The girl seemed to be angered by his words, her lips pressed tightly together, suppressing her rage.
His gaze inadvertently fell upon Shen Yue's tightly pursed lips. He noticed they were much redder than usual. Previously pale pink, they were now a delicate blush, like the color of crabapple blossoms, tender and alluring. Against her exceptionally fair skin, they were particularly striking, exuding a captivating charm that could easily make one lose themselves, her rosy-hued eyes seeming to hold a touch of allure.
The more Tang Zhe looked, the more he felt something was amiss. His heart began to pound wildly, and he almost dared not look at Shen Yue, cursing himself inwardly for being so disoriented. To think he was experiencing such inappropriate desires so abruptly in broad daylight.
Shen Yue, having been immersed in the atmosphere, didn't notice Tang Zhe's discomfort. She stared at him coldly.
She parted her lips, each word carrying a sharp intensity. "One must receive the due punishment for wrongdoing. I will not let this matter rest."
β
The weather remained cold; winter had not yet departed.
Shen Yue did not linger outside for long before returning in a hurry.
However, she hadn't expected the man who should have been at his company to be sitting on the sofa, engrossed in his phone. Hearing her enter, he didn't look up. His long fingers tapped on the phone screen, likely sending a message.
He finally put down his phone and raised his head only after Shen Yue had changed into her slippers and walked over.
His handsome face revealed no emotion. "Where did you go?"
As Shen Yue approached, she detected a strong smell of smoke. She frowned first. Wei Jingzhou rarely smoked in front of her. At least, she had never seen a cigarette butt at home; at most, he would sneak a puff or two behind her back and then meticulously dispose of the evidence.
The smoke now was practically stinging her eyes.
Shen Yue moved a little further away and casually spun a lie. "Nowhere, just went for a walk nearby."
He glanced at Shen Yue, his tone turning odd, laced with a false smile. He gently retorted, "Is that so? Really just went for a walk nearby?"
Shen Yue avoided his eyes, instead looking at the cigarette butts in the ashtray. "Didn't you promise me you wouldn't smoke anymore?"
Her tone, dismissive of his questioning, finally shattered his outward composure. His expression grew somber.
"Yes, and do you remember what you promised me? Didn't I tell you not to see Tang Zhe? How dare you meet him behind my back!"
Wei Jingzhou slammed his still-lit phone onto the table. Shen Yue lowered her head to see a photo on the phone screen: it was her and Tang Zhe sitting on a bench, chatting. She had just leaned in to look at a photo in Tang Zhe's hand, and he had lowered his head at the same time.
Perhaps it was the angle of the photographer, but the image gave off an ambiguous impression, making it seem as though they were about to kiss.
For a moment, Shen Yue didn't know what to say. She met Wei Jingzhou's furious gaze blankly, his eyes burning as if he wanted to devour her.
He stood up and firmly gripped Shen Yue's slender wrist, his voice laced with ferocity.
"If you just tell me the truth honestly, I'll listen! But why do you always make excuses to lie to me? Why do you always treat me like an idiot?!"
Shen Yue wasn't trying to find an excuse to placate Wei Jingzhou. She had tried to explain seriously before, but Wei Jingzhou hadn't believed her and had thrown a tantrum. Since that was the case, she might as well make an excuse that would make Wei Jingzhou feel less hurt.
After all, she hadn't done anything to betray Wei Jingzhou.
Her eyes reddening, the pure, fair-skinned girl's delicate face was filled with extreme grievance, as if terrified by the man's ferocious and frightening demeanor.
"Wei Jingzhou, why are you being so fierce? Tang Zhe and I just exchanged a few words, we didn't do anything."
Even with her explanation, Wei Jingzhou showed no sign of believing her. Instead, his somber expression became even more chilling and frightening.
He laughed mockingly. "Do you need to be so close to say a few words? You two were practically kissing! Is there anything that absolutely must be said while kissing?"
He grabbed Shen Yue's wrist, his grip so strong it almost made a crunching sound.
Shen Yue gritted her teeth in pain, her face pale. Unable to bear it any longer, she cried out, "Wei Jingzhou!"
The man's voice roared even louder than hers, almost a shout. Her ears were filled with his enraged roar.
"How long have I been gone, and you're already betraying me! Do you want me toβ"
With a loud smack, Shen Yue slapped him hard.
She looked at Wei Jingzhou, who had finally fallen silent and was glaring at her, his expression almost consuming her to the bone. Her palm ached from the force of the blow.
Straining to stand steady, Shen Yue simply couldn't stand his foul language any longer.
"How can you say that about me? I, I'm pregnant with your child, so why are you so suspicious all the time?"
In his extreme anger, rationality had been momentarily replaced. He hadn't even processed what he was saying before his mouth instinctively blurted out,
"Who knows whose child that is?"
The moment the words left his mouth, silence fell.
Wei Jingzhou stood frozen, his dark pupils widening slightly, his fingers clenching tightly until the tips turned pale.
His grip on the girl's hand unconsciously loosened.
The girl first stared at him with disbelief, her eyes wide. Then, the expression on her beautiful face gradually vanished, and her gaze seemed to turn cold.
As if disappointed to the extreme, her eyes lost their luster, and the delicate starlight that had once shone when looking at him faded away.
"..."
Wei Jingzhou fell silent.
Or rather, he didn't know what to say now. He seemed to want to explain, but he didn't know how.
He didn't even dare to meet the girl's gaze. Unconsciously, his fingers tightened, digging into his palm, and bright red blood trickled from between his fingers.
His mind was filled with the look in the girl's eyes just now. A panic and bitterness spreading from the depths of his heart followed suit.
It caused Wei Jingzhou's heart to ache as if it were being torn apart.
He couldn't face the girl before him. In a state of extreme panic, he scrambled out of the room in a fluster.
His retreating figure, resembling a hasty escape, looked particularly disheveled.
He didn't even bother to close the door. The whistling cold wind blew in. The girl stood alone, her slender figure appearing frail and vulnerable.
Perhaps it was due to the intense emotions of the day, but by evening, Shen Yue's stomach ached terribly, causing her to toss and turn, unable to sleep.
The room was warm, and the bedding was thick, yet Shen Yue still felt an intense cold, a chill that seeped from the very marrow of her bones, making her teeth chatter uncontrollably.
She broke out in a cold sweat, her forehead hair plastered to her skin.
A wave of sharp pain surged through her, stimulating her nerves. Her stomach felt as if it were being pierced by a thousand burning blades, and an agonizing pain spread throughout her entire body.