Chapter 584 - 379: Tokyo Trip (8)
"Yaoyao told me not to tell you," Jiangg Ning said faintly, turning her head to look away. "I think you know perfectly well why she suddenly left Lanjing."
"I don't."
"You know perfectly well. Stop pretending you don't," Jiangg Ning snapped, whipping her head around to glare at Chen Yuan.
"Fine. So what if I know she left to escape this tangled mess between the three of us? What's your point? I didn't stop her, isn't that enough? Is she even safe going to Edo Prefecture alone? Hasn't Yaoyao been by your side her whole life? You're just going to—"
"So now you're blaming me? Is that it?"
Jiangg Ning couldn't understand it. She stared at Chen Yuan for a long moment before letting out a sudden, scornful laugh, finding his attitude unbelievable.
"You shouldn't have let her go. A girl going abroad all by herself... there's nothing more foolish than that."
"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, it's because you insisted that the three of us could 'live happily together' that she lost faith in you? That's why Yaoyao made this choice! Why can't you ever look for the problem with yourself? Does this have anything to do with me? Do you think I *wanted* to watch my own sister leave for a strange city? Do you think I wanted this!?"
Jiangg Ning's accusations were exceptionally sharp.
In the year since she'd met Chen Yuan, she had lost her composure and thrown more tantrums than in the previous twenty-five years of her life combined.
It was a perfect confirmation of the fears she'd had when she first decided to fall in love.
Loving someone meant imprisoning yourself. It meant your once-peaceful life would be turned completely upside down. No one could have known how much they would all have to sacrifice for this relationship.
Their love was a mess, and so was their hate.
But as for regrets... it was already too late.
"I'm not trying to blame you. I knew I'd make you angry today. Just like I said before, I'm willing to face any consequences for telling you my true feelings, Jiangg Ning," Chen Yuan said, opening the car door and looking at her. "When will you finally understand how I feel?"
"Don't say such useless things. It's precisely because of that idea of yours that we've ended up like this. It's because of that idea! That's why Jiangg Yao left... I thought after a month, you might have done some self-reflection, but you're still completely delusional."
"I'm not wrong. Why should I have to reflect on anything?"
"If you're not wrong... then why are both Jiangg Yao and I trying to leave you?" she pressed.
Jiangg Ning got out of the car too. She and Chen Yuan stood a short distance apart, staring at each other.
"Because you're unwilling to accept my request."
"So you'll do whatever it takes to keep me tied to your side?"
"What else am I supposed to do? Just stand by and watch you leave?"
Chests heaving, neither was willing to back down an inch. On this fundamental issue, their argument erupted once more.
After a long moment, Jiangg Ning took a few deep breaths, managing to calm down slightly. She walked over to Chen Yuan's side and asked him in earnest.
"Chen Yuan, I'm being serious. If you wake up and see reason now, you and I still have a chance. You and Yaoyao would still have a chance. Whichever one of us you choose, the other will be genuinely happy for you and offer her blessing... Believe me. Please, stop chipping away at the feelings we used to have. Aren't you afraid that one day, Yaoyao and I won't have a single shred of affection left for you?"
The private airport was silent, enveloped in the murky, dim light of the night. A glimmer shone in Jiangg Ning's eyes, her pupils reflecting his face.
The two beams from the car's headlights cast a brilliant glare, piercing the darkness.
"No." Chen Yuan shook his head.
As she watched him shake his head, a look of despair washed over Jiangg Ning's eyes.
"I've decided to go to Edo Prefecture. I'm leaving right now. I won't let Jiangg Yao be so far away all by herself. And I'm not just going to bring Jiangg Yao back—I'm going to make you stay by my side, too. If one year isn't enough, then it'll be two. If two years aren't enough, then three... I will prove that I can protect you both. I will prove that I can marry you both. No matter how painful it gets, I won't give up. And nothing you say can change my mind."
"You're so arrogant... I can't even talk to you."
"Jiangg Ning."
"What now?"
"Marry me. Think about it. Along with Yaoyao..." Chen Yuan said earnestly, leaning closer.
"Just get the hell away from me!"
In the dead of night, a crisp SLAP echoed, piercing the silence.
The slap that had been held back for so long finally landed, striking Chen Yuan hard across the face. His head snapped to the side as a fiery pain flared across his left cheek.
A moment later, Chen Yuan let out a sigh.
"Go ahead. Feels pretty good, to be honest."
"You're unbelievable!"
After slapping him, Jiangg Ning had been about to turn and get back in her car to leave. But when she heard what he said, she was so furious she nearly collapsed on the spot. Her vision swam, and with a vicious curse, she slammed the car door shut and revved the engine.
She spun the car around and vanished in an instant.
Chen Yuan knew his behavior was shameless, but this wasn't the first time he'd made such a request.
He didn't care. The first time's the hardest, and he was used to it by now. He felt no psychological burden saying such shameless things anymore.
Chen Yuan rubbed his cheek and watched the taillights recede into the distance. He muttered a few words to himself, then started walking toward the private jet, preparing to fly to Jiangg Yao's side that very night.
'Getting cursed at and slapped isn't painful.'
'What's truly painful... is when Jiangg Ning treats me like I'm invisible, when she won't even look me in the eye. That's what truly makes me anxious and miserable.'