Lin Yan had knocked on the door for a long time, her clothes soaked through by the rain until those two men left.
Lin Yan collapsed at the doorway.
"Who are you?" a low, cool voice came from behind her.
Lin Yan shivered and slowly stood up.
The rain blurred her vision, and Lin Yan's head spun weakly as she stuttered hoarsely, "I'm so cold, can I come in?"
The dilapidated and rusted gate swung wide open, and the dim incandescent light inside cast the girl's delicate face in an unnatural pallor.
Lin Qiang slumped miserably in the corner, dragging an old, tattered suitcase, completely soaked through, his clothes wet and heavy against his skin, water dripping down from his hair.
"I know it's quite sudden for you."
The man began in a calm, deep voice, "It is very sudden, showing up at a stranger's house in the dead of night, what do you want to do?"
Lin Yan remained silent, offering no response.
She watched the man standing across from her, hands nervously twisting the edge of her clothes, taking furtive glances at him.
The shadows cast by the light flickered, sketching out the rough outline of his figure.
The man before her had a cold, firm bone structure, his posture was upright
, his features deep and harsh, giving off an intimidating seriousness.
Lin Yan wondered if it was because the night was too late, had she mistaken the door? He wasn't like what the villagers had said at all.
But at the eastern end of the village, he was the only bachelor, the only man in the whole village who couldn't find a wife, but him.
And there was the one in the wheelchair, paralyzed.
Her suspicions weren't unfounded.
Before coming here, there had always been rumors in the village saying the man at the eastern end had disfigured features, a lame leg, a blind eye.
He had been involved in plenty of burglaries outside, and had just been released from prison not long ago, unable to find a wife.
No respectable family would agree to their daughter marrying such a man.
If she hadn't been driven to desperation, she would never dare enter this door and deliver herself into someone else's house.
She sneakily looked around, her heartbeat racing, almost leaping out of her throat.
The walls, neglected with age, were covered with yellowed old newspapers; the dim incandescent lamp hung from the ceiling; the house contained only one kang bed; the dilapidated cupboard looked older than her age.
This home was too poor; if a mouse came by, it would have to leave with tears in its eyes.
The man lit a cigarette, his pose casual yet refined, his voice husky and low, "Why not speak, got a mute?"
Lin Yan's eyes misted up, "Are you lacking a wife? I want to marry you."
After hearing her words, the corners of the man's mouth revealed a self-mocking smile, "No shortage there, go back where you came from, you see me, do I look like I can afford a woman?"
After he spoke, he opened the door and a cold gust rushed in, the already cold drafty house now sending chills to the bone.
Lin Yan inched along the wall to the door, tears welled up, but she pressed her lips together and held them back.
Thinking about her father still locked in the dark room, she turned around fiercely with a resolve to face anything.
She couldn't leave.
"It doesn't matter if you can't afford it. I have hands and feet; I don't need you to provide for me, self-reliance is no problem."
The man frowned and motioned silently for her to continue.
"You know your situation, with how things are in the village, no woman will be with you. You might be slightly lacking, others may look down on you, but surely you can't just give up on yourself."
After speaking, Lin Yan's delicate face was tinged with unease as she added weakly, "Do you plan to remain a bachelor for your whole life?"
The man listened, squinting his eyes as irritation surged in his heart, and his icy gaze shot over. "Are you done talking? If you're done, get out."
Lin Yan bit her lip, her eyes filled with reluctance, pitiful and helpless, tears pitter-pattering down.
She began to doubt herself. Was she really that awful?
At home, she had insisted that she would rather die than marry, but she had never considered whether anyone wanted to marry her.
She had thought men who were perennial bachelors would cherish a woman who threw herself at them as a rare treasure, ready to pounce on them the moment they met.
"I'm not leaving because I have nowhere else to go but here," Lin Yan said as she slid down the wall to sit.
She tried to comfort herself. The situation was far better than she had thought. This man wasn't ugly or old, but actually quite handsome, especially his deep and profound eyes.
She couldn't help but wonder, with a face like that, how could he not find a woman?
Was it because he was too poor and couldn't afford the bride price? Judging by his circumstances, if he wanted to get married, he probably couldn't even scrape together enough for the traditional gifts.
Nowadays, when getting a wife, some families had to empty out their entire home.
This man was all alone, and aside from wall dust, he probably couldn't offer much else.
Or was it because he was inadequate in some way and couldn't satisfy marital life, unable to fulfill the act?
With tear-filled eyes, Lin Yan's mind was a mess as her gaze inadvertently drifted toward the man's waist.
Wiping away her tears, she couldn't help but think crooked thoughts. Perhaps this was for the best. She'd heard that it could be quite painful and even involve bleeding.
A young girl with tears in her eyes audaciously stared at that certain part of the man's body.
Feeling her gaze, the man didn't move an inch, just let his eyes pass over her face.
He leaned in close, his voice cold and breath hot over her head. "Have you stared enough? Want me to take it off so you can have a clearer look?"
Lin Yan, like a frightened little rabbit, closed her eyes, "Big brother, there's no need, no need. I can see clearly."
When there was no response, she stiffened her neck and only after a long while did she timidly open her eyes, looking up at the man with a dark expression.
"I don't have time for your nonsense. Go back to wherever you came from," the man said, completely out of patience.
"I can cook, wash clothes, do house chores! I don't eat much," Lin Yan said with tears in her eyes, her face falling. "I don't have a home anymore. I have nowhere to go; I was driven out."
All she could think about was to get Xiang Tianwen off her back and to have her father released, no matter what it took.
As for what would come later, she would deal with it then, surviving one day at a time.
"What does it matter to me where you go?" The man's expression was unmoving, his brows coldly furrowed.
Thinking of Xiang Tianwen's threat, Lin Yan heatedly yanked down her collar in front of the man.
This sudden bold move made the man's dark eyes freeze.
Her tender, snow-white shoulders imprinted in the man's pitch-black pupils.
With her fair, delicate cheeks flushed red, Lin Yan shamelessly bargained, "Now it does involve you. You've seen me, so you should take responsibility."
She couldn't help but bitterly smile to herself. How could she stoop so low, to the point of doing such a shameless act?
The man glanced at her indifferently.
Lin Yan thought he was staring at her and quickly pulled her collar back up, and just to be safe, she tightened her coat around herself, afraid to expose even a little bit more skin.
A shadow enveloped her from above.
She trembled as she watched the man's tall figure approach step by step.
Just as Lin Yan was about to speak, the man gripped her chin, the force in his fingers painful.
Looking into his dangerous black eyes, Lin Yan whimpered, "What… what are you trying to do?"
A trace of amusement flickered across his cool lips. "I thought one only needed to take responsibility after sleeping together."