Chapter 59: Conspiracy, Truly
"Xiaoluo, do you even realize what you're saying?" Nan Shaojie's voice roared with desperation as he clutched Liang Xiaoluo's shoulders tightly.
How could she speak so indifferently, as if none of it mattered?
Nan Shaojie's veins throbbed at his temples, his chest swelling with an overwhelming urge to destroy something. No matter what Ye Tianlin had said, he could always convince himself to let it go. But hearing these words come from Liang Xiaoluo's own lips was unbearable, driving him to the edge.
"What I said… it's all true," Liang Xiaoluo whispered hoarsely, allowing Nan Shaojie to shake her as though trying to shake sense into her.
She had long known—they had no future together.
She was no longer the same Liang Xiaoluo, and he was no longer the same Nan Shaojie.
"It was him. He forced you, didn't he? Tell me it was him! Tell me you had no choice, that you were coerced!" Nan Shaojie shouted, his voice shaking with rage and heartbreak.
Liang Xiaoluo fell silent for a long moment.
It was true—Ye Tianlin had forced her. But that first time… it wasn't entirely his fault. She had sought him out, desperate and reckless. Ye Tianlin hadn't truly forced her, had he? He had merely offered money, and she had accepted, throwing away her pride in the process.
Her mistakes were her own. It wasn't Ye Tianlin's coercion but her own choices that had led her here.
She regretted every decision that had brought her to this point, but regret couldn't undo the past.
The night at the bar, her father's mounting debts, the desperation that led her to borrow money—each mistake compounded into this moment. She wondered if things would have been different if she hadn't sought out Ye Tianlin that night. Could she and Nan Shaojie have remained pure and untainted? Would they have preserved the innocent bond they once shared?
But it was too late now.
"It wasn't him forcing me," she finally said, her voice cracking. "I went to him willingly… I sought him out."
Her confession landed like a heavy blow, each word deliberate, as though each syllable dragged her closer to suffocation.
"So, you went to him of your own free will?" Nan Shaojie's body stiffened, as though struck by a thunderbolt. He staggered backward, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
"Yes," Liang Xiaoluo replied, her voice resolute.
"Liang Xiaoluo!" Nan Shaojie roared, his voice echoing with fury. He suddenly grasped her by the shoulders, his anguish exploding into action as he pulled her roughly into a kiss.
The force of his kiss was suffused with pain, regret, and a fierce, desperate longing. His rage ignited into something primal as his lips sought hers, desperate to reclaim what had been lost, to rewrite the past.
Nan Shaojie's kiss was wild and possessive, driven by an uncontrollable need. His lips moved harshly against hers, a whirlwind of pent-up emotions.
For nearly a decade, he had restrained himself, never daring to step beyond the boundary of friendship. But now, faced with the truth, his composure shattered. His heart broke with each passing second.
This woman was supposed to be his.
She was meant to be his wife, the mother of his children. Her first kiss, her first embrace, her first everything—these moments were supposed to belong to him and him alone.
She was his.
She had to be.
His kiss grew rougher, his hands pressing her tightly against the wall, his body shaking with raw emotion. Liang Xiaoluo was utterly stunned, caught in the hurricane of his unrestrained passion.
She had dreamed of this moment for years—Nan Shaojie's lips on hers, his arms around her. But now, as it unfolded, her heart felt hollow.
Far away, Ye Tianlin watched the scene unfold through the shop window, his face dark with fury. His clenched fists trembled with barely restrained rage as he smashed a nearby table to splinters. Yet, despite the boiling anger, he stayed where he was. She had promised to return to him. He would wait.
Back on the street, Nan Shaojie's kiss deepened. He pulled Liang Xiaoluo closer, losing himself entirely in the moment.
Suddenly, she bit down on his lip, hard enough to draw blood. He pulled back with a sharp hiss of pain, his eyes wide with confusion.
"Xiaoluo…" he began, reaching for her.
"Do you call this love?" she said, her voice tinged with sarcasm and bitterness. Her gaze pierced through him, cold and detached.
Nan Shaojie froze, the words catching in his throat.
"I asked you—do you call this love?" Liang Xiaoluo repeated, her tone cutting. Her heart, already battered and broken, felt nothing but emptiness.
"I love you," he said, his voice trembling with sincerity. "Xiaoluo, I've loved you for ten years. Since the day you first liked me, I've loved you."
Ten years?
The revelation left Liang Xiaoluo stunned. She stared at him, unable to process the weight of his words.
"I was wrong," Nan Shaojie continued, his voice breaking. "I shouldn't have pushed you away. I should have acknowledged my feelings sooner. I was afraid. Afraid of hurting you, afraid of the consequences. But I've always loved you, Xiaoluo. I still do."
The truth hung in the air between them, raw and heavy. For a moment, her heart wavered. She wanted to believe him, to let herself hope.
But then reality came crashing down.
She shook her head slowly, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "It's too late," she whispered.
"What?" His voice was barely audible.
"Nan Shaojie," she said, meeting his gaze. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Why wait until now?"
"I…" he faltered, the words dying in his throat.
"Dragon Empire, Young Master Nan," she said, each word striking like a dagger. "Why didn't you tell me who you really are?"
His face drained of color at her accusation.
"I was afraid you'd leave me if you knew," he admitted.
Liang Xiaoluo's laugh was cold and bitter. "Afraid I'd leave you? Or did you think it was entertaining to lie to me for ten years?"
"No, Xiaoluo, you don't understand. I didn't mean—" he began, desperate to explain.
"It doesn't matter," she interrupted. "You're part of the Dragon Empire. That's all I need to know. My mother… she died because of your people. I'll never forgive them—or you."
Nan Shaojie looked like he'd been struck. "Xiaoluo, please—"
"It's over," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "From this moment forward, we are nothing to each other. Leave me alone, Nan Shaojie."