Xun Xun’s entire body went weak, using her last bit of strength to brush Chi Cheng’s hands off herself.
Chi Cheng said, “Look at you. Do others know about your explosive temper? What’s with that look in your eyes? Do you hate me? What excessive thing have I done? I think I’m much better than you. At the very least, I’ve never deceived you, nor have I forced you. When I said I love you, that was sincere, but I never said I would marry you! You chose to get divorced, you willingly came to work at my company, you used the key to open my apartment door, and climbing into my bed was your own choice too. Until today, every step was your own decision. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s only yourself for miscalculating.”
Xun Xun kept nodding, saying softly, “You speak well. I don’t blame you. You loved me so much, and put so much thought into everything for me – how dare I blame you? I’m the one who debased myself. Even knowing something wasn’t right, I still couldn’t resist taking a gamble. Losing was my own doing.”
She neurotically searched around for a hair tie to bind her hair and found it, but couldn’t grip it properly. The hair tie fell to the ground, and with reddened eyes, she went to pick it up. She crouched down and didn’t stand up for a long while. Chi Cheng got out of bed, quietly walked to her side, and bent down to help her pick up the hair tie, but Xun Xun stood up first, stepping back twice. Without saying a word, she messily tied her hair in a ponytail and began packing her luggage.
“What are you doing?” Chi Cheng asked.
Xun Xun’s hands didn’t stop, and after a while, she said, “Going down the mountain. If I can’t handle you, I can at least avoid you.”
Chi Cheng expressionlessly put on his clothes, “Why bother? There’s no rush. Since I brought you up here, I’ll certainly take you back down.”
“How dare I trouble you further.” Xun Xun stuffed her last personal item into her backpack and headed straight for the door without another word. Chi Cheng pulled her back with one hand.
“What are you doing?” Xun Xun tried her best to keep her voice steady as she finished her sentence: “What logic is this – you can debase me, but I’m not allowed to turn back?”
Chi Cheng’s grip loosened, but he didn’t let go.
“One night as husband and wife means a hundred nights of affection, let alone our long-awaited reunion.” He carelessly fastened the last button on his clothes and smiled, “Now that everything’s out in the open, and we’re even, everything can be discussed. Last night we were so compatible, your flexibility is still as good as I remember. Since you’re already here, why not forget about the past and enjoy these few days?”
Xun Xun laughed in anger, “I really can’t understand how I ever thought about spending my life with someone like you. I believe you displayed awful behavior just because you were used to being alone and didn’t know how to be good to others. But I was wrong again – you’re consistently shameless through and through!”
After speaking, she slightly furrowed her brows due to the pain in her arm.
Chi Cheng sneered, “You’re leaving now to be a chaste martyr? Where do you have to go? Don’t think Xie Ping Ning will take you in. His lingering attachment to you is because he’s jealous that you’re doing better than him after the divorce – that’s male possessiveness, not love. You climb out of my bed to find him? He’d be crazy to want you. Your mother is getting cozy with Zhou Rui Sheng, Zeng Yu has her lover, and even Sun Yi Fan, the substitute, is in jail. Who doesn’t know about our relationship? Who doesn’t assume I played with you and then dumped you? Better stay by my side – who knows, feelings might develop over time, and you might live peacefully for a few years.”
“Get out!” Xun Xun forcefully swung her shoulder bag at him, using the momentum to break free from his hand. She walked out of the room, then remembered the room card in her pocket. Without a word, she took it out and threw it back, hitting Chi Cheng right in the face.
Seeing his expression change, Xun Xun didn’t even wait for the elevator, running down five floors through the emergency stairs. Finally walking into the mountain resort’s lobby, the wind gusted in through the open glass doors, cooling her forehead. Several service staff were sitting on ladders, chatting and laughing while hanging lanterns. Only then did she remember today was New Year’s Eve – the festive decorations contrasted sharply with the surrounding emptiness, creating an indescribable desolation.
Xun Xun inquired at the front desk about tourist buses going down the mountain. The staff explained that normally the resort had two buses traveling between the mountain top and bottom daily, but today was special – not only were the buses suspended, but even the local villagers who usually transported individual passengers had gone home for New Year’s Eve dinner. There might be cars returning to the city at the foot of the mountain, and if she insisted on leaving, she could take the villagers’ plank road down to the scenic area entrance to make further plans. She then asked about the specific location and condition of the plank road, learning that walking down the mountain would normally take at least three hours, which gave her a moment’s hesitation.
At this time, Chi Cheng also walked out of the elevator, leaning against the railing in the lobby’s leisure area, playing with the room card while watching her predicament. Seeing her situation, he added salt to the wound, saying, “At a time like this, who would take you down the mountain?”
