That year, Grape was nineteen years old, clad in a black combat uniform. Lin Cheng searched her body and found a handgun, some small hidden weapons, a dagger, and even a miniature bomb. When she woke, she discovered that Lin Cheng had clumsily bound her with ropes, sealed her abilities, and removed the poison capsule from her teeth. He sat on the edge of the bed and began questioning her about her name and identity.
But Grape said nothing.
Lin Cheng spent the entire day talking to her like that, yet she remained as silent as a puppet, not uttering a single word. It wasn’t until noon the next day, when hunger had her on the verge of fainting, that Lin Cheng brought a bowl of wonton soup and fed her small spoonfuls.
Even after that, she still refused to speak.
After her assassination mission failed, her organization tracked the locator embedded in her arm and dispatched new killers. But Lin Cheng dispatched them all with casual ease. He removed the locator from her arm and kept chatting with her, but she maintained her usual silence. After a third of Silver Wing’s killers fell to him, Silver Wing finally abandoned the plan.
Some of the previous killers hadn’t been as tight-lipped as Grape. Under Lin Cheng’s questioning, they had revealed Silver Wing’s location and bits of her background: she had been raised and trained by Silver Wing from childhood as nothing more than a tool.
Lin Cheng kept her tied up at home for several days like that. Grape was truly stubborn back then—apart from eating, she wouldn’t say a word. Until one day, Lin Cheng reached out and poked her cheek. “If you need to pee, you have to say so. Wet underwear is a hassle. I’ll buy you new ones—what style do you want? I can untie the ropes if you promise not to run… Don’t worry. I already know your background. I won’t hand you over to the Alliance. Once I dismantle Silver Wing, you can go wherever you want, as long as you stop killing.”
That was when Grape finally spoke her first words.
“Take me with you.”
Destroying Silver Wing required careful planning, so during that time, Grape stayed temporarily at Lin Cheng’s home. He cooked for her and even bought her new clothes. Grape didn’t like wearing underwear back then, and the outfits he bought her were skirts. Occasionally, when she sat on the sofa, her eyes intently fixed on an animated show on TV, the hem of her skirt would inadvertently reveal the soft pink beneath, leaving Lin Cheng feeling deeply embarrassed.
Half a month later, Lin Cheng finalized his plan. He dressed her in an Alliance uniform and together they stormed Silver Wing’s headquarters, slaying its leader. With nowhere else to go, Silver Wing’s killers—whose blood ran with violent instincts—refused to disband. Instead, they submitted to Grape. Back then, she was still known as Yue Sha. Yue Sha became the new Silver Wing Leader, transforming the group into one of the organizations fighting the Catastrophes. They slew countless Catastrophe Monsters. Later, when Si Ming ended the Catastrophes, Silver Wing disbanded. Lin Cheng introduced her to Litchi and Lemon, and together they founded the original Fruit Shop.
Grape loved eating grapes because Lin Cheng had once fed them to her while she was still tied up. He peeled them and placed the sweet, juicy fruit to her lips, and the flavor lingered in her memory for a long, long time.
She had been raised by Silver Wing from childhood. After Lin Cheng killed her former master, he became her new one.
But there was no such thing as a pet and its owner, so Lin Cheng entrusted Litchi with taking good care of Grape. Over the past two years, Grape had changed tremendously. Now, when she sat quietly, her cool demeanor was like chilled red wine—strangely alluring.
The badminton tournament in front of them was drawing to a close.
Litchi and Jiang Lingxue made one team, Xu Wanyue and Lemon the other. They played with such joy that time slipped away unnoticed. Lin Cheng had always had the habit of taking an afternoon nap, so he stood, yawned, and said, “I’m going to sleep for a bit. I’ll make dinner when I wake up.”
The villa had plenty of rooms. Lin Cheng entered his own, hugged a blanket, turned on the air conditioning, and prepared to enjoy a good nap. Drowsiness soon overtook him, and he closed his eyes.
When he awoke, he tried to sit up and stretch, but the soft sensation under his hand startled him. His vision cleared, revealing a completely naked girl lying beside him, curled up with her red hair disheveled.
Jiang Lingxue slowly opened her eyes, their gazes meeting in that instant.
“I want to do it,” she said.
“No, let’s not.” Lin Cheng shook his head, scrambling out of bed. He grabbed the blanket and covered her body. Jiang Lingxue’s eyes fixed intently on his neck, her voice no longer light but trembling slightly. “Do it with me.”
“No, no way.” Lin Cheng’s tone wasn’t entirely firm, but he spoke quickly. He hurried to the bathroom, shut the door, and took a shower. When he emerged, Jiang Lingxue was still lying on his bed.
Her gaze bored straight into him. The blanket lay haphazardly to one side. Her slender legs were bent, the smooth, long limbs slightly parted. She bit her lip lightly, her eyes brimming with stubborn determination.
…It had been just like this last time.
…Half a year ago, after their fight, it had been the same. After the argument, she’d suddenly said she wanted to do it. When he refused, she’d pleasured herself anyway. The memory resurfaced, and Lin Cheng’s head began to throb inexplicably.
He thought again of that question he’d asked her several times without an answer: For two lonely people, was this brief companionship a form of loneliness or a punishment?
