In the end, Ru Yin Yue returned to waiting outside the door of the ballroom. She didn't want to run into Ai Kan Shu again. she half-expected him to come up with an excuse to talk to her, to look for her, but for some reason he never showed up in front of her again.
She sighed. Of course Ai Kan Shu wouldn't look for her. Even if she hadn't told him to stay away from her all those years ago, he was too busy with helping out with the university conference to talk to her. Come to think of it, she couldn't help but be curious as to what he was doing. She realized she had forgotten to ask him. It looked like he was still in university…either he was a graduate student or he had already become a professor. She wasn't sure, but it seemed like he hadn't gotten a PhD yet. If he was a professor, he wouldn't be helping out with mundane errands such as registration and giving out brochures.
Ru Yin Yue realized that she knew very little about Ai Kan Shu. Not that she wanted to know much about someone who borderline stalked her.
But somehow she couldn't help but compare Ai Kan Shu to Si Zha Nan. Probably because of her marriage with the latter had soured considerably.
Fortunately, she didn't have to wait too long outside the door. She didn't know how long she spent staring blankly at the wall opposite the ballroom's entrance, but it couldn't have been longer than fifteen minutes, tops. And then the presidents and VIPs filed out, stinking of alcohol and raucously laughing with each other.
"Send them off," Si Zha Nan instructed, the first thing he said when he saw her. She obeyed quietly, escorting each and every CEO off, watching them go to their cars. Si Zha Nan disappeared, presumably, having left without her.
Not that Ru Yin Yue was expecting anything.
Feeling hungry, she decided to look for a place to eat. Left without a ride, she might as well drop by a cheap night eatery before she called for a taxi. While she consulted her smartphone, using the power of Google Fu to search for an appropriate place, Ai Kan Shu stumbled across her.
"Eh?" He looked at her awkwardly, and the nodded a greeting. Not knowing what to say, he took a step back and was about to detour when…
Ru Yin Yue's stomach growled.
"Are you hungry?" Ai Kan Shu asked, pausing. Ru Yin Yue lowered her head sheepishly, unable to meet his gaze.
"Yes, well…I haven't had dinner."
She had spent the entire time waiting outside the ballroom, greeting, welcoming and sending off the guests. She wasn't even allowed to dine with them. Of course, Si Zha Nan was aware of that, but he didn't care. Ru Yin Yue had always been freeloading off his home, eating whatever food that auntie Yi prepared for her.
What did it matter if she missed a meal or two?
"There's a coffee shop a few blocks away, down the street. It should be open for 24 hours. You can try that place."
"Oh, I see. Let me see if I can find it online." Ru Yin Yue fumbled with her smartphone. Ai Kan Shu sighed, thinking for a bit.
"If you don't mind, I'll bring you there. I was planning on having supper anyway."
That was partly the truth. While Ai Kan Shu had taken some food because the organizers of the conference had ordered some catering, he hadn't eaten much because of how busy he was. As a result, he was a little hungry. He was craving for some carrot cake anyway.
"I'll be troubling you then."
In the past, Ru Yin Yue would have been wary of Ai Kan Shu, but now she felt as if he had matured a bit. He was still shy and awkward, but he didn't seem as creepy as before. Besides, compared to her abusive husband, he seemed…better company.
"This way." Ai Kan Shu then led Ru Yin Yue out of the taxi stand and guided her along the road. It was a chilly night, with the temperature dropping, so when he noticed that Ru Yin Yue was shivering from the cold – wearing nothing more than the formal dress that she chose for work – he took his jacket off and passed it to her. "Don't worry about it," he assured her when she protested. "I don't feel that cold. I'm going to eat something spicy, so I'll warm up pretty quickly."
That was a lie…Ai Kan Shu actually couldn't eat much spicy stuff. It was bad for his stomach.
While the two of them traveled along the road, Si Zha Nan caught sight of them by sheer coincidence. He was driving his silver Lamborghini and had just exited the carpark when he caught sight of a familiar figure. He even saw Ai Kan Shu pass his jacket to Ru Yin Yue, and though he didn't recognize Ai Kan Shu, he instinctively felt furious.
He didn't know why he was so angry. Perhaps because he thought that Ru Yin Yue was too scheming. Despite already attaining her wish and marrying him, she still had the audacity to seduce other men.
Ai Kan Shu brought Ru Yin Yue to a coffee shop and treated her to fried noodles while he ordered carrot cake for himself. The two of them didn't talk much, and feeling guilty that she was being treated – though she couldn't do anything about it because she realized she had no money – Ru Yin Yue tried to start up a conversation.
"What were you doing throughout the last few years? The class said they didn't know what happened to you."
"University," Ai Kan Shu replied simply.
"You're still in university?"
"Ah, yeah. I applied for a master's program and am now a graduate student. I'm almost done. Once I finish my thesis, I'll go for a PhD." He paused for a moment, glancing at her. "Didn't you major in music? How did you end up working as a secretary?"
