised it towards himself.

“ I haven’t forgotten our agreement. Unless you co operate, I will press criminal charges against Zhou Cheng and sell the Xu brand.”

As he finished the sentence , he let go of her face suddenly in exasperation. Yan Liang could not match his strength and her face turned sideways.

She did not react at all. In the ensuing silence, Jiang Yu Nan walked out from the cloak room and Yan Liang heard him order one of the servants, “ Get me a towel and this hair dryer.”

Jiang Yu Nan still remembered her size , the nude dress he had selected for her was the right size. The length of the dress was just half an inch above the knee. The dress tightly wrapped her body and showed off her curves to advantage.

Two people were sitting at two ends of the rear seat of the car. Jiang Yu Nan’s eyes were closed. Yan Liang looked out of the window. Today was another rainy day, it was the time to get off work. Pedestrians were taking out their umbrellas. No one told her where this car was going, but when the car finally stopped outside the revolving door of the the Ming Ting hotel, Yan Liang was not surprised.

This was the venue of Mingting’s son’s wedding banquet today.

The groom was from a prominent family, the bride was the daughter of a senior party official. She had known of the engagement for a long time. Lu Mingting had established a fund for his daughter in law, this news was widely spread out, so it wasn’t difficult for Yan Liang to know this.

The guard opened the door for Yan Liang. Jiang Yu Nan got off the car and held out his arm in the direction of Yan Liang. She watched his gesture, but had no intention to co operate. She stepped towards the door but was instantly pulled back.

Jiang Yu Nan grabbed her hand and put it on his arm. She wanted to pull out her hand but he held it down with force. And it was like this that this couple, who were secretly strangers to each other, entered the Ming Ting hotel.

In the banquet area, there was a huge table. Lu Zheng had set up the banquet in his own hotel. Wherever she went, Yan Liang could see all the waiters were cheerful, as it was their boss’s wedding.

It was only once they entered the elevator that they separated . Jiang Yu Nan no longer forced her. The minute the doors closed, Yan Liang frowned, pulled her arm out and moved to the corner, her attitude clearly exhibiting her rejection of him.

Jiang Yu Nan stood straight. He looked at the front, then back at her and haughtily asked her, “ How doesn’t feel to see your old lover getting married ?”

Yan Liang answered with a straight face, “ I don’t want to live anymore .”

From her vantage point, she saw his back tighten she made the remark.

She smiled faintly. The elevator arrived at their floor and the doors opened.

( Miumiu : well JYN , you asked for it)

This time, she behaved well. She moved forward to hold Jiang Yu Nan’s arm and they walked out of the elevator like an intimate couple.

After signing the guest book, the waiter led them into the main area.

Jiang Yu Nan stood at the door and scanned the crowds to locate the important people. Seeing Lu Minting with his in-laws, he turned to Yan Liang by his side, “Let’s go and say hello”

Hearing this, Yan Liang could not help but look. This tough looking elderly man in an antiqued suit- this was the father of Lu Zheng ?

Wasn’t he also the one who had helped Jiang Shi Jun destroy one of the allies of Xu ?

Jiang Yu Nan walked all the way to the corner of the hall. Many people came forward to greet him warmly, he just nodded in response.

However these so called friends whispered behind Jiang Yu Nan’s back about his partner; the biggest question was.. “ That is.. Mrs Jiang ..isn’t she …the former girlfriend of Lu Zheng ?”

＂……＂ “…”

“ She’s so glamorous and dazzling..but who knows what is in her heart..”

In these years of ups and downs with Yan Liang, Jiang Yu Nan had honed the skill of ignoring all kinds of malicious gossips and slanders to an art form. He steadily walked till he reached Mingting’s side.

When Lu Mingting saw Jiang Yu Nan , he smiled at him in a friendly manner, “ Yu Nan !”

“Mr. Lu.”

“Why are you looking ill?”

“ This is my wife”, Jiang Yu Nan said as he indicated Yan Liang at his side.

“Mrs Jiang ?” Lu Mingting immediately looked at Yan Liang , and his smile turned cold, hinting at a deeper emotion , “ I can see that.”

