Bare-skinned and bound to the wooden rack, Gao Jian faintly lifted his head. His eyes were closed, and his eye sockets were sunken. On that iron rack displaying vials, one of the bottles soaked a pair of bloody eyeballs.
Those eyeballs were his.
Scooped out forcibly by Pei Yu!
Gao Jian was very weary, his former arrogance, his invincibility, now completely extinct from his being. It made sense, after almost a year being confined in the dark room, being tortured by Pei Yu like that. He had resisted, retaliated, despaired, been bewildered, gone mad, but it was all in vain.
What remained was only an overwhelming exhaustion.
Luo Yang opened the food box and took out a plate, accustomed to such tasks. With a pair of chopsticks, he fed Gao Jian some food. When Gao Jian choked, he patted his back, then helped him drink some water.
After Gao Jian had finished eating, Luo Yang sat cross-legged on the ground and remained still.
Gao Jian was also very quiet.
In the past, Luo Yang was the main husband, and Gao Jian was the concubine, Gao Jian had also experienced days of being spoiled and arrogant, believing that Luo Yang, older and childless, had nothing on him apart from family background and a childhood friendship with He Su.
He had once thought about pushing Luo Yang aside to take over the position of main husband. But then Pei Yu appeared, and he was busy competing for favor with Pei Yu, busy targeting Pei Yu, so he had no time to deal with Luo Yang.
Later, Pei Yu was expelled from the He Mansion, and he was truly pleased for a while. But at that time, He Su was obsessed with Phoenix Blood, to the extent that she even confined him a year ago over it.
But now he understood that it was all just fleeting clouds of the past. How petty had he been? His eyes, his heart, everything he could see, everything he could think of, revolved around a woman, and in the end, he realized, he understood, that this woman was not a good match.
Gao Jian asked, "Brother Luo, do you regret it?"
Luo Yang lifted his head and looked at him calmly, "What are you referring to?"
"Marrying He Su as a husband, becoming her man, do you ever regret it? After all, this is all his debauchery debt, and now both you and I are being worn down by that Pei surname. If it wasn’t for her, none of this would have happened."
They were now isolated and helpless, Pei Yu had absolute power in the He Mansion, and even beyond that, Pei Yu’s influence extended.
The Luo family and the Gao Family were both prominent families; those two families had long since moved away from Taihang Town. Gao Jian and Luo Yang had thought about seeking help from their maternal families, but the letters they wrote, the people they bribed, all were intercepted by Pei Yu.
Luo Yang pondered for a long while before he answered seriously. "What does it matter if I regret it or not? If I could do it all over again, I would rather have never loved her at all. But reality is reality, whether I regret it or not, what difference does it make?"
Gao Jian laughed, "Yeah, after all, we have fallen because of her, even understanding she’s not a good match, the feelings we’ve given can’t be taken back."
After that, there was a prolonged silence.
Luo Yang didn’t speak again, nor did Gao Jian, until a drunken man, dressed in brocade and exuding an air of wealth, came staggering into the dark room with a bottle of liquor in hand.
Luo Yang silently picked up the food box. The newcomer glanced at him, then hurled the liquor bottle at him, striking him hard on the temple.
He felt dizzy for a moment, then the man kicked him, "Get lost, get lost, get lost, stop being an eyesore!"