Chapter 166: No

Although he had moved in here to live, he didn't come over every night; the times he actually came could be counted on one's fingers.

Cheng Hui lived right next door. Just the thought of her being right next door, so close to him, made it impossible to control the urge to go over and knock on her door.

If not for his utmost restraint, he probably would have already pulled her into his arms and pinned her down.

Coming over today, it was raining all the while. The moment He Chuan drove his car into the residential complex and made a turn, the corner of his eye caught a figure standing not far away under a tree. Taking a closer look, it was Cheng Hui.

He Chuan knitted his brows, knowing he hadn't mistaken her for someone else. He rolled down the car window to get a clearer view, not caring that the splashing rain was blowing inside.

Cheng Hui was holding an umbrella, her back arched as if she were searching for something. She was wearing pajamas and lounge pants, the hems rolled up to reveal her fair, slender calves. Similarly, most of her body was soaked by the rain, yet she seemed completely oblivious to it, still searching for whatever it was she had lost.

Cheng Hui was still looking for that cat, searching here and there. She hadn't found it, and with the rain pouring down like this, she had no idea where it could have run off to.

Her pants cuffs were soaked, so she had simply rolled them up.

Cheng Hui's entire mind was focused on finding the cat; she hadn't noticed the black car parked not far behind her, nor the person inside it.

He Chuan got out of the car without an umbrella and walked toward her.

His clothes were soaked through in no time.

Before Cheng Hui could react, her wrist was grabbed from behind. She turned her head and saw He Chuan appearing out of nowhere. Stunned for a moment, she said, "Let go."

He Chuan didn't let go. Exerting force, he yanked her backward. She stumbled, barely keeping her footing. Wearing flip-flops, her soles slipped, and she swayed back and forth. Only when her wrist was firmly gripped did she manage to find her center of gravity and avoid falling.

Once she stood steady, her umbrella fluttered wildly in the wind. Losing her grip on it, she watched as he snatched it away the next second and asked, "What are you doing out here in this heavy rain?"

Having stood in the rain for too long, moisture clung to her entire body, and even her doe-like, dark eyes were misted with a layer of dampness. She looked at him, completely silent.

He Chuan held the umbrella over her head. When she didn't speak, he asked, "Is your throat inflamed again?"

Cheng Hui lifted her chin to look at him holding her umbrella, and only then said, "Give me back my umbrella."

"What if I don't?"

"Do as you please, then."

Cheng Hui broke free from his confinement, stepping backward out of the umbrella's coverage. Letting the rain fall on her, she turned and made to leave.

He Chuan pulled her back once more. This time, he was somewhat angry, demanding, "What kind of tantrum are you throwing again?"

"Don't touch me." She was displeased as well, her entire being radiating resistance to his touch.

He Chuan grew even more irritated. Just how much did she loathe his touch? Did she despise him to this extent?

Without another word, umbrella and all, he pulled her into his car and shut the door with a precise click. When she tried to open the door to get out, he shut it again immediately.

He swiftly opened the driver's side door, climbed in, closed it, and locked it in one fluid motion.

Cheng Hui was drenched like a drowned rat, her entire body soaked through. "Let me out of the car! Open the door, I want to get out."

"What madness are you acting out in broad daylight?" He Chuan was soaked through as well. He took off his jacket and tossed it onto the passenger seat. Beneath it, he wore only a shirt that clung tightly to his upper body. He turned on the heater. On such a cold, rainy day, she had been wandering around the complex in her pajamas, and he had no idea what she thought she was doing.

Cheng Hui breathed heavily, his words completely provoking her. She paused for a moment and then said, "I am acting mad, you're right. What does that have to do with you? I didn't ask you to manage my life."

As soon as she finished speaking, silence fell inside the cramped interior of the car. He Chuan said nothing, but he had no intention of letting her go just like that either.

After waiting for a moment, Cheng Hui calmed down and said, "My cat is missing. I'm not crazy, I'm just looking for my cat. Who would wander around in pajamas in this kind of weather unless they had a reason? What did you think I was doing? I was simply looking for my cat."

He Chuan looked at her through the rearview mirror for a long while, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times before he asked, "How did the cat go missing?"

"I found the window open this morning. I must have forgotten to close it, and the cat jumped out."

She lived on a high floor. If the cat jumped down from that height, it would surely get hurt—if it didn't die, it would be crippled. It probably couldn't have gone far. He Chuan quickly thought of a solution and said, "Let's go ask property management to check the residential area's surveillance footage."

"I already went. It's just a cat; they didn't want to show me the footage."

