He continued talking to himself: “I think you should be like me, hearing the same thing every day and finding it hard not to be annoyed. So I thought, since that’s the case, we might as well go along with their wishes. First, to fulfill their desire, and second, maybe this result will make them give up and finally find true peace.”
Was the “result” he mentioned making the woman leave voluntarily?
“Aren’t you afraid that if someone falls in love with you, they might have a sudden change of heart? Not only won’t they leave voluntarily, but they might be impossible to drive away,” she deliberately threw cold water on his plan.
“That’s why I want to find a woman who has absolutely no interest in me,” he candidly admitted his original intention, though his heart was beginning to waver.
“What do you say? Isn’t that what you want?” He stared intently at her reaction, with a particularly strong desire to verify something. At this moment, he was no longer sure what kind of answer he wanted.
“I… of course I am!” Zhiwei finally understood something – her resolute statement that she wouldn’t fall in love with him had actually played into his hands? Was this his plan all along?
Suddenly, Zhiwei’s heart was hit hard, with an indescribable dull pain. It was this pain that made her realize her special feelings for him were actually a subtle emotional wave, and these were just his strategic spoils of war?
No! Zhiwei took a deep breath, deciding to bury all inappropriate emotions.
“Since you put it that way, we have even more room for cooperation,” her words made Shang Peng choose this attitude to maintain his composure.
“Cooperation?” She was a bit confused.
“Of course, cooperation,” Shang Peng said casually, “Cooperate to get rid of unnecessary harassment, while absolutely maintaining our own life rhythm, no interference, no need to talk about responsibilities or obligations. For you or for me, it’s just having one more person around, with the only difference being the titles of husband and wife.”
“So you want us to have a… fake marriage?” Zhiwei couldn’t help but frown. After all this talk, this man still had no originality?
“Marriage is marriage. What’s a fake marriage?”
“It’s a marriage that exists in name only.”
“Oh? It seems… you’ve misunderstood. I never wanted to have a nominal, fake marriage with you.”
“You mean… for real?” The moment Zhiwei understood, her gaze shot towards him like an arrow.
“Of course! Since we’ve already bought the ticket, why not get on the train?” He grinned, showing his white teeth, looking completely matter-of-fact.
Not yet,” he completely ignored her sour expression and continued: “I think my interest in you has far exceeded my original expectations, hasn’t it?”
“Oh?” Is he trying to drug me?
“You indeed possess an innate quality that drives men crazy. Of course, I’m no exception, so I’m certainly not going to have a marriage in name only. On the contrary, I’ve already started imagining you lying in my bed.
Just like earlier… I’m still wondering why I didn’t strip you naked right then and there. I really wanted to do that.”
“You, you…” With his explicit words, a blush spread from her cheeks to her ears.
Zhiwei even felt his sharp gaze had already penetrated her thin clothing… She unconsciously pulled at her collar.
“Pervert!” She couldn’t help but spit out.
“An honest pervert,” he remained calm, then seriously asked: “At least this wolf won’t turn you into prey, nor set a trap for you. Our life will only become more wonderful because we can each seek pleasure while satisfying each other. If you get tired or bored later, just say the word and you can leave, and everything will return to square one.”
Is that really possible? Can things really go back to the beginning?
Although Zhiwei had lived in the United States for many years and was exposed to Western open-mindedness, she knew better than anyone that things could never be that simple.
She didn’t object to meeting more male friends. After all, this was an open society. As long as one maintained boundaries and knew how to protect oneself, having more choices wasn’t a bad thing, but…
Zhiwei knew clearly that towards him, she had an unprecedented strange feeling. She had lost all confidence in maintaining boundaries. She even felt that if she took one more step, she could fall into this man’s trap at any moment, ultimately drowning…
Moreover, from beginning to end, he deliberately emphasized that his interest in her originated from “below the waist”. Although she was already accustomed to others’ covetousness, when the subject was him, she felt insulted.
“Think carefully about the marriage and then give me your answer. The sooner, the better,” Shang Peng stood up, ending the conversation.
“I can answer you right now,” Zhiwei stood up facing him, with a definitive tone: “Impossible! I absolutely will not marry you!”
“You…” His thick eyebrows slightly furrowed, his gaze deep as the sea, “Are you sure?”
“Of course. How many times do I need to say it? Just… like this.” She turned her head to avoid his overly bright eyes, her words rushed and chaotic.
“Ok, I’ll cancel this marriage proposal as soon as possible,” he said, then turned and went back to his room.
Zhiwei also quickly returned to her own room, let out a breath, and collapsed softly onto the bed, various emotions crossing her heart. She could only let her mind go blank.
When sounds faintly emerged from the hall, Zhiwei couldn’t help but slip out of bed and quietly open her door—
Through the door crack, she saw Shang Peng with a piece of luggage. Zhiwei knew he was leaving, which was appropriate. There was no reason for him to stay, right? But did he really need to rush away?
Suddenly, Zhiwei noticed he was walking towards her room. She quickly closed the door and pressed against it, holding her breath and waiting.
Hearing his footsteps stop in front of her door, Zhiwei suddenly felt her heart inexplicably racing.
She didn’t know what she was nervous about, and her mind was rapidly organizing various response scenarios.
Let’s part on good terms! If he knocks to say goodbye…
After a while, his footsteps sounded again, growing fainter. Until finally, the sound of the front door closing was the only noise.
Zhiwei was stunned, and finally couldn’t help but open her door.
The hall was empty and quiet. Under the dim wall lamp, she saw the keys lying flat on the table. Zhiwei strode forward, grabbed the keys, glanced at the “carefully” chosen pig-head keychain, removed it, and threw it on the table before turning to walk to her room. After two steps, she turned back and picked up the pig-head keychain she had originally thought was no longer useful.
Back in her room, Zhiwei dialed a call to Bai Zhixiu without hesitation—
“Help me book a ticket back, the sooner the better.”
“Why?” Aren’t they in the middle of a battle?
“Why?” Repeating Bai Zhixiu’s question, Zhiwei’s voice sounded tired, “Of course, mission accomplished.”
“Mission accomplished? You mean…”
“He agreed to cancel the engagement.”
“Really? How did you manage that?”
How did she manage it? Did she need to replay everything from the beginning? No, she was exhausted. For Zhiwei, she just hoped this entire matter would completely pass.
Yet Bai Zhixiu kept circling around this topic: “I still find it incredible. How could he agree? He shouldn’t have been able to—”
“What’s so impossible about it?” Zhiwei impatiently cut off his words, “This marriage was always a farce. How could two incompatible people be together?”
“Is that so?” The insensitive words continued, “But yesterday I asked him, and he laughingly told me he discovered you’re quite a cute woman, but a bit two-faced.”
“I, I…” Zhiwei’s heart was pulled again.
