"No, Zhiyuan, please listen to my explanation, it's not what you think." Huo Mian was usually quite a calm girl, but once the subject of what happened seven years ago came up, her heart would fall into disarray, even making her somewhat incoherent.
"Huo Mian, you never lie, so why would you deceive him? You should tell him everything that happened between us before." Qin Chu's tone was aggressive.
"Huo Mian, I'm asking you, is he your ex-boyfriend, right? Did he touch you just now? Did he kiss you, huh?" Ning Zhiyuan walked closer, step by step, getting nearer to Huo Mian. It was the first time she had seen him so serious after knowing him for so long. His eyes looked as if they could devour someone.
Ning Zhiyuan and Huo Mian had been together for a considerable time, mostly just holding hands and kissing, not yet crossing the final boundary. Perhaps because Huo Mian was traditionally inclined, and Ning Zhiyuan also intended to marry her, he had endured again and again. Now, hearing that the sacred goddess in his heart had been defiled by someone else, how could he possibly bear it?
An unknown fire surged within him, making Ning Zhiyuan's face turn pale with anger.
Huo Mian didn't want to lie to Ning Zhiyuan; she had just been forcibly kissed. But if she told the truth at this moment, wouldn't the misunderstanding deepen even further?
Just as she was trying to figure out how to explain it in a way that Ning Zhiyuan would find easier to accept, Qin Chu's demonic voice rang out again.
"Looking at you, you probably don't know either that we already slept together seven years ago, do you?"
With a crash, Qin Chu's words completely shattered Huo Mian's last shred of remaining sanity.
She never, ever thought that Qin Chu could so casually reveal what happened seven years ago, and with such a frivolous expression? It shouldn't be this way, this wasn't like Qin Chu's character. Had he changed into a different person in these seven years?
"Qin Chu, how could you become so despicable...?" Huo Mian was so stunned she couldn't utter a complete sentence.
"You scoundrel, what did you say?" Ning Zhiyuan threw the cola and corn in his hand, grabbing Qin Chu's collar forcefully with one hand, asking with bloodshot eyes.
Qin Chu slightly curled his lips, casually glancing at Huo Mian beside him, and then said, "From this, it seems you two haven't progressed to that stage. It appears Huo Mian doesn't love you that much, huh."
"Bastard, what did you say? I'll beat you to death!" Ning Zhiyuan finished speaking and threw a punch towards Qin Chu's face.
But Qin Chu dodged swiftly. Then Ning Zhiyuan lunged again with another punch. This punch was so fast that Qin Chu didn't even have time to see it clearly before he took a solid hit.
Qin Chu staggered back a few steps, then wiped his bloodied lip with a finger and said coldly, "Considering you've been helping me look after Huo Mian these past few years, I'll take that punch. But you won't get another chance."
"Good, fight back then, come on, you bastard! How dare you treat Xiao Mian like that? So what if you're her ex-boyfriend? What's in the past is in the past! Why are you coming back for her?" Ning Zhiyuan was furious at this moment. He admitted that when he heard Qin Chu say Huo Mian had slept with him seven years ago, his entire world collapsed.
How old was Huo Mian seven years ago? Only eighteen, still a naive high school student.
No man would willingly tolerate such a powerful rival provoking him, and Ning Zhiyuan was no exception.
Despite Qin Chu's repeated warnings, he still ignored the advice and lunged forward like a crazed beast.
This time, Qin Chu didn't dodge. Instead, he met Ning Zhiyuan with a punch, which sent Ning Zhiyuan crashing to the ground.
"Zhiyuan, are you okay?" Huo Mian was startled and immediately ran over, carefully trying to help Ning Zhiyuan up.
Unexpectedly, Ning Zhiyuan roughly pushed her away, almost making her fall.
"Get lost, I don't need you. You indecent... woman, don't touch me, you make me sick."
Huo Mian's face was covered in tears at this moment. She shook her head aggrievedly: "I didn't, Zhiyuan, I didn't betray you. Please believe me, all of that was in the past, and he and I are truly over."
"Believe you about what? Believe you're still a virgin?" Ning Zhiyuan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, sneering maliciously.
Huo Mian lowered her eyelashes, remaining silent.
"Why aren't you speaking? Is he wronging you? Don't tell me you're still a virgin." Ning Zhiyuan looked at Huo Mian with contempt, pressing his question.
"No, he's right about everything. Seven years ago, I was indeed with him, but that's all in the past, Zhiyuan. Please listen to me, okay? I'll slowly explain what happened between us before."
With a sharp slap, Ning Zhiyuan's raised hand struck Huo Mian's left cheek hard, immediately causing a burning pain.
Qin Chu, standing nearby, his pupils sharply constricted, a faint trace of heartache in his eyes.
He reached out to help Huo Mian, but she pushed his hand away.
"Huo Mian, I thought... you were a good girl, someone I could grow old with. I genuinely wanted to marry you and spend my life with you. I never thought you were also that kind of promiscuous woman. I, Ning Zhiyuan, was blind. What a waste of how long I pursued you in college, always unwilling to touch you, revering you like a goddess. I was truly blind, ha ha ha... You played me like a fool. You're such a cheap woman."
"Zhiyuan, whether you hit me or curse me, none of that matters. You're hurt, let's go to the hospital first, okay?"
Huo Mian said, rising unsteadily, intending to help Ning Zhiyuan again, but he retreated a few steps.
"Don't touch me, Huo Mian. Take your dirty hands off me. I don't need you to send me. Get out, I never want to see you again. Get out!" Ning Zhiyuan roared these words, then scrambled up like a wounded beast and stormed away.
Huo Mian stood rooted, crying silently.
She didn't know why things had turned out this way. Hadn't fate tormented her enough? Hadn't she already paid the price for what happened seven years ago?
Why must she still be forced like this? Why couldn't she just live a normal life? She just wanted to live an ordinary life, nothing more.
"Huo Mian, come back to me and marry me." Behind her, Qin Chu's voice was almost obsessive. This wasn't a discussion or a plea; it was a commanding tone, as if refusing anyone. Huo Mian knew the Qin family had this power. The Qin family had always been noble, and in this city, they held immense influence. There was nothing they didn't want that they couldn't achieve. Seven years ago, she had already painfully learned that bloody price. It seemed that, like for Qin Chu... it wasn't over yet.