"You going definitely won't work. I'll go. You wait back inside."

Cheng Hui refused, however, insisting, "I'm going too."

Seeing her disheveled state, the anger pent up inside He Chuan quickly dissipated. His tone carried a hint of helplessness as he coaxed, "Be a good girl, okay?"

That familiar tone of voice made Cheng Hui momentarily daze. Deep within her mind, fragments of memories flashed past—very distant memories—before she quickly snapped back to reality, pressing her lips together in silence.

She didn't know what to say; her throat felt tightly choked up.

He Chuan went to find property management, telling her to wait in the car for a bit. His words carried much more weight than those of a young girl like Cheng Hui; the head of the property management office even came out personally to receive him, promising that they would definitely help review the surveillance footage and find the cat. They would also dispatch extra personnel to search the complex.

Cheng Hui sat inside the car and waited, her expression quite blank. The car was warm, but her clothes were wet and chilly. Feeling somewhat cold, she sneezed.

After a short wait, He Chuan returned and got into the car. "Property management is going to look for it. Just let them handle the search."

"I want to go too."

"It's just a cat. Is it really worth all this?"

"Right, it's not worth it. It's just a cat." She wore a look of brief astonishment before murmuring to herself.

He Chuan drove her straight back to her residence. She patted the pockets of her clothes to look for her keys, but they were missing; she had no idea where she had dropped them.

"Forgot your keys?" He Chuan asked.

"Mn."

"Come to my place."

A malicious thought crossed Cheng Hui's mind: Had he planned this all along, just for this very day, so she would step right back into the trap he had woven for her?

She stood there without moving.

He Chuan had already opened his door. Turning his head to look at her, he said, "Come here."

Cheng Hui looked at him, her eyes clearly harboring a mixture of wariness and disorientation, like someone who had lost her way home and encountered a stranger. She bristled with thorns all over, refusing to easily let anyone close.

He Chuan read the emotions in her eyes, and his heart contracted sharply and fiercely. Cheng Hui at this age should have been full of vitality and liveliness; her personality shouldn't have been so gloomy, and her gaze shouldn't have held such guarded vigilance. This was worlds apart from the Cheng Hui he had initially known.

Refusing to budge, Cheng Hui stood straight, her gaze mixed with numerous negative emotions as she looked at him, desperate and helpless.

He Chuan walked straight over, hoisted her over his shoulder, and carried her into his apartment.

Using his foot, he kicked the door shut behind them, then set her down on the sofa. He seized both of her wrists, bent down slightly, and stared right into her eyes.

"Three years away didn't teach you any new skills, but your temper is still just as stubborn."

Cheng Hui couldn't muster any strength in her hands and couldn't break free from his restraint. Glaring at him, she couldn't utter a single word.

Both of them were soaked through, and they were a man and a woman alone together; the atmosphere ignited instantly.

He Chuan was a man, and the more he looked at her in this state, the more stirred he felt.

Moreover, they had slept together before, and that experience had been exceptionally profound.

His gaze grew increasingly heavy, his voice dropping low as he said, "Don't cry. I haven't even done anything to you yet."

Sensing his intention, Cheng Hui grew increasingly terrified, losing whatever composure she had left. Her voice dropped a few octaves as well. "What, you want to go again?"

He Chuan replied, "If I want to, you wouldn't be able to resist anyway."

She stiffened her neck, fell silent, and turned her head away.

He Chuan quickly executed what he had wanted to do all along. He lowered his head and kissed her, his movements slow and gentle—so unlike his usual self.

With her eyes wide open, Cheng Hui made no conscious effort to resist, letting him have his way with her.

She found it all very strange, and loathed herself for actually not hating the way he kissed her.

Outside, the rain was still falling, and the cat's whereabouts remained unknown. Drenched to the bone, she was cold and numb, yet the man pressing down on top of her radiated intense heat, his breathing scorching. She felt as though she had found a source of warmth to draw from—a salvation when she was sinking deep into darkness.

This was a man she had once loved, truly loved.

This was also the man she had chosen herself back when she was nineteen.

Having chosen him, she had later regretted it.

She regretted loving him, regretted going through that chapter of emotional turmoil with him. She had thought three years would be enough to wear those feelings down until they were faint, but facing him again, those memories were like sharp grains of sand scattered everywhere, piercing her deeply.

The cat probably wouldn't be found, and they could never return to the past.

This time, He Chuan really experienced it with her all over again, right there on the sofa. Both of them were sticky with sweat, making her feel even more miserable, yet she lacked the strength and felt utterly exhausted.

