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Inside Xiang Yuan Pavilion, Jin Chengyan checked his watch for the Nth time. When the waiter came in to ask him when the dishes would be served, his face was completely expressionless, prompting the waiter to quickly exit the private room.
Jin Chengyan picked up his phone, found Qiao Nuo's number, and dialed.
It had already been ten minutes past their agreed time. He had waited for people before; when dining with Ruan Shengyu, she was never punctual. But he understood her need to shake off the reporters.
But what about Qiao Nuo? She was the one who sought him out for help. He had offered her an easy way out by suggesting they grab a meal together, yet here she was, half an hour late.
And to make matters worse, no one answered when he called!
Jin Chengyan quickly accessed the mobile location feature on his phone. The device he had given Qiao Nuo had global positioning capabilities.
Upon checking, he saw that Qiao Nuo's location was moving! And it was far from Xiang Yuan Pavilion—well outside the Fifth Ring Road! What on earth was she doing so far away?
Still no answer to his calls!
This left Jin Chengyan feeling furious!
He abruptly stood up and left the private room without a backward glance.
The waiter waiting outside saw Jin Chengyan emerge and quickly asked, “Jin Shao, are we not serving the dishes? What’s going on?”
Jin Chengyan shot a glance at the waiter, who clearly lacked any sense of awareness!
Meanwhile, Huo Yawen was still uneasy. She got out of bed and headed to the kitchen, only to find Qiao Nuo busy at work. Turning to her, she asked, “Don’t you have any rice at home?”
The refrigerator was completely empty, not even the most basic condiments like soy sauce, vinegar, or tea. How on earth had Huo Yawen been surviving?
"I usually don't come home much," she said.
Qiao Nuo sighed in resignation. "Well, it's no wonder. You only come home once every two weeks; it would be strange if you had anything in here!"
She glanced around and added, "I saw a supermarket outside when I came in. I'll go buy some things to put in the fridge..."
Qiao Nuo was a doer and immediately sprang into action, grabbing her bag and preparing to head out.
"Qiao Nuo, you don't need to rush. I can take care of myself. It's getting late; you should go home first. Otherwise, your husband will worry about you." She finally managed to say those words.
Huo Yawen felt she shouldn't selfishly occupy Qiao Nuo's time with her own illness and needs.
She could do this once, but what about twice or three times?
From that moment on, Qiao Nuo would no longer belong to her.
In fact, she never had.
Hearing Huo Yawen say this made Qiao Nuo suddenly remember that Jin Chengyan had asked her out for dinner! And she hadn’t contacted him since Huo Yawen fainted and went to the hospital!
A wave of panic washed over her as she rummaged through her bag, trying to find her phone to call Jin Chengyan!
But the phone was nowhere to be found!
"What’s wrong?" Huo Yawen asked, noticing Qiao Nuo's sudden panic and wondering if something had happened.
Qiao Nuo looked up, a hint of panic in her eyes. She wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat and she swallowed them back.
"Um... it's fine, I'll go buy you something first. It won't take long, just wait for me," she said, and then hurried out of Huo Yawen's house, running towards the supermarket at the corner.
Fortunately, there was a public phone nearby. Qiao Nuo quickly dialed Jin Chengyan's number, but the chances of it being answered were slim.
Jin Chengyan's private number was only ever called by people he knew directly!
In desperation, she called her own phone. She couldn't fathom where she might have dropped it; after all, it was a valuable gift from Jin Chengyan!
She had already lost it once—how could she be so forgetful?
But her own phone was unreachable as well.
With no other option, Qiao Nuo could only buy some basic items for Huo Yawen.
She didn't know why she felt so anxious; she didn't even have time to deliver the items herself. Instead, she gave the supermarket clerk a tip to deliver them to Huo Yawen and took a taxi to Xiang Yuan Pavilion.
She rushed into the private room, only to find it empty. The half-filled glass of water on the table reminded her that Jin Chengyan had once been there.
Qiao Nuo grabbed a waiter and asked, "Where is Mr. Jin?"
It was the same waiter from earlier, who replied nervously, "Mr. Jin waited for ten minutes and then left angrily... We didn't dare touch anything inside, fearing he might come back..."
Qiao Nuo released the waiter. Even though she had arrived an hour and a half late for their appointment, Jin Chengyan had left after just ten minutes.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you," Qiao Nuo said as she walked out of the restaurant.
