"Uncle..."
Xie Qingchi instinctively called out.
"I haven't settled the score with you for the trouble you've caused me, Xie Qingchi. Tell me what you're talking about?"
Xie Jinghui took a step forward, and Xie Qingchi took a step back.
"Say what you just said again."
Xie Qingchi was once again caught in a dilemma, because he had not yet heard Shen Shuangjian's reply.
Whether he dares to break with tradition and completely overthrow his uncle's tyranny is a question that will likely lead to Xie Jinghui's ruthless and merciless actions.
He can forget about leaving home anytime soon. Forget about continuing to participate in the show, it will be difficult for him to even see Shen Shuangjian.
But... why should he be afraid of Xie Jinghui? Why should he listen to him? Why? What is his right?
Hearing soft footsteps, Xie Qingchi looked up and saw that Shen Shuangjian had already turned around, seemingly preparing to leave.
"Don't go!"
Xie Qingchi instinctively grabbed him in a panic.
Shen Shuangjian was somewhat absent-minded and dazed, even Xie Qingchi pull him, he only subconsciously looked over.
There was no dissatisfaction, no avoidance, and no evasion.
This reaction almost instantly made Xie Jinghui stop in his tracks.
A very subtle furrow appeared between his brows, and the originally deep gloom slowly dissipated. Xie Jinghui pursed his lips, but this reaction only lasted for a few seconds.
Xie Qingchi's actions did not draw Xie Jinghui's reprimand, because before that, Shen Shuangjian, who had finally realized what was happening, began to break free from her grasp.
"Do not touch me."
Shen Shuangjian's voice was very soft; she did not speak harshly or shout at the top of her lungs.
But Xie Qingchi's fingers lost their strength and he could no longer hold on, so he let go.
"What did you say..."
Xie Qingchi couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly in astonishment. He watched Shen Shuangjian turn to leave, feeling bewildered, yet still unable to resist the urge to chase after her.
Why? By what right? Why did he treat me like this? What is it about him that makes him inferior to his uncle? What makes him unworthy of Shen Shuangjian?
Born arrogant and having never tasted defeat in his life, Xie Qingchi had lost count of how many times he had been rebuffed by Shen Shuangjian.
From initial resentment, to later unwillingness to accept defeat, and now to having no other choice.
Xie Qingchi admitted that, apart from his pride holding his head high, he had tried his best to cooperate with Shen Shuangjian.
" Shen Shuangjian-- " Xie Qingchi's murmur was quickly interrupted by a crisp slap. He was forced to turn his head away, enduring the burning pain, and his mind went blank for a moment.
"Go back!"
Even when Xie Jinghui was angry, he seemed so nonchalant, with the disdain of someone in a superior position. The arc of his hand from raising it to falling was both painful and swift.
"I haven't settled accounts with you for the trouble you caused me at the company. Your parents might be afraid you'll risk your life, but I'm not. Xie Qingchi, don't push me to actually send you abroad."
Xie Jinghui lazy to argue with him in public, especially since there was a recording session later.
Moreover, he always felt that Shen Shuangjian's emotions were not quite right. Although she seemed no different from usual, being indifferent and silent, Xie Jinghui felt uneasy.
" Shuangjian, Shuangjian?"
Xie Jinghui was tall and slender, and his strides were larger and faster than Shen Shuangjian's, who always walked slowly.
He caught up with Shen Shuangjian in a few steps, and instinctively reached out to grasp Shen Shuangjian wrist...
The slight movement of dodging wasn't very obvious.
But this movement, which was only a few centimeters in size, was magnified infinitely, slowed down, and then frozen in Xie Jinghui's eyes.
Xie Jinghui raised his eyes almost in a daze. He looked at Shen Shuangjian with a straight, dark gaze that instantly darkened.
" Shuangjian?"
Xie Jinghui's expression softened into a gentle smile even faster than he had actually expected, just as tender, indulgent, and harmless as it had been at the beginning.
