Chapter 57: I Want to See You Suffer a Fate Worse Than Death
Jian An scrambled up from the floor in a panic, immediately backing away. Yet, in his fearful eyes, a trace of self-mocking irony appeared.
What was I doing just now? What was I saying?
Why did I go and worry about that man again…
Waves of exhaustion and pain surged from the soles of his feet to his entire body. His vision began to blur and lose focus, making it difficult to stand steady. He staggered a step and instinctively grabbed the sofa for support to keep from falling a second time.
“Ugh…”
A suppressed groan escaped his lips. Jian An clutched his chest, feeling as if his body were being literally torn apart. He shook uncontrollably from the pain.
Seeing him in such a state, Ji Songting was momentarily stunned for two seconds. Then, he let out a cold, contemptuous snort. His eyes were full of mockery as he spoke in a biting tone:
“What? One little push and youâre acting as if youâre at death’s door? Didn’t you say your legs couldn’t stand up? What am I seeing now? A perfectly healthy person?”
To him, the man was still full of lies, constantly testing his limits. He had actually felt a shred of worry for him at the hospital a few days agoâwhat a joke!
He appraised the youth from head to toe, his gaze like ice and his voice turning even colder.
“Jian An, you really don’t need to put on such an act.”
Hearing this, Jian Anâs pupils contracted sharply. He stared at the heartless man before him, his heart feeling as though it were being sliced by a blade.
“An act…?”
he choked out the question. He covered his mouth with his hand, his eyes so dry they ached. He could only gasp for air, feeling that everything he had done in the past was utterly worthless.
Jian An fought through the sharp pain in his chest. Facing Ji Songtingâs relentless pressure, he no longer maintained his usual submissiveness. He raised his voice and screamed in a heart-wrenching sob:
“Ji Songting, is that all I am in your eyes? Someone who fakes illnesses to get sympathy? Can someone ‘act’ their way through a major hemorrhage on the operating table?! Can they ‘act’ through three cardiac arrests where even the doctors said there was no hope?!”
Ji Songting froze for several seconds. His eyes narrowed, his dark pupils looking like twin pools of stagnant waterâcold, sharp, and devoid of any emotion. It was terrifying.
He had grown used to Jian Anâs spineless submissiveness over the last three years. Now, suddenly being pointed at and interrogated with such intensity, he found himself momentarily lost for words.
He truly couldn’t believe that Jian An would dare to question him so righteously.
And he, unexpectedly, couldn’t find a single word to fire back.
Jian An seemed not to notice the manâs darkening expression. He leaned against the sofa with a trembling hand, lowering his head. His eyes were full of resentment, and the tears he had fought so hard to suppress finally overflowed.
All the silent humiliation and bitterness he had swallowed finally reached a breaking point.
He let out a desolate laugh. His eyes were filled with an ultimate disappointment, and his heart felt as if it had been torn in two, raw and bleeding.
Jian An stared down at the glass shards on the floorâthey looked just like his shattered love. He continued through his sobs:
“How could anyone ever joke with their own life… And how could anyone have the heart to watch themselves lying on an operating table, clinging to life, while their own husband is out with someone else… How is that possible? Itâs so ironic…”
Gradually, his voice became laced with exhaustion and powerlessness. He raised a hand to wipe his tear-streaked face, his eyes shimmering with agony and misery.
“Is it a crime for me to be with the person I love? Jian An, what right do you have to compare yourself to Xiao Yan?”
Ji Songting looked away, refusing to meet those piteous eyes. His lips trembled slightly, curving into a mocking sneer as he stubbornly clung to his assumptions.
“Stop with the ‘impossible’ nonsense. Youâll do anything to reach your goalsâwhat wouldn’t you do? My mother was fooled by this exact ‘pity’ act of yours back then. She fell into your trap and ended up with a horrible death!”
“How many times do I have to tell you before you’ll believe me?!”
For the first time, Jian An truly lost his temper. His chest heaved violently, and his tear-stained face flushed deep crimson with rage. He made one last, desperate effort to clear his name.
“I did not kill Professor Lin! Three years ago, I received a message from someone claiming to be her student, saying she was waiting for me at the art exhibition. But the location they sent me led to a small warehouse near the school…”
As he spoke, he suddenly clutched his head with both hands, as if the unbearable memories were flooding back. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with terror. His body shook, and his voice, already raspy with rage, began to fail him as if he were about to break down in tears.
“In that warehouse… I saw her… I saw Professor Lin… she had already been strangled to death…”
That final image had become a lifelong nightmare, one that woke him in a cold sweat every night. It was a memory he never dared to revisit.
Back then, he had been cleared of suspicion due to lack of evidence. Though he didn’t go to jail, the real killer was never found, and he had been hated by the man he loved for years because of it.
