“Yueyue, stop being foolish.”
The man’s voice softened abruptly, his touch growing more gentle. He spoke words that absolved him completely, as if he were merely a kind soul, unable to bear witness to Shen Yue being deceived again.
Shen Yue stared blankly, desperately trying to recall. The more she thought, the more her head ached, and a genuine pain at her temples made her eyelashes dampen.
She tried to hold back, but couldn't. A low sob escaped her throat, soft and delicate, like the song of a white bird.
Lu Jin gently wiped the wetness from her cheeks. Hearing her soft whimpers made him feel both pity and a growing obsession.
Beautiful people remained beautiful even when crying miserably.
He was determined to have Shen Yue.
He stared at the reddened corners of her eyes, a determined darkness gradually spreading within his own gaze.
His hand slowly slid down. Shen Yue was immersed in confusion and pain, as if the outside world had completely faded. She didn’t even feel the man’s increasingly presumptuous touch.
Later, Shen Yue thought she heard someone call her name, but it was as if her soul had been hollowed out, leaving only an infinite void. Her lips moved instinctively, but no sound came out.
Dull thuds, angry shouts, the pained cries of flesh meeting flesh, and the piercing sound of shattering glass.
These sounds managed to pull Shen Yue back to reality. She looked up in a daze, a layer of mist obscuring her vision, everything blurry.
The dull sounds of bodies colliding nearby were heart-pounding.
Many people gathered, trying to separate them. However, the strength of these two grown men was like that of bulls. Those who rushed forward to break up the fight were not only unable to do so but were also punched a few times.
Only then did Shen Yue snap back to attention. She pushed through the crowd and walked over.
The table had been kicked over, the vase smashed to pieces. The two tall, adult men were like sworn enemies, savagely swinging punches at each other, as if they wanted to kill one another.
Neither gained the upper hand. Lu Jin’s cheek was bruised, and Luo Kai was not faring much better.
Shen Yue’s eyelashes trembled violently, her voice quivering.
“Luo Kai!”
She couldn’t care about anything else and rushed forward. Seeing this, Lu Jin abruptly stopped his fist. He watched as Shen Yue pulled Luo Kai behind her, his originally somber face turning completely cold and terrifying.
Blood trickled from Luo Kai’s mouth. He quickly said, “It doesn’t hurt, not at all!”
He didn’t want to see Shen Yue’s distressed expression; the mere thought made his heart clench.
When he had seen this man being handsy with Shen Yue, Luo Kai had charged forward without a second thought, his rage overriding his reason. Never before had he wanted to kill someone so intensely.
Lu Jin’s chest heaved violently, his face flushed red. The charming, handsome demeanor from earlier was gone; he looked utterly disheveled, and the gazes of those around him made his face turn ashen.
He stared fixedly at Shen Yue, his eyes seeming to spew fire.
But in the end, he said nothing. He simply said to Luo Kai.
“You wait.”
With these words, Lu Jin left in a hurry. The store manager’s attempts to retain him or apologize were met with no pause.
The store manager dispersed the gathered crowd and then approached Shen Yue. His expression was grim. “Shen Yue, Luo Kai, you don’t need to come in tomorrow.”
Shen Yue lowered her head, her chin pale and delicate. Her voice was soft as she apologized, “I’m sorry, Manager.”
She had intended to say more, but seeing Shen Yue’s sincere demeanor, the harsh words died on his lips. He could only consider himself unlucky and stalked away in anger.
As Su Tao passed by, she sneered with an unreadable expression and said in a mocking tone, “Some people really think they can do whatever they want just because they have a pretty face. It serves them right to end up like this.”
Luo Kai looked over, and Su Tao’s pupils constricted, cold sweat breaking out.
Soon, Luo Kai averted his gaze, as Shen Yue was taking him to the hospital.
—
Her pale fingertips brushed against the man’s dark skin. The cool, soft touch was like cotton, yielding and comfortable.
She lowered her head, her eyes filled with tears, like dew drops on flower petals on a summer morning. Her voice was soft and hoarse, “Does it hurt a lot?”
Such a large bruise, blackened and purple, how could it not hurt?
Luo Kai’s body stiffened slightly, his ears, hidden beneath his dark hair, flushing faintly. Shen Yue’s fingers gently stroked his cheek, sending a tingling sensation through his heart.
He truly felt no pain; on the contrary, he felt very happy.
The man’s face was covered in wounds, yet he still wore a foolish smile. He awkwardly and stammeringly comforted Shen Yue, whose eyes were red.
“No, it doesn’t hurt, really, truly not at all.”
The man’s smile was not particularly attractive. His once resolute and proper face was bruised and discolored, and his smile was so boyish and shy.
Shen Yue had intended not to cry, but seeing his foolish smile, her nose inexplicably stung, and tears rolled down her cheeks with her trembling. Her long eyelashes, like butterflies against the backlight, cast shadows across her fair face.
Luo Kai was at a loss. He didn’t understand why the woman was suddenly crying so pitifully, and it made his own heart ache and feel distressed.
He looked even more helpless and flustered than Shen Yue.
The more nervous he became, the more he stammered.
“Don’t, don’t cry, were you, scared, scared by it? Yes, I’m, I’m sorry…”
Even though he had done nothing wrong, the man was now sweating nervously, his clasped hands rigid and nowhere to rest. He wanted to touch the delicate and beautiful person before him, but he didn’t dare, so he just gripped the corner of his shirt tightly.
He gritted his teeth, staring intently at Shen Yue, and said softly, “Work, I lost my job, yes, I’m sorry…”
Luo Kai looked like an abandoned stray dog, hesitantly grabbing at his owner’s trouser leg, afraid of being left behind if he let go.
Shen Yue’s long eyelashes were still adorned with crystal-clear tear drops. Her voice was hoarse, with a slight tremor, as she hurriedly explained.
“No, it’s not that, it’s not because of you. It’s just, I feel like I’ve implicated you, caused you to lose this job, so I should be the one saying sorry.”
The tall, sturdy man relaxed when Shen Yue spoke half a sentence, but his muscles tensed again later.
His face was bloodless, his pupils trembling slightly. “No, don’t say it, sorry, don’t, say sorry to me.”
Luo Kai’s expression was almost pleading. His fingers trembled unconsciously, digging fiercely into his palm, and bright red blood trickled from between his fingers.
The three words he least wanted to hear from Shen Yue were “I’m sorry.”
Shen Yue had never owed him an apology.
Everything was his willing sacrifice, his greatest honor.