In another corner of the venue, an assistant was whispering a reminder to lu Zheng when he suddenly looked up and saw his father at the other end.

Time suddenly stopped…

**** ****

As if alerted by a sixth sense, Yan Liang looked up with some hesitation as well and saw lu Zheng. They were separated from each other by the wide expanse of the huge hall, but their eyes still found each other.

There was silence for a while.

Melodious music started up in the hall. As if he had seen her for the first time, Lu Zheng nodded at her slightly and smiled.

Years had passed. At this moment, Yan Liang could only bow her head.

This man had wanted to give her the love she had yearned for, but unfortunately, he was only destined to be a passer- by in her life.

And the man by her side…..the man who had defeated her soundly at every turn in the name of love, was her own choice. Ultimately, she had to bear the responsibility for the consequences her choice had unleashed.

Jiang Yu Nan and Lu Mingting were still talking when Yan Liang interrupted them , “ I’m sorry , I need to go to the washroom.”

After a moment, Yan Liang was sitting alone in the smoking area, smoking.

The cigarette in her hand had burned down to half of its length as she stared at the distance, when the door opened.

Footsteps approached her, and then stopped in front of the bench she was sitting on.

The man silently sat down. Yan Liang still did not raise her head, until she heard him say , “ Can I borrow a light ?”

She froze.

He said: “Long time no see.”

Yan Yan looked up to see lu Zheng. “ Long time no see.”

She smiled at him brightly, and Lu Zheng also smiled, “ Your dress is very beautiful.”

“ My husband helped me select this.”

Lu Zheng’s smile stiffened for a moment.

Just now , Yan Liang had been happy to see this man. But how could she forget that she did not deserve him and had no right to his affections? Those affections belonged to his future wife.

Lu Zheng took out a lighter from his pocket and held the flame to the cigarette. Yan Liang laughed at him, “ You already have a lighter ! Why were you asking for one?”

She had just wanted the conversation to be more natural, but her efforts yielded the opposite result.

“ Otherwise how would I have the courage to come and find you ?”

Yan Liang could not help but look up at him.

His eyes were like the placid waters of the lake, but it had the power to draw people in.

The cigarette butt burnt till her fingers. The sensation pulled her back from her reverie and she dropped the butt. It fell to the ground. After a flaring up one more time for a brief second, it was extinguished silently.

“ I’m sorry. I have to leave now.”

Lu Zheng did not try to hold her back.

He knew he could not hold her back , he had no rights to do so.

Quietly he watched her as she left.

Yan Liang ignored the sight behind her and walked out of the door.

She hadn’t yet reached the corner when she had to stop.

Jiang Yu Nan was leaning against the wall.

She was determined to ignore him and started walking again. But her footsteps were chaotic as she coldly brushed past Jiang Yu Nan.

She knew that he would not let her go that easily. As she passed him, he grabbed her wrist. She was already prepared for this, but what he said next was completely unexpected, “ You gave your first love to Zhou Cheng, the last one to Lu Zheng, what did I get ?”

For a long time, Jiang Yu Nan hadn’t seen her emotionally affected like this..now she was..but for another man.

He knew what was going on for a long time, sometimes he would compel himself to be glad that this was happening..but still…

His voice reflected a trace of desperation and helplessness. But Yan Liang knew this was only a camouflage. She wanted to laugh. She looked up at Jiang Yu Nan , raised her hand casually and patted his check as she slowly enunciated each word, “ You’ve got all my hatred.”

She pulled her wrist from his clutch, but he only grabbed her hand more tightly.

He pulled her with such force that she staggered and hit the wall. “ If you hate me so much, you should be praying that I die. Then why were you so worried when I was had a minor illness ?”

Yan Liang sneered, “ Mr Jiang, when did you learn to be so romantic ?”

＂……＂ “…”

“ You are really acting strangely. Wasn’t it your wish that I hate you intensely ? Why are you now suddenly acting like a dying person who is craving forgiveness from others ?”

