spring bite mark

Chapter 168 Her Coldness
"Xie Yuheng, what are you doing!"

Even though Xie Yuheng was soaked to the bone, a scorching heat emanated from him, and Jiang Manman was pinned against the Roman column, unable to move for a moment.

Her initial awkwardness and unease turned into a hint of anger. She slightly turned her head away to avoid facing Xie Yuheng directly and having their breaths in her ears.

"I'm not doing anything," Xie Yuheng sighed softly. "We've reached the end of the street. It's so long. I'm just a little reluctant to leave."

His eyes filled with sorrow as he looked at the person he had imprisoned: "You said, it was you who proposed to him?"

“Yes.” Jiang Manman used her palm to create a safe distance, her tone indifferent, “Xie Yuheng, given our current distance, there are some things that don’t need to be said, but since we’ve come this far, let’s make things clear at once. Not only on the night of the family reunion banquet, but also later in room 1001 of the Imperial Capital Hotel, it was I who took the initiative to ask him to marry me.”

Jiang Manman pushed him away slightly and said bluntly, "Instead of hating Xie Yunxi, you should hate me. Of the three of us, he seems to be the beneficiary, but he's actually the most innocent one. He's never had a proper relationship, yet he married me twice to resolve my predicament. This relationship has always been something I actively pursued..."

Xie Yuheng's gaze was filled with indescribable complexity and hidden pain: "I always do stupid things that push you towards him, like at the family reunion banquet, and like that time at the Imperial Capital Hotel. If I had been the one who entered room 1001 back then, would our ending have been different?"

Jiang Manman did not answer.

"Remember my suggestion last time? Give me a try, even just once."

"No."

"Don't you know how much of a womanizer he is?" Xie Yuheng said softly. "Do you think you can stay with him in the end? The situation with that photo just now shouldn't be the first time."

“That’s between him and me, it’s none of your business,” Jiang Manman said decisively. “I won’t keep you as a mistress just because my marriage is in trouble.”

"Was there something I did wrong?" Xie Yuheng probed. "Or did the 'shuffling' scene just now scare you?"

“This world is not black and white. It’s normal for you to be ruthless because of your identity, and I can understand that,” Jiang Manman said, changing her tone. “But for me, love is not a matter of either him or you.”

Xie Yuheng: "..."

"Six years is enough time for me to let go of everything with you. Xie Yuheng, I am a cold-hearted person. Now that you are standing in front of me, I don't even feel the slightest bit of excitement anymore. All that's left is awkwardness."

Her tone was decisive and cold, and Xie Yuheng's face paled even more.

For some reason, I was reminded of my childhood.

In the human traffickers' den, he was clearly the eldest, yet he was protected by a thin girl several years younger than him. Among the group of children, some were disabled, some were injured, and whenever someone's leg was broken, she would just watch calmly. He asked her in a low voice, "Those adults seem to listen to your advice, why don't you help them?"

At the time, she replied, "I only managed to stay whole because I've followed them for nine years. But compassion isn't suitable for the people here. If I open my mouth to plead for mercy, I'll be the next one to have my leg broken."

During those months, occasionally some children escaped, but many more were abducted by traffickers and never seen again.

They were all friends who usually huddled together for warmth. She secretly wiped away her tears, but the next day she coldly continued to fight with the other children over steamed buns and get into brawls.

He asked her, "Are you sad or not?"

"It's heartbreaking, but nothing is more important than living in the present," she said softly. "Xie Yuheng, for people like us, the easiest thing to let go of is emotion."

……

The streetlights reflected Xie Yuheng's dazed state.

He stared at Jiang Manman.

He almost forgot that beneath that delicate and soft exterior lay a stubborn and cold-hearted nature.

Jiang Manman tried to push him again, and easily pushed him away by half a step.

"There's no possibility between us anymore. Don't go crazy over something from the past. It's not worth it." She straightened her clothes and said in a calm tone, "Ayu and Xie Jian are still waiting for me. Xie Yuheng, I hope this is the last time we meet in private."

Xie Yuheng felt a dense, throbbing pain in his heart, a feeling he couldn't quite describe.

"No need for an umbrella, it's just getting wet. After being a pampered young lady for over a decade, I've almost forgotten that I once stood in the most destitute circumstances, and what storms haven't I weathered..."

The rain was still heavy, and this time Jiang Manman left without even using an umbrella, without looking back.

The umbrella fell to the ground at Xie Yuheng's feet.

He didn't speak, but just stared silently at her resolute back. In the misty rain, she walked further and further away, and his eyes grew increasingly cold.

When Li Ke came looking for him much later, he was still standing in the same spot.

Unlike what Li Ke usually saw, Xie Yuheng had been indifferent and cold-hearted over the years, but his eyes would always show longing whenever Jiang Manman was mentioned. But at this moment, the expectation in his eyes had vanished, leaving only an endless darkness.

"Boss, are you alright?" Li Ke asked softly.

Xie Yuheng bent down, picked up the black umbrella from the ground, and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "It's fine."

“But you look… you don’t look quite right.”

"That's always been her personality when it comes to relationships," Xie Yuheng said softly. "She loves and hates without any hesitation, just like when we first met as children."

Li Ke: "..."

Is the BOSS trying to conquer himself again?

Li Keguang felt exhausted just looking at him all these years: "Boss, how about we just give up..."

"Give me Xie Yunxi's schedule as soon as possible." Xie Yuheng lowered his eyes, his usually cold gaze slightly moist, as if it were rain or something else. "I want to try one last time."

At the business summit dinner.

Xie Yunxi had been in the room for nearly two hours.

Shen Zongqian, with a solemn expression, bypassed the bodyguards' defenses and directly swiped the room key to open the door to the hotel suite.

"Assistant Shen, is there something urgent?" Several heads of wealthy families who were leisurely drinking tea stood up, and the head of the Murong family even spoke up to stop him, "He has only been inside for a little over an hour. President Xie must not have had enough fun yet. It is not appropriate to barge in like this."

Shen Zongqian ignored them and pushed the door open directly.

Inside the suite, Xie Yunxi sat lazily on the sofa, his clothes perfectly neat, engrossed in playing a mobile game.

Before him, the shy and timid Miss Harbor had already turned pale, standing in a difficult dance pose with scalding hot teacups balanced on her head and arms. Her crystal dance shoes were covered in water stains, and her jade feet were swollen and red beyond recognition.

The head of the Murong family was the first to be stunned, clearly not expecting such a scene inside: "What's going on here?"

“Dancing, huh?” Xie Yunxi slowly raised his eyes. “Didn’t Patriarch Murong say that she could dance whatever I wanted to see? I’ve been enjoying this kind of acrobatic lately, but this young lady doesn’t seem to be good at it. She’s spilled the boiling water three times already.”

The head of the Murong family immediately understood and his face turned angry: "President Xie, you're bullying me! Everyone knows how to play the game. You know perfectly well what my intention is in having my goddaughter accompany you. There's no point in pretending to be confused."

"Isn't Patriarch Murong just trying to get her to sleep with me?" Xie Yunxi said with a nonchalant "Oh," "I made a romantic promise with her, but she's the one who's not up to the task."

The head of the Murong family looked coldly at the woman: "What's going on?"

(End of this chapter)