Xun Xun wasn’t an impulsive person, but she felt she couldn’t stay here for even a second longer.
Walking out of Ming Lamp Mountain Resort, the downhill plank road was just a hundred meters away. According to the information Xun Xun had learned, before there was vehicle access, this was the only way up and down the mountain. Even now with the road, nearby villagers still use this plank road daily. Although half of it was built along the mountain contours and half was constructed by carving into the cliff and inserting wooden beams, it was very sturdy and didn’t pose any significant risks. If all went smoothly, she could completely reach the scenic area gate at the mountain’s foot before dark.
She tried walking down a section, and indeed, the footing wasn’t as precarious as imagined. However, after last night’s cold rain, the temperature had dropped below zero. Although the rain had temporarily stopped, the mountain wind was bitter, and the path was slippery. She took each step very carefully, immensely grateful for her outdoor gear that made movement somewhat easier.
“Going to walk down the mountain? I think you’ve gone mad!” That haunting voice came from behind again.
Xun Xun didn’t look back, coldly saying, “It’s none of your business.”
“Don’t be so distant. I should at least see you off, no matter what.”
“What do you want? Will you only be satisfied if I jump from here?” Xun Xun stopped and said.
Chi Cheng smiled, stepped forward, and held out his wallet to her.
“Don’t think of me as completely evil. You forgot something. I said this was for you – after all, you kept me company for a night, I can’t let you be at too much of a disadvantage.”
Xun Xun continued walking forward. Pushed to this point, he still wouldn’t stop humiliating her.
“What, you don’t want it?” Chi Cheng said lazily, “Don’t regret it later.”
For Xun Xun, her biggest regret had already happened – what else was there to fear? She walked against the wind, and Chi Cheng’s footsteps gradually fell behind, but when she looked back at a bend much later, she could still see his figure. He maintained a leisurely strolling manner, unhurriedly following behind, as if unwilling to let an eagerly anticipated show end just like that.
After walking for about an hour, Xun Xun began to feel less cold, her exhaled breath becoming more steamy. Even though it was downhill, walking with a backpack was still physically demanding. Just as she was wondering whether to stop for a rest, the phone in her pocket vibrated – it was Sister Yan Li calling.
“Xun Xun, where the hell have you been? I called over a dozen times before getting through – where exactly are you?”
Xun Xun looked at her phone, which showed only one bar of signal. In these remote mountains, getting even one call through was already fortunate, though the call quality was poor. She could only keep changing angles to make the other person’s voice clearer. She didn’t know if her voice sounded dejected, “I’m in a place where spring blooms.”
“I don’t care where you are, come back quickly, or you won’t see your mother again!”
Sister Yan Li’s voice was so anxious it carried traces of tears. Xun Xun felt something was wrong. Although her mother wasn’t reliable, she was very superstitious – during the New Year, unless something truly happened, she would never speak such ill-omened words.
“What’s wrong? Don’t panic, tell me slowly!”
The question only made things worse. Upon hearing her daughter’s words, Sister Yan Li froze for a few seconds before breaking into loud sobs on the other end of the line.
It turned out that Sister Yan Li and Zhou Rui Sheng’s relationship had been progressing rapidly, and just when they were becoming inseparable, one night she discovered Zhou Rui Sheng secretly making a phone call on the balcony behind her back. Suspecting he was involved with another woman, she hid in the darkness to eavesdrop.
To her surprise, Zhou Rui Sheng was seriously discussing business matters from start to finish. Sister Yan Li, with her keen ears, roughly heard that he was planning to collaborate with a friend on a highly profitable deal.
That night, Zhou Rui Sheng, staying over at Sister Yan Li’s place, encountered unexpected coldness, with several attempts at reconciliation being mercilessly kicked off the bed. Unable to figure out how he had offended his “darling,” Sister Yan Li finally expressed her anger that while she had given him her heart and soul, he treated her like an outsider, quietly making his fortune alone.
Zhou Rui Sheng denied it and tried to brush it off, but under Sister Yan Li’s repeated interrogation, he finally confessed. He explained that he had a friend who had made significant profits from investments in recent years, and this friend had recently encountered another good opportunity but couldn’t gather all the investment funds at once. The friend thought of him and decided to give him a chance, asking if he wanted to join in. He naturally couldn’t refuse.
Zhou Rui Sheng also told Sister Yan Li that his friend’s investment was called “private financing” – in simple terms, it meant lending out idle funds as high-interest loans. According to him, this type of “investment” was extremely popular among wealthy people, offering high profits and quick returns, playing the game of money-making money. However, due to high risks and conflicts with current policies, it was usually quite secretive and conducted only among insiders. Outsiders typically found it difficult to join – without a friend’s introduction, others wouldn’t dare accept even large amounts of cash.
