Qi Yanzhi’s dark eyes froze, her words cutting into his heart like a sharp blade, churning his insides until they were raw and bloody. He couldn’t speak from the pain, yet the resolute expression on his face didn’t waver in the slightest.
Tang Wei lifted her gaze and shot him a sidelong glance, then lowered her head with a mocking laugh. “You actually believed that? Do you think I’d let you leave a stain on me? I was just disgusted by your words.”
Hearing this, Qi Yanzhi let out a faint sigh of relief.
Tang Wei glanced at him, a deep chill of sorrow welling up inside her.
What had she even seen in Qi Yanzhi back then?
Or had he never really been the person she thought he was?
“If you have something to say, say it. I don’t have time to watch you play the devoted lover here. You finish your act with Tang Yining, then come perform for me—I’m exhausted just watching you.
“If you have that much free time, you’d be better off putting more effort into pleasing Tang Yining. Behind her stands the entire Tang Corporation.”
Tang Wei didn’t want to stay with him any longer. Just looking at him made her stomach churn with discomfort.
“Weiwei, does it have to be like this between us?” Qi Yanzhi’s voice was hoarse, his eyes filled with hurt.
The mockery in Tang Wei’s eyes grew even more intense. She said not a single word, yet it left Qi Yanzhi with an indescribable feeling in his chest.
A wave of bitterness spread through his heart, like a black hole slowly expanding, threatening to swallow him whole.
His expression turned slightly dazed, his throat feeling as if something were lodged in it—aching and stinging.
He lowered his head, his gaze growing more determined, his voice taking on a coaxing tone. “Weiwei, stay by my side. You can keep doing everything you love in the future—the studio, if you want it, I’ll arrange everything to be the best for you.”
Arrange everything to be the best…
Ha.
He used to be such a good person. He’s still good now—just really good at wielding power.
Not only did he betray her, but now he wanted to have his cake and eat it too, trying to use the studio to pressure her.
Tang Wei didn’t get angry; instead, she smiled and asked calmly, “Stay by your side? Under what title?”
“Mistress?”
“The other woman?”
“Or…” Tang Wei’s heart tightened, and she suddenly felt she didn’t even have the strength to talk to him.
Her hand resting on her knee unconsciously clenched into a fist. After a long moment, she asked in return, “Do you think I’m some little cat or dog you can toy with at will? Or a rat hiding in the gutter, afraid of the light?”
Qi Yanzhi shook his head. No, how could he ever make Tang Wei the other woman?
She wasn’t a little cat or dog to be toyed with, nor a rat hiding in the gutter.
She was the most important person in his life besides his mother—the one he wished he could hold in the palm of his hand and cherish with all his heart.
He stared at Tang Wei, his tone utterly serious. “Weiwei, you’re my… girlfriend.”
Perhaps because he knew how outrageous his actions had been, the words “girlfriend” took a long time to finally come out.
“Doesn’t that disgust you to say? If I’m your girlfriend, then what is Tang Yining?”
“Qi Yanzhi, I really can’t figure out what you’re trying to do anymore.”
Tang Wei’s gaze swept over him, and she sneered without mercy. “Though maybe I never truly knew you at all. Perhaps your approach to me was premeditated from the very start.”
The derision on Tang Wei’s face grew more pronounced.
Qi Yanzhi’s throat tightened, and for a moment, even breathing felt like agony.
He admitted that his initial approach to Tang Wei had been for another purpose, but the more time he spent with her, the more he came to know how wonderful she was.
If there had been any better way, he would never have done this.
During the time they were together, aside from that one thing, he had never lied to her. His feelings for her were genuine.
He would never allow this one matter to make Tang Wei deny everything they had shared before.
“Weiwei, give me a little more time. Wait for me, alright?” He lifted his gaze to look at her seriously, a hint of pleading in his voice.
He didn’t want to use the studio to force her to stay by his side either, but he knew Tang Wei.
If he didn’t keep her close, he might lose her forever.
If she would just wait a little longer, he could hold Tang Wei in his hands with his whole heart.
“Wait…”
Tang Wei’s eyes were cold and indifferent.
“Wait until Tang Yining smugly throws the wedding invitation in my face, or wait until I’m sent to another man’s bed by you two again?”
“Weiwei…”
Tang Wei blinked. No, she couldn’t cry.
A man like Qi Yanzhi was no longer worthy of her tears.
Tang Wei picked up the juice beside her and poured it over his face. The yellow liquid ran down his cheeks, soaking his suit.
“I don’t care what you’re planning. Don’t come looking for me again. Just seeing you now makes me sick. I won’t reopen the studio—do whatever you want. I’m alone in this world anyway, with nothing left that I care about.”
“No, wait—there’s still my life. Next time, you can hold a knife to my throat and force me to stay with you.”
With one last mocking remark, Tang Wei turned and left without a trace of reluctance.
Qi Yanzhi remained frozen in place, not moving a muscle.
A suffocating atmosphere filled the private room, like a wild beast slowly devouring him whole.
After a long while, he raised his head in defeat, his expression bitter as he pulled out a tissue to wipe the juice from his clothes.
Just wait a little longer. Once he finished handling everything, he would go apologize to Weiwei, and she would surely forgive him.
Weiwei loved him so much. They would go back to how they used to be.
…
The moment Tang Wei stepped out of the restaurant, her stomach churned again. She grabbed onto a trash can and started vomiting.
She retched until she saw stars, yet nothing came up.
The events of the past flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
That damned Qi Yanzhi—after driving her to this state, he still had the nerve to come and disgust her.
Her nose stung, and a layer of mist quickly gathered in her eyes. She closed them, but tears slipped uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Too cruel. Too disgusting…
“Miss… are you alright?”
The voice pulled Tang Wei back from her thoughts. Thinking she was blocking someone’s way, she wiped her tears and moved to stand. “Sorry, I’ll leave right away.”
Xu An was taken aback and quickly explained, “No, that’s not it. Are you feeling unwell? Here, take this.”
He handed her a tissue and a bottle of water.
Tang Wei kept her head down, not wanting to show her disheveled state. She took the tissue and water, turned her head slightly, and murmured, “Thank you.”
“No need.” Xu An seemed to think of something and couldn’t help adding a few more words. “Are you pregnant? My wife was about the same when she was pregnant—couldn’t eat anything every day, and threw up as soon as she ate. It gets much better after the first two months…”
Tang Wei’s grip on the water bottle tightened gradually, her fingertips turning white from the pressure. Something exploded in her mind, and Xu An’s words faded into a blur.
She had lied. She had just lied to Qi Yanzhi.
A month ago, after Tang Yining had drugged her, after she had entered that strange man’s room—especially after learning that Qi Yanzhi had tacitly allowed it—
She had been in a daze for days. By the time she recovered, the optimal window for taking the pill had long passed.
Just now, she had only thought it was because Qi Yanzhi had disgusted her. But thinking about it now, something was very wrong.
Pregnant…
She couldn’t have jinxed herself, could she?