Ji Songting remained unmoved by his display of agony. He curled his lip and let out a cold, dry laugh. He looked down and began to slowly wipe the liquid from his fingers, speaking as if the words carried no weight.
“If it were anyone else, I might believe them. But itâs you. How am I supposed to believe you?”
“Yes, you only believe what you see with your own eyes. Evidence and explanations are worthless to you. So why am I still standing here, foolishly wasting my breath?”
Jian An sniffled. His heart was full of a bitterness that was hard to describe. He stared at the indifferent man before him, his clear eyes still as bright as they had ever been. He spoke with resolve:
“I am telling you for the last time: bring the divorce agreement. If you refuse to let me go, I will have no choice but to take legal action to protect my rights.”
At these words, a flash of panicâalmost invisibleâcrossed Ji Songtingâs deep, black eyes. He quickly regained his composure and looked at the youth with a gaze of pure contempt. His voice held a mockery and indifference that made one’s skin crawl.
“Do you think a divorce lawsuit is easy to win? You think so little of my power? Or do you think that Shen Yunhengâthat man who only knows how to dig at other people’s wallsâcan actually help you?”
“You… what do you mean?”
In an instant, Jian Anâs face went white. He felt as though a heavy stone had been tied to his heart, dragging it into the depths of the ocean. An indescribable sense of despair erupted from his very bones, nearly overwhelming him.
This sense of defeat and powerlessness left him unable to see any light at the end of the tunnel. His already battered heart felt as though it had been dropped into the Dead Seaâshriveled, compressed, and agonizingly painful under the salt.
“I mean exactly what I said. I don’t intend to let you go that easily. I want to see you suffer a fate worse than death.”
Ji Songting suddenly took a step toward him. A crazed, cruel smile played on his lips. His sharp, deep gaze locked onto Jian An with an intense, possessive heat as he spoke with dark intent.
“Youâre so eager to divorce me, so eager to leave the Ji family… youâre finally ready to elope to Jiangnan with your lover, is that it?”
Jian An looked shocked. He instinctively backed away, his waist striking the table with a loud thud. His voice shook with pain and tremors.
“Yes… what if I am? How do you know about that?”
Ji Songting didn’t answer. He suddenly seized Jian Anâs wrist, his fingers digging ruthlessly into the wounds covered by bandages. He spoke with a mock-admiring “tsk.”
“Jiangnan is nice. A poetic, picturesque place. It truly is a perfect spot for the two of you to have an affair.”
“Let go of me! Don’t use such disgusting words!”
Jian An struggled, but he was pinned against the edge of the table, unable to move. The unhealed wounds on his wrist suddenly flared with a piercing, agonizing pain.
He grit his teeth. His expression remained flat, as if he felt no pain at all. He turned his head away and whispered:
“When it comes to having affairs, I could never compete with you…”
Hearing this, Ji Songtingâs cold smile vanished. He grabbed the youth’s cheeks with one hand, forcing his face back to meet his own. His tone held a hidden murderous intent.
“Say that again?!”
The manâs handsome, rage-filled face was inches away. His blood-red eyes looked as though they were on fire, radiating an intense heat. Jian An gave an involuntary shiver. His jaw ached from the grip, and he found it difficult to breathe. He spoke in gasps.
“I said… why is it… only you who’s allowed to have an affair…?”
Ji Songtingâs grip on his wrist tightened further. He stared into Jian An’s eyes, not missing a single flicker of emotion. He issued a heavy, warning growl:
“You had best not provoke me.”
Jian Anâs heart went cold under that stare. He was in too much pain to speak. His other hand, which was supporting him against the table, began to move silently across the surface. His fingers closed around a glass water cup. Without a word, he raised it to smash it against the man before him.
But Ji Songting was not so easily bested. His sharp eyes were faster than the youth’s hand. He caught the arm mid-swing.
He glanced at the cup in Jian Anâs hand with an expressionless face, then snatched it away and hurled it violently onto the floor.
A sharp, ear-piercing shatter rang out as the glass was smashed into pieces. The sound echoed through the living room for a long time.
Jian An thought the man was going to hit him and squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t open them until the sound had faded and he realized he wasn’t covered in shards.
Seeing him so terrified, Ji Songting let out a cold laugh. He narrowed his eyes and spoke in a thin, detached voice:
“I don’t want to lay a hand on you right now. But if you keep being disobedientâif you keep causing trouble and seducing menâI’ll make sure you end up just like that glass cup.”
Although his voice had softened and lost some of its overbearing arrogance, the loathing, contempt, and impatience on his face were only intensifying.
Jian An felt as if he were in a fog. His senses were numbed by the pain, and he could no longer distinguish between his feelings. His ears were ringing, as if someone had stolen his hearing.
Suddenly, he vaguely felt something cold and wet on his wrist.
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