"Speak."
"If you had a girlfriend, would you prefer to go home early or late after get off work?"
"I don't have a girlfriend, so it's not appropriate to make assumptions," Mu Jingyan said somewhat awkwardly.
"Just make an assumption!"
"Okay, if I had a girlfriend as good as you, I would definitely want to go home early after get off work."
Ruolin was amused by Mu Jingyan's words: "Are you joking with me on purpose, Mu?"
"I'm serious." Mu Jingyan said, and then emotionally took Ruolin's hand, gazing at her with deep affection.
"Are you acting, Amu? Keep making up jokes to fool me, don't bully me like this." Ruolin laughed as she pulled her hand away from his.
Mu Jingyan smiled awkwardly. He did still like Ruolin, but he couldn't take advantage of her vulnerability. Judging from Ruolin's expression, it was obvious that they had just had a fight.
"Amu, lovers should be honest with each other, right?" Ruolin regained her serious attitude.
"Mm." Mu Jingyan nodded.
"So, if a man comes home late at night and lies to his woman, what does that mean? Does he still deserve forgiveness?"
"It depends on what kind of lie it is. If it's a white lie, it can be forgiven. If it's a serious lie, then it's a different story."
"Then...if..." Ruolin hesitated, wondering whether she should say it.
"If what?" Seeing that Ruolin hesitated for a long time and still couldn't give a clear answer, Mu Jingyan had no choice but to ask.
"If a man lies and says he was entertaining clients when he comes home late because he was having a rendezvous with his ex-girlfriend, is that a lie forgivable?" Ruolin finally spoke, but then added, "This is a question a female colleague asked me, and I don't know how to answer it, so I came to ask you."
"Oh." Mu Jingyan knew perfectly well that it was Ruolin's own problem, but he didn't expose her. He simply said, "This kind of lie argument is a bit despicable because it's somewhat deceptive. Besides, it's wrong to date your ex-girlfriend if you already have a girlfriend. Isn't that like eating what you have while eyeing what you don't?"
So you mean it's unforgivable?
"Not necessarily. It depends on his attitude in admitting his mistake, and also on the strength of the relationship between the two people versus the power of the lie. Of course, whether to forgive or not ultimately depends on your colleague. After all, when it comes to matters of the heart, the decision is still made by the people involved. The opinions of others can only be used as a reference."
"Amu, I think your argument just now could be a radio talk show host."
"I think so too, it's a pity no one has discovered me!"
"Haha, Amu, you can be arrogant too!" Ruolin laughed again.
From last night until she met Mu Jingyan, she hadn't smiled at all, and had even cried. But after seeing Mu Jingyan, she actually smiled twice, and seemed to have forgotten Han Haoxuan's mistakes. With Mu Jingyan, she didn't need to be so tense, and felt very relaxed.
"An eyelash fell onto my face," Mu Jingyan pointed to his face and gestured to Ruolin.
"Oh, how embarrassing. Why is there always something stuck to my face whenever I see you?" Ruolin said, brushing her eyelashes off her face, then asked Mu Jingyan, "Is it gone now?"
“There’s one more.” As he spoke, Mu Jingyan reached out towards Ruolin’s cheek. Actually, that eyelash was already gone, but he couldn’t help wanting to touch her face. He leaned towards Ruolin, and the distance between them instantly closed. His fingers gently touched her delicate skin, causing a strange flutter in his heart.
Chapter Sixty-Six
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Just as Mu Jingyan's hand was about to leave Ruolin's cheek but hadn't had time to leave, his hand was grabbed by another hand: "I said, have you touched enough?" Immediately afterwards, Mu Jingyan was punched hard in the face. The punch was accurate and hard, making Mu Jingyan stagger a few steps.
"This punch is me returning the favor to you. Do you remember the punch you threw at me that day?" Han Haoxuan's cold voice rang out, and the air seemed to freeze.
"What are you doing! How dare you hit someone like that?" Ruolin glared angrily at Han Haoxuan, then asked Mu Jingyan, "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," Mu Jingyan said with a wry smile.
"Come on, come home with me." With that, Han Haoxuan took Ruolin's hand.
"I don't want to go with you." Ruolin broke free from him.
"Then who do you want to go with? With him?!" Han Haoxuan pointed at Mu Jingyan and asked Ruolin aggressively.
"Leave me alone," Ruolin said stubbornly.
"I'm going to take care of you. You're my girlfriend, if I don't take care of you, who will?"
"You must apologize to Amu first, and then I'll go with you." Ruolin didn't want to argue with Han Haoxuan in public, so she wanted to give in first. But no matter what, Mu Jingyan was wronged to be punched by him for no reason, so she wanted Han Haoxuan to apologize to Mu Jingyan.
"Now you're trying to negotiate with me?! Why should I apologize to him? He had ulterior motives and laid a hand on my woman. Why shouldn't I hit him? Besides, he still owes me a punch!" Han Haoxuan held his head high, showing no sign of admitting defeat.
"What exactly do you want?" Ruolin realized she didn't understand Han Haoxuan anymore. How could this man be so domineering and unreasonable? He secretly met with his ex-girlfriend and refused to admit it, while she was just talking to an old classmate, and he wanted to beat her up. Was there no justice in this world?
"You should ask yourself what you're doing! Are you taking sick leave because you're not feeling well? Are you deliberately trying to spite me? All these little tricks you're up to are just trying to get a date with this old flame, aren't they?" Han Haoxuan questioned.
"Who was it that was meeting their old flame? You came home late last night because you were meeting your old flame, weren't you? You were kissing passionately in the karaoke bar, and guess what? I saw it all! I saw it with my own eyes, you can't deny it!" Ruolin said bitterly, venting all the anger she had been holding in. After saying that, she actually felt much lighter.
"..." Han Haoxuan was stunned for a moment, and his arrogant demeanor vanished instantly. No wonder she was sullen, no wonder her tone was so sharp on the phone this morning, so that's why.
"What? Weren't you talking non-stop just now? Weren't you using parallel sentences so fluently? Why are you speechless now?" Ruolin sneered.
"So, what you did today was a show of defiance against me? Are you also going to date your old flame to get revenge on me?" Although Han Haoxuan knew he was wrong, he was still bothered by the intimate behavior between Ruolin and Mu Jingyan. However, compared to his tone earlier, his tone was much gentler now.
"Please get your facts straight first. Amu is my high school classmate, not my ex-lover."
"Ha, so you're not old flames, yet you're flirting and feeding each other? Is this your unique way of greeting each other?" Han Haoxuan sneered. He had brought Ruolin here for her birthday last time, so when he couldn't find her anywhere today, he thought of this place. He had only come to look for Ruolin on a whim, not expecting much, but to his surprise, he witnessed almost the exact same scene at the same spot. That's why he couldn't control himself and immediately punched Mu Jingyan.
I don't understand what you're talking about.
"I originally wanted to keep it a secret, but you forced me to tell you today, so I had no choice but to. On your birthday, you were feeding each other right here..." In fact, Han Haoxuan was very reluctant to recall that scene. Because it was the first important holiday he and Ruolin spent together, and apart from that unpleasant little incident, he and Ruolin were very happy, joyful, and sweet that day.
"Stop talking," Ruolin interrupted Han Haoxuan. "Let's talk about what you're unhappy about when we get back." Then, she turned to Mu Jingyan and smiled apologetically. "Mu, I'm sorry to have bothered you today. I apologize on his behalf."
"It's okay." After saying this, Mu Jingyan looked at Han Haoxuan and said, "That time I was the one who fed Ruolin. I went too far. It was my fault. It has nothing to do with Ruolin. If you're angry about this, you can punch me again." As he spoke, Mu Jingyan turned his head and turned his left cheek towards Han Haoxuan.
"You!" Han Haoxuan gritted his teeth in hatred, then clenched his fist, ready to punch Mu Jingyan. But before he could throw a punch, Ruolin stopped him: "Alright, stop fooling around. Let's go back."
On the way back, Han Haoxuan and Ruolin remained silent, and Han Haoxuan drove very fast.
Han Haoxuan's face was so cold it was almost frosty, while Ruolin turned her head to the side to look at the scenery rushing past the window.
Ruolin was actually staring absentmindedly out the window, thinking to herself, "Is Han Haoxuan's coldness and silence a sign that a storm is brewing?"
She remembered Han Haoxuan's passionate kiss on her birthday; it was clearly a sign of jealousy. She also felt something was off about the kiss, but Han Haoxuan had said it was because his best friend's fiancée had passed away that he was overreacting. Why did he lie to her? He lied to her so easily, and more than once. How could she ever trust him again?
As soon as she entered the house, before Ruolin could even react, Han Haoxuan swept her up and threw her onto the bed. Note, he threw her! He threw her without a shred of pity!
"Are you crazy?!" Although the mattress was soft enough that Ruolin didn't get hurt, she was still very dissatisfied with Han Haoxuan's behavior. He had never been so rough with her before.
"Give me a reason why you're so intimate with him? One intimate feeding wasn't enough, you also let him touch your face..." Han Haoxuan's thick eyebrows were almost squeezed together, and his handsome face was distorted with anger.
"Give me a reason too, why are you still entangled with your ex-girlfriend?" Ruolin wasn't in a hurry to explain her relationship with Mu Jingyan to him now. "You're jealous, aren't you? Then be jealous to your heart's content, let you be so jealous you'll die!"
"I didn't have any lingering issues with her. She did want to get back together with me, but I rejected her." Han Haoxuan tried to calm his anger.
"Does that mean you're so great?" Ruolin sat up, her tone laced with sarcasm. "But how do you explain that kiss last night?"
"I admit that last night's kiss was my fault. Although she kissed me first, it was wrong of me not to push her away. However, it won't happen again."
"So, do you want a next time? I won't stop you if you want a next time with her. Don't worry about me, we're not married yet, everything is still uncertain, isn't it? Besides, even married people can have extramarital affairs." Ruolin felt uncomfortable sitting on the bed arguing with Han Haoxuan, being looked down at by him like that, and looking up at him while talking was also a bit tiring, so she stood up.
"Where do you want to go?" As soon as Ruolin stood up, Han Haoxuan grabbed her hand tightly, looking nervous, as if afraid she would run away.
"I want to go out for a walk." Ruolin originally just wanted to stand up so she wouldn't have to strain to look up at him when she spoke, and she didn't intend to go out. But since Han Haoxuan asked her where she was going, she went along with his question.
However, she never expected that Han Haoxuan's nerves were so taut at that moment that they would snap at the slightest touch, and what happened next was completely unexpected by Ruolin.
"Don't tell me you're going to flirt with that guy surnamed Mu again! The consequence of angering me is that you'll have to accept my punishment!" With that, Han Haoxuan pushed Ruolin down onto the bed, and then he also pounced on the bed, right above Ruolin, which really startled her.
"What do you want to do?!" Ruolin stared at Han Haoxuan in fear, as if looking at a stranger. Indeed, Han Haoxuan's brows were furrowed, his eyes filled with anger, as if spitting fire, completely unlike his usual elegant and gentle demeanor.
"What do you think I want to do?" Han Haoxuan said with a playful smile, his laughter sounding eerie to Ruolin.
Immediately afterwards, Han Haoxuan treated Ruolin like a rag doll, pressing down on her hands and roughly tearing off her clothes, throwing them onto the floor.
"You pervert!" Ruolin realized what Han Haoxuan was about to do, but it was too late; she was almost completely naked.
Han Haoxuan seemed not to hear, his burning lips and hot breath already landing on Ruolin's ear and neck...
Ruolin tried to struggle, trying to grab him with her hands, bite him, and kick him, but to no avail. Although she loved Han Haoxuan, and they had been physically intimate more than once, she didn't want to be violated like this by him. They had just had a huge argument, and now he was going to do that kind of intimate thing? What was this? Was this the punishment he was talking about? Without her consent, how was what he was doing any different from rape?
"Get out of my way!" Although Ruolin's hands and feet were restrained by Han Haoxuan, she could still speak, so she shouted loudly.
Han Haoxuan didn't speak, but lowered his head and sealed her lips with his.
Ruolin seized the opportunity to bite Han Haoxuan's lips, and she could smell the salty, metallic scent of blood.
Han Haoxuan winced in pain, let out a soft cry, and pulled away from Ruolin's lips.
Looking at the bright red bloodstains on Han Haoxuan's lips, Ruolin felt a sense of satisfaction at having achieved her goal.
Han Haoxuan reached for a tissue from the bedside table to wipe the blood from his lips, but his body did not leave Ruolin's side.
Ruolin tried to take the opportunity to leave, but he pinned her down hard: "Don't think I'll let you go just like that!"
Immediately afterwards, he untied himself from his restraints, and before Ruolin could react, he had already forced himself into her body.
There was no foreplay, no tenderness, no affection; all that remained were mechanical movements.
The sudden penetration had already caused Ruolin so much pain that she almost curled up in agony, and now Han Haoxuan's actions were making her cry even more. But she held back; she didn't cry. She bit her lip and endured it.
However, her heart shattered little by little with his actions, and she knew that something between them was changing.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
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"I'm sorry... I couldn't control myself just now." Afterwards, he left her body, lay down next to her, and said to her apologetically.
Ruolin didn't speak, didn't move, and had no expression on her face.
“I’ve experienced the feeling of losing someone before, and I don’t want to experience that heart-wrenching pain a second time. That’s why I’m so afraid of losing you,” Han Haoxuan said, as he reached out and hugged Ruolin.
Ruolin brushed his hand away: "Don't make excuses for what you've done."
Then she got out of bed and walked naked towards the bathroom.
"Ruo Lin..." Han Haoxuan called from behind her, but she didn't turn around.
Ruolin closed and locked the bathroom door.
Ruolin looked at herself in the mirror. Her snow-white skin was covered with tiny red marks, left by Han Haoxuan.
She couldn't imagine that Han Haoxuan had treated her like that just now, like a wild beast ravaging and plundering her.
She didn't care about the difference in their family backgrounds, nor was she afraid of his mother's threats and inducements. Even when she saw him kissing his ex-girlfriend at the KTV, she only tried to calmly listen to his explanation. However, his explanation was so weak and powerless, and he even turned around and accused her of having a bad relationship with Mu Jingyan.
She gave a wry smile, then turned on the shower and started filling the bathtub with water.