Chapter 39: Inconsistent Words and Deeds
Before the two men holding Ruan Yi could even turn around, Shen Xun had already flashed forward. His elbow struck precisely against the back of the neck of the man on the left.
The man’s movements came to a dead stop as he crashed to the ground. Shen Xun spun around and kicked the other man, sending him flying into an iron rack. That man also went silent.
The other kidnapper lackeys had already fled, dragging their blood-soaked boss with them.
In the warehouse, only the sound of her and Shen Xun’s ragged breathing remained.
How did Shen Xun appear so quickly? Her brain was currently a mess, and the physical pain was persistent.
Furthermore, that kidnapper who hated her so much seemed very familiar with Shen Xun. He even seemed a bit afraid of him—or rather, he was wary of the Shen family.
With that hideous balaclava on, she couldn’t see anything. The only thing she could tell was… that man’s hair seemed a bit thin?
“How could you get here so fast? The kidnapper just finished the ransom call.” Ruan Yi was truly confused.
If this were a melodramatic novel, this would take five or six chapters. How did he “shoo” over like that?
Shen Xun seemed a bit stiff. He opened his mouth and said seriously, “Telepathy.”
“You’re a psycho.” Ruan Yi ruthlessly rejected his reason.
[Of course, it was because I sent people to monitor her.]
The man was currently rejoicing that he had sent people to watch Ruan Yi. Otherwise, he didn’t dare to imagine what kind of grievances she would have suffered if he had arrived any later.
He knelt on one knee, his finger pads wiping away the tears from the girl’s eyelashes. His Adam’s apple rolled violently as he undid the dead knot on her wrists in two strokes.
His warm palm brushed over the bruises on Ruan Yi’s calf from being kicked.
“It hurts like death, don’t touch!” Actually, Shen Xun hadn’t used any force, but the kidnapper had kicked her too hard. Even a light touch was agonizing.
Thinking of the grievances she just suffered, she wanted to vent them all on Shen Xun. But before the words could come out, her tears fell drop by drop.
She was suddenly yanked into the man’s embrace.
Shen Xun buried his face in her hair, his arms hooping her so tight it was almost suffocating.
“I thought something happened to you.” The man’s muffled voice was laced with hoarseness.
Saying such unlucky things, are you cursing me?
Ruan Yi sobbed, unable to break free from the man’s embrace no matter how she tried.
Furious, she reached her hand toward Shen Xun’s abdomen to pinch his flesh. But the man’s stomach was full of firm muscle; she could only grab a layer of skin. Thus, she got even angrier and cried even harder.
[She’s touching me. Is she giving me a hint?]
[But she’s still crying… what exactly does she mean?]
The man’s palm, with thin calluses, pressed against her soft waist and squeezed lightly, rubbing back and forth, thinking to respond and comfort the girl in his arms.
But in Ruan Yi’s eyes, this was a blatant provocation.
What does he mean! Is Shen Xun mocking me because my meat is fat enough to be squeezed?
Sensing Shen Xun’s increasingly reckless movements, Ruan Yi was beyond furious. She struggled to push him away, but her tears continued to fall unproductively.
“It’s all your fault! It’s all your fault for using the engagement party to provoke me!”
The girl choked, her voice fragmented.
“If you hadn’t provoked me, I wouldn’t have gone out to find a solution. If I hadn’t gone out, I wouldn’t have wanted to eat ice cream. If I hadn’t wanted ice cream, I wouldn’t have been kidnapped. If I hadn’t been kidnapped, I wouldn’t have been kicked!”
“So, it’s basically the same as you kicking me!”
She successfully dumped a massive “black pot” onto Shen Xun’s head.
“Me?” Shen Xun pointed to himself, not quite reacting.
“Who else? Who told you to force the marriage!” Her tone was exceptionally righteous.
Shen Xun remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking.
“Do you really not want to marry me that much?”
“So what if I don’t!” As soon as she finished, Ruan Yi felt the hand the man had around her waist suddenly stiffen.
The depths of the man’s eyes seemed to hold only a pool of freezing, dead water. The surrounding temperature dropped to the freezing point instantly.
The arm originally clamped around her waist loosened by half an inch, but his knuckles turned white from the force of his suppressed anger.
