CM - 56

The play Twelfth Night opened at the Lao She Theater. Xu Su took Zhou Shuirong to see it. It was a touring production from Shakespeare’s Globe in London, and the tickets had long been sold out.

As Zhou Shuirong and Xu Su entered the theater, they ran into Yuan Gengcheng and a girl.

Yuan Gengcheng greeted her. “Hey, it’s you.” Then he glanced at Xu Su and asked her, “Where’s Shen Tingwen?”

Zhou Shuirong said, “You’ve got the wrong person.”

Yuan Gengcheng wasn’t embarrassed. “I thought you two were still together. So you broke up.”

Xu Su frowned and looked at Zhou Shuirong.

Zhou Shuirong’s reaction was calm, and she said nothing else, walking inside by herself.

Xu Su followed her.

The girl with Yuan Gengcheng asked him, “Who was that?”

Yuan Gengcheng watched Zhou Shuirong’s back, took a picture, and sent it to Shen Tingwen. He smiled and said, “See, I told you we should have gone to see a popular play. We wouldn’t have run into such a good show if we’d gone to a less popular one.”

“Who was she, though?”

Yuan Gengcheng said, “The ex-girlfriend of the Shen family’s crown prince.”

“Shen Tingwen?”

“Yeah.”

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Shen Tingwen went crazy when he saw the photo. Zhou Shuirong was wearing that suit? The suit he went to such lengths to get for her, and she was happily going to see a play with some other guy? Unbelievable, Zhou Shuirong. He had spent so much effort to break open her emotional seal, only for someone else to sneak in?

He wrecked his home, then took a shower and changed into a crew-neck shirt with a wide but not overly revealing collar, which showed off his collarbones.

He looked at the photo Yuan Gengcheng had sent him again. He didn’t know if the guy next to her was considered handsome, so he sent a picture of himself to Yuan Gengcheng. “How do I compare to that guy?”

Yuan Gengcheng laughed when he saw the message. “Are you confused about how handsome you are? How can that guy even compare to you?”

Shen Tingwen got even angrier. If that guy couldn’t compare to him, then why didn’t Zhou Shuirong want him? Why did she want this person? And who was this person anyway? He had been by her side all this time. When did this guy appear?

________________________________________

Inside the theater, Xu Su’s mind was consumed by the words, “I thought you two were still together.” What did that mean? Zhou Shuirong had been in a relationship? Who was she in a relationship with? Who was Shen Tingwen?

His mind was a mess, and he couldn’t focus on the play.

Zhou Shuirong didn’t have this problem; she was watching the play very intently. She loved Shakespeare. Some people say he’s overrated, that his plays are actually boring and tasteless, far inferior to adaptations. But to his fans, he’s just that good. She loved Othello the most and had watched it countless times.

Xu Su saw how focused she was and that she didn’t seem to be affected by the encounter they just had. He suddenly felt that his own melodramatic thoughts were pointless.

He stopped overthinking and focused on the play. But halfway through, his mind became a mess again.

Though he looked delicate, he was a rough person who dealt with criminals all day. He wasn’t very artistic and couldn’t appreciate this kind of sophisticated art.

He couldn’t watch any longer and whispered to Zhou Shuirong that he was going out for a bit.

Zhou Shuirong nodded.

As Xu Su left, he dropped his pack of cigarettes. Zhou Shuirong picked it up and put it in her pocket.

After a while, he came back and sat down.

Zhou Shuirong didn’t pay attention to him or look at him.

About two minutes later, he spoke. “Is it good?”

Zhou Shuirong frowned. That... was Shen Tingwen’s voice? She turned her head, and it was him.

The theater was dark, and she couldn’t see his face clearly, but she remembered his outline, and she remembered his fresh breath. He was very particular about his hygiene and never had the bad breath that some boys did.

Why was he here?

As soon as she thought of the question, she already had the answer: Yuan Gengcheng.

She didn’t want to talk to him or be close to him. She moved to the very edge of her seat.

She was still avoiding him? Was he that scary? In the photo Yuan Gengcheng sent him, she was so close to that guy, and now she was avoiding him? Shen Tingwen deliberately moved closer to her and started to provoke her. “Did you find a man? Zhou Shuirong, I’ve realized you’re really fake.”

He ruined her mood for the play. She covered her ears.

Shen Tingwen took her hands away. “That day at your house, you told me you didn’t want to think about other things, but you turned around and went out with another guy. I thought you were so above it all. Did you come back down to Earth?”

His words were so mean. He had never talked to Zhou Shuirong like this. Zhou Shuirong felt his anger and hurt. She was also angry and said in a hushed voice, “Don’t start a fight.”

Shen Tingwen asked her, “You’ll take anyone but me, is that it?”

Zhou Shuirong couldn’t stay in the theater anymore. She stood up and walked out.

Shen Tingwen chased after her.

Zhou Shuirong went into the women’s restroom.

Shen Tingwen followed her. Before she could lock the stall door, he opened it and went inside, locking the door behind them.

Once again in this small, confined space, Zhou Shuirong closed her eyes, feeling helpless. “I’m not in the mood to deal with you right now. Get lost before I lose my temper. I’m not going to say it a second time.”

Shen Tingwen blocked the door and didn’t move. “You have the right to lose your temper? You’re the one who didn’t keep your word.”

Zhou Shuirong laughed. “Why should I keep my word to you? What are you to me? I told you I didn’t want to think about other things, but then I went out with someone else. Do you not understand what that means? It means I’ll go with anyone but you. If I don’t like you, I don’t like you.”

