Chapter 61: Interdependence

Shang Zhitao had never seen Luan Nian so angry before. She sat huddled in the passenger seat, too afraid to say a word. But Luan Nian wouldn’t stop talking, making her feel both guilty and humiliated. Finally, she stubbornly retorted, “Isn’t it you who told us to keep our distance?”

“Keeping distance means being friends in bed, colleagues at work, and strangers outside of the office.”

“Isn’t that what I’ve been doing? I didn’t bother you when I ran into trouble, so why are you blaming me now…”

Shang Zhitao’s voice lacked confidence as she mumbled these words, but each sentence was infuriating. Luan Nian, already furious, suddenly felt that worrying about Shang Zhitao was completely unnecessary.

“Now you’re talkative. Why couldn’t you explain yourself when you needed electricity fees and ended up getting beaten?”

“You’re just a bully in your own home!”

Luan Nian’s two sentences left Shang Zhitao speechless again. She closed her mouth and shut down like an automatic switch. Both were angry, and no one questioned how Luan Nian had come up with the phrase “bully in your own home.” One thought the other was worthless, while the other thought the former’s mouth was too sharp.

Luan Nian vented his anger by driving aggressively, pressing the accelerator hard. Shang Zhitao’s heart raced up and down. Seeing the car speeding faster and faster, she finally timidly tugged at his sleeve. When he turned to glare at her, she smiled at him.

“Don’t fucking smile at me!”

Luan Nian didn’t realize how much profanity he had used today. If beating Shang Zhitao could ease his anger, he would have stopped the car and killed her right then and there.

Shang Zhitao let out a small “oh,” withdrew her hand, and looked out the car window.

Every time Luan Nian glanced at her swollen left cheek, he became even angrier. How could Shang Zhitao be so spineless and brainless?

Sitting there like a punching bag!

“Does it still hurt?”

Luan Nian glanced at her left cheek again, wondering how much force the person who hit her had used. It had been three days, yet the bruise hadn’t faded, and the swelling hadn’t gone down.

“It doesn’t hurt.” Shang Zhitao didn’t dare say it hurt. He had been so angry earlier; if she admitted it hurt, he might turn the car around and burn the shop down. But she was also surprised that Luan Nian was so angry about this. She had thought their relationship wasn’t that deep in his eyes.

Perhaps Shang Zhitao found an excuse, or maybe it was just like in the movies—once I’ve slept with you, you’re mine. I can choose not to want or love you, but others can’t bully you!

Is that it? Shang Zhitao secretly glanced at Luan Nian’s expression, which was truly terrible. She bit her lip and remained silent until they reached his house.

He opened the door, threw his coat aside, and sat on the sofa, patting the space next to him. “Come here.” He intended to scold her again and warn her about the dangers of society, advising her to think carefully before acting impulsively next time. If she couldn’t solve the problem, wasn’t he there for her?

Shang Zhitao obediently sat closer, a bit nearer to Luan Nian, and directly onto his lap. This disrupted Luan Nian’s rhythm. He leaned back against the sofa and snapped at her, “Get lost!”

Shang Zhitao refused to move. After more than a year of sleeping with Luan Nian, she knew his temper well. No matter how angry he was, all she had to do was yield. If one day he didn’t respond to either softness or hardness, it meant he wanted to kill her.

“I won’t leave.” Shang Zhitao held his face and noticed his left ear was injured—she hadn’t seen it in the car. “What happened to your ear?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you get into a fight?”

“None of your business.”

Luan Nian tried to push Shang Zhitao away, but she clung tightly to his neck. “No. My face hurts, and my mouth hurts too. Don’t push me away.”

“Give me your phone.”

“What?”

“Give it to me.”

Luan Nian took Shang Zhitao’s phone, saw the password lock, and tossed it back to her. “Unlock it.”

Shang Zhitao unlocked her phone and handed it over. Watching him flip through the contacts and find his own number, she said, “Isn’t my number saved here?”

…

“Are you suffering from amnesia? Did you forget you had my number?”

“Pretending to be familiar in bed, but once dressed, pretending not to know me?”

“You…”

Shang Zhitao covered his mouth. Luan Nian had talked too much today. He didn’t speak this much even during company meetings. Despite being scolded by him, Shang Zhitao felt incredibly sweet inside. Why did Luan Nian’s lips look so good? Her mind wandered, and she bit his thin lips with her teeth. Her hand slipped under his shirt, her cold fingers touching his burning skin.

Luan Nian half-closed his eyes and looked at her. The bruise on her face made his anger flare up to the top of his head. His eyes glared as if he wanted to devour her. Fine, let him eat her. But Luan Nian wasn’t fooled by her antics. He tried to push her off the sofa, but Shang Zhitao clung to him like a koala, silently doing her thing.

“Don’t fool around.” Luan Nian’s words were like a death sentence to Shang Zhitao, who redoubled her efforts. But Luan Nian pulled her away. “I’m not interested in your ugly face.”

No matter how much she coaxed him, it was useless. It was too hard to pacify him.

Shang Zhitao felt disheartened, like a deflated balloon, tears pooling in her eyes. “Hmph!” A delicate little hum, and she plopped back onto the sofa, sulking. That tiny hum collapsed the high walls of Luan Nian’s bad temper. Together, they fell into the sofa. Accidentally brushing against Shang Zhitao’s lips, she cried out in pain, but Luan Nian coldly responded, “Serves you right.”

“Now you know it hurts? What were you doing earlier?”

His words were harsh, but his actions were gentle. His lips pressed against her wound, then onto her bruise. Just as she was about to reach the peak, he suddenly stopped. “What’s my phone number?”

Shang Zhitao was stuck, on the verge of tears, but Luan Nian persisted. “What’s my phone number?”

