Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Yes.

I was the one who provoked Shi Yan from the very beginning.

At first, he was dead set on not dating me.

Until I met a guy at a café.

He was about my age.

Decent-looking.

Nowhere near Shi Yan.

He struck up a conversation with me, and we exchanged contact information without a hitch.

But I had overlooked the fact that I had the heroine traits of an erotic webnovel.

So when that guy pinned me against a wall…

I finally realized how serious things had gotten.

He laughed frivolously by my ear. “Hey, sweetheart, why don’t you go out with me? Looking at you…”

His disgusting gaze swept me up and down.

Then he chuckled. “You seem pretty sexually frustrated.”

I couldn’t break free from his grip.

Because my character setting was that of a delicate, helpless girl.

Shi Yan was still at work.

The dim yellow light blurred into a smear of shadow before my eyes.

My fingers fumbled over the hard brick.

Bang.

Along with a muffled groan and a cry of pain…

I scrambled to my feet and ran home, sobbing, without looking back.

It wasn’t until ten o’clock that night that Shi Yan came home.

Before he could even turn on the light, I threw myself into his arms.

I could clearly feel his body stiffen for an instant.

In the darkness…

His Adam’s apple bobbed.

He tried to push me away.

I sobbed softly, “Shi Yan…”

He seemed to sense that something was wrong.

He immediately turned on the light.

When I looked up, I noticed the flush on his cheeks.

“What happened to you?” he asked in a low voice.

It was the first time I’d seen him look so serious.

I was a little scared.

Instinctively, I stepped back.

But he took a step forward, closing in on me and pinning me against the cabinet in the entryway.

The cabinet handle jabbed into my waist.

I let out a muffled sound before I could stop myself.

Shi Yan gripped my chin. I tried to pull away.

He gave me a cold look.

I didn’t dare move.

He held my waist and lifted me onto the cabinet.

His fingertips brushed lightly over my neck.

They left a fine, icy sensation in their wake.

At that moment, I had no idea how terrifying the purplish bruised fingerprints on my neck looked against my pale skin.

“Who did this?”

At that question, I completely broke down.

I choked on my sobs, unable to even form a complete sentence.

“A guy… He… he was going to assault me… but I ran.”

Tears fell in heavy drops.

One of them landed on his strong forearm.

He seemed to flinch as if he’d been burned.

His tone turned even sharper.

“Didn’t I call you today? I told you I’d pick you up.”

“Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“You seem to trust other people very easily.”

I had a temper too.

I thought, Instead of comforting me, you’re scolding me?

I sniffed and was about to jump down from the cabinet.

“I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

But Shi Yan didn’t give me the chance.

His arm hooked around my waist, and with the slightest force, he pulled me into his embrace.

He was tall.

He lowered his head slightly until his eyes were level with mine.

Then he sighed.

His voice softened.

“Where else did that bastard touch you?”

“My hand. My waist.”

I hesitated.

Shi Yan’s eyes were cold.

The fingers he had pressed against the cabinet tightened until his knuckles turned white.

After a long while…

I said hoarsely, “I understand.”

He lifted his eyes to look at me. “Why did you get a part-time job?”

I pressed my lips together.

I didn’t want to say.

“If you don’t want to tell me, then don’t ever tell me.”

He pulled away coldly.

Then he strode back to his room on his long legs.

Feeling deeply wronged, I cried in big, heavy drops.

Only after a while did I take the watch out of my backpack.

I’d bought it with an entire month’s wages.

Today was Shi Yan’s birthday.

Originally, I had planned to give it to him at midnight.

Then sweetly tell him happy birthday.

But now I felt wronged and angry.

So I decided I wasn’t going to tell him happy birthday anymore.

I quietly opened the door.

Shi Yan was standing on the balcony with his back to me, talking on the phone.

A cigarette burned between his fingers.

He had clearly been smoking much less lately.

His voice was cool and detached.

“Look someone up… Yeah… Don’t ask.”

The person on the other end spoke in a lazy, flippant tone.

I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on their conversation.

I just placed the watch on his bed and left.

Maybe it was my imagination.

But I had the feeling that Shi Yan looked back at me once.