Qu Ling stood there stunned for a long time without reacting. After a while, he slowly said, "Yuanyuan? What's wrong? Why are you suddenly saying such things?"
I bit my lip, unsure whether to confront him with the whole story or just slap him across the face and walk away.
Why confront him on the spot? Wouldn't silencing him only embarrass yourself more?
Save your breath for slapping him; if I hit him, my own hand would ache for half a day.
Why bother?
I, Su Yuanyuan, am not one to drag things out. Those who chill my heart can only be severed with a single sword.
"Dean, I'll speak to my family, but I'll need you to talk to the Qu family as well. I think Grandpa Qu isn't unreasonable; he'll understand." I tried my best to hold back the tears that were welling up in my eyes and said calmly.
"Yuanyuan!" Qu Ling pulled me to her side, forcefully turned my face, and said angrily, "Yuanyuan, I'll just assume you were drunk and talking nonsense. Now go home and take a shower and rest!"
"I'm perfectly sober!" I struggled to push him away and said, "I'm more sober than ever before! Before, I was just so drunk I was practically blind!"
A cold glint suddenly flashed in Qu Ling's eyes. "Did you hear something from someone?"
"What I've heard isn't important; what matters is what you've done." I looked up into his eyes, still so dark and unfathomable. Yes, how could I possibly know anything about him?
“Yuanyuan, sometimes things aren’t as simple as they seem on the surface…” Qu Ling’s eyes suddenly softened, and she gently took my hand.
I forcefully shook off his hand and said, "Yes! It's definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface. Dean Qu, I'll only ask you three questions. Answer me truthfully, and if I ask the wrong question, I'll immediately pour you tea as an apology!"
"Yuanyuan..."
"First, you initially approached me at the academy because you knew I was Dean Su's niece, not because I was the little girl you held hands with when you were little, right?"
Qu Ling's expression changed slightly, and he stared straight at me. I mustered all the courage in my body to meet his gaze. If a person's eyes have power, then at this moment, all the power in my body was contained in my eyes.
"Yes." His lips were thin, opening and closing slightly, uttering only one word. Yet it struck me like lightning, shattering my mind and spirit.
"Secondly, Director Zhou is actually your confidant. You publicly distance yourself from him, but behind the scenes, everything he does is at your behest, isn't it?"
"Yes." Qu Ling answered without hesitation. He was truly straightforward, never trying to hide his true nature. A wave of sadness washed over me; I had actually remembered his character so vividly.
"Third, from the very beginning, when you decided to bring down Secretary Ding, you already knew you had to win over my third uncle, your most powerful ally. And the reason my third uncle was willing to help you in the end was because... because of the relationship between you and me, wasn't it?"
"Yes." Qu Ling's face looked deathly pale in the moonlight. He gripped my arm tightly and said, "None of the questions you asked can be answered with a simple 'yes or no.' All these things and entanglements cannot be explained in a single word. Yuanyuan, what I just answered was the truth, but it's not the whole truth. Please listen to me..."
“No need. I just need to know the truth.” I interrupted him and said slowly, “Qu Ling, I want to annul the engagement. From now on, you are only my superior, nothing more!”
"I disagree!" Qu Ling interrupted me abruptly, grabbing my arm and saying, "Don't even think about it!"
"You—" Before I could finish saying "you," Qu Ling suddenly reached out and covered my eyes. I felt a sudden darkness before my eyes, and then I felt something cool on my lips as something soft covered them.
It felt like a fire suddenly ignited in my mind, burning intensely, leaving my thoughts completely blank.
When I came to my senses, I was so embarrassed and angry that I could hardly breathe. I threw a right hook, and Qu Ling let out a muffled groan but still wouldn't let go. I struggled desperately but couldn't break free. In the end, I had no choice but to open my mouth and bite down hard. A sweet, fishy taste immediately filled my mouth.
It's Qu Ling's blood.
I pulled his hand away and stared at him, my eyes wide. He stared back at me, his dark eyes filled with stubbornness. And within that stubbornness, there was a clear hint of sadness.
The sweet, metallic taste of blood kept flooding into my mouth; I really bit down hard this time.
I don't know how much time had passed when I heard my mother and father talking from inside the courtyard. Taking advantage of Qu Ling's distraction, I pushed him away forcefully, rushed into the courtyard, and closed the gate.
"Is Yuanyuan back?" Mom asked from afar.
"Okay." I mumbled a reply and kept walking inside.
"Where did you eat so late without calling home? We couldn't get through to you on the phone. Your dad and I are about to go to the police station to report you..."
"Mom, I'm going upstairs to sleep now." I walked past my mother with my head down, leaving her and my father in the living room.
I closed the door, but dared not turn on the light.
I'm afraid of light, afraid that it will illuminate everything in the room and reveal every trace of panic on my face.
But she still couldn't help but slowly move to the window and gently lift a corner of the curtain to peek outside.
The moonlight outside the window was like water, bathing the entire city and that person in its glow.
He still stood there, motionless, with bright red blood clotted at the corner of his lips, his face pale and sorrowful.
He gently wiped the blood from his lips with his finger and looked up at the window where I was.
I abruptly dropped the curtain in my hand, closed my eyes, and dared not look him in the eye again.
My heart is in turmoil. The anger and resentment from before have faded, but I'm still in a state of confusion.
It's a complete mess.
Tears welled up again without me noticing, gushing like a spring, streaming down my cheeks.
In the shadows, a plump ball suddenly rose from under the covers on the bed. The ball slowly moved forward and finally emerged from the foot of the bed.
"Woof—" Xizi jumped off the bed, rushed to my side, and scratched my leg, wanting me to hug her.
I watched Xizi silently, then gently kicked it away, walked to the bedside alone, and crawled into the quilt to lie down.
The blanket was warm, which Xizi had warmed up beforehand.
Even if I kick it away, the warmth it leaves behind remains.
That warmth is etched in my heart; I can't lie to myself.
I thought I would have insomnia, but the lingering effects of the alcohol gradually took hold, and I quickly drifted off to sleep.