"What's wrong?"
That was a reaction faster than his reason; it was the perfect mask he had become accustomed to wearing after Shen Shuangjian.
Shen Shuangjian's heart had never been so chaotic as it was at this moment.
He didn't think of anything, nor did he know what to say. He looked at Xie Jinghui, and for the first time in a long time, he rediscovered the sense of propriety and distance he had forgotten.
"I'm fine," Shen Shuangjian shook her head.
"No matter what, let's get in the car first. We still have to record, right?" Xie Jinghui maintained his smile, but inside he felt like there was a hole in his heart, with the cold wind and snow pouring in.
What exactly happened? Did Xie Qingchi say something he didn't hear? Or Shen Shuangjian really believe it?
Xie Jinghui opened the car door.
Panic, a panic without any reason.
There are many reasons for this, including the tension of fearing Shen Shuangjian find out, the unease of fearing Shen Shuangjian believe it, and the fear of being forced back to square one.
Having tasted the sweetness of victory, the tiger, already on the verge of smashing through its cage, would hardly be willing to curl up again in an even larger and sturdier cage.
The atmosphere was silent. Apart from their shallow breathing, neither of them spoke in the car, like two unfamiliar strangers, stubbornly refusing to talk.
Shen Shuangjian was leaning against the car door, not far from him. Her pale, delicate skin looked like fragile white porcelain in the sunlight.
Xie Jinghui maintained his calm and composed demeanor, his legs crossed, remaining unmoved by any external forces.
But the ring, winding faster and faster, betrayed his true feelings.
He prided himself on being a clever and insightful person, yet he could never truly understand Shen Shuangjian.
In his eyes, Shen Shuangjian like an obscure and difficult book. He understood every single word and phrase clearly, but when they were combined, they formed entirely new meanings.
He finished reading one page, only to discover that there would always be another page to come.
He was willing to spend his whole life studying and interpreting it, but he simply couldn't accept that this book was open to the whole world, yet left blank only for him.
He was so resistant to Xie Qingchi, but once she revealed her feelings, he was able to openly stop resisting.
Yu Sheng could get close to him with just her sweet laughter and coquettish charm, but she could never cross his line.
As for him, he had seen Shen Shuangjian that others had never seen, and from beginning to end, he was never resisted or avoided by Shen Shuangjian.
He was diligent and self-disciplined, keeping his desires well hidden.
They shared a bed and slept in each other's arms. On countless cold nights, he was the one who warmed Shen Shuangjian, endlessly accommodating her aloofness.
He had even witnessed Shen Shuangjian's emotional side.
Isn't this tacit approval? Isn't Shen Shuangjian signaling to him that they can get closer?
If not, why stay in the same place constantly pondering, thinking day and night about how to take things a step further, how to judge whether there is any faint, illusory emotion in his every word and every expression?
Xie Jinghui would always hope that those special moments that others didn't have were Shen Shuangjian's subtle responses to him.
Even though it was very faint and ethereal, like dust dispersing in the air before it even reached us, that didn't stop Xie Jinghui from imagining it as a mirage-like hurricane.
P. S.: To avoid being criticized, I will explain in detail again:
Apart from the main character, the other characters are normal in their emotional perception. For example, Xie Qingchi, when you have a crush on someone, you want to save face and leave yourself a way out. This is not really excessive.
From Xie Jinghui's perspective, it's like the person you have a crush on only smiles at you, only talks to you, only spends time with you, eats with you, and goes out with you.
In a normal person's emotional perception, a response means there is hope, an opportunity, or even that they have entered a period of ambiguity, waiting for a suitable opportunity to make it official when they are more familiar and intimate.
However, from the perspective of someone like the protagonist who has emotional issues, the nature of the situation changes completely.
If you encountered someone like this in real life, instead of in a novel, it would be easy to misunderstand them as: they're trying to hook me.