"Enough!"
Shen Yue pushed the man away. Although she tried hard to hold back her tears, they streamed down her face. Her lashes were long and thick, and as the teardrops fell, the corners of her eyes turned a vibrant red.
She looked distressed and pained, as if she had suffered a great injustice. "Mr. Xie, I don't want to like you anymore!"
The words were like those of a petulant child. She was thin and appeared petite, lacking any presence. Before she could even speak two sentences, tears had already begun to fall.
Only when she declared she no longer liked him did she sound resolute.
Though the person before her was slender and small, he was crying so intensely. She wondered where all these tears came from, and the words he spoke were hardly endearing.
Xie Jiangsheng took a deep breath. An inexplicable anger surged through him, battering against his reason.
His expression was blank. "Say that again."
Shen Yue looked directly into the man's eyes. Her pale face had turned red from crying, and she bit her tongue hard. The pain jolted her wavering will.
Her voice was thick with sobs, and her loose strands of hair were damp. Her vision was greatly blurred.
"Mr. Xie, you've never liked me at all. You only like yourself."
Xie Jiangsheng's chest heaved violently. His calm expression suddenly twisted into a fierce grimace. His already somber face became even more terrifying. He grabbed Shen Yue's wrist, the force so great it almost made a creaking sound.
"Don't I like you enough?" Xie Jiangsheng gritted his teeth, speaking each word deliberately. "If I didn't like you, would I be here wasting so much time talking so much nonsense with you?"
Shen Yue paid no mind to the pain in her wrist. She tilted her head back, her eyelashes trembling lightly like maple leaves about to fall in the wind. "If you liked me, why would you treat me like this?"
Xie Jiangsheng's expression darkened, veins bulging on his forehead. His dark eyes were filled with a terrifying crimson hue.
Shen Yue was not afraid. Her face was pale, her lips still vividly colored. Looking at the person before her, she felt a profound sense of unfamiliarity.
Her throat felt dry, her voice husky. "You're married..."
"Is it just because I'm married?" Xie Jiangsheng spat out the words coldly through clenched teeth. His expression was icy, a sliver of anger surging in the depths of his eyes. He tightened his grip, pulling Shen Yue into his arms. "Why must you be so calculative? This marriage is just a formality. What more do you want from me? Do you want me to marry you? Do you think that's possible? Shen Yue, you're not the only one in this world who loves, and not everything can be adjusted for you. Why can't you consider me for a change?"
The man's somber face was unsightly, his anger having burned away all his reason. He simply found Shen Yue's thoughts too naive.
Many things in this world were unavoidable. The adult world was inherently complex.
It seemed they lived in entirely different worlds, which destined them to argue, to split, to hurt each other, and to never understand one another.
Xie Jiangsheng found Shen Yue's spoken thoughts to be far too naive and foolish.
Tears traced a path near her eyes, dripping onto the back of the man's hand.
Xie Jiangsheng looked at Shen Yue's reddened eyes, and his heart seemed to sting for a moment.
He paid it no mind, his voice rational yet cool. "Shen Yue, you're not a child anymore."
Shen Yue trembled fiercely, her heart feeling as though it were being churned and mangled by a sharp knife.
"Then Mr. Xie, may I ask if I can get married?" Shen Yue could not suppress the dry ache in her throat, her voice trembling uncontrollably. "I can also have another home, just like you."
The man's expression changed instantly. The feeling of betrayal caused bloodshot veins to spread across his reddened eyes. His imposing presence, like a sudden storm, roared out, "You dare!"
She had almost never considered that the person before her could belong to someone else. Shen Yue was his in life and would be a member of the Xie family in death.
Just the slightest hint of such an idea made him feel the urge to kill.
He understood why the usually obedient girl would have such thoughts.
Shen Yue's eyelashes were adorned with tears, her eyes an astonishing red. "So, Mr. Xie, you still only love yourself."
"But I, truly, like you very much."
"I've liked you since the first moment I saw you."
As she said this, Shen Yue couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. To put it bluntly, she was too foolish.
She had truly thought Xie Jiangsheng liked her to some extent. She had overestimated herself.
Who was Xie Jiangsheng? He never lacked women around him. To her, he was probably just playing around.
Only now did Shen Yue realize that Xie Jiangsheng had never directly addressed their relationship, nor had he given her any promises.
Xie Jiangsheng seemed to grow impatient. He released his hands, pulled off his loosely tied tie, and frowned, his eyes becoming even colder. "Then what do you want?"
It was clear that Xie Jiangsheng did not want to dwell on liking or loving. He was a far more rational person. As long as Shen Yue stated any conditions or demanded any compensation, as long as it wasn't too excessive, he could agree.
Shen Yue wearily closed her eyes, swallowing the bitterness in her throat. "I don't want anything anymore. Nothing..."
Xie Jiangsheng seemed to grow impatient. He released his hands, pulled off his loosely tied tie, and frowned, his eyes becoming even colder. "Then what do you want?"
It was clear that Xie Jiangsheng did not want to dwell on liking or loving. He was a far more rational person. As long as Shen Yue stated any conditions or demanded any compensation, as long as it wasn't too excessive, he could agree.
Shen Yue wearily closed her eyes, swallowing the bitterness in her throat. "I don't want anything anymore. Nothing..."
From the beginning, Shen Yue had never sought anything from Xie Jiangsheng. She desired nothing from him, only Xie Jiangsheng himself.
Now that he had explicitly stated he didn't like her, she naturally would not seek anything further.
"So, you want to break up?" The man's expression was very detached, his face seemingly carrying an icy coldness.
Shen Yue's voice was choked. She retorted, "What else?"
Perhaps it wasn't even a breakup. The two of them were never officially a couple. It was simply that their fate had run its course, and it was time to part ways.
"Alright." Xie Jiangsheng's tone grew colder, as if he were trying to suppress his rage. "Don't regret this."