Chapter 2119 - 510: A Life Worse Than Death
"Don’t touch my mom with your filthy hands."
Ruan Wencheng collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of mud, his eyes staring fiercely in her direction, reaching out with a trembling hand, only to grasp a handful of empty air.
"No..." A broken moan escaped his throat.
Since Ruyue’s death, that scene had become an everlasting nightmare for him. Every night he dreamed of Ruyue; his guilt and unease grew day by day, and these emotions multiplied at the sight of Zhuang Fanxing. He thought that as long as he avenged Ruyue, he would find peace, so he placed all the blame on Zhuang Fanxing. The last remnants of affection between them were consumed by this daily torment, leaving no love, only endless hatred.
Until he was driven out of the house by his son, he didn’t dare admit his own failure. Yet again, he cowardly placed all the responsibility on Zhuang Fanxing, seeking a bit of solace. It was that hatred that sustained him up to now, and abiding by this principle, he finally achieved his goal. But when he accomplished everything and saw her peaceful face, those gentle and serene eyes that would never open again, he felt as if hit by a thunderbolt, something in his life was slipping away rapidly.
Was it hate or love? He could no longer distinguish.
Whether it was hate or love, the only certainty was that this woman had long since become an inseparable part of his life. To him, she was like the relationship between water and fish; he could no longer live without her.
In his mind clearly appeared the image of their first encounter at the cocktail party. Though she was still youthful, she possessed a unique elegance that made all the flamboyantly dressed women there fade into her background. Every frown and smile was mesmerizing. Though he prided himself on passing through a sea of flowers, he was captivated by this uniquely independent white lotus, diving headlong into her charm.
Time and again, fervent pursuits couldn’t win her backward glance; anyone would become disheartened, yet it only fueled his determination until an accidental opportunity revealed to him the depth of her feelings for another man hidden behind her indifference. The moment he discovered the truth, jealousy drove him mad. He repeatedly told himself to let go, but his inner demons ultimately overwhelmed his reason. He used his influence to find that man and force him to leave her. He envied everything about that man, hating him for possessing her heart, yet what the other man said left him utterly defeated.
"Even if I leave her, she won’t love you. A conceited man like you has no understanding of what love is."
He didn’t understand love? That was the biggest joke under the sun, yet he was struck dumb.
Born into the biggest aristocracy in Hong Kong, with half-siblings galore, he was always familiar with the schemes and plots among them. Emerging from sibling rivalry early, he understood human nature’s good and evil, so why not play life as a carefree playboy? After all, he had everything, and women were never lacking. True affection seemed nothing more than a laughable moon in the water.
Until the moment he met that woman at the cocktail party, everything changed.
With a sincerely pure heart, he waited for her backward glance, but step by step she forced him into despair. That night, it was his last confession. He didn’t expect her to agree; at that moment, he was elated like a child. It was the happiest moment of his life; before, he never had it, and afterward, he never would again.
However, when he understood why she agreed, that passionate heart rapidly turned cold, and amid great joy and sorrow, his unwillingness and jealousy reached a peak.
Yet even so, he wanted selfishly to keep her by his side. With such feelings, they entered the halls of marriage. From then on, she lost her heart. Can you imagine the frustration of facing a block of wood during consummation at night? He felt no love or the tenderness of a wife from her, only endless distance and a closed heart.
Over time, anyone would grow weary, especially since he was someone who liked new things and tired of the old. So when his childhood sweetheart cousin sought refuge with him due to family troubles, he gradually succumbed, charmed by the gentle cousin amid forbidden love excitement and revenge. Her indifference completely infuriated him. Why was she always so indifferent, as if nothing and no one in the world could matter to her? He used his cousin to exact revenge on her, treating it like a game. He relished finding traces of care in her expression, but unfortunately, he was utterly disappointed.