Jiang Yu Nan looked like he suddenly understood this fact. After a moment of silence, he laughed, “ Yes, I’m confused.”

( Miumiu : Grr..when will you guys talk honestly ?”

＂……＂ “…”

He looked down and gazed into her eyes, “ I really should take the time to enjoy your hatred.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze shifted to her side. Yan Liang frowned and tried to turn her face too when Jiang Yu Nan suddenly turned around, grabbed her face and kissed her.

This sudden kiss, it felt strange to her..

She had no time to shore up her defences, his lips and tongue invaded her mouth completely.

Suddenly all the feelings and sensations that had lain dormant for so long revived themselves. He had not touched her for the last two years, now..

His attack was as ferocious as that of a wild beast . As he sucked the tip of her tongue, scorching heat invaded her body. All her resistance crumbled away as he robbed her of even her breath.

He didn’t let go of her until he was satisfied. When Yan Liang finally broke free, she raised her hand to slap him, but he easily grabbed her wrist.

( Miumiu : ah alaykim..sorry again..he never seems to get the smack he really deserves )

Her chest was heaving in an effort to get some air into her oxygen starved brain. Her lips were faintly red. Holding her wrist, Jiang Yu Nan looked at her calmly.

The waiters passing by frequently looked at them. Yan Yan pulled her hand from his grasp and walked way.

After he watched her disappear around the corner, Jiang Yu Nan looked back. Lu Zheng, who had been standing just outside the smoking area a minute back, had disappeared as well

**** ****

Lu Zheng stood outside the door of the make up room.

His bride to be was putting the final touches on her make up. As lu Zheng knocked at the door, a scene flashed in his brain.. a man and woman kissing , the woman extremely unwilling…

This scene forced him to withdraw his hand.

He had not yet turned away when someone rushed to him, “ Mr Lu, the chairman is looking for you.”

Lu Zheng did not even think twice, “ Tell him you couldn’t find me.”

After he said this, he left, but before he could take even two steps, he heard the sound of the door opening.

Lu minting came out of the room , his body resting heavily on the cane in his hand, “ Where are you going ?”

Lu Zheng sighed, reluctantly turned back, “ Dad.”

“ Zi Nan looks particularly beautiful today, have you seen her ?”

“ Is it?” Lu Zheng raised his eyebrows, but did not delve too deep into the meaning of this statement.

Lu Mingting heard his son’s absent minded response and frowned, “ I invited them to the wedding so that your feelings for her could die completely.”

Lu Zheng was surprised.

Disappointed, Lu minting shook his head, “ There are many more women in this world. I can see that Yan Liang has two eyes, one nose; even if she is special in your eyes, she is someone else’s wife now, what is the value of the feelings that you have in your heart ?”

Could he even see into his heart ?

His camouflage and relentless self discipline in the last two years had failed..

Lu Zheng smiled bleakly.

Lu minting was surprised at his smile, then his tone softened, “ Son, I have always clearly known what you want since you were a kid, but I also know that you have to learn how to strive for your goals. You should now understand what is best for you. Don’t forget all the lessons you have learnt over the past few decades for one woman.”

His father’s words were reasonable, but lu Zheng shrugged helplessly, “ Maybe I just want to see for once why people go completely out of control. And perhaps..”

And perhaps, just for once, he wanted something he liked, not something that had been imposed on him because of his responsibilities or someone else’s preferences…

Lu Mingting’s secretary had been looking at them from the side. As lu Mingting looked speechlessly at his son, he wasn’t sure if this was the right moment to intervene. Hesitating a bit, he ultimately decided to remind his boss, “ Chairman, Minister Lee has arrived.”

Lu Minting nodded. He looked at lu Zheng, “ I am going to greet the guests, you go and see Zi Nan.” He did not leave immediately , but the secretary opened the door and waited so that finally, he left.

The make up room was huge. The make up artist had a large collection of cosmetics. The bride’s close friends were standing around the dresser, chatting and having fun. One of them rose when she saw lu Zheng, smiled and alerted the young woman sitting on the stool, “ Zi Nan, your groom has come.”