“Say that again.” Each word he spoke seemed to be ground out from between his teeth, carrying an oppressive aura.
Ruan Yi tilted her tear-reddened face up. The young miss’s temper flared, and she insisted on pushing against his chest to stand firm.
“I said—I don’t want to!”
Before the words could fully land, a sharp pain suddenly shot through the calf the kidnapper had kicked. Her knees went soft, and Ruan Yi fell uncontrollably.
In her panic, she could only instinctively hook her arms around the man’s neck, her fingers clutching his collar. She hung on the edge of falling, terrified of injuring her calf further.
Looking at the girl’s panicked appearance as she “demanded” a hug, the coldness in Shen Xun’s eyes suddenly turned into a dark smile.
[What to do when my fiancée’s words and deeds are inconsistent?]
[So cute… let’s take her home.]
“Hypocrite…” he cursed under his breath. His long arm suddenly pulled her in, fully scooping Ruan Yi into his arms.
“What did you say? Did you even understand what I said? And you—mph!” The scolding came to a sudden halt.
[I don’t understand. I want to kiss.]
A scalding kiss covered her heavily with an irresistible sense of aggression. Ruan Yi pushed against his chest indignantly, her fingers sinking into his firm muscles.
The man cupped her fluffy head with one hand while the other firmly hooped her waist, as if wanting to melt her entire being into his embrace.
Ruan Yi finally managed to tear a sliver of space from his grip. Before she could catch her breath to complain, he was like he had a tracker installed, pressing back in again.
“Mmph… mmm!” Her angry whimpers and sobs were all blocked back.
[She actually cried from being kissed. This is simply… seduction.]
Ruan Yi used all her strength to push him away, her chest heaving violently. Her red eye sockets were still hung with unshed tears.
Before he could react, a crisp slap landed heavily on his face. A finger mark immediately appeared on his fair skin.
“I said, I don’t want to marry you!” Her voice carried a sob, the ending note trembling.
“Then keep not wanting to.”
The stinging on his cheek hadn’t even faded before he precisely caught Ruan Yi’s slender wrist.
Before she could struggle, moist kisses fell on the girl’s wrist bone. His thin lips pecked along the blue-purple veins, slowly moving upward. When his teeth lightly nipped the soft flesh of her inner arm, he could feel her trembling uncontrollably.
Ruan Yi snapped her hand up, wanting to throw another slap, but he caught her wrist with precision.
“One slap means the wedding date is moved up by one day.”
Ruan Yi froze, her raised hand not daring to move an inch.
When a person becomes unrivaled in their shamelessness, they are invincible. This Shen Xun was already invincible.
“Bastard! You’re threatening me?”
“Correct.” Shen Xun discovered that he seemed to have found the way to handle this little “explosive pack.”
Ruan Yi deeply understood the truth that a wise person submits to circumstances.
“Then I won’t hit you. Can the date be set later? You at least have to wait until I graduate and fully take over the Ruan Corporation!”
He paused for a moment, his brow raised. “No. That’s too long. Why should I listen to you?”
Ruan Yi took a deep breath, telling herself not to get angry.
“Shen Xun, I am negotiating with you.”
“Give me some benefits.” He seemed to be speaking plainly.
Benefits… what benefits could she give Shen Xun?
“Then… I’ll allow you to meet with Ah Zhi whenever you want.” Ruan Yi thought she had offered a massive benefit.
Shen Xun: ?
What was the use of him meeting his future brother-in-law all day? None of the gifts he had sent through the brother-in-law were liked by Ruan Yi.
“Substantive benefits.”
Ruan Yi looked terrified. What exactly did this lunatic want? What counted as substantive?
“Then what exactly do you want? You psycho!”
“Open your mouth.” Shen Xun pointed to his lips.
“What…”
A scalding tongue pried open her teeth, driving straight in, greedily plundering her every breath.
The entanglement, carrying the intent of punishment, swept over her until her legs went soft and her tongue felt numb.
The substantive reward was her tongue.
Translator’s Note: “Shifting the black pot” (bei hei guo) is a Chinese idiom for taking the blame for something. Ruan Yi’s logic is hilarious—it’s basically “A led to B which led to C, so therefore you are responsible for C.” Also, “One slap means the wedding date is moved up by one day” is such a toxic yet classic CEO trope.
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