Lin Cheng turned away, resisting the urge to look. He checked the time on his phone—it was just past four, with dinner at six. He turned on the TV in the room and pretended the woman on the bed didn’t exist.
Several minutes later, he heard Jiang Lingxue’s voice from behind him. “Why… can you do it with that woman named Lu Xiaoxiao, but not with me?”
“She’s her, and you’re you.”
“So she’s your new toy?”
“What toy? Xiaoxiao and I are…”
Lin Cheng trailed off, unable to answer. What exactly was his relationship with Lu Xiaoxiao?
He couldn’t say. He turned back to look at Jiang Lingxue. She lay on the bed, her eyes locked on him. “You seem so impatient with me.”
“No.”
“I can see it in your eyes.”
“Why do you believe what you see over what I say?” Lin Cheng didn’t understand.
“Then why won’t you do it with me?”
“Because…”
The answer was right there on the tip of his tongue. He could tell her he was dating Xu Wanyue now, that dating meant no cheating, and she’d understand. But the words wouldn’t come out.
Was his initial intent to end the entanglement or to get revenge for her leaving him? No, he’d been the one to drive her away. Actually, he’d only suggested they go downstairs together, see the outside world like a normal couple. It was she who’d chosen to leave, to abandon him. So why did his heart ache for her now?
“Because why?” Jiang Lingxue pressed.
“Because I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to, that’s why!” Lin Cheng’s irritation flared.
“See? You’re impatient.”
It was always like this.
Lin Cheng suddenly recalled their days in the rental apartment. Whenever Jiang Lingxue wanted intimacy, she’d pick a fight to provoke him. Once he was angry, he’d ravish her roughly—tying her up, spanking her, or turning her into a little cat, dog, or fox. She’d always been thrilled.
Jiang Lingxue clearly saw the impatience in his eyes.
But he wouldn’t lash out at her over it anymore. She didn’t know why.
“Yes, I’m impatient,” Lin Cheng said after a deep breath.
“Just say you’re impatient with me. No need to hide it.”
“I’m impatient with you. Seeing you makes me frustrated. Happy now? Is that what you wanted to hear?!”
Jiang Lingxue slowly sat up on the bed, her gaze falling on his face. Her dark lashes lowered gradually. “So… why not just say it?”
“I wasn’t impatient at first. You’re the one provoking me on purpose. Satisfied? Is that enough? What do you want from me?!”
“I…”
She saw the impatience in his eyes turn to anger, but she still didn’t know what to do.
Ever since she’d left and they reunited, his face only showed two expressions: deliberate indifference or anger.
“You don’t want me anymore… Just… tell me outright…” Jiang Lingxue bit her lip hard, lifting her chin.
“Why does it always become me not wanting you? Why? Tell me, what did I do to offend you? Why torture me like this? Please, Young Lady Jiang? Have I owed you anything these past few years? Tell me!”
Tears blurred Jiang Lingxue’s vision, but she didn’t know how to respond. She hugged her knees, anxiety curling her toes, crystalline droplets clinging to her lashes.
“Why are you crying… Why… Where did I go wrong? Tell me where I messed up! You were the one who wanted to leave back then, weren’t you? Did I really drive you away? Tell me! I just hoped—selfishly hoped—that someone would accompany me outside, like normal couples do… I made so many plans, thought of so much, but you never agreed… Even so, did I ever get mad at you? Did I ever scold you, Young Lady Jiang? I just wanted to go for a walk with you, feel the breeze, see the sun… You rejected me time and again.
“Do you know my disappointment? My sense of loss from being rejected? You never cared about that… That day, I just asked if you wanted to do something, but you kept saying I was kicking you out… I never said you had to leave this home. Do you know why it poured that day? I killed my old self, unlocking the first layer of my seal. I’d sworn never to use my powers again, but I broke that vow… Because I wanted you to stay. I wanted you to stay with me a little longer… I thought we were just arguing in the heat of the moment, that in a few hours you’d change your mind… Even in the downpour, you took an umbrella and left…
“After you left, did I ever mistreat you? Litchi told me everything about you. Anyone who tried to hurt you, I beat into a vegetative state and sent to the hospital… For you, I became selfish. I’ve done everything I could. I don’t owe you anymore, Jiang Lingxue. I don’t owe you… What more do you want? Why keep tormenting me?!”
“Say something!”
Lin Cheng hadn’t expected to break down like this.
He hadn’t planned to say any of it. The Romance Contract with Xu Wanyue was meant to tell Jiang Lingxue there’d be no more weird entanglements. But he’d never managed to voice it. What was he still clinging to?
Jiang Lingxue sat on the bed, clutching her knees tightly, her fingertips digging into her flesh. Tears streamed down her cheeks in large drops, her wretched appearance like that of an abandoned little dog.
Seeing those tears, her shaking shoulders, her choked sobs—his anger vanished as suddenly as it had come.
How strange. What was the anger even for? To prove how much he’d invested in this relationship? Lin Cheng fell silent for several seconds, then grabbed a tissue and moved to her side. He gently pried her hands from her knees.
Jiang Lingxue kept her head buried, just crying. Lin Cheng had no choice but to lift her chin and wipe away her tears. But fresh ones soon spilled over her cheeks.
“I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said those things.”
In the end, his pride crumbled before her tears.
