After the slap, Li Cheng didn't say a word. He stood up, pulled the duvet over Xiotan, and walked out of the room, his silence more unsettling than any response he could have given.
As soon as he stepped out, Jinxin, who had been standing outside the door, walked in. She could sense the tension in the air and saw the anger in Li Cheng's eyes as he left.
'What has Xiotan done now?' she wondered as she entered the room. Xiotan was curled up under the duvet, her body trembling as she fought back tears.
"Xiotan, what happened? Why are you like this?" Jinxin asked softly, sitting on the bed beside her.
"H-he tried to molest me," Xiotan choked out, her voice shaky. "I told you he's not a good guy." She struggled to hold back her tears, though they weren't just from what had happened—she felt an inexplicable sadness welling up inside her.
"Don't say that. He's your husband. Why would he molest you? That's not possible. And did you slap him? I saw the handprint on his cheek," Jinxin questioned gently.
"Yes, I slapped him because he did something stupid. He deserved it," Xiotan replied, wiping away the tears that escaped her control.
"Xiotan, that man doesn't deserve all this. I can see how sincere he's trying to be."
"I don't want to talk about it anymore, Jinxin. Just leave me alone," Xiotan said, pulling the duvet over her face, shutting herself off from the conversation.
"Okay, I've heard you. But let me take care of your wound before the doctor arrives," Jinxin said, as she prepared the cotton wool and ethyl alcohol to continue cleaning Xiotan's back.
***
Meanwhile, Li Cheng stormed out of the house, his mind a storm of emotions. He headed straight to his car and ordered Da Ming to take him to a bar. But before getting into the car, his fury got the better of him, and he grabbed an iron rod, smashing the windshield of a Lamborghini parked nearby. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the courtyard, sending a wave of fear through the guards and maids who witnessed it.
Everyone knew something terrible had happened, and they all knew to tread carefully to avoid becoming targets of their master's wrath.
Xiotan and Jinxin heard the glass shattering, and their hearts skipped a beat. Rushing to the window, they saw Li Cheng standing in front of the car, the iron rod still in his hand before he dropped it and entered another vehicle.
"Xiotan, I think he's really, really angry," Jinxin said, her voice laced with concern as she looked at Xiotan, who had returned to the bed.
"And that's none of my business," Xiotan replied coldly, lying on her side and closing her eyes, feigning sleep to avoid further discussion.
"But I'm telling you, what you're doing is not right. Don't come crying later when you find out the truth," Jinxin warned, but Xiotan remained silent, pretending to have fallen asleep.
***
At the bar, Li Cheng sat in a VIP room, downing drink after drink. His mind was racing, trying to drown out the pain of Xiotan's words. Da Ming stood beside him, watching his boss with concern.
"Boss, I think you should calm down. Drinking this much won't solve anything," Da Ming advised, trying to get through to him.
"I don't care," Li Cheng replied bitterly. "At least it'll help me forget those hurtful words for a while." He took another swig, his thoughts drifting back to Xiotan's accusations.
"She called me a pervert. She said I'm heartless and uncaring. Is it true? Am I that bad?" he asked, his voice heavy with self-doubt as Da Ming took the bottle from his hand.
"No, sir, you're not any of those things. She was probably just angry and didn't mean what she said," Da Ming reassured him, though he wasn't sure his words were making an impact.
"That's a lie. She meant every word. She even slapped me, like… what the fuck," Li Cheng muttered, his anger boiling just beneath the surface.
"Just calm down, sir."
"You know what? I think the problem started when she went to that mall. I want you to go there, get all the CCTV footage from that day, and bring it to me. Some people are going to lose their precious lives very soon," Li Cheng ordered, his voice cold. Da Ming immediately called the mall manager to arrange for the footage, knowing his boss meant every word.