Shang Zhitao shook her head. “I don’t remember.”

Luan Nian forced her to memorize his number. By the third time, she had it down. Finally, he pulled her out of the pit and sent her floating on clouds.

Floating on clouds, close to the light, she felt immense joy. It seemed she had become a little bolder too. She decided not to let Luan Nian retreat and planned to reward her brave warrior.

Luan Nian’s arm throbbed, and he sat up. Shang Zhitao glanced over and saw how swollen his left arm was. On closer inspection, she noticed scrapes on the back of his hand. She felt blind for not noticing earlier, especially since she had just been fooling around with him.

“Shouldn’t we go to the hospital?”

“No need. Nothing’s broken.”

“What if something is?”

Luan Nian glared at her without speaking, got up, and fetched some alcohol. He enjoyed Shang Zhitao’s massage service. As she massaged his arm, she felt心疼 (heartache) and kissed it repeatedly, expressing her gratitude.

“Luan Nian.”

“Hmm?”

“Can I stay with you for a few days? I have nowhere to go.” Shang Zhitao finally swallowed her pride and asked him. She had originally planned not to let Luan Nian know, even if she had to sleep on the streets. But today’s events had spiraled out of control, so she decided to ask to stay with him for a few days.

“How many days?” Luan Nian looked down at her, seemingly reluctant.

Shang Zhitao extended three fingers, then added two more. “Five days?”

Luan Nian remained slouched on the sofa, neither agreeing nor refusing. Slowly, Shang Zhitao moved closer to him, pulling down her collar to reveal her smooth, round shoulder, and gave him a flirtatious glance. “I won’t stay for free. I provide excellent service.”

“Get lost.”

Luan Nian glared at her. “What’s my phone number?”

“If you memorize it, you can stay. If not, leave now.”

Her mind had been clouded with lust earlier, and she had carelessly memorized it only to forget immediately. Now that he suddenly asked, her mind went blank. Panicking, she pulled out her phone and recited Luan Nian’s number again.

Luan Nian ignored her and headed upstairs. Shang Zhitao followed behind, feeling increasingly bold. “How about this? Can I borrow your car tomorrow to help me move my things? I have nowhere to put them. Once I find a place, I’ll take them away.”

“Try touching my car.” Luan Nian remembered her previous accident with his car and shuddered. “I’ll drive you there.”

“Tomorrow after work?”

“Alright.”

Upstairs, Shang Zhitao instinctively headed toward the guest room. She had work the next day, so she couldn’t afford any more disturbances tonight. But Luan Nian grabbed her collar and pulled her into the master bedroom. He stripped and lay face down on the bed. “Massage me.”

…

The massage started innocently enough, but the word “stunning” seemed etched on Luan Nian’s back, distracting Shang Zhitao. Her hands and feet began to misbehave, slowly peeling away Luan Nian’s icy exterior and offering herself, hot and willing, to him.

Luan Nian’s arm hurt, and Shang Zhitao’s mouth hurt, but her mind was sharp now. She teased him with a playful smile. “Don’t move! Let me handle it!”

Luan Nian let her have her way, allowing her to run wild. His eyes lingered on her hungrily, as if he wanted to devour her whole.

Shang Zhitao realized she couldn’t be alone with Luan Nian. Whenever they were alone, her mind couldn’t focus on anything else. All she wanted was to play around with him. In a moment of passion, she bent down to seek his lips, trembling as she asked, “Do you like it?”

“Yes.” This time, Luan Nian didn’t deny it. If he liked it, he liked it. There was no shame in that.

Shang Zhitao’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. Her final moan was caught in Luan Nian’s mouth. He turned passive into active, delivering her another intense experience like a sudden storm.

Shang Zhitao felt completely transparent, all the negative feelings caused by her housing troubles dissipating. She just wanted to stay by Luan Nian’s side for a while. She didn’t want to go to the guest room, so she closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. She thought Luan Nian would kick her out, but he made no move. In fact, he fell asleep faster than she did.

The next day at work, she overheard Lumi on the phone. “What? Sealed? How did they seal it? I haven’t even gone to beat them up yet!”

“Someone reported a fire hazard? They got into a fight yesterday? They were taken to the police station?” Lumi giggled. “These bastards must have encountered a ghost after walking the dark path too often. Hahaha!”

Shang Zhitao listened quietly, finally understanding what Luan Nian had been up to the previous afternoon and why his body carried the scent of violence. Her eyes reddened slightly. She looked up at the “ghost” the black中介 (intermediary) had encountered, her heart full of gratitude.

“So you were busy dealing with my issues all afternoon yesterday?” Shang Zhitao messaged him.

“Busy ensuring the survival of my employees.” Luan Nian frowned as he replied.

Shang Zhitao covered her mouth and giggled secretly.

That evening, when they went back to collect her things, Shang Zhitao suddenly stopped Luan Nian at the entrance. “I’ll go up by myself.”

? Luan Nian’s face painted a question mark.

“You don’t know my roommates, and they don’t know you. I don’t want you to feel awkward.”

?

“I’ll be right down! I won’t keep you waiting long.”

After saying this, Shang Zhitao dashed off. She didn’t want Luan Nian to go to her place, though she couldn’t explain why. She always felt that apartment was her and her roommates’ private little world.

Sun Yuanzhu helped her carry her things downstairs and placed them at the hallway entrance. Softly, he said, “I’ll hurry to find a place these few days. Don’t worry too much. We’ll find a suitable place.”

Shang Zhitao nodded. “I know! I’m not worried! We’ll look together this weekend.”

Sun Yuanzhu smiled, his laughter gentle. He glanced around. “Where’s your friend?”

Luan Nian stood motionless in the shadows.