Upon hearing her words, Lu Jingchen suddenly froze, then sneered, "You’ve just spent one day with that man, and you’re already thinking about helping him?"
As he finished speaking, a hint of anger became evident, almost questioning her with clenched teeth.
Song Qiao paused, then smiled at him, the amusement in her eyes deepening bit by bit, yet she spoke casually, "Do whatever pleases you. If you can’t bear to part with Zuo Yuqing, divorce me and marry her directly. Isn’t that simple?"
The man’s expression immediately grew even darker, as if a storm was about to break, his grip around her waist tightened, his gaze narrowed, and he placed his head on her shoulder, breathing softly against her exposed neck, speaking with a taunting sneer, "I didn’t realize, Song Qiao, you’ve become so generous, sharing your husband with another woman now."
The man’s grip on her waist suddenly increased in strength, causing her to furrow her brows tightly, biting her lips, determined not to make a sound, despite the pain that felt like her bones were about to dislocate.
Seeing her enduring look, Lu Jingchen sneered briefly, then abruptly pulled her onto the bed.
Song Qiao hadn’t even reacted before she was already pinned onto the bed, with him on top, her heart skipped a beat, her beautiful eyes widened directly at the man in front of her, almost speaking through clenched teeth, "Lu Jingchen, what are you doing? Let me go."
However, the man seemed not to hear, not only binding her small hands above her head with one large hand but also using his legs to press her legs so she couldn’t move, his free hand gripping her chin, his lips wandering over her cheeks, chin, neck, and collarbone.
Song Qiao’s heart was already racing, now under his restraint, it felt like it would leap into her throat; her mind was more chaotic, struggling hard but unable to break free, "Lu Jingchen... what are you doing? Let me go... Lu Jingchen..."
Yet the man seemed not to hear her, working fiercely to leave marks on her body, as if his emotions were completely out of control.
She wore a nightgown, which somehow slipped off easily, the man binding her, methodically and calmly undoing his shirt buttons, eyes fixed on her face, hidden desire in his gaze.
"Lu Jingchen, you can’t do this..." Song Qiao, seeing his composed look, felt more chaotic inside, screaming to leave, yet unable to break free from his grip, "Are you mad? Let me go..."
The shirt came undone, then tossed to the floor, yet he calmly approached her again, taking her small hand to his belt buckle, kissing her chin softly, his voice deepened by desire, "Be good, help me undo it!"
"No." Her response was decisive and immediate, without a bit of thought, as Song Qiao struggled to break his hold.
However, the man remained indifferent, his large hand directly grasping hers to undo the buckle, drawing it out and tossing it to the floor.
She hadn’t fully reacted before he efficiently stripped off all his clothes, dropping them onto the ground, leaning in, gripping her chin, heavily sealing her lips, whispering her name softly like a lover, "Qiaoqiao."
...
This encounter lasted until late into the night, only when Song Qiao was utterly exhausted and fainted did the man leave her body.
The wall lamp in the room stayed lit, the whole place emanating a romantic aura.
Lu Jingchen leaned against the bed, gazing down at her delicate face nestled in his arm; her face bore the traces of tears from moments ago, even her eyes were swollen.
His usually cold, emotionless eyes softened, seeing her red, swollen eyes, recalling her incessant hoarse pleas for mercy, a flash of heartache passed through his eyes.
He indeed went too far tonight, tormenting her as if consumed by fury, using every means possible, even when she begged for mercy, he didn’t relent.
He took a cigarette and lighter from the bedside drawer, lighting the cigarette, taking a puff, the scent filling his nostrils, gently exhaling a gray-blue plume.
Because he had lost control this time, exhausting her for hours, the porridge Chen Ma cooked had been left standing, already cold.
He truly lost his temper because of Song Qiao’s words, and her attitude.
Song Qiao slept uncomfortably, firstly for not cleaning herself after the encounter, having a mild cleanliness obsession, she felt unpleasant all over.
Secondly, as she slept, it felt like something was pressing her head, the air filled with an unpleasant odor—smoke.
Since marrying Lu Jingchen, she’s never allowed him to smoke in the bedroom, not liking the smell.
Utterly exhausted, Song Qiao forced her eyes open slightly, spotting the man smoking next to her, immediately grew furious, grabbing a nearby pillow, she hurled it at him, speaking through clenched teeth, "Lu Jingchen, smoke outside, don’t smoke in the bedroom."
He easily evaded her attack, gazing downward at the woman already awake, extinguishing the cigarette in the ashtray with a hint of apology, "Sorry, couldn’t help it, next time I won’t. Sleep tight."
After throwing a pillow, she suddenly felt as if all her strength had drained away. She stopped looking at the man beside her and lay on the bed powerlessly, closing her eyes and muttering, "Bastard, beast!"
Looking down at the face that had once again fallen asleep, Lu Jingchen spoke softly, "Qiaoqiao, how about I carry you to take a bath?"
No response. This time she was truly asleep.
The physical difference between a woman and a man is naturally significant, especially after being tormented by him for hours. Already feeling exhausted, the woman couldn’t take any more of it.
Without getting a response, Lu Jingchen acted as if she tacitly agreed, directly pulling off the quilt and getting out of bed, walking around to the other side, and picking her up in his arms to head to the bathroom.
...
Song Qiao awoke from her sleep because she was hungry.
Opening her eyes, she groggily stared at the ceiling and the crystal chandelier. Memories from the previous night instantly flooded her mind, causing her to unconsciously furrow her brows.
When she was about to move, she felt pain all over, as if she had been disassembled and reassembled. Unable to hold back, she cursed softly, "Beast."
The bedroom no longer had a trace of the man. The spot beside her had long lost its warmth, and the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows were open, letting the sun shine directly in. Judging by the light, it must be noon.
Since today was Sunday and she didn’t need to go to work, there was no rush to get up. She glanced at the clock and realized it was already past ten.
She had already been changed into familiar pajamas, and there was no sticky feeling, suggesting Lu Jingchen had helped clean her up. But even so, it didn’t mean she would forgive him.
After lying in bed for quite a while, she finally flung off the quilt and got out of bed.
Twenty minutes later, after finishing her morning routines and changing clothes, she stepped out of the room.
Just as she was about to go downstairs, she ran into Aunt Chen who was preparing to come up and clean.
Seeing Song Qiao, Aunt Chen immediately smiled and said, "Madam, you’re up. Earlier, the gentleman instructed us not to wake you and to let you sleep a little longer."
Hearing Aunt Chen’s words, Song Qiao’s face inexplicably reddened. She replied with a soft "Hmm," before asking, "Where is Lu Jingchen?"
"The gentleman went out early in the morning," Aunt Chen replied honestly, "Madam, you must be hungry. Shall I make you something to eat?"
Song Qiao nodded and said with a smile, "Yes, thank you, Aunt Chen."
Aunt Chen chuckled and was about to turn to leave but seemed to recall something else. She looked back at Song Qiao and said, "Madam, Miss Ning and Mr. Xi came by yesterday. They weren’t aware you had returned. Do you want to call and inform them?"
Song Qiao was taken aback and instinctively asked, "Ning Wan? How did they know I went missing yesterday?"
Aunt Chen calmly answered, with a hint of resignation, "The gentleman didn’t see you when he came back, so he sent people to search all night. He probably sent someone to ask Miss Ning, which got them involved."
Song Qiao furrowed her brow for a while before speaking, "Aunt Chen, please go make me something to eat first. I’ll call them later to let them know I’m okay."
"Alright, Madam!"
After Aunt Chen turned and left, Song Qiao thought for a moment and then headed directly to the living room.
Her phone had fallen on the roadside when she was dragged into the car by Chu Munan’s people, and she wasn’t sure if it had been retrieved. However, she knew Ning Wan’s number by heart.
She had just walked into the living room, ready to pick up the landline to call, when she heard the sound of a car engine outside, causing her to pause and turn to look outside. Shortly after, Lu Jingchen walked in.
Seeing Song Qiao sitting on the sofa, the man was momentarily startled before quickly walking over and looking down at her, his deep voice incredibly pleasant, "Awake? Hungry? Would you like to go out or eat at home?"
Song Qiao turned her face away coldly, completely ignoring him.