Chapter 43: I Like You
"You know that's not what I meant," Liang Xiaoluo said, her voice trembling with frustration. She looked away, unwilling to meet Ye Tianlin's piercing gaze. He's such a scoundrel.
She cursed herself for bringing up Su Xin. It was like giving him ammunition to twist the knife.
"Why can't it be someone else?" Liang Xiaoluo shouted, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Ye Tianlin's eyes darkened. For a moment, he seemed startled by her outburst. His voice dropped to a deep murmur, layered with complexity. "I like you… unless…"
Liang Xiaoluo froze. A flicker of hope sparked in her chest.
"Unless what?" she asked cautiously, wary of his intentions.
His gaze bored into hers, unyielding. "Unless you can erase my bad memories."
"Bad memories?" she repeated, bewildered. "What bad memories?"
Her mind raced to understand, but before she could process his words, Ye Tianlin moved closer, his touch growing rough. His actions became more forceful, his lips grazing her skin with a ferocity that left painful marks.
"Stop!" she cried, her voice tinged with both fury and desperation. The sting of his teeth and the humiliation of the moment shattered her fragile composure.
Anger boiled over, and she erupted. "You're a monster! A beast! How dare you treat me this way!"
Ye Tianlin paused, his movements halting as he regarded her with an inscrutable expression. She didn't miss the storm brewing in his eyes, but she no longer cared. All the resentment she had bottled up poured out in a torrent.
She flailed against him, hitting, scratching, and trying to push him away with all her strength. Her words cut like daggers, but he didn't stop her.
When her assault lost momentum, Ye Tianlin's hands locked around her waist. His grip was unrelenting, his voice a low growl. "Satisfy me. Just this once. Do that, and I'll give you whatever you want."
Liang Xiaoluo's breath caught. His tone carried a weight she hadn't heard before. Something about the stillness in the room, the solemnity in his voice, unsettled her.
"Make me forget," he said quietly.
The sadness in his gaze gave her pause. For the first time, he looked vulnerable. His mind seemed to drift far away, to a time long past.
When Ye Tianlin was ten, a storm raged one night, the thunder crashing like cannon fire. He awoke abruptly, disoriented in the suffocating darkness. As his eyes adjusted, a shadow moved in the corner of the room.
"Who's there?" he called out, his voice shaking.
"It's me," came a familiar voice.
"Mother?" he asked tentatively.
It was Hua Lin, his stepmother. Though not his biological mother, she had always doted on him, and out of respect, he called her "Mom." That night, she didn't wait for him to turn on the light. She sat beside him, her arms enveloping him.
"Don't turn on the light," she whispered.
What followed haunted Ye Tianlin for years.
The memory clawed at him like a venomous beast, its fangs sinking deep. The shadow of that night never left him. It soured his view of women, making them seem like venomous creatures. The thought of being close to them filled him with revulsion—until Liang Xiaoluo.
She was different. She softened the sharp edges of his bitterness, grounding him in a way no one else ever had. She was his only escape from the poison of his past, and he couldn't let her go.
Outside, rain began to fall. The rhythmic patter against the windows seemed to echo the turmoil in his mind. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I just need you to help me forget."
"What happened to you?" Liang Xiaoluo asked, her voice gentle despite her fear.
Ye Tianlin blinked, startled. He hadn't realized he'd let his guard down.
With practiced ease, he banished the sadness from his features, replacing it with the mask he wore so well. "Nothing that concerns you," he said gruffly.
Before she could press further, he leaned closer. His voice, now husky, sent chills down her spine. "Be good, and I'll grant you one wish."
Liang Xiaoluo stared at him, her heart pounding. One wish?
Could this be her chance to escape?