Chapter 60: The Ball and Its Candidate
After her final declaration, Liang Xiaoluo turned her back on Nan Shaojie, her steps firm despite the ache in her chest. She felt as if she were severing a vital part of herself, leaving it behind with each step she took. But it was necessary. They could never go back to the way things were.
Nan Shaojie stood frozen, watching her retreating figure, his heart shattered into pieces. His identity as the heir to the Dragon Empire might not have directly caused the death of Liang Xiaoluo's mother, but it didn't matter. To her, his mere association with that world made him irredeemable.
For a moment, he wanted to scream, to run after her and beg her to see reason, but her words echoed in his mind: "We are nothing to each other." The line had been drawn, and it seemed insurmountable.
Liang Xiaoluo returned to Ye Tianlin's side, her face emotionless, her body tense with the weight of the recent confrontation. She knew Ye Tianlin had witnessed everything—her kiss with Nan Shaojie, the tears she'd shed. His bloodshot eyes and the faint streaks of dried blood on his lips made his fury unmistakable.
"Liang Xiaoluo, you know I don't tolerate other men touching what's mine," Ye Tianlin said in a cold, measured tone, his voice sharp enough to cut.
The murderous glint in his eyes made her body tremble. She knew she had to play her part perfectly to diffuse his wrath. She couldn't afford to anger him further.
Instead of arguing, she stepped closer to him. Slowly, as if every movement took all her strength, she lowered herself onto his lap. Her expression remained blank, her voice eerily calm. "If it's what you want, I'll do anything."
Ye Tianlin's anger flickered for a moment, the sight of her submission surprising him. He tilted her chin upwards, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Anything?" he murmured with a wicked smirk, his fury slightly tempered by the sight of her yielding so easily.
Liang Xiaoluo nodded, her heart hollow. She told herself this was for the best—to shield herself from further heartbreak and shield Nan Shaojie from Ye Tianlin's wrath.
"Good girl," Ye Tianlin purred, his fingers tracing her jawline before he pressed a kiss to her lips. The kiss wasn't tender—it was a claim, a statement of possession, as if daring Nan Shaojie to intervene again.
Nan Shaojie stood just a short distance away, his hands clenched into fists. The scene before him was unbearable: Liang Xiaoluo sitting docilely in Ye Tianlin's lap, allowing his kisses, allowing his touch. It felt like his heart was being torn apart.
Unable to hold back, Nan Shaojie strode forward and grabbed Liang Xiaoluo's wrist, attempting to pull her away. "Liang Xiaoluo, you don't have to do this. Come with me. Let's leave together!"
Ye Tianlin, still holding onto Liang Xiaoluo, let out a low chuckle. "Leave with you? You must be delusional, Nan Shaojie. Haven't you realized? She doesn't want you anymore. She's mine now."
"She's not yours!" Nan Shaojie roared, his fury spilling over as he aimed another punch at Ye Tianlin.
Ye Tianlin dodged effortlessly this time, his smug smile never wavering. "If she's not mine, then whose is she? Yours? Tell me, Nan Shaojie—has she ever told you she loves you? Has she ever let you touch her the way she's let me? Face the facts: you're nothing to her."
Nan Shaojie's anger boiled over, and the two men collided once more in a flurry of punches and insults. The crowd around them grew, whispering and pointing as the two powerful men fought over a woman in public.
Liang Xiaoluo stood frozen, watching helplessly as the two men fought. Their bloodied faces mirrored the chaos in her heart.
The fight didn't end until Nan Shaojie's assistant, Bing Ya, intervened, pulling him away. "Young Master, this isn't the place for this," Bing Ya urged, glancing nervously at the growing crowd. "You're only making things worse."
Breathing heavily, Nan Shaojie finally stepped back, his eyes still fixed on Liang Xiaoluo. "Xiaoluo," he said, his voice raw with emotion, "I'll leave the Dragon Empire. I'll leave it all behind, just for you. Come back to me."
His words stunned the onlookers, and even Bing Ya looked shocked. For Nan Shaojie, heir to one of the most powerful empires, to offer to abandon everything was unthinkable.
Liang Xiaoluo stared at him, her heart aching with conflicting emotions. She wanted to believe him, wanted to take his hand and run away. But she couldn't.
A faint, mocking smile tugged at her lips as she turned to Ye Tianlin. She reached for his hand, lacing her fingers with his. "I'm sorry, Nan Shaojie," she said, her voice steady despite the tears brimming in her eyes. "But I love Tianlin."
Her words hit Nan Shaojie like a physical blow. He stumbled backward, his face pale and disbelieving. "You're lying," he whispered. "This isn't true. It can't be true."
Liang Xiaoluo forced herself to smile, even as her heart shattered anew. "Believe what you want, but this is the truth. You should stop wasting your time on me."
Ye Tianlin tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her closer. "You heard her," he said with a victorious smirk. "She's mine now. Don't come crawling back when you realize you've lost."
Nan Shaojie stood there, speechless, as Liang Xiaoluo and Ye Tianlin walked away together. Each step she took felt like a knife twisting in her heart, but she kept going, refusing to look back.
That night, news of the fight and Liang Xiaoluo's declaration spread like wildfire. In the grand halls of the Dragon Empire, whispers began to circulate: had the proud Nan family heir truly been bested by Ye Tianlin?
As for Liang Xiaoluo, she sat in Ye Tianlin's car, staring out the window at the blur of city lights. Her face was blank, but her mind was a storm of turmoil. She had chosen this path, and she would walk it to the end, no matter how much it hurt.