Lin Xu curled up the corners of her mouth and threw her ambiguous words back at her. “Have you forgotten? My mom was killed by your mom in a car crash. Are you really not going to reconsider letting me come along? Otherwise, you won’t have it easy either.”
“You’re threatening me.” A crack appeared in Shu Qingyou’s expression. She lowered her head and let out a cold snort. Lin Xu wanted to settle accounts with her clearly, and she was prepared to go along with it to the end.
“No more consideration. We’ll settle each one step by step.”
Lin Xu was surprised when Shu Qingyou grabbed her wrist. She glanced at it—those few days when she’d entered her body, the strength had been surprisingly great. Had she really built up that wrist strength in bed?
“Settle what?”
“Sit.”
Shu Qingyou rummaged under the coffee table and pulled out a pen and a sheet of A4 paper. She spread it neatly on the table and tapped the pen cap, producing a crisp, clear sound against the glass.
She lifted her chin slightly, gesturing for Lin Xu to sit.
What a domineering Shu Qingyou. Lin Xu couldn’t help but glance at the glass tabletop. Hadn’t it shattered?
The pen’s chrome-plated silver surface reflected a bright gleam into Lin Xu’s sparkling eyes. She sat down casually.
Inwardly, she was actually panicking. She repeated herself, “What exactly are we settling?”
“Wait.” Shu Qingyou unscrewed the pen cap and began scribbling on the paper with a soft scratching sound.
“Oh, I’ll wait for you, baby.” Wait she did, but she hadn’t been told she couldn’t look. Lin Xu quietly shifted her head and craned her neck.
Shu Qingyou’s long, straight black hair blocked most of the paper from view. Lin Xu could only see her fair, smooth knuckles gently trembling as they gripped the metal pen, writing at a rapid pace without hesitation.
Lin Xu’s thoughts wandered to something outrageous, and she blurted it out unconsciously. “Could you stab me with the pen…?”
Shu Qingyou paused. Lin Xu saw her close her eyes briefly, then open them again.
“You could, right…?”
Shock!
Lin Xu wanted to explain herself, but the erotic scene she’d imagined stimulated her lower abdomen’s nerves. She marveled at how Shu Qingyou had actually followed her train of thought.
What if the pen and fingers went together? It should fit. She sank into her bizarre erotic fantasy, her exploratory desires surging higher than ever.
Suddenly, a chill hit her face, and she reflexively shrank back her neck.
“Don’t dodge. It’s your turn to sign.”
The pen pressed against Lin Xu. She woodenly picked it up, hunched over, and carefully read the black words on the white paper. Just the first sentence made her incredulously snap her eyes up.
Lin Xu’s shoulders trembled with anger. Her lips moved as she repeated what was written on the paper.
“I acknowledge that it is true my mother killed your mother in a car crash. I have no strength to argue, nor the ability to escape. If your hatred is directed at me, then let’s settle it item by item!”
Shu Qingyou’s tone was calm, devoid of any emotional inflection. “Exactly. From this day forward, there will be no emotional ties between us…”
“This is all nonsense!” Lin Xu slammed the pen down on the paper, viciously interrupting her. “And furthermore, if you’re set on revenge, make sure to clearly define the target and boundaries. What the hell is this?!”
Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the paper, feeling a lump in her throat. After a long moment, Lin Xu covered her face. “Even if you beat me to death, I won’t sign this.”
Shu Qingyou waited for her to think it through before speaking rationally. “I’ve thought it over. Actually, we’re even now. Sign it, and I can satisfy your physical needs… but you can’t interfere in any other aspect of my life.”
“But you’re not qualified to pay respects to my mother, just as I’m not qualified to visit yours.”
Lin Xu chuckled lowly. Soon after, she leaned her neck back, her smooth jawline tensing. She crumpled the so-called agreement.
“Shu Qingyou, is this how you’re settling accounts? Treating me like a sex toy? You’ve got some nerve.”
“Speaking of which,” Shu Qingyou said seriously, counting on her fingers—one, two, three, four, five… She thought for a moment and continued, “365 days, at least 300 days.”
Lin Xu irritably twirled the pen tip, grinding her teeth. “Ha, what 300 days?”
“The number of times you forced yourself on me, including that time you were drunk and kept calling me ‘wife.’ That must’ve been when you got pregnant with Rongrong.”
Clang—
The metal collided with the glass again. Lin Xu froze, her eyes slowly widening, her upper and lower lips parting, her jaw nearly dropping in shock.
She picked up the pen again, leaned over the paper, and scribbled wildly. Sprawled on the table, she mumbled evasively, “Well, that’s… quite the coincidence…”
Mentioning Rongrong made Lin Xu feel especially guilty. Her shifty gaze sneakily searched for Shu Rong. The little one had run to the corner to play with the Dragon Cat, happily engrossed.
Lin Xu muttered, “Then you go ahead. I’ll find time to visit my mom too. Everyone go back to their own homes and find their own moms…”
Shu Qingyou mercilessly pointed out her slip. “Go home—into the grave?”
