Whether tormenting or bullying, he just didn't want Jiang Xiao to have an easy time.
For no reason, he just didn't.
Cheng Yuan recalled those bastardly deeds of the past, his heart twitching. He raised a hand and rubbed his face. No wonder Jiang Xiao treated him like this; he deserved it.
But now he truly knew he was wrong. He wanted to earn her forgiveness.
*
Elsewhere, Jiang Xiao and Zhao Kai went home together. Zhao Kai had asked to see Jiang Xiao's parents.
Remembering how Zhao Kai had taken care of her, Jiang Xiao couldn't bear to refuse, so she brought him along.
The family sat on the sofa, chatting happily.
The servant was also delighted. Busy in the kitchen, she said, "Miss has finally gotten rid of that man. No more crying. How wonderful."
But before the joy could last, the doorbell rang. Cheng Yuan's handsome face appeared on the display screen.
The servant came in and said to Jiang Xiao, "Miss, it's President Cheng."
Jiang Xiao's smile faded. "Tell him we've gone to bed."
The servant left and returned. "Miss, you'd better go see him."
Seeing the servant so troubled, Jiang Xiao said, "Excuse me," and stepped out of the living room.
Cheng Yuan stood at the door. The light fell on him just so. No one knew where he had been. There were red marks on his face and bruises at the corners of his mouth.
He looked utterly miserable.
If it were before, Jiang Xiao would have felt sorry for him. Not anymore.
"President Cheng, what is it?"
"Something," Cheng Yuan said. "Can I come in and talk?"
"No." Jiang Xiao blocked the door. "It's late. Inconvenient."
"Inconvenient for me, but that man can stay?" Cheng Yuan had seen the black Mercedes. "Don't tell me he's not in there."
"Whether he's in or out has nothing to do with you." Jiang Xiao crossed her arms and stared at him. "Don't come to my door drunk and cause trouble."
"Xiao Xiao, do you have to treat me like this?" Cheng Yuan grabbed her hand. "I just want to go in and say hi to Mom and Dad."
"Your mother is at the Cheng family estate. There are no 'Mom and Dad' here." Jiang Xiao pulled her hand away. "Please show some respect."
"Fine, then I want to see Uncle and Auntie. Is that okay?"
"No." Jiang Xiao's eyes were full of disgust. "Cheng Yuan, don't forget, we've been divorced for five years."
"But in those five years, I've never forgotten you." Cheng Yuan wished he could die to prove his sincerity. "You've always been in my heart."
"Hmph." Jiang Xiao was no naive girl; his words couldn't fool her. "I'm in your heart? Do you believe that?"
"It's true." Cheng Yuan was eager. "I swear."
His oaths meant even less to her.
"You don't need to swear. I don't want to hear it." Jiang Xiao called, "Aunt Zhou."
A woman came from behind. "Miss."
"Close the door." Jiang Xiao said firmly. "Next time someone bothers us, call the police directly."
The door closed in Cheng Yuan's face. He begged through it, "Xiao Xiao, can we talk calmly? Please?"
This almost humble tone had once been Jiang Xiao's domain. Every time she and Cheng Yuan had a conflict, she was always the one to coax him and compromise.
Cheng Yuan would only watch her cry with a blank face, never saying a soft word.
"Cheng Yuan, if you don't leave now, I'll beat you away." Jiang Xiao's voice was suppressed with anger.
Hearing this, Jiang Yu urged, "President Cheng, there will be other days. Let's go for now."
Cheng Yuan was stubborn. "I'm not leaving."
Jiang Yu continued to persuade, "You have injuries on your face that need treatment."
Cheng Yuan: "Better off dead."
The injuries on his face came from a fender bender on the way. Originally, they could have just handled it through insurance, but he was in a bad mood and got into a fight with the other driver, and ended up trading blows.
He didn't come out ahead; the other man beat him badly.
His nose was almost broken.
What Jiang Yu didn't know was that Cheng Yuan had deliberately let himself be beaten. He wanted to make Jiang Xiao feel sorry for him, but reality was different—Jiang Xiao showed not a shred of concern.
The wind carried the sound of laughter from the room, landing squarely in Cheng Yuan's ears. He stopped mid-motion as he was getting into the car and turned back.
The color drained from his face; his heart seemed to bleed.
"Does she hate me that much?"
That was the last sentence he said before leaving.
Jiang Yu finally managed to coax him to the hospital. After treatment, they were originally going home, but a single phone call sent Cheng Yuan to K Club again.