Jiang Xiao hadn't expected to run into Cheng Yuan here. The moment he blocked her, she instinctively furrowed her brows, then relaxed them, saying indifferently, "Excuse me, let me through."
Cheng Yuan's reaction was the complete opposite. Overwhelming joy reddened his eyes, and his outstretched hand trembled. He used all his strength to keep himself from losing composure. Still, he didn't dare call out Jiang Xiao's name too forcefully—he was afraid this was all a dream, after all, for five years he had been having such dreams. The hardest part was that every time he woke from a dream, reality would tell him how much of a bastard he had been in the past. He tossed and turned between disappointment and hope, each time more painful than the last. Until it cut to the bone.
He restrained himself from stepping closer and instead asked tentatively, "Xiao Xiao, is it really you?"
Jiang Xiao's eyes were calm and indifferent, as if the person before her had nothing to do with her. "Sorry, I don't know you. Please step aside."
Don't know him...
Cheng Yuan staggered back a step, then immediately moved forward again, grabbing Jiang Xiao's hand recklessly, urgently saying, "How could you not know me? I'm A Yuan, your A Yuan."
Her A Yuan...
In Jiang Xiao's memory, she had indeed said such words. On their wedding night, she had trembled and asked, "A Yuan, are you mine?"
Back then, there was nothing but desire in Cheng Yuan's eyes, and his voice was cold. "I am not yours, but you are mine."
At that time, she was immersed in the joy of marrying him, thinking that his almost possessive dominance was a form of love. Even when he denied it, she still fell into it without hesitation, loving him beyond reason. Now that she thought about it, it was really laughable.
"Sir, if you're sick, go see a doctor." Jiang Xiao pushed him away, then took the tissue from her assistant, wiping her hands as she said, "I think you're terminally ill."
Cheng Yuan was indeed sick. In the five years since Jiang Xiao left, he had been consumed by longing, sick to the point of near collapse. At its worst, he had even had suicidal tendencies. The doctor had said that if he didn't seek psychological treatment, something irreversible might happen. But he simply didn't want to be treated. He tortured himself with the pain, because only then did he feel that living had meaning.
"Xiao Xiao, please don't be like this," Cheng Yuan said, pulling her wrist and drawing her into his arms, holding her tightly. "Everything before was my fault. Please, forgive me."
Hugging and clinging at the airport—Cheng Yuan might not care how he looked, but Jiang Xiao certainly did. She struggled free and, when he approached again, raised her hand and slapped him.
The crisp sound of the slap drew the attention of onlookers.
"What's going on?"
"Sexual harassment, probably."
"Looks like a couple fighting to me."
"I think that guy's sick. She's clearly disgusted, and he's still chasing after her."
"Wait, that man looks familiar. I've seen him somewhere."
Someone exclaimed, "I remember! He's the president of the Cheng Group, Cheng Yuan."
"Oh my god, it's the head of the Cheng Group."
"No way, the head of the Cheng Group is this crazy? Getting slapped and still going after her?"
Just as that person said, Cheng Yuan approached again regardless, tilting his head. "If hitting me makes you feel better, go ahead."
Jiang Xiao couldn't be bothered to argue with him. She signaled her assistant to call the police.
She didn't know what happened afterward; she just got in the car and left.
The assistant was also experiencing this for the first time. "Sister Xiao Xiao, that man just now..."
"My ex-husband," Jiang Xiao said. "We've been divorced for five years."
She rarely talked about personal matters in front of others; this was the first time.
The assistant was surprised. "Ex-husband? Sister Xiao Xiao, you were married?"
"Yes, married, and divorced," Jiang Xiao said indifferently.
Because of this incident, Jiang Xiao's good mood was spoiled. When she received a call from Shen Yue, she sounded a bit listless.
Shen Yue asked, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Xiao said, "I ran into Cheng Yuan during the day."
Shen Yue choked on her tea. "So fast?"
Jiang Xiao felt it was fast too. "Yeah, met at the airport."
"Did he know you were coming back today?"
"No."
"What? Did he pester you?"
"Yeah."
Shen Yue was curious about Jiang Xiao's current thoughts. "What did he say?"
"A bunch of barking. I didn't listen carefully."
Shen Yue liked Jiang Xiao's decisive personality. She clapped. "Good, that's how it should be."
"Well done."
*
Elsewhere, K Club.
Everyone else was drinking, but Cheng Yuan was covering his face and laughing foolishly, occasionally staring off into space.
Zhou Jin put down his wine glass and waved a hand in front of him. "Hey, you've been like this since you came in. What's wrong with you?"
"I know," Xu Cong said, taking out his phone and opening Weibo. "See for yourself."
Zhou Jin took the phone and saw the video of Cheng Yuan being slapped. He gasped and clicked his tongue. "Five years apart, and Jiang Xiao's gotten a lot fiercer."