Ru Yin Yue wasn't surprised that he knew about that. She probably posted about it on social media before she banned him from commenting.
"A lot of things happened," she replied. Ai Kan Shu raised an eyebrow curiously, but when she didn't elaborate, he didn't press her. Clearly she had no intention of sharing.
They finished eating and then Ai Kan Shu sent her home. By the time they reached the Crescent Villa, it was after midnight.
"So you're married." Ai Kan Shu was staring at the villa from behind his car window, but there wasn't much emotion in his voice. He had expected Ru Yin Yue to move on with her life. It wasn't as if the world revolved around him alone. As he studied, his peers had gotten married.
"Yeah." Ru Yin Yue lowered her head. If Ai Kan Shu noticed anything strange about her mood, he didn't ask. Instead, he just nodded and watched Ru Yin Yue disembark before driving away. The car didn't belong to him – it was actually his family's car. So he couldn't stay out for long.
Believing that everyone was already asleep, Ru Yin Yue entered the manor as quietly as possible. She left the lights off, returning to her private bedroom in the darkness.
So imagine her shock when she saw Si Zha Nan sitting inside her room, dressed in a blue robe and drinking wine.
"Zha Nan? Why are you in my room? And you're still awake?"
"My newly wedded wife is happily hanging out with another man outside, so how will I be able to sleep?"
Ru Yin Yue stared at him blankly for a moment, and then frowned. "My friend simply brought me to a place for dinner. I spent the whole night greeting, guiding and sending off your VIP guests, so I didn't have dinner. What's wrong with following a friend to a coffee shop?"
However, Si Zha Nan refused to believe her. Ignoring her reason, he continued callously.
"I don't understand. You've already gotten everything, so why aren't you satisfied yet? You still want to seduce other men? But I'm impressed that the guy actually fell for you. I didn't think you had it in you."
"I didn't seduce anyone." Ru Yin Yue couldn't help but be annoyed. However, Si Zha Nan was in no mood to listen to her.
"Stop lying." Si Zha Nan grabbed hold of Ru Yin Yue. She tried to break free, but he roughly pushed her, sending her staggering. Before she could recover her balance, h shoved her onto the bed and pinned her under him. She struggled beneath him, but his superior strength and heavier stature made her resistance futile. Leaning close, he snarled menacingly. "Ru Yin Yue, since you have become Mrs. Si, you must conduct yourself appropriately. Do you think you represent only yourself in public? Our Si family cannot afford to lose any face."
"Zha Nan, I'm telling the truth! Don't do this! I didn't do anything with my friend! We only had dinner together! Let me go!"
"Why should I believe a woman like you who is full of lies?"
Ru Yin Yue gritted her teeth and tried to shove him off her, but he seized her wrists tightly.
"Zha Nan, I don't understand you at all." She tried to tear her hands from his grip, but his fingers felt like iron. "Since you hate me so much, why do you care about all these things that never happened in the first place?"
"Yeah, why should I care?" Si Zha Nan sneered. "Why don't you ask yourself that question? Did you think I would be jealous when I see you with other men? Did you really think you're that important of a person to me to get jealous over?"
"I never harbored such thoughts," Ru Yin Yue said, struggling helplessly. Si Zha Nan ignored her, his eyes narrowing in fury as he studied her.
"Your body has been touched by that man, right? What a slut."
Yanking her by her arm, Si Zha Nan dragged Ru Yin Yue, kicking and thrashing about, into the private bathroom.
"You are dirty. I must wash you clean."
In a single violent motion, he flung her into the bathtub and switched on the showerhead, drenching her in cold water. Ru Yin Yue cried out and tried to shield herself. She tried to climb out, but the surface of the tub was too slippery. Moreover, Si Zha Nan shoved her back into the bathtub while filling it rapidly with cold water.
Ru Yin Yue shivered, the cold water biting her already chilled skin. The jacket that Ai Kan Shu had lent her earlier had already been returned before she went back into the house. Since it was a short journey between his car and the manor, she didn't think she needed it.
"Stop! I'm telling the truth! Nothing happened! Really! All we did was have dinner! I swear, nothing happened between us!"
Unable to climb out of the bathtub, Ru Yin Yue shrank back. Worse, the cold was numbing her body, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.
Shrugging out of his blue robe, Si Zha Nan lowered himself into the bathtub with Ru Yin Yue. He viciously tore off her dress and underwear. No matter how much she struggled, she was unable to fight back against his superior strength. Gripping the damp fabric, he ripped them off her body, exposing her to him.
"Ru Yin Yue, since you're already married to me, you can't bring any shame to me. If you do this again, you know what the consequences will be."
In a single stroke, he raped her. Tears streaming down her face as she fell back into the bathtub, her body violated by the man who was supposed to be her husband, Ru Yin Yue lost consciousness. Mercifully, the pain faded, replaced by a cold, all-consuming darkness.