Chapter 158: Another Chance
Wang Gege turned toward the door once again, determined to end the conversation before it could drag her any deeper into the past.
She had already said everything she wanted to say. There was nothing more she wished to hear.
But before she could take another step, Xie Rong suddenly reached out and caught her wrist.
"Furen, wait."
"Let go." Wang Gege immediately tried to pull her hand back. "I said I don’t want to talk anymore."
"This husband knows." He gently tried to pull her to his side.
"Then let go." Wang Gege struggled.
Xie Rong remained silent for a moment, his jaw tightening as though he had finally made up his mind about something. "No."
Wang Gege’s eyes widened. "Xie—no! I mean Ethan!"
Before she could react, he bent down and swept her off her feet, lifting her directly into his arms.
"Hey!" Wang Gege instinctively grabbed onto his shoulder, her eyes widening in disbelief. "What are you doing?! Put me down!"
"This husband is not letting Furen leave like this." He instantly turned with Wang Gege on his shoulder.
"You—" She struggled against him, but Xie Rong only tightened his hold, carrying her toward the inner bed chamber. "Xie Rong, put me down!"
He ignored her protests and continued forward, his expression unusually serious. "I know you do not want to hear the past."
"Then why are you carrying me away?!"
"Because if Furen leaves now, this husband may never get another chance to explain." He pushed open the door to the bed chamber and carried her inside.
Wang Gege stared at him in disbelief. "Are you planning to lock me in here?"
"No." Xie Rong finally lowered her onto the edge of the bed, but he did not immediately step away. "This husband simply wants Furen to stay long enough to listen."
Wang Gege glared at him. "And if I still refuse?"
Xie Rong looked at her quietly for a moment before his expression gradually turned serious. "Then this husband will have to remind Furen who your husband is and make you listen."
Wang Gege’s eyes widened. "You dare?"
"This husband has already dared to carry Furen into the bedchamber," Xie Rong replied calmly. "What makes Furen think this husband will be frightened by a glare?"
Wang Gege stared at him, completely speechless.
"You..." Her fingers tightened around her sleeve. "You really have become shameless after transmigrating."
A faint smile finally appeared on Xie Rong’s lips.
"Perhaps this husband learned it from Furen..." He tilted his head slightly. "If this husband wants something, such as a kiss, then this husband simply needs to be straightforward about it..."
"Asking... not forcing!" Wang Gege cut him off instantly, correcting him.
Xie Rong’s smile widened. "Yes. Asking, not forcing."
He leaned slightly closer, his voice carrying a hint of amusement. "Then may this husband ask Furen for a kiss?"
Wang Gege’s eyes widened. "No!"
"See?" Xie Rong straightened again, looking completely unbothered. "This husband asked."
"You—"
Annoyed, she closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
"I am currently explaining the situation... You are forcing me to stay here and listen to something that I have already refused to hear."
Xie Rong’s smile slowly faded. "I know."
"Then why are you still doing this?"
"Because this husband does not want Furen to leave while believing that this husband never cared about you."
Wang Gege opened her eyes and stared at him. "I don’t care a... ny... more!"
"This husband..." Xie Rong leaned closer to Wang Gege, his voice unusually soft. "Cares."
"Move..."
Wang Gege immediately placed both hands against his chest, trying to push him away and create some distance between them. However, Xie Rong continued leaning closer, forcing her to slowly retreat until her back finally touched the mattress.
She glared at him, her hands still pressed against his chest. "Xie Rong..."
He stopped.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Wang Gege’s breathing had become slightly uneven, partly from frustration and partly because the sudden closeness made her heart beat faster than she wanted it to.
"Get off me."
Xie Rong remained still, his face only inches away from hers. "Let’s talk like this..."
"Xu Jingchen!" Wang Gege blurted out his actual name in a mixture of panic and anger.
For a moment, Xie Rong simply stared at her. Then, slowly, a smile appeared on his lips.
"It has been a long time since I heard that name." His voice softened, carrying a warmth that Wang Gege had not expected. "Especially from you."
He paused, his smile becoming more pronounced.
"I never thought that after coming to this world, the first time I would hear someone call me Xu Jingchen again..." His gaze remained fixed on her. "It would be you."
Wang Gege’s expression stiffened. Something about the way he said it made her heart tighten.
Xie Rong lowered his voice, "And somehow, hearing it from you makes that name feel more familiar than it ever did before."
Wang Gege immediately looked away. "Don’t make it sound so sentimental."
"But I am not lying." He replied.
She glared at him, "You are still on top of me."
Xie Rong blinked. Then, with absolutely no shame, he replied, "I know."
"Then move."
"This husband will move..." He paused deliberately. "After Furen agrees to listen."
Wang Gege stared at him in disbelief. "Just move your fucking body!"
"Then let’s talk like this..." Xie Rong said, raising his hand as he slowly untied the blindfold around his eyes. "And this husband believes talking eye to eye would be better..."
The moment the blindfold loosened, Wang Gege’s chest heaved faster as she glared at him.
She had seen his eyes before.
She had seen the unusual eyes of Xie Rong countless times since marrying him, but somehow, seeing them now felt completely different.
Because this time, she was not looking at Xie Rong. She was looking at Ethan Xu.
The man she had known long before she ever became Shen Taotao. The man whose face she had spent years trying to forget.
Xie Rong watched her silently for a moment before his lips curved into a faint smile.
"So... let’s talk..."
"Like this?" Wang Gege’s forehead furrowed deeply as she stared at him in disbelief. "Are you crazy?"
"This husband will go crazier if I don’t let everything out right now." His smile faded, replaced by a seriousness that made his words feel heavier. "Who knows what will happen later? This husband doesn’t want to lose you again..."
Wang Gege’s expression stiffened.
Xie Rong’s gaze remained fixed on hers. "This husband lost you once without even knowing that I was losing you." His voice became quieter. "This time, now that I have finally found you again, how could this husband possibly remain calm and wait for another chance?"