She sucked in a breath, her eyes wide open as she looked up at the thick fog in his eyes.
Xian Zihao's hands gradually moved upwards, his eyes already dark. He immediately pulled the towel away from her body.
"Don't do that!" Jiang Ruolan struggled.
He easily suppressed her body. "Why not?"
"I… I'm not ready …"
"I've given you more than two months, how long do you want me to wait? Hmm?" As he spoke, he bent his head down and placed his head beside her ear. His quiet voice was louder than when they were in the small bedroom at the Greenville Residence that night.
"Stop!" Jiang Ruolan cried out. She curled up and twisted her body to free herself from him.
"Jiang Ruolan!" Seeing that she was resisting too much, Xian Zihao became angry. He was afraid of hurting her; instead of forcing her, he pressed both her hands against her head instead.
He lowered his head to look at her scared face. "We are married! Do you really think I am a Buddha? Do you wanted me to go out and find another woman to fulfill my desires?!"
"I didn't mean it that way, I just …"
"What are you just saying? Is it because you haven't let go of Han Xuegang? Or is it because of Qin Gengxin?" Xian Zihao's eyes became darkened.
"No! I have nothing to do with Qin Gengxin!" Jiang Ruolan denied it hastily.
"Then what is it?!" A trace of impatience finally appeared in his narrowed eyes. He bent his head down and was about to kiss her.
"I …" In fact, she didn't know whether it was because she couldn't forget Han Xuegang or not. Maybe hatred was inevitable, but how can her love for him for four years be forgotten so easily?
She can pretend that she didn't care, but the phone she always refused to throw away, the engagement party she always kept in her heart, and the pain in her heart, all tell her that the injury had not healed.
Even if Han Xuegang hurts her, even if he really changes, this didn't mean that her four-year relationship was meaningless to her.
She needed time, she always needed time to forget him!
Jiang Ruolan wanted to resist, but her hand was held tightly above her head.
'It is because you haven't let go of Han Xuegang?'
Xian Zihao words echoed hollowly in her ears. She could not find any reason to reject him, but she was unwilling to do so.
She turned her head and took advantage of the gap between their lips to shout, "Don't you have someone in your heart that you can't let go!? Not even in five years! I'm not a cold-blooded animal, how could I just forget! Is it fair that you do this to me — "
Xian Zihao suddenly froze.
Jiang Ruolan raised her trembling head and stared at him, only to see that his dark eyes had turned cold and his entire body was as tight as steel.
She was frightened and stared blankly at the maliciousness in his eyes. Her breathing had already become a bit heavier, but now she was holding her breath.
"From the beginning, you warned me not to get too involved in drama! I know that we are married, and I know that I have to carry out my duties as your wife, but what right do you have to accuse me of not forgetting people of the past! Have you forgotten about her?!"
"Who told you this?" Xian Zihao's breathing was stable and his eyes returned to calm. However, he was so calm that it was scary and frightening. He was still suppressing her body and looked at her indifferently.
Jiang Ruolan opened her mouth, then closed it again. Whether it was Qin Gengxin or Xian Guiying, she couldn't drag them down with her.
"I guessed." She took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and looked into his.
Xian Zihao suddenly sneered. It was unknown whether he believed her or not. He suddenly stood up and didn't even look at her once.
He walked out of bed, opened the curtains, and walked towards the balcony through the slightly open French door.
Jiang Ruolan got up slowly and wrapped a towel around her body again. She looked at Xian Zihao's figure on the balcony. Now that she had regained her sanity, she scolded herself for poking at his sore spot.
But on second thought, he was also poking at her scars, otherwise, why would she say that in a moment of despair.
In the end, Jiang Ruolan still felt a bit guilty. She understood that Xian Zihao can actually use his strength against her but he did not. At the very least, he still respects her, while she…
Jiang Ruolan took his jacket and covered her bare shoulders with it. She walked to the French door, looking at his long, quiet back. "I'm sorry," she said.
Xian Zihao's movement paused, but he didn't turn around and looked at her.
"I am very sorry, and also thank you for being patient with me. Actually, I admit that I can't completely oppose men like you, but any woman, as long as they face you, almost all will lose their reason, and I am not an exception. You are right, I always treat your courtesy to me as if it were a problem. Maybe you will hate me for that."
"I talked too much." Jiang Ruolan bit her lip. "Actually, I just want to say that I'm sorry."
Finally, Xian Zihao tilted his head and looked at her from the corner of his eye. "You're not wrong."
She looked at him in astonishment.
"It's my fault. I forgot about your current situation." He turned around, and his calm black eyes focused on her rather surprised eyes, "Cui Liuxian is injured, so mom should not be living in Greenville Residence anymore. You can return to your peaceful life as before, and you can continue to live the life you want to live."
With that, he walked past her and left her sight through the slightly open door.
Jiang Ruolan stood in place, staring blankly at the bamboo forest across the balcony.
****
When Jiang Ruolan left the room, Zhan An quickly pulled her arm and said that she would take care of Cui Liuxian at home and for the time being could not go to Greenville Residence.
Jiang Ruolan responded with a light smile and turned her head to look at Xian Guiying.
On the way back to H City, Xian Zihao didn't say a word for two hours. It wasn't when he parked his car in front of her office, he glanced at her but said nothing.
"Thanks for the ride." Jiang Ruolan said softly as she got out of the car.
He nodded briefly, and as she got out of the car, the black Land Rover left without waiting for anything else.
Jiang Ruolan watched as the car moved farther and farther out of sight. She suddenly felt an indescribable feeling in her heart, a strange feeling that made her panic.
Especially when she recalled what Xian Zihao had said yesterday. He said that she could return to her own peace.
What did that mean?
****
Two days later, Jiang Ruolan suddenly heard that Han Xuegang's engagement with Ling Fei'er was postponed due to an accident and the engagement was postponed until Sunday, five weeks later.
Hearing the news of the delay in the engagement party, Jiang Ruolan did not react much. She could only breathe a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, she hadn't found anyone to accompany her to the engagement banquet. She still had at least five weeks to catch her breath. Five weeks should be enough time for her to straighten her thorns.
Xian Zihao was right, he had really done it.
Jiang Ruolan had indeed returned to her original life.
He did not reappear for a week, as he did for two months after their marriage.
This time, it seems more thorough. Because of the incident on Bedford Street, Jiang Ruolan had no choice but to call him to ask how he would handle this matter but she couldn't get through to him even after dialing his private number a few times.
Seeing Xiong Ruogang jumping up and down in anxiety, Jiang Ruolan felt helpless and could only give Secretary Du a call.
"Hello, Secretary Du. I'm Fengyu Media's Jiang Ruolan."
"Miss Jiang?" Secretary Du's voice sounded a little surprised. It was obvious that he didn't expect her would call him.
"Sorry to bother you, Secretary Du. I just want to ask about the incident with the old road on Bedford Street. I wonder how exactly your company and the Land Bureau intend to solve this problem? Are you still planning to demolish the houses?"
"President Xian did not tell you? Hehe, Miss Jiang, you're husband and wife, why don't you ask him?"
"I …" Jiang Ruolan laughed awkwardly. "I can't get through to him."
