Ruolin repeatedly scrubbed her body in the bathtub, as if trying to wash away some kind of mark, yet it was as if those marks could never be wiped away.
"Ruolin, are you alright? Why haven't you come out for so long?" It wasn't until Han Haoxuan knocked on the door and called out from outside that Ruolin realized she had been inside for a long time. The water in the bathtub had been changed several times, and her skin was almost wrinkled from soaking.
"I won't die," Ruolin replied coldly.
"Can...can I come in?" Han Haoxuan asked Ruolin tentatively for the first time outside the bathroom door.
"Are you determined to kill me?" The voice was as cold as could be.
"You've misunderstood, that's not what I meant. I already said it was my fault, and I've already apologized to you, haven't I?"
"If apologies were enough, what would we need the police for?" Ruolin rarely watches idol dramas, but she had seen the once wildly popular "Meteor Garden" and thought this line was the most classic.
"Then what do you want me to do?" Han Haoxuan asked painfully.
"Let's... break up." Ruolin's decision wasn't impulsive; it was the answer she came to after thinking about it for a long time while taking a shower in the bathroom.
"..." Han Haoxuan was stunned. He was clearly taken aback by Ruolin's words. Break up? They'd only been together for a few months and she was already talking about breaking up? Their relationship must be incredibly fragile.
"No, I said no!" When Han Haoxuan gets angry, he has the air of a roaring cult leader from a Qiong Yao drama.
Ruolin wrapped herself in a bathrobe, opened the door, and came out.
The bedroom was well-heated, and the thick curtains were drawn tightly, making it seem like nighttime.
A warm yellow desk lamp was lit in the room.
Han Haoxuan was sitting on the edge of the bed, naked, silently smoking, wisps of smoke rising from between his long, slender fingers. Normally, she would have stubbed out his cigarette and told him to take care of himself. But at this moment, she didn't want to get close to him.
She walked past him and went straight to the wardrobe to get her own clothes.
"Let's forget all the unpleasantness and start over, a fresh start." He had come up behind her and embraced her from behind.
He held her tightly, not giving her a chance to move.
He had a faint smell of tobacco on him. Although Ruolin didn't like him smoking, she didn't dislike the smell of him; in fact, she was somewhat fascinated by it.
"Let's break up, I'm exhausted," Ruolin insisted.
"You're breaking up with me just because I assaulted you? We've been together more than once or twice, why this time..."
“This time is different,” Ruolin interrupted him. “This time is different from before. Did you know what you were doing just now? Were you using me as a tool for sexual gratification or as an object of revenge?”
"No, I consider you my woman."
"Stop with that. Don't keep labeling me. It puts more pressure on me."
"Can we not talk about unhappy things? It was my fault today, I admit it," Han Haoxuan said almost in a low voice. "I promise I won't make you tired anymore, and I'll never force you to do anything again. Everything will revolve around you. If you say go left, I'll never say go right. From now on, I'll do whatever you say, okay?"
"No, how could I possibly trouble you, Young Master Han?"
"Don't say things in anger. Let's get married. Let's go get our marriage certificate tomorrow."
"I don't want to make a decision about something as big as marriage so hastily..."
"So you mean you can consider marrying me in the future?" Han Haoxuan deliberately interrupted her, misunderstanding her words one-sidedly.
"If that's how you want to see it, there's nothing I can do. I still suggest we separate for a while. If we find we still miss each other after that, then it's not too late to talk about marriage..."
"We can't be apart!" Han Haoxuan quickly interrupted her; he didn't want to give Mu Jingyan any chance.
Ultimately, neither could convince the other, and for several days, Han Haoxuan and Ruolin were in a state of cold war. In reality, the so-called cold war was merely a battle fought by Ruolin alone, because Han Haoxuan was not prepared at all.
Ruolin originally wanted to pack her bags and go back to her rented apartment, but Han Haoxuan kept a close eye on her, driving her to work every morning and parking his car near her workplace every afternoon before she got off work, not giving her any chance to "escape".
However, once home, Ruolin refused to say a word to Han Haoxuan, ignoring his attempts to please her.
At night, he slept in the master bedroom, while she slept in the guest room. One night, Han Haoxuan tried to come to the guest room to share a bed with Ruolin, but she refused him without hesitation, warning him that there would be dire consequences if he entered her room without permission. Han Haoxuan didn't press the issue and could only awkwardly return to his own room.