Every body looked at him. The make up artist also put the brush aside and bowed to him deferentially, “ Mr Lu.”

Lu Zheng smiled at him, then went straight to the dresser.

The young woman called Zhuang Zi Nan saw him smile at her, but the smile looked emotionless . A trace of isolation…

Finally he would get rid of his self deception…

“Can I talk to her alone?”

Hearing his tone, they all looked at one another, then at Zhuang Zi Nan and then left. Leaving this pair of lovers alone.

Could they even be considered lovers ?

Every Saturday they watched a movie together. In the weekends, he accompanied her to a nursing home or an orphanage to volunteer. Twice a week they had dinner together, in case something came up, they would call each other. This year , the total time they had spent in each other’s company had been well organised and planned in minute detail.

He appreciated her ambition. She was eager to use the Lu platform to advance her own career. This kind of marriage between senior Government officials and business houses meant benefits to both sides.

After a long moment of silence , Lu Zheng suddenly said, “ Remember you once asked me why I have so many pairs of high heels ?”

“ Why are you suddenly saying this now ?”

“…” Lu Zheng smiled.” Those are from New York, the work of an independent designer. Each pair of shoes is engraved with the designers logo. Her Chinese name is Yan Liang.”

Zhang Zi Nan’s face registered her surprise.

Yan Liang..

The only scandal this man had ever had…

“New York … …” how old these memories were..

“I later learned that she was sent to the US by her family to study finance, but it did not work out and she later changed her subject of study to design.

＂……＂ “…”

“You probably also know that my mother has been living in

New York for years.”

Zhuang Zi Nan nodded, her expression wasn’t very amenable.

“For this reason, I was always flying between China and the US. After a year of studying design, she and her friends opened a shop, but it was soon on the brink of collapse. I found her one day as she was pleading with her landlord so they wouldn’t be evicted. The conversation was really funny . I couldn’t enjoy it for long but I remembered that after returning home, I asked the servant to buy me a pair of shoes from the shop. I gifted it to my mother.

＂……＂ “…”

In the end, what kind of memories were these that put a smile to his face ?

Zhuang Zi Nan lowered her eyes. She did not know how to face this man..his expression was so indulgent and genial..

“ Unfortunately, that pair of shoes did not pass muster with my mother. I imagine the quality wasn’t very good that year..”

“ Since then, every month , I would ask the servant to buy a pair of shoes from her shop. With every pair, there would always be a personal letter. Apart from thanking me , sometimes she would write about her circumstances , or talk about her dreams for the future. I had only seen her once, but actually I already knew her very well.”

＂……＂ “…”

“Even I could see that her designs were getting better and better, but a year later, she told the servant to tell me that she and her friends intended to close the shop.

＂……＂ “…”

“ When she came to Ming court to plead with me for Ya Yan, I realised that she had repeated my mistake- to sacrifice her own self for the family business.”

＂……＂ “…”

“There is a very thin line between compassion and love.”

Zhuang Zi Nan tried to laugh, but her mouth was too stiff .

But Lu Zheng smiled, relieved, “Zhuang Zi Nan, I think you have to consider carefully, such a man, is he really worthy of your whole life ?”

…… …

The wedding ceremony had began. Lu Zheng, dressed in an elegant suit and tie, walked to the main table as per the guidance of the emcee.

The master of ceremonies announced, “ I invite Ms Zhuang now to come to the stage.”

There was no response.

The master of ceremonies could not help but speak out again : “Welcome Miss Zhuang!”

When the emcee repeated his invitation the third time, the audience got restless, the waiters started looking at each other and the guests started whispering.

Lu Mingting stood up.

The prospective bride had run away.

When the news came out, the entire venue descended into chaos.

Jiang Yu Nan sat calmly in his place. The surrounding chaos did not affect the cold light in his eyes.

The seat next to him was empty. When lu Mingting left the stage with his family, at that moment, his eyes moved from the empty seat next to him to the face of the lone man still standing by the side of the stage.