After realizing she had missed her date with Jin Chengyan, she rushed over only to be told that he had left after waiting for her for ten minutes.
She didn’t know if Jin Chengyan had called her or if he had worried about her. What she couldn’t understand was whether her anxiety would make him worry about her; would he really care?
She returned home alone, feeling an indescribable fatigue.
It was the kind of exhaustion that made her feel as though she had taken ninety-nine steps toward Jin Chengyan, only for him to take a step back.
In her mind, she had already lived a lifetime with Jin Chengyan, but for him, none of that had ever happened.
“Click—” The lights in the Jin Mansion’s living room suddenly illuminated.
Qiao Nuo squinted against the harsh brightness, instinctively raising her hand to shield her eyes.
Was there someone in the living room?
Indeed, there was someone. Qiao Nuo saw Jin Chengyan sitting on the sofa.
“Thud—” Jin Chengyan threw a phone onto the coffee table, the diamond glinting under the light, glaringly bright.
It was Qiao Nuo’s phone. How did it end up in Jin Chengyan's hands?
“Where have you been?” Jin Chengyan sat on the sofa like a lion poised to pounce, ready to attack at any moment.
“I had something come up unexpectedly,” Qiao Nuo said as she bent down to pick up the phone from the coffee table and opened it to check for calls.
There was only one missed call from a public phone she had used to call him; not a single call from Jin Chengyan.
But how did he end up with this phone?
“Have you forgotten what I said?”
“Just because you asked me out doesn’t mean I have to go.”
Qiao Nuo stared directly at Jin Chengyan, their gazes locked in a silent battle of wills, neither willing to back down.
“Hmph!” Jin Chengyan was the first to chuckle, rising from the sofa and closing the distance between them. “Are you throwing a tantrum with me?”
“No.” Qiao Nuo turned her face away, unwilling to meet his gaze. It wasn’t that she was afraid; it was just that looking into his eyes might soften her resolve.
“Qiao Nuo, I’ve told you before not to get too close to other men. You dropped our date to take care of another man. Do you think I would just swallow my anger?”
Jin Chengyan’s harsh voice reached Qiao Nuo’s ears. She looked at him, surprised. “How did you know?”
“What is it that I don’t know?” He had come out of Xiang Yuan Pavilion, convinced that Qiao Nuo wouldn’t go beyond the Fifth Ring. He immediately had A Shan track her location, only to find out that her phone was in a taxi!
The taxi driver mentioned picking up two passengers in the evening: a young woman and a middle-aged man. The man was headed to the suburbs, which explained the phone signal being lost there.
As for the young woman, she was going to the hospital.
That hospital was where Huo Yawen worked. By the time A Shan arrived, Qiao Nuo was nowhere to be found; she had actually gone home with another man!
Did she think Jin Chengyan was dead? Boldly going to another man’s house!
“Fine, you know everything. Then do something about it! Aren’t you supposed to be with Ruan Shengyu? I’ll go to Huo Yawen’s house now. You can say I’m being unfaithful, that I’m fickle and unworthy of you, Jin Chengyan. You can divorce me without hesitation and marry your beloved as soon as possible. Your goal has always been this; I’m just playing along!”
“Qiao Nuo!” Jin Chengyan shouted, his handsome face twisted with anger. “You did something wrong and still act so self-righteous! Don’t you know how to admit your mistakes?”
If she admitted it, he would soften, he would forgive.
“What did I do wrong? What’s wrong with me cooperating with you? I was just following what was in the Contract!”
“Then how can you say you like me? What kind of liking is that?”
Silence fell, a heavy stillness enveloping the living room.
Since they had their first intimate encounter, both Qiao Nuo and Jin Chengyan had tacitly avoided discussing her feelings for him. Despite Qiao Nuo's subsequent actions clearly indicating her feelings, Jin Chengyan had never given her a straightforward answer.
Yet now, at this moment, Jin Chengyan was yelling at Qiao Nuo, questioning her feelings for him.
She liked Jin Chengyan while also going to other men’s homes! Was this what Qiao Nuo called liking someone?
To acknowledge that Qiao Nuo liked him under these circumstances felt utterly unreasonable.
Qiao Nuo's eyes immediately reddened. Was it her fault for liking someone? Was this the leverage he used to manipulate her?