The guest room had become Ruolin's stronghold; all she had to do was defend it to prevent the enemy from invading.
However, this situation did not last long, not because the two reconciled, but because the Cold War escalated.
Ruolin would transfer the next month's rent to Xinyu's card in the middle of each month. Of course, now she was paying the full amount, and she had also paid back the portion that Xinyu had previously paid on her behalf.
This time, Ruolin paid extra money along with the rent to repay the money she had borrowed from Xinyu when her mother was sick.
When Xinyu received the payment, she called and asked, "Ruolin, did you pay several months' rent all at once?"
"No, I only paid one month's rent; the rest is money I owe you."
"That's not right, didn't you pay me back the money you owed me a long time ago?" Xinyu said, puzzled. "Han Haoxuan paid it back for you a long time ago and said it was your idea."
"Oh...I see." Ruolin actually hated Han Haoxuan to death. Why did he take it upon himself to help her pay off her debts? Did he also ask Mu Jingyan to pay off the money she owed him?
You arrogant bastard! Don't think that doing this will make me forgive you for assaulting me that time!
Chapter Sixty-Eight
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Han Haoxuan was completely unaware that a storm was brewing, because all he could think about was how to reconcile with Ruolin.
He once delivered flowers to her office, posing as a mysterious figure, only to be told by Ruolin, "Don't do such childish things as sending flowers again." He forged a marriage certificate and secretly placed it on Ruolin's desk, but she angrily retorted, "Do you think I'm a three-year-old? A marriage certificate requires both people to go and get it together." He also tried to win her over with sweet talk, but she wouldn't listen, slamming her bedroom door shut and blasting her computer speakers at full blast...
In short, no matter what he did or how much he tried to please her, she ignored him and always gave him a cold look.
Although he managed to keep her, and although the two of them still lived in the same house, they were like strangers.
He knew he had gone too far this time, but he had already apologized and tried everything to appease her, yet she remained unmoved. What would it take for her to forgive him?
"Let's talk." This was the first time Ruolin had spoken to Han Haoxuan since the start of their cold war.
Although Ruolin's facial expression was quite serious when she spoke, Han Haoxuan felt that this was an opportunity to attack, after all, she had given him a chance to speak, and he was secretly pleased with himself.
"You've already paid off Xinyu's debt, right? Shouldn't I thank you?" Ruolin didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
Ruolin's words greatly surprised Han Haoxuan. He thought she had come to discuss the future of their relationship, but the conversation turned out to be completely unrelated to that.
"Yes." Han Haoxuan did not intend to deny it.
"So, have you paid back the money I owe Mu Jingyan?" Ruolin continued to ask.
“I wanted to pay it back, but he didn’t give me the chance. He rejected me outright, saying that it was between me and him and that I shouldn’t get involved.”
"You're so kind. Shouldn't I thank you for always thinking of me? The change from 'Fang Ling's Appointment' to 'Ruo Lin's Appointment' is also related to you, right? Why don't you just tell me everything you've done for me, and I'll thank you all at once," Ruo Lin said calmly.
"Why do that? I did that just so you could relax a little and not have too much pressure."
"Is my job really related to you?" Ruolin suddenly raised her voice.
"So what if it is? We're boyfriend and girlfriend. It's only right that I help you share your burdens. Why are you taking it so seriously?" Han Haoxuan didn't intend to deny it anymore. The truth will eventually come out; even if he didn't confess now, Ruolin would find out someday. Rather than have someone else tell her, he'd rather tell her himself. He wasn't going to tell Ruolin any more lies.
"You should at least have discussed these things with me before doing them, right? Do you know that what you're doing is no different from arranging my life? My life doesn't need anyone else to arrange it! I originally thought I got my job because of my hard work, and I was even thinking that my efforts had finally paid off. Little did I know, there was another reason behind it all. Do you know that what you're doing will only make me feel ashamed in front of my other colleagues? I don't care if they say I snagged a rich husband and became a phoenix, but I care if they say I secretly used underhanded tactics to get this position!"
"Don't get so worked up. It's not that serious. At worst, you can just find another job." Han Haoxuan took Ruolin's hand and tried to calm her down.
