145. Crazy

"Damn it! What are you doing?!"

With the screech of emergency brakes, the car stopped on the roadside. Xia Yuwei was still desperately pulling at the car door handle.

Was she actually trying to... jump out of a moving vehicle?!

Fortunately, his car had an automatic locking system engaged the moment it started moving, otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable!

Seizing her hand as it gripped the door handle, Lu Yichen roared, "Are you insane?! Have you got a death wish?!"

"Compared to being with you, I'd rather choose death," she said coldly. His hand held onto her side of the car door as he leaned slightly over her, and she could feel his violent heartbeat and the heavy rise and fall of his chest. His scorching breath seemed capable of burning her skin. Perhaps, there really had been such a terrifying, fleeting impulse in her heart. Yet, for him, was it truly worth it?

He sneered. "You'd rather die than be with me. Fine."

"In any case, it's none of your business. Let me out of the car."

"None of my business. Fine."

After a moment of silence, he repeated her words, let go of her hand, and straightened his posture.

To avoid being with him, she was actually willing to jump out of a car! His heart was still racing uncontrollably; she had almost scared him to death just now. Yet all she said was that he shouldn't interfere with her. Was she determined to use this method to torture him? Or was this the only way she knew, through all these years, to fight back against his dominance?

A warm summer breeze blew past, lifting her slightly disheveled hair. In the evening wind, Lu Yichen looked at her at such close range, only to find that she had become so completely unreachable.

The two people who had once been the closest in the world were now standing mere inches apart, looking at each other as if separated by the ends of the earth.

He fell silent for a moment, wanting to say something, but nothing came out. Finally, with a sigh, he unlocked the car door.

Xia Yuwei lifted her foot, stepped out of the car, and walked away.

As she walked and walked, Xia Yuwei suddenly realized that her face was freezing, streaked with line after line of tears.

Why, why did she have to run into him again? Why was there nowhere she could escape him?

***

Why did he have to treat her this way? What was his game? He could protect her for a moment, but he couldn't protect her for a lifetime...

He scolded her, glared at her, and accused her of lacking self-respect and making a fool of him. Who did he think he was? He was more detestable than anyone else.

She had already grown numb. Only by numbing herself could she find any happiness and escape his shadow. Why did he have to jump back into her life now to remind her of it all?

***

Back at the bar, Shao Minghan had already taken care of everything, making sure those two scumbags would never show their faces in City C again. However, he found himself deeply intrigued by the woman who had provoked Lu Yichen into throwing punches. It seemed this woman was the very "Weiwei" hidden deep within his heart.

To his surprise, he watched this same woman return to the bar alone.

Sitting at the counter, Shao Minghan watched Xia Yuwei with keen interest.

Lulu was still serving drinks and waiting for Xia Yuwei. Seeing her walk in, she hurried over to ask, "Vivian, are you alright? You scared me to death just now..."

"I'm fine," Xia Yuwei said with a forced smile. "I just went out for a walk. I was in a bad mood earlier, but I'm all right now."

"Vivian, hang in there, take care of yourself. I've already made three bottles in sales tonight. You can do it too!" Relieved to see Xia Yuwei back safe and sound, Lulu went to the counter, grabbed a tray and a bottle of liquor, and handed them to her.

Xia Yuwei pulled herself together and got back to work. Her night shift ended at midnight. Even if she really wanted to quit, she had to push through these next few days, otherwise, it would truly be too humiliating. As for the grievances of being bullied by others, it wasn't as if she hadn't experienced them; in fact, she had endured quite a lot. Hadn't she always managed to get through them alone? Why did a few words from Lu Yichen make everything feel so unbearable?

Shao Minghan called her over and purchased three bottles of G.P. liquor from her, leaving them stored at the bar. Xia Yuwei didn't recognize who he was, as she hadn't paid him any attention earlier.

***

Returning home, she kicked off her high heels, slipped into her slippers, took her pajamas from the bedroom closet, and headed into the bathroom to shower.

She shed her clothes and turned on the shower, letting the water wash over her body.

When she finished, holding a towel, she looked through the double-sided mirror at her back. There were several large bruises, their reddish hue mixed with an eerie, shadowy black. She couldn't even bear to touch them; just the sight of them was deeply shocking.

***

Draped in a bath towel, she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her damp hair framed skin that was smooth, firm, and white without a single wrinkle, betraying no sign of her age. The lines of her body were graceful and fluid, resembling a well-proportioned, undulating painting.

This body was so youthful, so beautiful, like a flawless work of art.

For eight years, no one had embraced this body, no one had caressed it. The only one who appreciated the beauty of her body was herself.

Pitying her own reflection—was this what they called self-pity?

Were these the finest eight years of her life, spent entirely in this manner?

Perhaps she had simply failed herself too deeply.

***

Watching the lights on the pitch-black upper floor flicker on, and then, after an unknown length of time, extinguish once more, the entire building plunged back into total darkness.

Lu Yichen hadn't realized how long he had been lingering beneath her apartment.

Memories of the past surged into his mind, scene after scene.

Back then, he had been willful, while she was gentle. She had ached for his sacrifices and suffered for his pain, plunging headlong into madness right alongside him.

And now...

If she knew he was standing here, she would surely hate him even more, wouldn't she?