Early the next morning, Kang Yansheng prepared breakfast as usual, but she had no appetite and did not eat. That entire day, she behaved strangely, avoiding him as if he were a plague. Whenever he approached, she would jump up like a startled bird.
When asked what was wrong, she simply said nothing was wrong, yet continued to avoid him everywhere.
She no longer ate the food he carefully prepared for her, no longer read the books he specially selected, and tried to avoid being in the same space with him. She even hoped to move to the guest room, but this request was refused by him.
Sleeping with her was the only time he could intimately touch her. Even without further intimacy, he was content. Yet she wanted to cruelly take away his only comfort?
No! He would not allow it.
Thus, their relationship changed. She was no longer familiar and comfortable with him but deliberately maintained distance, almost like strangers.
The more she avoided Kang Yansheng, the more he wanted to hold onto her. The more he tried to grasp her, the more she avoided him… They were like playing hide-and-seek, one chasing, one hiding, but certainly, the distance between them grew wider.
Ji Mengtang’s obvious change was unbearable for Kang Yansheng. He could finally understand the feeling of his mother’s crazy love. At this moment, he had an impulse to possess her by any means!
However, he was different from his mother in one aspect: he would never harm the person he loved. He just wanted to find a way to lock her by his side forever, preventing her from leaving.
He gazed gloomily into the distance, murmuring, “I must do something, otherwise I will definitely lose her…”
He would not let her escape! Even if she would ultimately hate him, he could not let go at this moment.
★★★
Recently, Ji Mengtang was particularly exhausted. Work was busy, and the research institute’s coursework was heavy. She was busy to the point of being overwhelmed, often tired to the point of wanting to cry, but her stubborn self always gritted her teeth and endured.
This day, she was almost completely worn out, but after class, she still dragged her exhausted body to the hospital to see Gao Zhongwei.
Walking down the hospital corridor, her high heels echoed in the quiet space. She deliberately looked around; the corridor was empty, and she didn’t see Kang Yansheng, who used to unexpectedly encounter her here.
Two years had passed, and the hospital still had few patients. However, according to Xu Kuanhou, the number of patients Kang Yansheng treated had increased. He cryptically said that someone had changed him, and because of that person, Kang Yansheng’s frozen heart began to crack, gradually revealing an unprecedented tenderness.
At the time, Xu Kuanhou stared at her with a strange smile, leaving her bewildered. Who could have such influence to change him? She didn’t know, and her mood was unexpectedly complex!
Knowing someone had changed him, she was naturally happy, but simultaneously felt a strange, sour feeling. That person must be very important to Kang Yansheng. Was this the person he loved?
However, his change was a good thing. Those patients who had been waiting would be fortunate! She forced a smile and walked toward Gao Zhongwei’s room, not expecting to be greeted by a cold, harsh question upon opening the door.
“Where have you been again?!”
Seeing his gloomy, tense face and harsh tone, Ji Mengtang knew he was about to explode. She felt powerless – both physically and emotionally.
“This is my exclusive hospital room, no one will come in! I have never done anything disrespectful, and in the past, I have always respected you, haven’t I? I just want to kiss you and hug you, why won’t you fulfill my wish? Or is it that you have found a new love outside, so you don’t want this half-dead man lying in bed to touch even a hair of yours?” Gao Zhongwei said in grief and anger.
“Of course not! How can you say such a thing?”
If she were that kind of woman, she would have fled to the ends of the earth the moment she learned of his paralysis. How could she be willing to sell herself to seek treatment from Kang Yansheng?
Thinking of Kang Yansheng, Ji Mengtang’s heart became even more chaotic. As if trying to escape something, she quickly walked to Gao Zhongwei’s bedside and sat down, seemingly wanting to prove that the only person she cared about was Gao Zhongwei, not any other man!
“Mengtang!” Seeing her come to his side, Gao Zhongwei happily and intimately embraced her. He eagerly cupped her chin and quickly pressed his lips against hers in a passionate kiss.
Ji Mengtang quickly closed her eyes – to hide the shock in them.
She felt nothing! She remembered when they first started dating, even a light kiss on her forehead or hair would make her blush and leave her speechless. But now, when he passionately embraced and kissed her, she felt absolutely nothing.
Worse yet, she absurdly thought of another man at that moment, remembering that he had also kissed her before. Her heart was racing, and she seemed to see him staring at her with a condemning gaze.
She instinctively raised her hand to push away Gao Zhongwei, who was continuously kissing her, but immediately scolded herself: You can’t do this! You are Zhongwei’s girlfriend. How can you become intolerant of your boyfriend’s touch because of a man with whom you only have a contractual relationship? Moreover, Zhongwei is paralyzed in bed – how can you hurt him like this?
This series of self-reproach made her slowly lower her raised hand, and her previously panicked heart calmed down. She closed her eyes even tighter, her thoughts gradually detaching, feeling nothing and unwilling to think about anything…
Unbeknownst to her, a pair of icy black eyes was clearly watching this scene through a slightly ajar door.
Kang Yansheng’s hand, about to open the door, slowly dropped to his side and clenched into a fist. His deep eyes were filled not only with shock and jealousy but also with heartbreak and anger.
Only upon seeing this scene did he wake up as if punched, realizing that Gao Zhongwei and she were a couple, and he was nothing at all!
He had always known they were a couple but deliberately ignored and refused to acknowledge this fact. However, seeing their intimacy was like having his most painful wound brutally torn open, cruelly laying bare the truth he most wanted to deny.
She did not love him! The person she loved had always been Gao Zhongwei, who was now kissing her passionately.
Ha! What had he been doing these past two years? He had made a contract to occupy her every weekend, thinking he could completely possess her. But in the end, all he had were memories!
His fist tightened more and more, various complex emotions flashing in his eyes. Finally, a determined cold intent emerged in his gaze.
Ji Mengtang belonged to him! He would never give her to anyone. She could stay with Gao Zhongwei, but he wanted her to completely belong to him!
Today, tomorrow – forever!
He would never let go.
Chapter Six
After leaving the hospital, Ji Mengtang immediately went to a specialty imported bookstore, found several original-language books about fashion design, picked up some magazines, and then hailed a taxi to Kang Yansheng’s residence.
In the past, this journey was her most enjoyable, like traveling to a vacation destination – relaxed, pleasant, and full of anticipation. However, due to their recent awkward relationship, her mood was involuntarily overshadowed by a faint gray.
Alas! Would they continue to interact so stiffly and distantly until Zhongwei recovered? She bit her lower lip, feeling sad.
Perhaps she was wrong. He had been very good to her and always respected her, hardly ever making any inappropriate advances. Even when he held her while sleeping, he ultimately did nothing. Why should she hide from him like this?
