Zhang Duan Yiheng had endured long enough! This unspoken understanding shouldn't have been broken tonight; it was her tears that had brought it to the surface. When Sister Mei called, the embarrassment of being rejected vanished instantly.
Consider it one last chance. He couldn't let her spend the whole night lost in thought. He knew best how long a night could be.
Lin Xi's palms were damp with a thin layer of sweat from his blunt words. She rubbed them against her pajamas, her breathing quickening involuntarily, her heart pounding in her chest. She pinched her hand hard, warning herself to stay rational: "I don't know."
"Then look up at me," Duan Yiheng said. "Look into my eyes and tell me you don't know I like you, that you have no feelings for me whatsoever. If you say it, I will never pester you."
The word "like" floated lightly from his lips. Lin Xi's heart pounded with nervousness. Duan Yiheng added fuel to the fire: "This is the only and last chance I'm giving you to escape me, as long as you look me in the eye and say it."
His expression was serious, his tone grave. Lin Xi hurriedly looked up, meeting his deep eyes. "Tell me, do you know I like you?" In this world, if emotions could be rational, there wouldn't be so many people tormented by love.
Lin Xi had no way to avoid it, and nodded, choking back tears, "I know." Duan Yiheng chuckled, his clenched fist relaxing, and sighed deeply after getting the answer, "I thought you had no heart for me."
Lin Xi looked at his rare, bright smile, feeling both guilty and heartbroken, "So what if I know?" Duan Yiheng's smile faded, a hidden unease flashing in his eyes, "What do you mean?" Lin Xi looked up at him:
"I admit I guessed you might like me, but that doesn't mean I'll be with you." "Tell me your concerns." Duan Yiheng's expression turned colder, "See if I'm as firm as a rock, or hesitant and uncertain?"
Lin Xi seemed to see through his thoughts, saying, "I'm hesitant and uncertain, because I have nothing." Duan Yiheng disagreed with her, "You have me, you have Sister Mei, you have Grandpa." Lin Xi stubbornly denied, "I have nothing, I have nothing at all."
She couldn't meet Duan Yiheng's burning gaze, and could only examine herself under his repeated pressure. "I don't have a family background that matches yours, so naturally I can't be of any help to you;
My household registration is with the Meng family, so legally speaking, we can't be together; I had feelings for Duan Mingxuan, and I don't want us to cause trouble and gossip… Don't you understand all of this?"
Duan Yiheng frowned, wanting to retort, but couldn't find the words. From Lin Xi's perspective, she had to consider all aspects and couldn't be reckless or unrestrained. "Grandpa has been good to me, and I can't be ungrateful."
Lin Xi composed herself. "Since I entered the Duan family at six, I've struggled to maintain every close relationship, putting in so much effort." "To put it bluntly, you're a suck-up. Such relationships are exhausting."
Lin Xi's eyes welled up, and tears rolled down her cheeks again. "But I've gotten used to it. No matter how much Chen Baiwei goes too far, I can't truly hate her. I want to break free from this unequal relationship, but I can't stand up straight in front of you Duan family members."
"The only love I have left, I hope is mutual affection and respect, true love—" "Stop talking." Duan Yiheng interrupted her, wiping away her tears with his fingertips. "You can do whatever you want, just don't cry." Another string of tears rolled down Lin Xi's cheeks.
"You know what I'm thinking, right?"
"Yes." Duan Yiheng said. "I don't blame you for being sensitive. I just want to ask you, do you care about me at all?" Lin Xi finally gave in: "Yes, I do."
Duan Yiheng's breath hitched, and he pulled Lin Xi into his arms. A fleeting moment of sweetness followed, and Lin Xi couldn't bear to push him away. She tried to hold back her tears and rubbed her face against his shoulder. After a long while, Duan Yiheng lifted her chin, making her look at him:
"You said you've given your all in every intimate relationship, right?" Lin Xi nodded. "But you've never given anything in our relationship, only rejection."
Duan Yiheng's voice carried obvious grievance. "It seems unfair to me." "What do you want?" Lin Xi asked. "You're not allowed to accept Zhou Zheng," Duan Yiheng said bluntly. "Not even an act." Lin Xi frowned:
"You and Tan—" "I only have a working relationship with her," Duan Yiheng said. "Understand?" Lin Xi nodded blankly. Duan Yiheng gazed at her adorable expression and said, "You don't understand. If there's even the slightest hint of trouble with Grandpa, you'll still push me away."
Lin Xi felt extremely wronged: "I don't want to either." But she didn't dare disobey. Duan Yiheng: "You shouldn't be thinking about it. You've never even tried to make any effort for our relationship, so why are you pushing me out?" "I tried when we were kids, but you ignored me," Lin Xi accused.
Duan Yiheng: "I'm talking about now, about our relationship." Lin Xi: "In the end, you've led us into a dead end." She felt a bittersweet mix of emotions—bitter because they couldn't be together, sweet because they both had feelings for each other. "Then let's not go out."
Duan Yiheng bent down, his forehead touching hers. "Let's set aside all the constraints of our relationship, treat it like a game for adults, and come to my side." He had originally intended to proceed patiently and gradually. But Zhou Zheng's appearance had created a sense of crisis.
Regardless, the brave should enjoy the world first. He needed to get Lin Xi into his grasp as soon as possible, under whatever pretext. He would address her concerns one by one, but he couldn't wait until she had found someone else. He feared he would go mad. Hearing his words, Lin Xi was stunned: "You want me to be your lover?" "Why not say I'm your lover?" Duan Yiheng coaxed, almost kissing her nose. "My demands aren't high, just give me whatever you want each month." Lin Xi:
"...Don't joke around." She couldn't afford that either. "I promise no one will know."
Duan Yiheng whispered, "You can stop anytime you want, I won't say no. It'll be a small, private space, just between you and me. Our relationship will temporarily exist only in this small space."
Lin Xi was moved yet restrained, ignoring the word "temporarily" in his words. Perhaps, she could just treat it as having a boyfriend her parents disapproved of, taste the flavor of love, and then go her separate ways? But could that really be possible? Her remaining morality and reason constantly pulled her apart.
Duan Yiheng didn't give her a chance to think things through. He shamelessly stepped forward, grabbed her waist, and pinned her against the wall. Lin Xi was startled: "What are you doing?" She hadn't agreed yet. Duan Yiheng lowered his head, revealing a gentle smile:
"If you agree, give me a kiss, and that'll seal the deal." Lin Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she pursed her lips. Duan Yiheng tightened his grip on her waist: "Hurry up."
He was a tempting, poisoned apple. Lin Xi, captivated, stood on tiptoe and gave him a light, fleeting kiss: "Like this?" Duan Yiheng's eyes deepened, and he murmured restrainedly, "Open your mouth."