Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Only Like This With You (Revised) On the third day of their trip to the ancient town, Jiang Shixu received a call from his subordinate Lu Ze, saying that Chen Jingsu had been found. Coincidentally, Chu Tang was also tired from all the sightseeing and wanted to go home and lie around for a couple of days, so the two packed up and returned to Jiangcheng. After Chen Jingsu faked her pregnancy and was taken away by Xu Jingxuan's people upon leaving the detention center, she had been smuggled all the way to Country C. The promises Xu Jingxuan had made beforehand—to send her abroad, arrange housing and work for her—were never fulfilled. She was sold by Xu Jingxuan's underlings to a telecom fraud compound in Country C, where she suffered immense torment and lived a life worse than that of a dog or pig. When Jiang Shixu's people found her, the head of the compound, also a Chinese national, knew the Jiang family wielded power and influence and didn't dare offend them, so he obediently handed her over. ... In a dimly lit basement. Chen Jingsu was bound to a wooden chair. Her hair was disheveled, her body covered in wounds, her appearance utterly wretched. These injuries weren't from the Jiang family—they were from the supervisors at the compound where she'd been held before. Jiang Shixu walked in from the entrance of the basement. The man was dressed entirely in black, his bearing cold and fierce, his strikingly handsome face shrouded in gloom. He sat down on a sofa three or four meters away from Chen Jingsu, his eyes vicious. "Talk. Who put you up to this?" The moment Chen Jingsu saw Jiang Shixu, her emotions collapsed. "Ah Xu, don't—don't look at me!" The woman's cries were hoarse, despair flashing in her eyes. "I look too ugly right now." Jiang Shixu frowned in displeasure. In his eyes, Chen Jingsu was nothing but a criminal beyond redemption. He couldn't care less what she looked like, whether she was pretty or not. Hearing nothing useful, Jiang Shixu lost patience, his tone turning vicious. "Can't understand?" Chen Jingsu shook her head, sobbing. "I can't tell you, I... I was left with no choice. Can you let me go, for the sake of how many years I've loved you?" Jiang Shixu's eyes were icy, devoid of any warmth. "Tell me, and I'll let you go." Chen Jingsu cried and begged him, "I'm begging you, Ah Xu, I really can't say. Please let me go. I didn't mean to ruin your engagement ceremony..." At that, her tone shifted again, her face full of concern. "Are your injuries healed? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you... I..." She hadn't meant to hurt Ruan Chutang either. All of this was forced on her by Xu Jingxuan! But she couldn't say it. Her father was still in Xu Jingxuan's hands. She'd been thrown into that compound and tortured for over a month. She hated Xu Jingxuan more than anyone, wanted Xu Jingxuan dead more than anyone! But she couldn't. Her father was her only remaining family in this world. Seeing that the man showed her not a shred of mercy, Chen Jingsu's heart turned to ashes. "Ah Xu, just kill me. I can't tell you..." "What would killing you accomplish?" Jiang Shixu's expression was cold and stern. "Miss Chen, since you're unwilling to say anything, don't blame me for being unkind." Jiang Shixu rose coldly. "Ah Xu, what are you going to do to me?" Chen Jingsu's pale face still bore traces of tears, her gaze bleak. Jiang Shixu's eyes were frigid, his whole body seeming to be encased in ice. He didn't answer the woman's question. He turned to leave. "Ah Xu, don't go!" Chen Jingsu cried out desolately. "Can you stay with me a little longer?" The woman's voice was pitiful, carrying a humble plea. "In that compound for over a month, I suffered inhuman torment. I... I..." Chen Jingsu sobbed and whimpered. "I was defiled by those beasts! They're not human—they're worse than animals! I got beaten many times every day. The steamed buns I ate were sour, the porridge was all water with barely a grain of rice to be seen. The food was worse than pig slop. Ah Xu, I really almost didn't make it. Do you know, in that month and more, you were my only hope for survival. The moment I thought of you, I found the courage to keep living..." Jiang Shixu stood with his back to her, his posture tall and straight, his features deep-set, cold, and hard. He listened to Chen Jingsu pour out her tragic ordeal, his expression not changing in the slightest. The woman continued sobbing intermittently. "Every day I thought, I have to hold on. I have to get out of there alive. Only by living could I see you again. If I died, I'd never see you again..." "Ah Xu, please, please stay with me. I'm really going crazy. Every time I close my eyes, I see those beasts violating me. I... the pain in my heart is a thousand times worse than the pain in my body..." Chen Jingsu cried in fits and starts. "Stay and talk with me a little longer, okay? Even if you scold me... wuwuwuwu... don't go, don't leave me, don't... I really... really want to see you... You're the only light in my life!" To become someone's hope for survival, to become the only light in someone's life—any other man would be moved. But Jiang Shixu remained unmoved. There wasn't a ripple in his heart. He couldn't even be bothered to spare her a backward glance. The man didn't linger. He turned and left. Chen Jingsu watched Jiang Shixu's cold, resolute back as the last glimmer of light in her eyes died out. Once out of the basement, Jiang Shixu turned to the bodyguard beside him and said, "Find a way to pry her mouth open. Get something useful out of her." "Yes, sir." Sympathy? Compassion? He might have some. But he would never offer it to someone who tried to harm his Tangtang. After all, a little over a month ago, Chen Jingsu had nearly killed his Tangtang. Anyone who hurt Tangtang—he would make them pay! Leaving the base, Jiang Shixu raised his wrist to check his watch. It was ten o'clock. His Tangtang would be waking up hungry by now. ... Chu Tang had been exhausted by Jiang Shixu's antics the night before, so she slept soundly and didn't wake until noon. The curtains were half-drawn, and sunlight streamed through the glass, casting a faint golden glow over the light blue quilt at the foot of the bed. Dust danced gently in the air, giving the light a visible trace. The moment Chu Tang opened her eyes and her senses returned, she caught the enticing aroma of a freshly cooked meal. Wearing her cute bear-print pajamas, hair disheveled, she shuffled out of bed and followed the scent with half-lidded eyes. In the dining room, three dishes and two bowls of rice were already set on the table. The range hood hummed in the kitchen. Chu Tang peered into the kitchen, puzzled. Jiang Shixu, wearing an apron, walked out carrying a bowl of soup. "Awake?" He set the soup down on the table. It was the winter melon and pork rib soup Chu Tang loved. "Hungry, right? Go wash your hands and eat." Jiang Shixu still had the apron on, looking every bit the picture of a devoted spouse. Chu Tang, still groggy with sleep, squinted at him. "Why haven't you left yet?" And he'd even made a whole table of food. Jiang Shixu untied the apron. "I figured you'd be hungry when you woke up, so I bought groceries and came to cook for you." Chu Tang rubbed her eyes, her voice soft and drowsy, impossibly endearing. "So domestic." "Only for you." Jiang Shixu's eyes were filled with tenderness so deep it could melt.