Once calm was restored, He Chuan picked her up and carried her into the bathroom, giving her a hot shower.

She remained motionless the entire time, like a puppet at someone else's mercy.

Her wet clothes couldn't be worn anymore, so He Chuan fetched one of his own sweaters and dressed her in it. She had to wear something; otherwise, he feared he wouldn't be able to restrain himself from going for another round.

Cheng Hui didn't care to engage with his bestial behavior—and naturally, she had no capacity to resist either.

Lacking the strength to fight him off, she simply gave up.

The match hadn't even begun before she had already forfeited.

He Chuan pinched her cheek; she was so thin she was practically skeletal. "You're much too thin," he remarked. "You really need to eat more. If this keeps up, you're going to turn into a beanpole."

Cheng Hui glanced at him, rolling her eyes with great effort because she was terribly tired. "Can my cat be found?" she asked.

"If it didn't run far, it can be found."

"It won't be found," she said.

He Chuan didn't dwell on the topic with her; she would know as soon as there was news from property management. Besides, it was just a cat, no big deal. If she liked it, he could just buy her another one.

These were all trivial matters.

The business between him and her moving forward was the truly important matter.

Emerging from the bathroom, He Chuan carried her into the bedroom and tucked her into bed. Turning on the heater, he said, "Get some sleep first. You're exhausted and need to rest."

Having been thoroughly tormented, Cheng Hui only relaxed once he left the room, her body devoid of strength and her spirit fatigued. The room warmed up quickly, and sliding under the covers, she felt overwhelmingly sleepy. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

He Chuan went to the kitchen to check the refrigerator; it was completely empty, with nothing inside. Even if he wanted to cook something for her to eat, there were no ingredients.

He took out his phone and called his assistant, instructing him to go to a shopping mall supermarket to buy some groceries. He added a special instruction: "When you get here, don't ring the doorbell. Call me, and I'll come out to get them."

Not daring to object, the assistant hurried off to execute the task.

He Chuan took the opportunity to tidy up the apartment and ponder what to make for her to eat.

The assistant quickly bought the groceries, muttering to himself the entire way about why his boss had suddenly moved in here and why he was having him buy and deliver groceries at this hour.

Furthermore, he had been told not to ring the doorbell upon arrival. The assistant placed a call to his cell phone instead.

The door opened almost immediately. He Chuan stood in the doorway and said, "You can head back now."

Not daring to ask questions, the assistant prepared to leave once his task was finished. However, a stray glance caught a glimpse of the living room where the sofa looked somewhat displaced and a throw pillow had fallen onto the floor. He barely had time to register it before the door closed shut.

The assistant rubbed his nose, looking back over his shoulder as he felt a lingering sense that something wasn't quite right.

...

When Cheng Hui woke up, it was already dark. The room was very warm, and so was the bed—though it wasn't her own. Fully waking up, she recalled everything she had done throughout the day, especially around noon.

The bedroom door opened again, and He Chuan walked in.

Before she could fake being asleep, their eyes met directly.

He walked over, leaned forward slightly, and rested one hand on the edge of the bed. Using his other hand, he stroked her hair. "Awake?"

"..." Cheng Hui fell into her habitual silence.

"Don't go eating your fill and getting a good sleep only to turn around and deny everything." He, on the other hand, looked remarkably refreshed.

Cheng Hui didn't want to engage with him, feeling she had no shred of moral baseline left for allowing herself to get tangled up with him once more.

He Chuan continued, "Your physical constitution is far too poor. You started complaining of exhaustion not long after we began at noon. You really need to step up your physical training."

Her face burning as if set on fire, Cheng Hui remembered the details upon his words and grew angry all over again. "Get away from me."

"Women are always creatures who say one thing and mean another. When you say 'get away,' it just means you think I'm not close enough."

With that, he leaned down closer, closed the distance, and kissed the corner of her mouth.

"Stop sleeping, get up and eat something."

His gaze was gentle, giving her the illusion that the two of them had never parted ways, as if they had returned to the days when they secretly cohabited.

Back then, hiding it from her family out of fear of discovery, she had lived on tenterhooks like a guilty thief. Every time Mrs. Cheng called and asked a few too many questions, she would start to panic and stammer.

And He Chuan would be right there making trouble, tickling her or kissing her outrageously to keep her from speaking.

Thinking back, it felt like only yesterday.

Dazed for a moment, Cheng Hui asked, "How are you planning to toy with me this time?"

"Do I look exceptionally stupid to you?"

He Chuan actually gave it some thought. "It wouldn't hurt if you were a bit more stupid."

