Chapter 42 Repaying with Tears

A true love is not measured by what you gain, but by whether you are happy. Friendly reminder: for the first update of this book, please search online.

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Xue Zui Ning watched as he released her hand so easily, as if he had already guessed her thoughts, then turned and walked away. She lowered her gaze, watching the bloodstain on the butterfly gradually dissolve in the water; the clear water turned a pale red, startlingly vivid against the white bathtub. The butterfly, wings spread, seemed to have drowned and died in silence, yet, at the same time, it was as radiant as if reborn from the flames.

Yet she could never have imagined that the man who had left had not truly gone. He watched as her gaze grew lost while staring at the surface of the water. At last, unable to restrain himself, he strode over, gripped her shoulders, and turned her body toward him while she was still distracted. His eagle-sharp eyes burned with rage, eager to scorch every inch of her skin. “Xue Zui Ning, you’ve truly surprised me! Using my things, living in my house, wearing my clothes, and yet you constantly think of someone else. It seems I’ve been far too merciful to you!”

Her waist was pressed painfully against the marble countertop, her nightgown soaked and chilling her skin. Xue Zui Ning grimaced in pain, but the man deliberately pressed her down, nearly pushing her whole body into the smooth surface of the mirror. “You—you, let me go!”

“Let you go? This position isn’t comfortable. Fine, let’s change it.” His smile was deep and dangerous as he suddenly spun her around, gripping her chin and forcing her to face the pale red water. “Look, this is truly blood that has flowed from my body—for you. Every drop. Tell me, what should you use to repay me?”

Terrified by his veiled threats, Xue Zui Ning’s heart skipped a beat. Then she heard his soft, languid voice whisper beside her ear, “Repay me with your tears…”

He dragged her, struggling, toward the window. The beige curtains were torn open by his furious hand, revealing the small garden outside, flowers and grass sleeping beneath the gentle glow of the streetlight.

Her body was pinned harshly against the bay window; the 75-degree slant of the design left her trembling uncontrollably, as if she were suspended in midair, everything happening so suddenly she was caught off guard.

Lu Huai Ning seemed very pleased with her reaction, savoring his victory like a cat playing with a mouse. His tongue gently traced her ear. “Scared now? A woman who’s not afraid of a man’s slap, yet frightened by heights. Xue Zui Ning, this is heaven’s best punishment for you. I heard your schizophrenic father jumped to his death years ago, and because of that, you developed a fear of heights? If someday your mother accidentally dies on the operating table, will you refuse to ever set foot in a hospital again?”

“No! Lu Huai Ning, I beg you… don’t hurt my mother, she’s innocent.” Tears overflowed her eyes, whether from fear of the height or dread of the man before her, she did not know. Xue Zui Ning reached out to grasp him, clinging to her last chance. “I’ll never dare again. I won’t overstep in front of Mu Chen Xi anymore, I…”

Lu Huai Ning suddenly pulled away his arm coldly, wiping her icy tears from her face with an ambiguous smile. His tongue lightly brushed her cheek. “No sincerity at all.”

His shadow slowly withdrew from her, and Xue Zui Ning watched Lu Huai Ning turn and leave. In her heart, she cursed his unpredictable moods, but then heard the sound of the lock turning.

He had locked the bathroom door from the outside!

That lunatic!

When her sore eyes fluttered open in the morning sunlight, she found herself in a neat bedroom.

Wasn’t she locked in the bathroom all night? When did she end up in bed?

Clever Xiao Yu never mentioned anything about last night, simply telling her to rest well.

Tomorrow were the last two scenes—her most challenging performances before wrapping up the shoot. On the eve of completion, she truly had no time for other thoughts. After a simple breakfast, she curled up in the music room, quietly memorizing each line, working through every movement and expression.

She didn’t know that while she was fighting for a perfect finish tomorrow, the world outside her window was surging and tumultuous because of her.

Public opinion and the media had already pushed the assault incident to the forefront of the entertainment world: an aristocratic heir and an idol of the entertainment industry, angry for the sake of a beauty. Speculation and rumors flooded headlines in both entertainment and financial news. Stories spun of mistresses, tangled love quadrangles, more dramatic than any film.

Awakened by the ringing of her phone, Xue Zui Ning realized she had fallen asleep holding her script. When she picked up her phone from the bedside table and saw the flashing number, she knew a headache was coming.

The ringtone kept ringing persistently. At last, she gathered her courage and answered, only for the call to be abruptly cut off the moment she spoke.

It must have been Chen Sang dialing by mistake. Xue Zui Ning was about to put her phone away when it vibrated again. As soon as she answered, chaotic noise spilled through the line—voices of Chen Sang and another man, apparently fighting for the phone.

“Xue Zui…”

“Give it to me!” The stranger’s voice hadn’t yet finished saying her name before Chen Sang seized the phone. “Hello? Is this Miss Xue Zui Ning? This is Chen Sang’s mobile jukebox. What song would you like to hear tonight, Miss Xue? How about Chan Xiao Chun’s ‘You’re So Cruel’? I…”

The voice on the other end continued to stutter, and Xue Zui Ning frowned slightly, holding her phone. “Chen Sang, are you drunk? Where are you now?”

“Xue Zui Ning! You’re so cruel…” Suddenly, Chen Sang’s voice rose in anger, leaving Xue Zui Ning speechless. His quietly choked baritone sounded like a dirge in an autumn night, low and haunting. “Xiao Ning, tell me… what must I do to forget you… Tell me, how did you do it? Teach me, teach me how to pick up and let go, teach me…”

Chen Sang’s agonized, drunken voice made Xue Zui Ning think of the tragic farewell between Nie Xiao Qian and Ning Cai Chen in ‘Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio’—lovers who could not stay together, forced by reality to give up in order to protect the one they loved.

After a long silence, Chen Sang’s hoarse voice finally struggled through. “Xiao Ning, are you happy?”

Xue Zui Ning closed her eyes in pain, but then a stranger’s voice suddenly joined the call.