Love in the Midst of Mistaken Identities

Xia Mingzhen persuaded her with good intentions. She had sacrificed too much for him, for Xia Yixuan, and for the Xia family. He did not wish for her to live the rest of her life in hatred; if not, her whole life would truly be ruined.

Shen Yijun vaguely understood Xia Mingzhen’s intentions, but determination still flashed across her eyes.

Regret? The edges of her lip lifted. No, she wouldn’t regret. She would never.

Sometimes, humans could be really overconfident; and the result of overconfidence was unimaginable pain.

In the car, Xia Ruoxin placed her hand on her lap, her vision hazy. Her heart felt empty, very empty.

“If I was the one who died then, would all of you be happy?” Her lips curved slightly, her smile a little dull.

If she died, would all of them be happy? Chu Lui and that mother of hers.

The car stopped suddenly. If not for the seatbelt, Xia Ruoxin’s body would have been thrown against the windshield.

Her shoulders were grabbed suddenly with an immense strength it almost made her bones hurt—as if they were being crushed.

“Take back your words, Xia Ruoxin.” Chu Lui’s deep black eyes were slightly red. He didn’t like her saying this type of self-loathing words. Yixuan was already dead. Did she think that she could salvage anything? Were his anger and his frustration really… because of this?

“Don’t you wish for me to die early, too?” Xia Ruoxin raised her head, extremely sorrowful but helpless. Was there anyone who loved her in this world? She received much more hatred from the world than she did love, even though she did not do anything wrong.

“That’s enough, Xia Ruoxin. I don’t want to hear you saying something like that again. I never said I wanted you to die early.” Chu Lui’s hands on her shoulders were still tight and forceful.

His eyes were deep. Xia Ruoxin smiled slightly, a bitter tear falling from the corner of her eye. Was that not the case? Was there anyone who cared about her life? Even her mother wished for her early death. Would this man who hated her care?

Then, she felt herself being reeled into an extremely warm embrace. She shut her eyes gently. So such a cold man could be so warm, too.

“I never wanted for you to die early. Regardless of whether I admit it or not—and whether you’re willing or not, you are still my wife. Xia Ruoxin, I realized that while hating you, I have started to care for you. Do you understand what this means, Xia Ruoxin?”

Chu Lui’s hands wound tightly around her waist and felt her jump lightly in his arms. His lips curled up into a smile at this moment. He never wanted her to die early—never ever—for what he wanted was…

For her to stay…

In a living hell.

Under the flashing light, the man’s features seemed colder and more callous. Perhaps this was his true nature.

Xia Ruoxin hugged his clothes tightly and took a deep breath of the faint tobacco scent on him. She felt like her heart, which shattered into pieces, was slowly growing back together and healing again.

“Chu Lui…” She called his name, her throat closing up. Could she think of it as him starting to fall for her, even just a little?