The groom seemed to be surprised at the unprovoked departure of the bride from the venue, but for some reason, his sight was fixed on the empty seat next to Jiang Yu Nan.

His expression was cold and desolate..

**** ****

After leaving Ming Ting hotel, Yan Liang again did not return home that night.

Yan Liang stepped out of the bubble bath and wrapped herself in towels from the bathroom.

She spent too much time inside, the man was asleep.

She sat on the bed, bluntly reaching out to take the man’s face in her hands; he still did not wake up.

The man had bronzed skin. He was a DJ in an underground bar with beautiful fingers and a charming smile. She thought she had a little bit of a good impression of this person, but now as she carefully observed him in his sleep she could only feel this face, very strange.

Suddenly, she felt a trace of fear.

She was in the Presidential suite with a round bed, clothes strewn untidily. Yan Liang got up, found her clothes in the untidy mess and put them on. From the wallet, she took some notes and stacked them on the bedside table.

She went to the door of the suite, trying to pull the door. Suddenly she saw the mirror opposite the door and could not help but stop.

It was the image of a woman with no soul. The pair of eyes staring at her from the mirror were empty

***

When she reached home, it was early morning.

The two servants at home were new. Although they are aware of the blow hot blow cold relationship between the mistress and the master, whenever they met, they would respectfully call her Madam.

She drove back. When the car had entered halfway into the garage, the servant rushed to her car and told her: “Madam, master is in the living room, waiting for you.”

“Got it.”

Although she acknowledged her verbally, Yan Liang parked her car, then used the stairs to go upstairs. She went back to her room and directly to bed.

As she was drifting off to sleep, the phone began to vibrate. Yan Liang fumbled with the phone. It was a string of text messages from a strange number.

“I am an adult man, how can I take money from a woman, not to mention we didn’t even do anything.”

Yan Liang carefully tried to think back – when had they left their contact numbers to each other? She had no clue. Suddenly she heard the sound of the door opening. Reflexively, she put the phone back on the bedside table and closed her eyes, feigning sleep

***

She could hear the sounds of footsteps coming near.

She felt the blanket being lifted, then the bed side depressing as he sat on the bed. Yan Liang was very tired, and turned over to the other side of the bed to sleep.

Sitting on the bed, the man watched her as she turned. She moved out of the blanket, but he could also feel the heat she left behind.

He turned to look at the antique clock in the corner – it was two in the morning.

His wife was increasingly absent from home, but as he thought about it, he did not feel angry. He leaned closer, and covered her body with the blanket.

At this point, he saw a hickey on the woman’s neck

***

Yan Liang was angrily grabbed by the man and hauled up by her hair.

She tried to pull her wrist from the man as he pulled her, but he threw her back down. She landed on the bed forcefully, the force knocking down the lamp by the bedside.

In the mottled scattered light of the lamp thrown on the floor, Yan Liang could vaguely see that he was about to slap her face, but stopped in the middle of the action, as if in that moment his rational side was restored. He paused, after a moment, he gently lifted her chin : “Hey where were you tonight? Do you not know to clean up yourself before you come back?”

It was an intimate action, his voice restrained. The change from aggressive to intimate was too fast .Seeing this , Yan Liang was surprised for a moment, then smiled provocatively: “I’m tired, get out.”

“Get out?” He gave her a condescending look and at the same time, his hands were moving to her chest –

Yan Liang’s collar was ripped.

She tried to stop his hand, but failed. He easily hauled up her upper body, her back on the bed.

He seemed to want to strangle her, but controlled himself . He forced her face to the side, exposing the side of her neck. He did not hesitate to lean over, and bit deeply, covering the hickey there in a brutal way.

Yan Liang tried to free her wrist and chin, hysterically screaming: “Jiang Yu Nan! Are you trying to kill me?”

Jiang Yu Nan released her neck, the general atmosphere was cold. With a kind of elegance, he said, slowly: “I am a law-abiding citizen, how can I kill you? It is best if I were to set the evidence in such a manner that Zhou Chang gets imprisoned”

Her eyes widened at the comment.

Suddenly, there was a sound of the skirt being ripped off.