Chen Jin's gaze shifted, his previous gentle demeanor turning to ice in an instant. His eyes became sharp as daggers, staring at her.
The sound kept coming, unyielding. Chen Jin released her, stood up, and was about to move when he noticed his own disheveled state. His face, already dark, grew even darker as his anger flared. Lin Wan couldn't even bear to look at him anymore.
He opened the door with an air of frustration, revealing his secretary's perplexed face and two burly men behind him. Chen Jin merely said, "Get everything out of here, not a single thing left." He turned, face like stone, and walked toward the bathroom.
As Chen Jin went to open the door, Lin Wan quickly straightened her clothes and dashed into the bedroom, curling up under the covers. She could hear the sounds of things being moved in the living room, and the rushing water from the bathroom. The shock still hadn't fully worn off, and the impending disaster made her heart uneasy. She had only heard the beginning of the ringtone, never anticipating such a startling effect.
After a while, the front door closed, and then the bathroom door opened. Chen Jin came out wrapped in a towel, his face still dark. "Hurry up and change that damn ringtone back." With a furious shout, Lin Wan quickly threw off her blanket, jumped out of bed, and ran out of the bedroom without even putting on her slippers. The obstacles in the living room had been cleared, and the space felt even emptier. She changed the ringtone back to its original setting, then wearily walked over to the sofa and slumped down. The TV was still on. She picked up the remote and turned the volume down a little, staring blankly at the screen for a while. Finally, she buried her head in her knees, clutching her hair, and muttered quietly, "Lin Wan, what are you doing? Look at yourself, you're such a fool."
After gathering her emotions, she turned off the TV and wearily returned to the bedroom. By the time she lay down and curled up on the bed, Chen Jin had already turned his back to her, asleep. She crawled into bed, pulling the blanket over herself and curling into a tight ball, trying to melt into the darkness.
Time passed, and just as she was about to fall asleep, a heavy sense of pressure overwhelmed her. A harsh voice sounded above her head, "Lin Wan, if you screw with me today, I'll kill you." She barely heard it through the drowsiness, and then the sound of grinding teeth followed.
The sharp pain in her lower back jolted her awake. Each painful jab became more distinct. His large hands, like iron claws, gripped her waist tightly, the force so strong it felt like he was trying to break her in two. A pillow was shoved into her lower back, and each thrust of his body was deep and forceful, as if he wanted to pierce her, to crush her.
She numbly thought, If this really scares him enough to mess up, would I stop feeling this pain? No, she quickly realized, that would probably kill her. He would surely hang her up, beat her senseless, then throw her out the window or, worse, dismember her and freeze her in the refrigerator.
The next day was Sunday. In the kitchen, the maid was quietly preparing breakfast. Since Lin Wan had recovered, she had asked Chen Jin to fire the multifunctional housekeeper and hired a part-time worker specifically for cooking and cleaning. Chen Jin usually only had breakfast at home, and Lin Wan tried to eat dinner outside before returning, so the part-time worker only needed to come in the mornings to make breakfast and come again later to clean.
Lin Wan felt completely drained and didn't want to move, trying to sneak in a nap. After Chen Jin woke up, he used the treadmill for a run and then took a shower. Still damp, he walked over, grabbed the person in bed, and with a stern face, warned, "Lin Wan, if you really want to play, I'll play along. But you'd better be aware of the consequences if you cross my line. I can't guarantee that when this game ends, you'll be able to walk away in one piece."
After delivering the threat, he let go of her, and Lin Wan's body slumped back onto the bed. Through the entire process, she didn't even open her eyes, silently pretending to still be asleep.
Chen Jin glanced at her, then tossed out another line, "You don't need the pill, yesterday was the safe period," and walked out of the bedroom.
Lin Wan's eyelids finally twitched, but she didn't open her eyes. One piece? She wasn't even close to being in one piece anymore. She curled up further, burying herself deeper into the soft blanket. She liked this position, as it felt like she was returning to the very beginning of life, back in her mother's warm embrace. How wonderful it was then; no danger, no worries. Even if she had unintentionally miscarried, she wouldn't have felt the pain. Everyone says the outside world is so exciting, but the outside world was even more helpless.
Chen Jin smiled nonchalantly and responded to the girl who had spoken earlier, "Wasn't it you who said it was too dull to have a bunch of men celebrate your birthday? That's why I brought a girl to keep you company."
Lin Wan finally got a good look at the room. There were fourteen people in total, including her. Only three of them were women, and the girl who had spoken was sitting on Chen Jin's other side.
The girl said, "But she didn't need to be this pretty. You've made me look bad."
What a frank little miss, Lin Wan thought, glancing over at her. The delicate-looking girl winked at her, giving off a friendly vibe.
"Is she pretty? Let me see." Chen Jin feigned surprise as he looked at Lin Wan, then chuckled, "Hmm, after a little touch-up, she's not bad."
"Ahem, A'Jin, haven't you introduced us to this lady yet?" A gentleman across the table timely spoke up.
"Ah, I forgot the formalities. Let me introduce. This is Lin Wan," Chen Jin said, then turned to Lin Wan, "These are my friends who've been with me through thick and thin." Lin Wan just pulled a small smile, nodding toward everyone.
Chen Jin then patted the shoulder of the girl on his right and teased, "This little miss is my sister, Chen Xi, the 'Xi' from 'things'. Today's her twentieth birthday."
Seeing the girl looking at her with some anticipation, Lin Wan smiled faintly and said, "Happy birthday."
Chen Xi immediately beamed and replied, "Thank you! You're so pretty! Are you from the south?"
Lin Wan's eyes darkened slightly as she gave a quiet response, "I suppose."
It was then that Chen Jin took over the conversation. "Her dad's from the south, her mom's from the north."
"Wow, no wonder! A mix of southern and northern blood!" Chen Xi exclaimed, drawing laughter from everyone around.
Lin Wan didn't laugh. She was surprised that Chen Jin knew all of this about her. Thinking about it, though, it made sense. This man, who was constantly scheming against others, would definitely have investigated her background. In fact, though her father was indeed from the south, and she had lived in the soft-voiced Wu dialect area for a few years as a child, she had never considered herself a southerner. She didn't even retain any trace of the local accent.
Chen Jin, of course, didn't know what Lin Wan was thinking. He was lost in his own thoughts. To be honest, he had been stunned when Lin Wan first walked in. The moment she entered the room, he even stopped breathing, as if he had just seen a fresh, natural jasmine blossom. His little white flower.
These past few days, he had been staying at the old apartment. One reason was that work had been hectic, and another was that Lin Wan had caused too much trouble. He sought women for fun, not to add stress to his life. So, his way of dealing with Lin Wan, this little fire, was to ignore her and let her burn herself out.
This afternoon, while at work, he suddenly thought of her. Coincidentally, it was Chen Xi's birthday, so he invited her. Surprisingly, Lin Wan hadn't given him the cold shoulder or spoken sarcastically. She had actually cooperated, which pleased him greatly. As he thought about this, his hand, still resting on her arm, moved gently up and down. If there weren't so many people here, he would have pulled her into his arms and kissed her senseless. It had been days since they had been intimate, and now she was sitting so close, smelling so good—it was driving him mad.