Shen Tingwen had angered her, and she was going to get back at him. She was a vengeful person, so she would get back at him, and they would hurt each other. If they were going to die, they’d die together. No one was going to have a good time.

After she finished speaking, Shen Tingwen was filled with rage. He put his arms around her waist, intending to say something, but when he felt the pack of cigarettes in her pocket, he forgot everything. He took the pack out of her pocket and asked her, “What’s this?”

Zhou Shuirong said airily, “Are you blind?”

Shen Tingwen’s anger turned serious. “Are you smoking?”

Zhou Shuirong hadn’t smoked, but her words were sharp. “Is it any of your business? My business is my business. What I do has nothing to do with you.”

Shen Tingwen felt like if he ever died, it would be because Zhou Shuirong had angered him to death. She didn’t anger anyone else; she only angered him, to death. Smoking? Fine! He lit one, took a puff, put a hand on the back of Zhou Shuirong’s head, and kissed her directly on the mouth. He used his tongue to pry open her lips and blew the smoke into her mouth. She started coughing violently, her face turned red, her neck turned red, her eyes turned red, and the veins in her forehead bulged.

Shen Tingwen threw the pack of cigarettes into the toilet. “Still want to smoke?”

Zhou Shuirong raised her arm and slapped him. “You’re insane!”

Shen Tingwen’s face instantly turned red, but he didn’t care. He asked, “I asked you if you still want to smoke?”

Zhou Shuirong grabbed his neck. “You’ve got a death wish!”

Shen Tingwen didn’t dodge, resist, or struggle. He let her choke him until his face was red and his eyes were bulging, but he still didn’t move.

Just as she was about to choke him to death, Zhou Shuirong let go.

Shen Tingwen leaned against the door, looking at her. “Go on, choke me to death. That way, you’ll never be able to get rid of me for the rest of your life.”

Zhou Shuirong’s heart was a mess and hurt a lot. She didn’t want to talk to him. She pushed him aside and walked out. Before she could get out of the outer door, Shen Tingwen fell backward onto the floor.

Zhou Shuirong stopped, clenched her fists, and tried to force herself to leave, but she couldn’t. In the end, she turned back around.

As she came to help him up, Shen Tingwen wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his embrace.

“Let go!”

Shen Tingwen didn’t let go. “I’m in pain!”

Zhou Shuirong was pushed down so that she was lying on top of him, her face right next to his, their lips just millimeters apart.

Shen Tingwen also trapped her with his legs so she couldn’t move. “I’m really in pain. You almost choked me to death.”

Zhou Shuirong’s heart was racing. She was too close to Shen Tingwen. He was so hot. “Stop pretending! I know my own strength!”

When Shen Tingwen spoke, he touched her lips intentionally and unintentionally, like a scoundrel. “Why did you hold back? Did you feel bad? Couldn’t bear to do it? Are you admitting it now?”

“I was afraid I’d have to face criminal charges if I choked you to death!”

Shen Tingwen ignored her words. “Then why did you turn back? Wasn’t it because you felt bad?”

“I told you, I...”

Shen Tingwen didn’t let her finish. He kissed her.

Zhou Shuirong’s lips were soft. Actually, most girls’ lips are soft, but Shen Tingwen hadn’t had the pleasure of kissing many. He had only ever kissed Zhou Shuirong’s, but one was enough.

His kiss made Zhou Shuirong’s mind and heart a mess. She couldn’t think of anything else, and her teeth relaxed. He took the opportunity to put his tongue in.

Zhou Shuirong thought she must have gone insane. She loved this feeling so much. She felt a mess, but she was very aware of what she was doing. She was kissing Shen Tingwen. She didn’t want to admit that she liked him kissing her, that she liked the feeling of their tongues intertwining. She must have gone crazy...

Shen Tingwen kissed her for a long time, until her face was red and her eyes were a little dazed, as if she had just woken up. He finally let go, holding her waist, giving her time to catch her breath.

Zhou Shuirong couldn’t calm down. The feeling was so strange, soft and tingly, and her heart was pounding. All these abnormal things were happening, but she didn’t hate any of it.

Shen Tingwen’s voice became softer, and his tone was full of grievance. “What’s wrong with me? I’ll change, okay? Can you just tell him to get lost?”

Zhou Shuirong had calmed down. Her heart was still racing, but she could speak normally now. Seeing the aggrieved Shen Tingwen, she didn’t feel bad at all. She knew he was faking it. He was a master of acting pitiful, and he knew that she would fall for it in crucial moments.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. His collar had been pulled wide, exposing his shoulder. She opened her mouth and bit him.

Shen Tingwen couldn’t take it anymore and yelled out, “Ah!”

Zhou Shuirong bit him until he bled. When she tasted his blood, she felt much better. She let go and, looking at him, asked breathlessly, “Did that feel good?”

Shen Tingwen gasped from the pain. “It felt great.”

Zhou Shuirong was straddling him. She grabbed his shirt collar, looking like she hadn’t had enough and wanted to hit him again. But she only said one sentence, an abrupt and random one. “He’s my uncle’s apprentice.”

After she said it, Zhou Shuirong got up and walked away.

Shen Tingwen was still lying on the floor, replaying her words in his mind. The corners of his mouth slowly curled up. She was explaining herself to me?

If people hadn’t come in, asking him why he was in the women’s restroom and if he was crazy, he might have lain there for a while longer, thinking about the little gestures Zhou Shuirong had made in response to his kiss.

She thought he didn’t notice she had secretly licked his tongue. Little dummy.