“Jin Chengyan, aren’t you just taking advantage of the fact that I like you? What else can you do?” Qiao Nuo let out a light laugh. Yes, she really did like Jin Chengyan!
Because of this liking, Jin Chengyan felt entitled to do anything to her, even hurt her, and she had no ability to retaliate; she was completely defeated.
Jin Chengyan also realized that he might have said something hurtful to Qiao Nuo. He wanted to call out to her, but seeing her defiant expression made him swallow those words.
He liked the way she carried herself, as if he were Jin Chengyan, enamored with Qiao Nuo.
It was as if he were willing to grovel for her affection.
But in Jin Chengyan's heart, it had never been Qiao Nuo! Why did he have to act this way?
"Can you even like someone else? Huo Yawen? Yan Beiting?" Jin Chengyan spoke to Qiao Nuo with his usual coldness.
These words were like a knife, stabbing into Qiao Nuo's heart.
Not only did he reject her feelings, but he also sought to hurt her like this.
She had never encountered anyone like Jin Chengyan!
He was more detestable than Shen Fengye, who had outright cheated on Ni Yue!
"Do you think I can only like you? Where do you get your confidence? I... mmm..."
Qiao Nuo's words were cut off by Jin Chengyan, who silenced her with his mouth!
He ravaged her lips, holding her head in place with one hand, preventing her from moving, while the other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close.
In that moment, Qiao Nuo found herself unable to struggle. She could only use her free hands to pound against Jin Chengyan's chest. She didn't want this kiss; she didn't want a kiss devoid of dignity!
And Jin Chengyan showed no tenderness in his kiss; he even bit down on her lip!
He was angry, but didn’t Qiao Nuo feel anger too?
A person who thinks about another woman yet demands her loyalty—how domineering can one be?
This thought only fueled Qiao Nuo's anger further. With all her might, she bit down on Jin Chengyan's lips!
The taste of blood immediately filled both Qiao Nuo's and Jin Chengyan's mouths. He had no choice but to release her, covering his mouth as he grabbed a tissue to wipe away the blood at the corner of his lips.
"Qiao Nuo, are you out of your mind?"
"I'm not as crazy as you! Don’t think that just because we have a marriage contract, you can touch me without restraint. To Ruan Shengyu, this is cheating; you’ve betrayed your feelings for her. Don’t tell me how much you love her! If you truly loved her, why are you constantly thinking about being with me? Are you insane?" Qiao Nuo finally screamed these words from the depths of her heart.
She had come to realize that Jin Chengyan was nothing but a complete jerk in this love triangle.
Jin Chengyan felt as if Qiao Nuo had struck a nerve, mercilessly exposing his true nature. It was... embarrassing.
At that moment, Jin Chengyan's phone rang, the harsh ringtone cutting through their heated argument.
This was undoubtedly their most intense quarrel since they got together, with both of them sparing no effort to hurt each other.
Of course, the deeper the affection, the deeper the wounds inflicted.
Jin Chengyan didn’t want to continue arguing with Qiao Nuo any longer, and just then, the phone call interrupted their confrontation.
He answered the call.
"Young Master, is it convenient for you to watch television right now?"
Under A Shan's instruction, Jin Chengyan turned on the TV to catch the entertainment news at eight-thirty.
The latest entertainment news was playing on the screen.
The goddess of the film industry and a business tycoon had secretly been together for over half a month.
On the television, photos of Ruan Shengyu entering and exiting Yan Beiting's apartment late at night were shown. Dressed in a down jacket with a hat and sunglasses, it was still undeniable that the person was indeed Ruan Shengyu.
Another paparazzi had captured Yan Beiting in the kitchen of Ruan Shengyu's apartment, cooking for him, while Ruan Shengyu hugged Yan Beiting from behind, presenting a picture of romantic affection.
"Before this report was published, our reporter sought confirmation from both parties. Ruan Shengyu's management company stated that they do not interfere in the goddess's personal life, and if she has found someone special, they hope everyone will bless her. We also reached out to Yan Fei's staff, who confirmed that Mr. Yan Beiting, the acting president of Yan Fei, indeed developed feelings for the goddess during their work together! Finally, we wish this couple all the best and hope to hear good news about them soon."
With a loud "bang," Jin Chengyan threw the remote control at the television, shattering the screen.
Qiao Nuo looked at Jin Chengyan and chuckled softly. "Isn't your reaction just proving her point?"
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