“This is not my home!” Jiang Xiangyang coldly replied, dragging Jing Xin towards the villa’s entrance. The familiar sights—the flamboyant roses in the courtyard, the cobblestone path—seemed as real as a decade ago. Just before reaching the gate, Jiang Xiangyang stopped, slowly turning his face, deep in thought. His gaze fell into a dark corner, eyebrows furrowing. Jing Xin followed his gaze to a dilapidated cement shed in the corner, its rusty iron gate gleaming coldly in the moonlight.
Jing Xin sensed that something from the past had resurfaced. He stood there, lost in thought.
“Xiangyang, are you okay?” Jing Xin asked softly, shaking his arm.
Jiang Xiangyang withdrew his gaze. “That’s where I lived as a child. Everyone liked to lock me there and watch me like a monkey in a zoo. My happy childhood was frozen in that little dark room.” He suddenly smiled, a desolate expression.
Jing Xin tightened her clasped hands. “Xiangyang, don’t think about unhappy things.”
Jiang Xiangyang pulled Jing Xin out of the villa and into the car parked outside, taking a moment before starting the engine. In the darkness, his bright eyes focused on her face. “Why aren’t you home so late?” he asked, his voice laced with displeasure.
“Aunt Gao hoped I would stay and keep Jixuan company. He’s seriously injured. You didn’t even go in to see him.”
Jiang Xiangyang leaned closer. “Jing Xin, I don’t need you to judge my affairs. You know nothing. What right do you have to say this to me?” His voice was tense; her repeated mention of Gao Jixuan was driving him mad.
“You’re right. I have no right to manage your affairs. Let me get out of the car,” Jing Xin said, her voice rising. She tugged at the car door, unable to open it, when suddenly she was pulled into Jiang Xiangyang’s embrace.
“What are you—” she began, but he silenced her with a kiss. The deep, ocean-like scent enveloped her as his kiss turned from punishing to tender, and Jiang Xiangyang’s anger faded slightly as he caressed her back.
After a while, Jiang Xiangyang released Jing Xin, noticing her fair face now tinged with crimson and her clear eyes sparkling. With difficulty, he moved his gaze away, and Jing Xin saw his Adam’s apple move.
