Free Web NovelChapter 203: SEASON TWO: TROUBLE IN PARADISE PART(2)
He laughed bitterly. "I’m a fucking joke, aren’t I?"
Liuxian shook his head immediately.
"No."
"It wasn’t my place to tell you."
"I only found out while investigating ShangYan. I wouldn’t have known otherwise, and I believed it was something you deserved to hear from your own family."
Guiying slowly shook his head.
"Enough."
"I don’t want to hear another word."
He walked past Liuxian and grabbed the nearest set of car keys from the table.
Liuxian immediately followed after him.
"Guiying, where are you going? It’s late."
Guiying stopped at the door but didn’t turn around.
"Don’t fucking follow me."
His voice had gone quiet again.
"And don’t send any of your men after me."
Only then did he look back over his shoulder.
"If you dare..."
He swallowed.
"...this marriage ends here."
Liuxian stared at him.
"Guiying, stop being childish. I’ve already told you my reasons."
For a brief second, Guiying simply looked at him.
Then he laughed.
He walked straight back until he was standing directly in front of Liuxian and grabbed him firmly by the collar.
"I’m being childish?"
His eyes filled with tears again.
"My whole life I was bullied, mocked, ridiculed and abused."
His grip tightened.
"I was pushed down a flight of stairs."
"I had to eat leftovers."
"I spent years suffering because everyone believed I was an illegitimate child."
The words became harder and harder for him to force out.
"Imagine suffering that much for something you didn’t even deserve."
Tears were running freely down his face now.
"I suffered because I was an illegitimate child only to find out I’m not."
He looked directly into Liuxian’s eyes.
"And you have the nerve to tell me I’m being childish."
His voice dropped almost to a whisper.
"Liuxian... the childish one here is you."
"You failed to see my pain."
He slowly let go of Liuxian’s collar and stepped backwards.
"You can’t comfort me."
"So let me go."
Neither of them spoke after that.
Guiying turned around, walked out of the house and got into the car without looking back.
Liuxian followed him as far as the entrance, but he stopped there.
"Guiying."
There was no response.
The engine started.
The headlights cut across the darkness.
Just before the car pulled away, Guiying lowered the window enough for his voice to carry back.
"If you can’t respect my wishes, then this marriage is fucking over."
The window closed again.
A moment later, the car disappeared through the gates and into the night.
------
Guiying didn’t know where he was going, nor did he particularly care. The roads became quieter the farther he drove, the lights of the city gradually giving way to long stretches of darkness until there was nothing left except the occasional passing vehicle and the sound of his own uneven breathing.
His vision had blurred long ago.
He wiped at his face with one hand before reaching for his phone and switching off his location without a second thought.
He didn’t want Liuxian to follow him.
He didn’t want ShangYan looking for him.
He didn’t want anyone following him.
For the first time in his life, he wanted to be completely alone.
Back at the house, Liuxian remained standing exactly where Guiying had left him, staring at the now empty gates as the final words echoed through his mind.
If you can’t respect my wishes, then this marriage is fucking over.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long, frustrated sigh before muttering to himself in a voice barely above a whisper, "I’m so dumb."
He knew Guiying. He knew that beneath the composure and the sharp tongue was someone who had spent his entire life swallowing hurt until there was no room left for anything else.
Tonight had simply been the moment everything spilled over.
But he knew he couldn’t sleep knowing Guiying was out there alone.
Guiying had threatened him. He had told him not to follow. He had threatened their marriage if he did.
Liuxian closed his eyes briefly before letting out another weary breath. "So be it.."
He turned around, walked back into the house, and grabbed another set of car keys from the cabinet near the entrance.
He had no intention of forcing Guiying to come home, and he had no intention of appearing in front of him if he truly wanted to be left alone.
But he needed to know where Guiying was. He needed to know he was safe. That alone would be enough.
Without another word, he walked back outside, got into another car, and quietly drove out through the gates.
---
Guiying had no destination in mind when he first left. He simply drove.
The lights of the city gradually disappeared behind him, replaced by quieter roads lined with stretches of open land and clusters of trees that seemed to grow denser the farther he travelled.
He wasn’t paying attention to signs. He wasn’t paying attention to directions.
He simply kept driving until his hands finally loosened around the steering wheel and exhaustion began to catch up with him.
By the time he noticed the weathered sign welcoming visitors to Janqing District, he had already come too far to think about turning back.
The village was small. Painfully small. There were no towering buildings, no brightly lit shopping centres, and no hotels waiting for travellers passing through.
The roads were narrow, the houses were modest, and the entire place seemed wrapped in a stillness that didn’t exist in the city.
Guiying parked his car and stepped outside. The night air was cool against his face.
It carried none of the pollution or noise he had grown accustomed to, only the faint scent of damp earth and grass stirred by the breeze.
For the first time since leaving the city, he looked around properly.
Not far away, a dimly lit inn remained open. It looked old and simple, with nothing luxurious about it, yet somehow it felt welcoming.
The elderly woman behind the counter looked up in surprise when he entered and immediately greeted him with a warm smile. "My dear, you’re travelling this late?" she asked.
Guiying forced himself to return the smile. "I... need a room for the night," he said.
"Of course you do," she replied. The old woman looked at him carefully before her expression softened even further. "You look exhausted," she said.
She quoted him a modest price that made Guiying almost feel guilty for paying so much more than she asked.
When she realised he hadn’t eaten either, she insisted on bringing him a warm dinner despite his repeated attempts to decline.
"You young people always skip meals," she scolded with grandmotherly authority. "Sit down first." she said.
