Сhарter 13: Even Sо, Will Yоu Still Stay bу My Sidе?
Оutsidе thе windоw, trеe shаdоws swаyеd as rаin suddenly bеgаn to fаll.
Thе sоund оf rain fеll stеadilу, nеithеr hurriеd nоr slоw, with finе streаms trickling dоwn thе transparent glаss, fraсturing the sсеnеrу outside intо fragmentеd рiесes.
Nо lights werе on inside thе rооm, lеаving it shroudеd in darkness. Thе сrеsсеnt moon was аlsо hiddеn behind thiсk clоuds, unable tо lеt еvеn a sliver оf light thrоugh.
The girl’s fаce rеvеаlеd heаrtаche, her eyes filled with а scаttеring оf stаrlight—thе onlу source оf brightness in this dаrkness.
Сhi Yu tremblеd all over.
For a moment, he almost wondered if Lin Kuizhi had discovered something.
Impossible, he quickly calmed himself. No one else could possibly know about that matter.
Yes, the ones who were filthy were the perpetrators, but he was different.
He wasn’t as composed, clever, or righteous as the young lady, capable of ensuring the guilty received their due punishment.
Thinking of this, Chi Yu felt even more unworthy.
His methods were underhanded, he held grudges over the slightest offenses, and his personality was flawed.
Lin Kuizhi was like a little sun, warming him with her presence. Yet, it was precisely this brightness that illuminated every dark corner of his heart, leaving him ashamed and with nowhere to hide.
He had never regretted the choices he made, but today, he did.
Sensing his emotional turmoil and that he was about to push her away again, Lin Kuizhi quickly wrapped herself around him, arms and legs clinging tightly, and spoke with dissatisfaction.
“Do you like that girl you were talking to today? Is that why you didn’t notice I was gone?”
Sometimes, a little unreasonable fuss was needed to divert attention.
Sure enough, the boy’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What girl…?”
After a moment of thought, his brows furrowed so tightly they could crush a fly.
“So that’s why you left without saying a word to me?”
Seeing the person before her expression darken, clearly angry, Lin Kuizhi’s survival instincts kicked in. She quickly blinked her eyes, feigning pitifulness. “Who knew there’d be people like that at the amusement park? Besides, it’s not like you were paying attention to me first.”
Her temper flared, and she huffed angrily, about to turn her back on him when he grabbed her shoulders and forcibly turned her around.
“I wasn’t ignoring you,” he sighed deeply. “That girl asked for my contact information. I didn’t give it to her, and when I turned around, you were gone.”
“Liar! You clearly haven’t been paying attention to me these past few days!”
Mentioning this, Lin Kuizhi grew increasingly upset as she spoke. It wasn’t truly because she felt wronged by Chi Yu ignoring her, but rather because thinking about what he had been through made her heart ache. Yet, she feared reopening his wounds and being unable to comfort him, so she could only vent her emotions this way.
Seeing the girl’s eyes turn red, instantly brimming with tears, Chi Yu panicked and began frantically wiping them away.
But the more he wiped, the more tears fell. His voice grew hoarse. “Don’t cry… young lady.”
Her crying softened his heart.
“It’s all your fault anyway!”
“Alright, alright, it’s all my fault.”
Lin Kuizhi gazed at him through tear-blurred eyes for a long moment before suddenly taking his hand.
“Chi Yu.”
Her voice was raspy from crying.
“Hmm?” He gently stroked her head.
“No matter what you’ve been through, I won’t leave you. Do you understand?”
His hand froze mid-motion, as if everything had come to a standstill.
In the dimly lit room, the air grew heavy, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After what felt like an eternity, Lin Kuizhi finally heard a hoarse voice break the silence in the room, her heart filled with unease.
“Young lady, do you know what you’re saying?”Lin Kuizhi didn’t understand why he was asking this, only feeling that she had once again said the wrong thing.
The girl steeled herself and gazed into the obscure eyes before her, firmly taking his hand and gently placing it over her heart.
“My heart says it knows.”
Chi Yu felt his mind go blank with a sudden roar.
The sweet, soft voice had uttered the most tender and moving vow without hesitation, yet he couldn’t tell whether this was the ambrosia she bestowed or a deadly poison.
The heart beneath his palm was beating.
Never before had he despised himself more than at this moment.
The girl was baring her true feelings, while his mind was filled with nothing but wild, filthy thoughts.
Chi Yu, you really are not human.
A thin sweat broke out on his temples. He tried to pull his hand away, but the girl held it tightly.
Her pampered, delicate little hands didn’t have much strength, yet they were enough to easily render him unable to move an inch.
“Lin Kuizhi, let go.”
His voice was cold and heavy. Lin Kuizhi felt a bit afraid, but she stubbornly glared at him, her tone petulant.
“Chi Yu, don’t you believe me?”
“You’re still calling me by my full name after all this time—are we even friends anymore!”
“And why are you being so mean to me—mmph mmmph let go of me…”
Before she could finish, her chin was suddenly gripped, making her words slur and unclear.
His dark eyes churned with indescribable emotions, his voice suppressing anger.
“How can you expect me to believe you?”
“Do you even know what kind of person I am, clinging to me every day?”
“How could I not know?”
Lin Kuizhi raised her voice defiantly. “You’re Chi Yu, who takes care of his sister all alone! You’re Chi Yu, who patiently teaches me physics! You’re Chi Yu, who was so worried about me being in danger that you searched for me frantically!”
Chi Yu looked at her expressionlessly. Any normal person hearing this would be moved to tears, embracing each other as lovers destined to be together. Yet he only felt irony.
The Chi Yu she believed in was merely that false version of himself.
The real him was a madman, a murderer, an illegitimate son who shouldn’t exist in this world, unfit to be seen.
If she knew his true nature, what expression would she wear?
The esteemed young lady of the Lin family, actually getting close to an illegitimate son?
Thinking of this, he sneered coldly, his icy fingertips stroking the girl’s chin, his voice hoarse and eerie.
“Then does the young lady know what I’m thinking right now?”
The rain continued to patter down, growing heavier. The deepening night’s chill coated the window with a thin layer of mist, completely blurring the scene inside.
But as the clouds were blown forward by the wind, the crescent moon finally emerged in the dark night, casting a cold light over the handsome youth.
In the half-light, half-darkness, Lin Kuizhi couldn’t see his expression clearly, nor could she discern the suppressed madness in his pitch-black eyes. She only sensed danger instinctively.
Chi Yu savored the flash of panic in the girl’s eyes, her trembling lashes like those of a frightened little rabbit, his malicious feelings growing even stronger.
Weren’t you claiming to understand me? Why are you so scared now?
His long fingers, stroking her chin, trailed along her cheek to her earlobe, kneading it with varying pressure until the girl’s eyes welled with tears and she gasped for breath. Only then did he finally speak.
“I want you. From the day you fell on me, I’ve dreamed of nothing else.”
“Even knowing this, will you still stay by my side, young lady?”Thunder rumbled, and a flash of white light suddenly illuminated the two figures seething with hidden tension in the room.