Chapter 31: Reaping What One Has Sown

To spend a lifetime seeking a love as gentle as water, to find someone who cares for your every joy and sorrow. Not every platform has the first release of the best romance—just search, and you'll know.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Those three words drained her of all strength. When she finished speaking, she felt as though every inch of flesh and bone within her began to collapse. She could almost hear the faint sound of shattering, pain radiating through her body, so intense she trembled. Still, she begged him—even if it was in vain—because for her mother, for the future, she had to yield, had to offer up her dignity with both hands. Whether he cherished or trampled it was no longer her concern; she had done her best.

“Mistake? Tell me, what did you do wrong?” He released her and leaned back against a pillar, watching her with leisurely composure.

“I…I shouldn’t have insulted you. I shouldn’t have embarrassed you in public. I shouldn’t have…” She didn’t know how to continue listing her “crimes” that evening, but then he slowly approached her, took her injured hand, and his smile twisted at the faint trace of blood. In the next second, he pressed down hard on the wound, as though he wished to crush every bone in her hand.

“Ah…” Xue Zuining convulsed in pain, but the man’s cool voice brushed her ear, “If you ever dare to do this again, you won’t need to lift a finger—I’ll make sure you get what you want.”

“Lu Huaining, are you…angry?” Xue Zuining gritted her teeth.

He said nothing more, his gaze sweeping over another obvious white bandage on her body before he asked, “What happened to your leg?”

“I fell earlier.”

“Bad enough to warrant all this bandaging?”

“I…fell on glass, so…”

Lu Huaining let out a cold laugh. “Next time you fall, pick a better spot. Understood? Now go upstairs—my room is at the end of the hallway on the second floor. Clean yourself up and lie down on the bed.”

Fine, let him do as he wants.

He didn’t follow her. She dragged her lonely shadow up the stairs, her head spinning. She accidentally stumbled against a guestroom door. As she straightened up, the door suddenly opened, and an alluring face appeared before her.

Yao Yao was startled to see Xue Zuining. She poked her head out to look both ways, saw no one else, and, recalling how she herself had just been coldly dismissed by Lu Huaining, she sneered, “You still have the nerve to come here? Do you think Young Master Lu will touch you? If it weren’t for you making him angry—”

Xue Zuining had no desire to engage and turned to leave, but Yao Yao, angered by her silence, followed and shoved her hard from behind. Dizzy and unprepared, Xue Zuining fell to the floor. Yao Yao pressed her foot down on Zuining’s injured leg, squinting with a smile, “Too bad I didn’t get the chance to push you like this earlier. If you’d landed on that pile of glass, you wouldn’t even be able to crawl into Young Master Lu’s room to shamelessly seduce him now.”

The villa was very quiet; even from the hallway, voices could be heard. Lu Huaining, returning from a smoke outside, hadn’t expected to overhear such a conversation. He hurried upstairs and saw Yao Yao grinding her heel into Xue Zuining’s wounded leg, her other foot poised to step on Zuining’s injured hand.

“Are you looking for death?”

Startled, Yao Yao turned, her legs giving way as she collapsed onto the floor. One glance from Lu Huaining made her feel as if she’d died and come back to life—she couldn’t even speak.

He didn’t waste a word on the scheming woman. Pointing at her, he said coldly, “Wait here.” Then he crouched down and scooped the unconscious, pain-racked Xue Zuining into his arms, carrying her swiftly to his own bed. The bandage on her leg was already stained with vivid red. When he peeled it back and saw the wound, he immediately went to the next room and knocked, “Feili, get Miss Xu for me—it’s urgent!”

A moment later, Xu Liunian emerged, face pale, clutching her collar to cover the injury at her collarbone. He had no time for pleasantries. “Please take care of her leg again.”

She seemed relieved, hurried into the room. Liang Feili’s eyes burned with suppressed anger, but his smile remained wicked. “Why are you calling my darling out at a time like this?”

Recalling Xu Liunian’s pained expression, Lu Huaining frowned and looked him in the eye. “Do a little less evil.”

Liang Feili replied slowly and deliberately, “Is that so? Have you forgotten how much evil her Xu family has done?”

Lu Huaining didn’t wish to continue the topic. Liang Feili leaned quietly against the door, catching his breath, then asked, “Is her injury serious? You’re good at treating wounds yourself—why insist on her doing it?”

“I’m no expert like Miss Xu. It’s not good for a young woman to be left with scars.”

Liang Feili’s half-closed eyes snapped open. “You care about her quite a bit, don’t you?”

“What happened today was my fault—I wronged her…” He paused, then continued, “The woman you found for me deceived all of us. You’re better at handling such things than I am—don’t let her off lightly.”

“Understood.” Liang Feili smiled faintly, then warned, “Keep an eye on Zhang Qikun these days—a cornered dog will leap the wall.”

Lu Huaining nodded, then returned to his room. He found Xu Liunian sitting on the edge of the bed, cleaning the blood from the wound with an alcohol swab. Her pajama sleeves were rolled up, and her fair arm bore fresh bruises from being gripped too tightly.

He looked away, turning to Xue Zuining, who was asleep on the bed. Even in sleep, her brows were tightly furrowed. Strands of hair, damp with cold sweat, clung to her pale face, making it appear even whiter against the black sheets.

“She’ll be all right, won’t she?” he asked.

Xu Liunian, bandaging the wound, replied, “She’ll be fine. The cut isn’t deep, but it reopened from the impact. Just make sure she keeps it dry for the next few days.”

He nodded, feeling a wave of restlessness. He walked to the window, lit a cigarette, and stared out into the smoky night.

A soft gasp sounded from the bed. He turned—her face was hidden by Xu Liunian’s figure, but he saw her leg shift. Then her gentle voice came, “Miss Xu?”

“Don’t move—you’ll start bleeding again.”

“What are you doing here?” She sounded clearer, but anxious. “Are you all right? What about your own injuries?”

Xu Liunian replied lightly, “I’m fine, used to it. Just don’t let the wound get wet, all right? I should get going now…”

Xue Zuining interrupted, “Going back? Maybe wait a little, until he’s asleep…”

“The longer you linger, the more he’ll…” Xu Liunian cut herself off, left without looking back, and closed the door softly behind her.

Xue Zuining lay still for a moment. Then, turning her head, she saw Lu Huaining by the window. A chill ran through her, and her fingers clenched the bedsheet tightly beneath her.

He stubbed out his cigarette, and walked toward her. She dared not retreat. His shadow fell across her, and his hand reached out, lifting her chin.