Chapter Forty-Four: From This Moment, All Ties Are Severed

Mai Xijun ran all the way and hailed a taxi. When the driver asked her where she was going, she suddenly realized, her eyes reddening—where was she going? Where could she find him? Every time, whenever he wanted to see her, he would just appear. But now, where should she go to find him? Or perhaps, she simply couldn't find him at all...

Standing on the bustling street, cars streaming past, she found herself lost, unable to tell where she was, where she ought to go, which direction to take... Or perhaps, what right did she have? Was she supposed to point at him and demand to know why he was like this?

Though he had once said such things, it didn’t necessarily mean he truly did it for her. If she were simply indulging in self-deception, how ridiculous would that make her seem? After all, if it was just his scheme, if he was using her name to swallow up the Lu Corporation...

She let out a cry! Suddenly, she realized she had such great value as a tool...

Mai Xijun didn't know how bitter her smile was, the heavy sense of loss nearly drowning her. Shen Yanlie, what kind of person are you really? Why is it that the closer I get to you, the more I want to uncover the truth—yet when I stand outside your world and look at you, I can no longer understand, no longer see clearly?

What is it that has clouded my eyes? Mai Xijun asked herself over and over, but she found no answer.

The illusion he gave was always so beautiful, shrouding her eyes, making her blindly stumble forward, unable to distinguish joy from sorrow.

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When Mai Xijun returned to her apartment, climbing the stairs step by step, she didn’t know if it was the shadows before her or her intuition, but when she lifted her head, there he was, standing right in front of her.

She looked at him; he was still so spirited and commanding, like a king, gazing down on the world, a faint smile on his lips as he looked at her. In that moment, her eyes filled with tears.

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The two sat in silence, neither speaking. The breeze drifted through the curtains, and she, already feeling cold, now felt as if she were locked in an ice cellar...

Shen Yanlie stood up, took a piece of clothing, intending to drape it over her shoulders. But she shrank away like a startled rabbit, hurriedly avoiding him, raising her guard, as if at that moment her world consisted only of herself spinning alone.

After disappearing for a day, he returned to her side, yet she felt he was a stranger. Or perhaps, between them, there had never been true familiarity—only his possessiveness...

“Do you want something to eat? I’ll make you something,” he said quietly, his tone as calm as stagnant water, betraying not a hint of emotion. After settling the coat on her shoulders, he shrugged off his own jacket and began preparing.

Mai Xijun blinked her reddened eyes, bloodshot at the corners. She was too guarded now, like a hedgehog bristling with spines. She had always been like this, hiding in her own world, letting no one approach.

But then, Xue Lizan had appeared. Now, she had nothing.

Shen Yanlie saw she was silent, rolled up his sleeves. Mai Xijun seemed to deliberate for a long time, finally making a decision. She rose from the sofa, went straight to her bedroom, pulled out a box from under the bed, took something out, and returned.

Her gaze was as calm as a deep sea, as if all her previous fear and timidity had vanished, leaving nothing behind. She grabbed his arm, her eyes flickering with determination. “If I return your things to you, will you leave my life—disappear from it forever?”

Her words, each one, crashed against the rocks like waves, but the rocks were stone—they felt nothing...

She had promised herself, no matter where or when, to be strong! To be brave, even if she had to fight alone! Once, she had been so prone to tears, but now she forced herself not to shed a single drop.

Shen Yanlie’s brow furrowed deeply. Look—even in sorrow, his frown was still so handsome, so devilishly charming, just as his methods were extraordinary!

The necklace in Mai Xijun’s palm slid through her fingers and hung suspended in the air.

Shen Yanlie glanced at it, and his expression instantly reverted to the first time she had seen him—cruel, a hint of wickedness, his hawk-like eyes as if they could tear her apart...

Ha! Even now, he was so composed, so refined, never flustered.

“Holding your things, can you leave my sight forever—leave my life?” she seemed to challenge him, her reddened eyes staring at him fearlessly.

“Mai Xijun, do you even know what you’re saying?” His gaze was icy, each word squeezed through clenched teeth. He had never imagined a day like this between them—a confrontation, silent yet full of the smoke of battle.

“Mr. Shen, I’m grateful that you helped me when I was at my lowest, but I really can’t share a roof with you. So I want you to leave my life, leave my home!... This necklace is yours, isn’t it? Didn’t you seek me out from the start for it? Fine, I’ll give it back to you now. You can go! Leave and don’t ever come back!”

She pulled his wrist up, her lips twisted in a bitter smile. She released her grip, the necklace dropped straight into his palm.

Suddenly, he reversed his hold on her hand, and as soon as she dropped the necklace into his palm, his other hand clamped around her throat. His expression was sinister, as if he wanted to crush her bones, his eyes flashing sharp, cold light, full of ruthlessness.

“Mai Xijun, how can you spit out such cruel words so elegantly?! Hm?”

At that moment, he was like a wounded leopard, eyes fixed, giving the most primal and fierce counterattack to the one who dared strike at him, as if one misstep would cost her life.

Mr. Shen? Those words completely marked the distance between them. Just a moment ago she could be tender with him, and now she called him ‘Mr. Shen’ as if he were a stranger?

She stared at him without fear, offering no resistance, as if numb, or resigned, accepting her own weakness. Her breathing grew labored, forcing tears from her eyes, wetting her temples.

Yet, it seemed, Mai Xijun was not worried. Instead, she forced a smile, so strained, “I’ve returned your things. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other!”

“Hahahaha…”

He laughed loudly, suddenly releasing her. With her support gone, she collapsed to the floor.

He said nothing, picked up his jacket from the edge of the sofa, and with the slam of the door, her world fell utterly silent—as if she could hear the voices from hell.