That sounded harsh, darling. Lin Xu gave a wry smile, not daring to retort even half a sentence verbally. “I was wrong, I was wrong. I mean, burn more gold ingots for the elders. If it’s not enough, use my card.”
Shu Qingyou snatched the pen away and looked at the scribbles on the paper. She tapped Lin Xu’s forehead with it and said calmly, “You’re on your own.”
Lin Xu yelped “Ow,” though it didn’t hurt. She just wanted to draw Shu Qingyou’s attention, but it seemed to have backfired…
She pressed her forehead where it had been tapped, not caring about losing face, and shouted, “On my own—does that mean breaking up?”
Shu Qingyou habitually lowered her long lashes when thinking, biting her lower lip—and Lin Xu always wanted to pry her teeth away from those soft lips.
This time was an exception. Moisture welled up in Lin Xu’s eyes. She restrained herself from snuggling up to Shu Qingyou.
Complex emotions mixed in Shu Qingyou’s gaze. Lin Xu clearly detected reluctance amid the cold impatience.
But she spoke lightly, enunciating each word. “Just separate for a while, okay?”
Leave a line open in dealings with people, Shu Qingyou thought. If she made her words too absolute, too final, what if Lin Xu retaliated against her?
She didn’t dare bet on it.
Still separating… Lin Xu wilted like an eggplant hit by frost, utterly dejected.
“I’m almost out of time,” Shu Qingyou said as she slipped on her coat. She took a few steps, then paused. “What do you want to eat tonight?”
She counted to eight seconds, but Lin Xu didn’t respond.
“Lin Xu, stop being childish… No matter how much you pretend, your nature is still vile.”
It was as if those words struck a nerve. Lin Xu suddenly jerked her head up and growled at Shu Qingyou’s slender back. “You—stop right there!!!”
“You…” Shu Qingyou’s steps halted, her whole body trembling involuntarily.
Lin Xu brushed past her, her suppressed anger spreading to Shu Qingyou’s ear. But Lin Xu headed straight for the kitchen.
She couldn’t be…
A clatter of kitchen utensils rang out. Lin Xu turned around, facing Shu Qingyou directly, holding a tool she’d rummaged out.
A sharp silver glint flashed in Shu Qingyou’s eyes, sending chills down her scalp. Her breath caught.
Lin Xu’s teeth chattered as she revealed a hysterical smile. She rolled up her sleeve, gripping the handle of the fruit knife with her right hand.
The razor-thin blade pressed against her pale skin, where bruised veins were clearly visible.
“You want to call it even? Want to break up? Fine, no problem.”
She pressed down hard with her fingers. The tip pierced the skin, leaving a faint red mark.
Shu Qingyou immediately understood what Lin Xu meant by “calling it even.”
Without thinking, she rushed toward the kitchen, bringing a gust of fragrant wind. Lin Xu’s smile didn’t fade; she squinted in intoxication and shifted her arm sideways, deftly dodging Shu Qingyou’s block.
“Does it hurt? Or…” Lin Xu ignored everything and slowly sliced. The skin split open with a bloody trail, warm liquid welling up.
“Are you afraid I’ll dirty your house?”
Blood beaded on the blade, her wrist covered in it, dripping to the floor. She maniacally approached Shu Qingyou. “I’m vile, aren’t I? Now you’ve seen it.”
She laughed wildly. The laughter drew Shu Rong’s curiosity. Shu Qingyou noticed her daughter watching and, for the first time, scolded her sternly. “Rongrong, turn your head away!”
Startled, Shu Rong hugged the Dragon Cat, lowered her head, and stumbled into the small room.
How had things escalated to this point? Shu Qingyou fell silent. She had experience—the wound wasn’t deep and hadn’t hit an artery.
She seized Lin Xu’s reckless right hand and said gravely, “Put the knife down and come with me.”
“No, I haven’t had enough fun yet. I’m childish, vile, despicable, shameless, lowly!” As long as Lin Xu didn’t admit defeat voluntarily, Shu Qingyou couldn’t forcibly drag her away.
Darkness deepened in Shu Qingyou’s eyes. She pressed her lips tight, her cherry-colored lips paling. Seeing Lin Xu’s so-called repayment choked her throat.
With just a squeeze of her left wrist, blood spurted out like a fountain, shocking to behold.
Shu Qingyou’s eyes reddened, the mole under her eye surrounded by a flush. She sharply inhaled.
“First, treat the wound. Whatever you said, I’ll try to agree to it.”
“No breakup?”
“Mm, no breakup.”
The wound throbbed with pain. Lin Xu set the knife back on the rack, her lips dry and pale. Blood loss brought dizziness.
Shu Qingyou was worried about her. No matter how much it hurt, she could endure it. The threat had worked.
She said sweetly, “Okay, I believe you. Then go visit your mom. I can handle this alone.”
No sooner had she spoken than her vision blurred. The world spun, went black, and she collapsed to the floor like dough.
