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墨書 Inktalez
The phone rang for a long time without anyone answering, and Shu Ran's fingertips tightened silently around the device.
She bit her lip tightly, too hard, causing it to lose all color and making her face appear even paler.
Her emotions were chaotic; she didn't know if she was nervous, confused, scared, or perhaps all of those feelings combined.
Finally, just as the last beep was about to end, the call was answered.
For a moment, she was at a loss for words, unsure of how to begin.
On the other end of the line, there was an eerie silence—so quiet that it felt as if no one was there at all.
Yet, Shu Ran knew he was present.
It was almost instinctive.
She understood that he must be listening.
She pushed aside all her chaotic thoughts, took a deep breath, and finally spoke slowly, "Qin Xian, let's meet."
To meet meant she would no longer avoid it.
She didn't want their issues to involve anyone else.
So, regardless of whether the path ahead led to an abyss or a cliff, she would open her heart and face it head-on.
Fearlessly.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Shu Ran held the phone tightly, patiently waiting for his response.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment; it was so quiet that Shu Ran felt she could hear her own heartbeat.
Thump thump. In stark contrast to her calm demeanor, her heart raced anxiously.
"Okay." He finally responded.
His voice was cold, as if it came from a world of frost, devoid of any warmth.
At that moment, Shu Ran's heart trembled.
...
After hanging up the phone, Shu Ran sat upright in the restaurant they had agreed upon.
Outside the restaurant was a bustling main road, crowded with traffic during rush hour, chaotic and congested.
Just like her current mood.
She tilted her head and quietly gazed out the window for a full half hour.
Until the traffic eased and the road gradually widened.
The person she was waiting for had arrived.
After nearly half a month apart, he had shed his pale, sickly appearance and approached with an exquisite face that could captivate anyone, walking gracefully as if he were floating.
Shu Ran slightly raised her head to meet his deep-set eyes, which seemed to plunge into an endless abyss, making it impossible to discern the emotions he harbored.
The soft piano music in the restaurant brought Shu Ran back to her senses.
Qin Xian was already sitting across from her, quietly looking at her with his head lowered, his expression calm and devoid of any ripples.
This was the first time Shu Ran saw him like this—so unfamiliar, so distant.
She broke the silence, "Do you want to eat something?"
Qin Xian glanced at her lightly and directly got to the point in a cool tone, "Is there something you need?"
His tone was too pressuring, making her feel a bit suffocated inside.
She was used to his calm and gentle voice, so this change felt particularly oppressive.
But she quickly composed herself; she had not forgotten the purpose of her visit.
She softened her voice and quietly pleaded with him, "Qin Xian, could you please stop targeting them? Zhou Jiajia didn't mean to say those things. I apologize on her behalf; please don't be angry anymore."
As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Xian's expression turned even darker.
He wore a gloomy face, his eyes deepening with intensity as he coldly replied, "Shu Ran, don't you understand what I'm really angry about?"
His anger was never about what Zhou Jiajia said; it was about Shu Ran's attitude towards it—her silence, her lack of judgment, her tacit acceptance of it all.
How could he not feel disheartened?
"I'm sorry," Shu Ran whispered in apology.
Qin Xian laughed bitterly in anger, feeling utterly disappointed.
What he disliked the most was Shu Ran's avoidance—avoiding his gaze, avoiding his emotions, pretending that nothing had happened when she clearly understood everything.
Qin Xian coldly mocked her word by word, "Who are you to me that gives you the right to ask me to stop?"
This question left Shu Ran in deep thought as she asked herself: Who was she to Qin Xian?
A friend? A lover? Or something else?
No.
She denied herself.
She was nothing at all.
So, is this the end?
No, Zheng Tong and Zhou Jiajia are still trapped in their predicament.
She cannot just stop here.
Thus, she cautiously tested her response: "Friend."
However, these two words completely infuriated Qin Xian, who finally exhausted all his patience. He leaned forward, gripping her delicate chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.
He chuckled softly, but there was no hint of amusement in his eyes. His voice was eerily cold, "Shu Ran, you really have guts."
Shu Ran, you really have guts.
Easily playing with him in the palm of her hand, neither too close nor too distant, just dangling him there, leaving him unable to escape even as he felt disheartened.
Ha.
Watching her dazed expression, Qin Xian laughed—laughing at his own helplessness, laughing at how he ultimately fell into her hands.
He released her chin, suppressed all expressions, silently gazing at her one last time before turning to leave.
But at the moment he turned away, Shu Ran suddenly blurted out, "It's Mrs. Qin."
Qin Xian's figure paused, standing still in place, making it hard to discern his emotions.
Shu Ran looked at his back and finally steeled herself to repeat softly, "It's Qin Xian's Mrs. Qin."
He was a calamity destined for her.
And she could not escape this calamity.
There was no escaping it, no avoiding it.
Qin Xian finally turned around, looking at her. In his deep eyes, it was like a dark night sky speckled with a few stars, flickering with a hint of brightness.
"Shu Ran."
He called her softly.
Shu Ran, who had been looking down, raised her head to meet his gaze.
"I will only give you one chance."
"You can still leave now."
I am giving you the opportunity to leave my life.
This is the only chance.
It is a decision to either sink together with Qin Xian from now on or return to Shu Ran's original life.
I am giving you a choice.
No matter what your choice is, I will not stop you.
But please remember, there will be no room for regret regarding this choice in the future.
So...
What is your choice?
Shu Ran felt a jolt in her heart.
What should she choose?
She did not know.
She only knew that she had listened to the words coming from his mouth.
She did not have the urge to hurriedly get up and escape.
This is bad.
Shu Ran felt that she was in trouble.
Why not leave?
Was it because she couldn't let go of Zheng Tong and Zhou Jiajia?
That was part of it.
But there was also that indescribable feeling deep inside her.
What was it?
What was it that made her sit still in her place, showing no signs of wanting to escape?
She didn't know.
Qin Xian looked at her motionless figure, thinking she was still hesitating. He reminded her, "I will give you three minutes..."
However, before he could finish his sentence, she directly interrupted him, "No need to think about it, I'm not leaving."
I'm not leaving.
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