Chapter 168 - I Don’t Want To Have Anything To Do With You (2)
Mu Jianyu didn't have enough time to react as Li Chuntao left, taking Yu Lou with her. He wanted to follow her but his body seemed to be glued on the floor. Ying didn't give him a chance to make up for his sins. He should have known she wouldn't want to be tied to him any longer after what he'd done.
She wanted her freedom, wanted to be from him. Wasn't it ironic that months ago, he was the one who couldn't wait to walk away from their marriage? Li Xiuying was setting him free, letting him be happy with his mistress, then why did he feel defeated and lost?
Meanwhile, as soon as Li Chuntao stepped out of Mu Jianyu's apartment, the smile on her face froze and fell when her eyes landed on Shen Zichen who'd been standing just outside the door. She didn't know how to react, so she wiped off any emotion that was on her face.
Her heart clenched painfully on her chest. Almost one month of not seeing him made her painfully aware of the gaping hole in her heart. She wasn't prepared. She wasn't expecting to see him at this time.
She froze and Yu Lou came behind her with two suitcases in her trail. Her eyes widened when she saw that Young Master Shen finally came back for her Miss Chuntao. Yu Lou anxiously watched the two. The last time they were together, Shen Zichen and Li Chuntao had a terrible fight.
"Chuntao," Shen Zichen muttered her name but Li Chuntao remained silent, her eyes never leaving his. She was pondering if she was hallucinating or was he really back for her. "Can we talk?"
However, Li Chuntao snapped back to her senses and chose to ignore him. She walked past him, much to Shen Zichen and Yu Lou's shock.
She held Shen Zichen deep in her heart that even a month wasn't truly enough to make her forget about him, but seeing him, so close and yet so far, reminded Li Chuntao of her pain. It had always been like this.
Talk?
Shouldn't he tell her that before, instead of turning his back on her at the cemetery, leaving her feeling miserable? She'd thrown her pride and lowered her mask for him to see the Li Chuntao he needed to see, but what did he do? Didn't he run away as soon as she confessed the truth to him?
"Wait!" He called after her.
Li Chuntao halted her steps but refused to look at his face. She needed to be strong for herself. She couldn't let him hurt her anymore. This time, she swore she would love and treat herself better.
"Brother Zichen, I think there's nothing to talk about anymore. Let's leave what happened in the past and move on with our lives separately."
This was her choice. This was her decision.
She couldn't continue living in the dark shadows anymore. She was alone now, without Ying by her side, Li Chuntao had no one to rely on but herself. He had broken her until she had no choice but to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart and move on.
What was she to him? Wasn't she just a replacement for her twin sister?
She must be really stupid to give her heart and body to this man who would never dare to look past her mask.
Shen Zichen was shocked by her words and watched as she walked away from him. Panic stirred in his chest and he followed her until they reached the elevator. Before Li Chuntao was able to close the door, Shen Zichen stepped in and hit the button for the door to close.
Li Chuntao glared at him before turning her eyes away, refusing to look at his face. No, she refused to give him the opportunity to hurt her again even if it wasn't intentional. She had enough of it.
"If you are here to talk about the past and apologize for what happened, it's pointless," she told him, deeply aware of how his eyes remained on her face.
She could feel the tension and anxiety from him, and when she took a quick glance at his face when he wasn't looking at her, she saw a slight panic in his eyes.
When he first told her he liked Ying, Li Chuntao was left brokenhearted, but she couldn't blame him and Ying. They were the most important people in her life and she couldn't hate the two of them. She just wanted them to be happy, even if it means at the cost of her own.
In order to make him happy, she kept her feelings to herself. However, what she wasn't expecting was for Ying to deny Shen Zichen's feelings indirectly. She, instead, fell in love and married Mu Jianyu, which was far from Li Chuntao's expectations.
She intended to forget everything now and made up her mind to keep him out of her head, but why was she suddenly thinking about the past? Was it because of his sudden appearance?
This was bad. Li Chuntao thought. If she really wanted to move on, she should stay away from him.
"So you finally broke him without my help, huh,"
His voice sounded more like a statement than a question to Li Chuntao's ears. She didn't respond and instead, lowered her head and tried to ignore his presence until the elevator reached the ground floor.
The doors opened with a ding and Li Chuntao stepped out first and walked towards the car where Su Ling was already waiting for her. The man didn't seem surprised seeing her with Shen Zichen and Li Chuntao deduced that it might be because they had met earlier, before Shen Zichen went up to look for her.
"Chuntao, please. At least hear what I'll say," Shen Zichen grabbed her wrist and forced her to look at him.
"What for?" Li Chuntao sneered at him. "What else do we need to talk about? About us? There's no us, Shen Zichen and don't start with me with the bullshit that you love me because I know you don't!" She pulled her wrist from his hold and looked straight right into his eyes.
"Shen Zichen, when you look at me? Who is it that you see? Is it Ying, or is it me?" She saw his frown and he was about to answer her, but she didn't give him a chance to do so. She wasn't ready. She didn't think her heart would be able to take it if he chose Ying over her again.
"I don't care anymore…." she interrupted him, "Maybe there's a reason I lost our child back then. Let's leave the past in the past and learn from the mistakes we've done." She turned her back on him and shut her eyes close, refusing to let her tears fall.
When she opened her eyes again, it was clearer and her cold mask was back in place.
"Shen Zichen, I'm not sure why you are here but let me make this clear for you. From now on, I don't want to have anything to do with you, so you better leave me be."
Shen Zichen focused his gaze on her form as she retreated away from him. He wanted to explain himself, but how could he if Li Chuntao wasn't sparing him a look. He was slightly affected by her coldness.
Would he really allow her to leave him like this?
THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM