Killing with words, striking the heart—Cheng Yuan knew best how to make her suffer.
Jiang Xiao instinctively explained, her voice very soft. "A Yuan, I didn't."
She wasn't the best at lying; she had always been very well-behaved.
"It seems Mrs. Cheng has forgotten about that night three years ago," Cheng Yuan said. Every time he brought up that night, his mood turned extremely bad.
Even through the phone, Jiang Xiao could feel his anger. Trembling, she said, "I apologized for what happened that night, and you agreed to forgive me. A Yuan, it's been three years. Can't you forget?"
"Forget?" Cheng Yuan sneered. "If someone set you up, could you forget so easily?"
"Then what do you want me to do?" Jiang Xiao coaxed gently. "As long as you say it, I'll do it."
"I just said it. Log into Weibo and tell everyone that we were together last night," Cheng Yuan repeated.
"Doesn't your company have a PR department? Let them—"
"I want you to do it," Cheng Yuan said. "You owe me this."
Jiang Xiao: "..."
This wasn't the only unreasonable demand. Jiang Xiao relented. "Fine, I'll do it."
Cheng Yuan: "Don't sound so reluctant."
"I'm not," Jiang Xiao explained. "As long as it helps you, I'm happy to do it."
"Jiang Xiao, isn't it tiring to keep up the act?" Cheng Yuan suddenly asked.
"Act?" Jiang Xiao defended herself. "No, I mean what I say. For you, I'd do anything."
"Even die for me?" Cheng Yuan asked with a laugh.
"..."
Jiang Xiao knew Cheng Yuan hated her, but she hadn't expected it to be this much. "Does it have to be like this?"
"If I said yes, what would you do?" Cheng Yuan tapped his fingers on the desk, looking very at ease.
At this moment, Jiang Xiao should have been sad, but amid the sadness, she felt a trace of secret joy. It seemed they hadn't talked like this in a long time.
Cheng Yuan mostly showed her hatred and rarely spoke to her. It was rare that he said more today, even if the words were hurtful. Yet Jiang Xiao felt it was another form of comfort.
"I'll do whatever you say," Jiang Xiao said. "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do."
Her docile demeanor didn't make Cheng Yuan happy. On the contrary, his tone suddenly turned heavy. "Jiang Xiao, you were like this in school too—always putting on a friendly face and playing innocent. You're still the same now. You really think I'll be fooled by you forever?"
Tears filled Jiang Xiao's eyes. She didn't know why Cheng Yuan had to say this. "A Yuan, I... it hurts."
Her heart ached terribly.
"Please, don't be like this," she begged.
They say a woman's tears move people the most, but not in front of Cheng Yuan. He said ruthlessly, "Jiang Xiao, your tears mean nothing to me. So don't bother crying for me to see."
In truth, he couldn't see her, but he didn't even want to imagine it.
Jiang Xiao trembled uncontrollably. She sniffled. "I'm sorry. My fault."
"Good that you know your fault," Cheng Yuan said impatiently. "I'll give you five minutes. Handle it."
Jiang Xiao: "I understand."
The call ended. Jiang Xiao followed Cheng Yuan's request and posted that Weibo, telling everyone that the photos were fake and that she and Cheng Yuan had been together last night, along with a video as proof.
Then Cheng Yuan also came out to deny the rumors.
Finally, the woman did the same.
Three people denying it at the same time turned truth into falsehood. The PR was done promptly, and the trending topic was quickly taken down.
But the scar on Jiang Xiao's heart grew heavier. She clutched her chest and took deep breaths to ease the discomfort, but it didn't work; she felt worse.
Shen Yue called to ask what she was doing.
Jiang Xiao said with difficulty, "A Yue, I'm having an asthma attack. I can hardly breathe."
Shen Yue immediately panicked. "Where's Cheng Yuan? Tell him to take you to the hospital."
"He's not here," Jiang Xiao said.
Shen Yue had thought the Weibo post was true, but now she realized it was false. She cursed, "That jerk," then said, "Wait for me. I'll take you."
Fortunately, Shen Yue brought her to the hospital in time. Jiang Xiao survived the scare and woke up.
"Thank you, A Yue."
Shen Yue held her hand. "You always worry people. Don't do this again."
"Okay," Jiang Xiao said softly.
Shen Yue: "Did your sudden attack have something to do with Cheng Yuan?"
Jiang Xiao didn't want to talk about it. She pursed her lips. "No, it's probably due to lack of sleep."
"Don't give me that," Shen Yue frowned. "Your biggest mistake was marrying him."
Jiang Xiao knew Shen Yue would start nagging again, so she changed the subject. "Are you busy? If you are, you can go."