"..."

She didn't understand what He Chuan meant.

...

Her cat most likely wouldn't be found. Property management personnel came by to brief them on the situation: it hadn't been found. Surveillance footage had captured a glimpse of the cat, but by the time they arrived, it was long gone, and despite searching all afternoon, they had turned up empty-handed.

He Chuan offered his thanks and escorted the property staff out. Turning back, he saw Cheng Hui walking barefoot to the sofa to sit down. She showed no obvious emotional reaction, which was just as well.

It seemed that after a nap, she had accepted the reality.

In truth, even if she refused to accept it, she couldn't change the fact that the cat was lost.

He Chuan had cooked a few dishes. Visually, they passed muster, though he had no idea how they tasted since he hadn't tried them. He had deliberately waited for her to wake up so she could eat.

Back when they lived together in the past, he used to be the one who cooked, sparing her from lifting a finger while treating her almost like raising his own child.

He Chuan had relented in that happiness.

Cheng Hui had only accepted it later on.

Facing this table of food, she could only taste four words in her mouth:

*Repeating the same mistakes.*

All her struggles and pain seemed to amount to nothing, reduced to a joke as He Chuan effortlessly disrupted her life and everything about her.

He was the one who wanted them together, and he was the one who wanted them apart.

It was the same now.

Staring at the table of food, tears involuntarily spilled from her eyes, quickly wetting the hem of her clothes.

He Chuan came out of the kitchen holding a bowl of soup, only to see her crying. He froze in his tracks, watching her for a moment before recovering his composure, walking over, and setting the bowl down.

She asked, "How else do you want to ruin me?"

He Chuan didn't speak. He walked to the chair opposite her, pulled it out, and sat down.

"He Chuan, I don't want to repeat the same mistakes. Experiencing that kind of pain once is enough; I don't want to continue with you."

He Chuan said, "Huihui, bear me a child."

Actually, what had been on the tip of his tongue was "Let's start over," rather than "Have a child." He wanted to start over with her, but somehow, when the words left his mouth, that was what came out.

It was too late to take it back; he had already said it, and he genuinely harbored that intention—which was why he hadn't taken any protective measures earlier.

It took Cheng Hui a long time to digest the statement before she realized he had done it on purpose.

Just a moment ago, there had been no protective measures; he hadn't worn anything.

The very first time, she had taken emergency contraception afterward. This time, he said he wanted a child.

What about his fiancée, then?

Did she know about this kind of thinking of his?

She laughed. "He Chuan, what makes you think I'm going to have a child for you? I have a fiancé."

"You haven't obtained the marriage certificate yet; until you're married, it doesn't count."

"And you? Does your situation not count either?"

"The same."

Cheng Hui felt as though she had heard a joke. "Are you being too self-righteous, thinking I would ruin my life for your sake a second time?"

He Chuan replied, "Think whatever you like. But the initiative is in my hands. Huihui, do you really think that fiancé of yours is treating you sincerely?"

"What do you mean?"

He Chuan picked up a pack of cigarettes and toyed with it. "You think he actually wants to marry you?"

Cheng Hui knitted her brows, a sudden ominous intuition taking root.

"As far as I know, he already has a new girlfriend. In a short while, he'll probably come to your mother to call off the marriage between your two families."

"What evidence do you have?"

"That woman was introduced by me. Tell me what kind of evidence I need."

Cheng Hui picked up a glass of water from the table and splashed it directly in his face. He had the opportunity to dodge, but chose not to, letting her drench him.

Though his face was dripping with water, his features remained handsome, completely unaffected by the splash.

Cheng Hui said, "Shameless."

He replied, "Don't even think about marrying another man right under my nose."

"He Chuan, you have a fiancée and you're about to hold a wedding soon. Aren't you afraid Miss Wen will find out?"

Ignoring her, He Chuan said, "Eat your meal. Replenish your strength."

She never imagined he would pull such a stunt behind her back—despicable, utterly despicable.

Stiff with anger, she remained motionless for a good long while.

He Chuan stood up again. "I spent all afternoon cooking this, so eat something no matter what. Once you're full, you can hit me or scold me all you want, and I won't fight back."

"I'm not eating."

He Chuan stood up and stepped closer, saying, "If you won't eat, we'll skip straight to the main event and do it." He pulled her into his embrace. She was so thin that holding her in his arms yielded no sense of flesh at all; he rested his chin against her shoulder. "Look, you don't even have the strength to struggle, so why waste your breath fighting me? Huihui, as long as you're a good girl, I'll treat you well."