Sister Yan Li’s interest was piqued, and she couldn’t sleep all night. Before dawn, she got up to wake Zhou Rui Sheng, asking if she could buy in for a share. Zhou Rui Sheng shook his head vigorously, saying the quota was already full. Sister Yan Li wouldn’t take no for an answer, insisting that Zhou Rui Sheng make connections for her so she could earn money for a comfortable retirement. Unable to resist her persistent pleading, Zhou Rui Sheng reluctantly said others generally don’t accept individual investors, and to join in, the minimum investment was one million yuan – her pocket money wouldn’t be enough for this venture, better to keep it for her daily expenses.
Sister Yan Li accused him of looking down on her, saying she had Professor Zeng’s pension and could mortgage her house. Seeing her determination, Zhou Rui Sheng agreed to help, expending great effort to establish connections and bring her in, but with the condition of absolute secrecy – not even her daughter could know a thing.
Sister Yan Li waited for this opportunity to get rich, overjoyed, emptying her savings and still finding it insufficient. She borrowed over a hundred thousand from relatives and friends, finally gathering enough for one share, proudly becoming a major investor, just waiting to collect dividends from home.
The joy hadn’t even subsided when this morning, Zhou Rui Sheng came running in panic, saying they had been deceived – his conscienceless friend had disappeared after getting the money, and he had been cheated out of over a million yuan.
Upon hearing this, Sister Yan Li’s soul scattered. Crying, she grabbed Zhou Rui Sheng, wanting to report to the police. But Zhou Rui Sheng stomped his foot, saying these private high-interest loans weren’t protected by law – reporting would only lead to legal trouble.
This news struck Sister Yan Li like a thunderbolt. Not only had she invested her entire savings, but she had borrowed money from friends and relatives, promising to repay after receiving dividends after the New Year. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands in bank loans – if she couldn’t repay, she might face destitution in her later years. After fainting and coming to, she finally thought of her daughter, frantically calling Xun Xun, but due to poor signal on the mountain, it took countless attempts to connect.
Xun Xun silently listened to the whole story. Sister Yan Li was still crying, her sobs so distant, less real than the howling mountain wind. That wind pushed against her as if she might fall into a bottomless abyss the next second. She couldn’t think of any words to reproach Sister Yan Li. After a long while, she only asked about Zhou Rui Sheng’s whereabouts.
Sister Yan Li said crying that Zhou Rui Sheng had also been badly deceived and was now out looking for solutions. Xun Xun smiled bitterly, immediately telling her mother to call Zhou Rui Sheng on the home landline – predictably, there was nothing but endless busy signals.
Before a cunning old fox like Zhou Rui Sheng, Sister Yan Li was no different from a piece of fish belly, crying and begging to be slaughtered. This was no investment – it was a straight-up honey trap. With fools like Sister Yan Li who had more money than sense and more courage than wisdom, it would be against heaven’s law if the swindlers didn’t make a killing.
Sister Yan Li was completely at a loss, only able to ask her daughter what to do – had her security for the latter half of her life just gone down the drain? Even if that could be endured, how could she go on living if debt collectors came knocking?
“Xun Xun, you’re my only hope now. You can’t abandon your mother.”
Xun Xun asked dazedly, “How am I supposed to help?”
“We must think of something. You can ask Chi Cheng – I’m his future mother-in-law, and he’ll surely find a way.” Sister Yan Li mentioned Chi Cheng as if grasping at the last floating piece of wood.
“What future mother-in-law.” Xun Xun let out an extremely bitter laugh. “Don’t mention that person anymore. It’s long over between us.”
Sister Yan Li first disbelieved upon hearing this, but when she realized her daughter was telling the truth, she became furious and complained, “You can’t even keep a man – heavens, why am I so unlucky!”
Yes, why such bad luck? Xun Xun couldn’t help but ask herself – she only wanted to live a peaceful, ordinary life, but it seemed that overnight, all the powder kegs buried deep underground had been detonated by someone. She recalled the name her mother had just mentioned and suddenly shuddered. It was he who had originally brought Zhou Rui Sheng to Sister Yan Li, and then Sister Yan Li was immediately swindled by Zhou Rui Sheng until she had nothing left. Things that pleased him kept happening one after another – could this be just a coincidence?
Xun Xun’s heart, drenched by snow melt, suddenly shot out cold flames from despair. Ignoring Sister Yan Li’s endless self-pity and crying, no longer thinking about whether she could safely descend the mountain before dark, she ran back like a mad woman.
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