"So what? You always make it sound so easy. You've never had to worry about food or clothing since you had a capable father, right? But do you know how much I love this job? It's the writing job I've always dreamed of. I thought I was making steady progress, so my benefits at work kept improving. I never imagined my job would be related to you, I really never thought." Ruolin shook her head, feeling utterly disappointed. "Yes, it's my fault for being so naive. There's no such thing as a free lunch. How could my salary increase so much? How could my position be promoted so quickly? I was too confident in myself."
“Your abilities deserve that much salary, you deserve it!” Han Haoxuan said.
“Tell me, is there any portion of my salary that you personally contributed?” Ruolin looked into his eyes.
"..." Han Haoxuan looked pained. He didn't want to lie to her, but telling the truth was so difficult to say.
"Yes, isn't that right?" Ruolin stared intently at him.
Han Haoxuan sighed and nodded heavily.
Ruolin gave a bitter smile and then said, "You're just pitying me, treating me like a beggar and giving me charity, right?"
"That's not it, I just don't want you to have such a hard life."
"But why didn't you ask me if I was willing before you did all this?"
"I thought you definitely wouldn't agree."
"Not necessarily. If you offered to lend me money and seemed genuinely sincere, I might accept. But the way you're 'helping' me now, I won't thank you; I'll hate you even more!"
"I told you before that I would help you pay off Mu Jingyan's debt, but you didn't agree, so I thought you wouldn't accept the money I lent you either..."
“I didn’t agree, but you still went to Mu Jingyan to get your money back despite my objections, didn’t you? However, Mu Jingyan is right, the money I owe him is between him and me, and it’s none of your business to interfere.”
"It's none of my business what you and he do? Ha, you said that in almost the exact same tone as him. How in sync!" Han Haoxuan sneered. He always felt that Ruolin and Mu Jingyan's relationship was more than just ordinary. Wasn't his desire to help her repay Mu Jingyan's debt simply to reduce Ruolin's contact with him?
"We've known each other for so many years, of course we have a certain understanding!" Ruolin deliberately provoked Han Haoxuan. Because she had already made up her mind, she didn't care about what she said anymore.
"Oh? Really? You're even more in sync with me than when we're together?" Han Haoxuan felt a pang of pain in his heart.
“Yes, I’m much happier with him than with you. At least, we don’t have to lie to each other,” Ruolin said cruelly.
"Is being with him really happier than being with me?" Han Haoxuan felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart, a bloody pain instantly washing over him. "Is being with him happier than being with me?"
"Yes," Ruolin said without hesitation, "I feel no burden with him. So I'd rather borrow money from him than owe you money." If you want to leave, you have to be firm and decisive, right? Although Ruolin's heart ached as she said these words, she knew that a short, sharp pain was better than a long, drawn-out one. Her time with Han Haoxuan had its sweet moments, but mostly it was heartbreaking. His mother put pressure on her, which she endured, but he kissed his ex-girlfriend and lied to her, saying he was entertaining clients. He even used her as a sexual object, violating her against her will! Not only that, he also arranged her life, secretly arranging her job and paying off her debts without revealing a word beforehand. If this continued, wouldn't the conflicts and rifts between them only increase? If the story was destined to end in separation, why not leave sooner?
Han Haoxuan didn't say anything more, lowered his head, and slumped back on the sofa.
After a long silence, as if he had made a great decision, he looked up at Ruolin and said, "If you are sure that you will be happier with him, then I will let you go."
Chapter Sixty-Nine
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It was very late at night, and the office was so quiet it was suffocating, with only a pale white light hanging from the ceiling.
The ashtray on the desk was overflowing with cigarette butts.
Han Haoxuan smoked one cigarette after another, not knowing exactly how many he had smoked. Finally, he coughed repeatedly from the smoke and put out the cigarette in his hand.
Unlike usual, he didn't leave work early to pick Ruolin up from her workplace today. Instead, he waited until all the employees had left and stayed alone in his office, smoking to drown his sorrows.
Sometimes, cigarettes are a good thing; they can numb your senses.
It's not that he doesn't want to keep Ruolin, but he feels he can't keep her, so he hasn't dared to go home yet, afraid that Ruolin will have already left by the time he gets back.
He was truly unable to face the empty house for a moment.
Although he and Ruolin had barely spoken in the house recently, her presence made him feel at ease.
He couldn't imagine how he would live without Ruolin.
It was already 2 a.m. when Han Haoxuan got home. He took out his key and opened the door. He noticed that his hands were trembling as he opened the door.
He turned on the light and went straight to the guest room. The door opened easily with a gentle push, and he had a bad feeling.