"Remember this: even if Grandpa beats me to death, I will not let you go."
Jiang Xiao's eyes went wide. She wanted to ask why, but before she could speak, he slipped his fingers into her mouth. Her tongue hurt, and she shrank back, but the next second, he hooked her tongue back with his.
In kissing and flirting, she had never been a match for him.
Soon, Jiang Xiao went limp. Her struggles seemed more like surrender to Cheng Yuan.
He sucked on her earlobe, nibbling. "Jiang Xiao, admit it. You can't leave me."
"At least, your body still likes me."
"As long as it likes me, I won't let go."
Jiang Xiao couldn't stand his wanton words. While she was still conscious, she slapped him.
With all her strength. The sound of the slap echoed in the car, lingering for a long time.
After hitting him, she realized what she had done.
The last person who hit Cheng Yuan was said to have been beaten into the hospital for a year and still wasn't fully recovered.
The one before that went straight to prison.
She didn't know what awaited her. Her body trembled instinctively, her lips quivering, her voice weak.
"You started it. You bullied me first."
"We've already signed the divorce agreement. We're no longer husband and wife."
"You can't kiss me."
The first two sentences didn't affect Cheng Yuan, but the last one—"You can't kiss me"—ignited the fury deep inside him.
He pressed her lower back firmly, pushing her into his arms, and said through gritted teeth, "I can't? Hmph. Let me show you whether I can or not!"
The screech of brakes sounded. The driver said, "President Cheng, we've arrived."
Without a word, Cheng Yuan carried Jiang Xiao out of the car. They didn't even go upstairs; they tangled on the living room sofa on the first floor.
Cheng Yuan wrapped his arms around Jiang Xiao's waist and kissed her wildly. "Jiang Xiao, let's die together."
*
Jiang Xiao woke up the next afternoon. Her whole body felt like it had been run over by a car. Even the slightest movement made her breathless.
She tried to ease the pain by adjusting her breathing, but it didn't help. It still hurt.
Everything hurt.
She lifted the blanket and looked at the marks on her body. She couldn't remember how long they had been at it.
One hour? Two hours? Three hours?
Vaguely, she recalled that when daylight broke, they were still going.
There had been a brief pause when Cheng Yuan fed her some milk. She refused, and he grabbed her jaw and forced her to drink.
He warned her that if she ever disobeyed again, he would treat her the same way.
...What a mad dog.
A knock came. Jiang Xiao snapped back to reality. "Come in."
It was the mute maid again, carrying breakfast. She nodded.
Jiang Xiao didn't even have the strength to lift her hand, let alone eat. She shook her head. "I'm not hungry."
The maid didn't move, looking at her with pleading eyes.
Jiang Xiao understood. Cheng Yuan must have threatened her again. She was soft-hearted. She bit her lip. "Alright, I'll eat."
The maid smiled, walked over, and placed the tray on the nightstand.
Jiang Xiao didn't like being waited on, so she gestured for the maid to leave. She had only taken a couple of bites when her phone rang.
It was Shen Yue. She sounded anxious.
"A Xiao, how are you?"
"Are you okay?"
"Did Cheng Yuan give you a hard time?"
Shen Yue had been trying to reach Jiang Xiao since yesterday but couldn't get through. She had almost called the police.
"I'm fine." Jiang Xiao's voice was a little hoarse. "He just locked me in the villa and won't let me go anywhere."
Shen Yue frowned. "Didn't he sign the divorce agreement? Why the sudden change?"
Jiang Xiao recounted what had happened yesterday in detail. Shen Yue was stunned. "Those people in the Cheng family are all crazy! How could they do that? And Cheng Yuan—why would he go back on his word?"
"A Xiao, maybe we should call the police."
Jiang Xiao had considered that, but it wouldn't work. Not only was the Cheng family powerful, but she also didn't want to drag her own family into it. It wasn't exactly a glorious affair.
"Forget it," Jiang Xiao said. "I don't want Mom and Dad to worry."
"If calling the police won't work, and running away won't work, what can we do?" Shen Yue asked.