chapter 7
Chapter 7
Half an hour later, the car stopped at an estate on the outskirts of the city.
It was over. Only when the biting cold wind jolted my stiff body awake did I realize I was doing the same foolish thing as Xiao Min-putting myself in danger.
On both sides of the estate’s path, faint fragrances drifted among sparse shadows. The winter sunlight fell warmly on my face, intoxicating and gentle.
Yet all I felt was that the road ahead was damp and narrow, filthy and chaotic, like a tangled sewer, an abandoned spiderweb, a hellish abyss.
“The first time Xiao Min came here, she was more curious than you, and more excited too.”
Chen Suiyuan leaned down slightly, whispering in my ear, “Miss Xu, even if you have to fake it, at least try to look a little happy for my sake.”
“Why should I make you happy?” I stopped in my tracks, looking up at him coldly. “Get this straight, Chen Suiyuan. You’re the one who keeps hurting my family, who keeps testing my limits. You have no right or standing to make demands of me.”
“Is that so, Xu Xin?” His expression suddenly turned greedy as he pressed his hands onto my shoulders. “I have no right? Then why did you come?”
He waited for my answer, knowing that whatever I said would be ignored, would only give him more leverage.
“If you won’t speak, I’ll say it for you. You hate me, don’t you? The more you know, the more you hate me. You hate me so much you want to kill me, to avenge your sister.”
“But Xu Xin, you’re not capable of it. Not only can’t you kill me, you know that you, your ex-husband, and everyone around you are like playthings in my hands. If I’m pleased, everyone gets along. If I’m upset, anything could happen.”
He smiled darkly. “Xu Xin, tell me, at the moment the phone detonated, what were you thinking?”
At last, he brought up that incident.
I asked him calmly, “Was it really you?”
“Don’t play games.” He reached into my pocket, pulled out the hand holding my phone, and without hesitation threw the phone to the ground. “Recording? Who were you planning to send it to? Planning to call the police after you left? Don’t bother struggling, it’s useless. There’s no signal here.”
He expertly crushed the phone under his foot.
I watched as Chen Suiyuan handled everything with practiced ease, his face backlit, looming over me, making the cold sweat on my forehead break out uncontrollably.
“You have no choice.”
“What do you really want?”
“I want you to say it yourself.” He spoke decisively, not even granting me dignity. “Tell me, what do I want?”
“Lunatic!” I gritted my teeth. “Why did you kill her, and still refuse to let me go!”
“Because, Xu Xin, from the very beginning, my target was you, and only you.” Chen Suiyuan watched as my eyes filled with rage. “A long time ago, at your concert, you wore that purple dress, playing the violin like a goddess. You were noble, independent, graceful, looking coldly at the audience below as if you were above it all. You forced me to imagine-if a woman like that wasn’t standing, but kneeling, kneeling only at my feet…”
“Psychopath!” I could no longer maintain any composure. I raised my hand in anger, but before I could strike him, he grabbed me, tightening his grip mercilessly until my face turned pale with pain.
“Chen Suiyuan, you really are sick, you really deserve to die!” He flung me aside, but I lunged at him again, grabbing his collar. “If you want me, then come at me, not Xiao Min. Why did you go after her? Why did you kill her?”
“She wanted it herself, she enjoyed it, she begged me for it. How could I have known she would die?” Speaking of Xiao Min, Chen Suiyuan sounded as if he were talking about a stranger. “But having Xu Min was good too. That innate depravity and obedience in her, it’s in her genes. Every time I saw her, I got excited. You’re sisters-there must be something like that written in your genes too.”
“I don’t. Sorry to disappoint you, Chen Suiyuan, but I don’t.” Like an ant confronting a giant, I started shouting, knowing it couldn’t hurt him in the slightest. “You’ll go to hell. You will never, ever get what you want from me.”
“It’s a bit early to say ‘never’.” Chen Suiyuan smiled, certain of victory.
I turned to leave. He didn’t stop me, only handed me a box. “A little gift, so Miss Xu’s journey home won’t be so dull.”
Then, he politely instructed the driver to take me back.
“This car has carried a lot of people, hasn’t it?” On the way, holding that cold metal box, I suddenly spoke to the driver. “A lot of girls.”
“There have been a few. With a boss like Chen Zong-tall, rich, and handsome-of course girls throw themselves at him.”
Throw themselves at him. Hah.
Xiao Min was an adult, responsible for her own choices and her own life.
But what about Chen Suiyuan? Wasn’t he an adult too? He had far more resources, vision, and options than Xiao Min, yet the direction he led her was toward the abyss.
After tasting the sweetness, he stood at the edge of the cliff, watching the girl fall, brushing off the faintest trace of dust from his hands, and went off cleanly to seek his next target.
His filth was etched into his bones, written into his genes.