Entangled Love and Hate

"Then I'll go too."

Kim Nhan Tư brushed her hair back, slowly walking toward Tang Xingyu. She then stood still beside him, looking toward Xie An, her eyes revealing a hint of suppressed madness.

Xie An's existence was a sharp wound to her happy and perfect family.

Jin Shihua had suddenly mentioned Xie An in front of her that day because he wanted to test the relationship between her and Xie An, and he undoubtedly missed her and wanted to bring her back home.

Jin Yansi was not so blind as to miss this point.

She could not back down on this matter, so she resisted fiercely. She would rather anger Jin Shihua and receive a slap from him just to make her stance clear.

Obviously, her actions that day had a certain effect.

In the end, Jin Shihua was still very easily softened by her. After she acted spoiled and apologized, he forgave her with ease and no longer mentioned Xie An in front of her and Feng Xin.

However, Feng Xin remained deeply concerned about that day's incident.

She didn't want to anger Jin Shihua either, and Jin Yansi's behavior had been too reckless, which was highly disadvantageous to her. Therefore, during the days Jin Yansi was recovering from her injuries, Feng Xin constantly advised her not to conflict with Jin Shihua over Xie An again.

Jin Yansi understood her words perfectly. Having achieved her goal, she naturally wouldn't seek trouble for herself, so she casually agreed.

However, she completely ignored Feng Xin's advice not to contact Xie An.

Not contact Xie An?

How could that be!

Xie An had thrown her life into chaos. Why should she weakly endure it?

She would not endure it.

On the contrary, she wanted to obsessively pester Xie An; she had to deny her any peace!

Thinking of the three days she had taken off, during which Xie An hadn't sent her a single message, she grew even more resentful. Hatred and anxiety coiled in her chest, tormenting her to the point where she could hardly sleep.

Xie An clearly knew what she wanted to know. If she truly cared about her and wanted to explain Zhao Yan's matter, even if they couldn't meet, she would have actively sent her messages and called her.

Yet, there was nothing.

She said nothing, as if as long as she didn't actively bring it up, she would forget everything about her.

Just like treating an irrelevant stranger.

Why could she let go so easily?!

She ought to suffer just as she did, carry a sense of guilt toward her, and actively come to please her. It shouldn't be like this—distancing herself the moment she said so, and when facing her, not even showing a superfluous expression, as if she had never done anything wrong from the very beginning.

Jin Yansi had always felt that Xie An was like a pure, gentle white pear blossom. Only now did she realize that Xie An was not an easily obtained pear blossom, but the lonely moon in the sky.

Not contact Xie An?

Jin Yansi's eyes darkened slightly, and she sneered in her heart.

Xie An only wanted to stay away from her now. If she truly did that, wouldn't it be exactly what the other party wanted?

The more she wanted to avoid entanglement, the more she wanted her to see her every single day!

This was what she owed her.

Jin Yansi's gaze was exceptionally burning. Within her complex, intertwined feelings of love and hate lay a possessive desire that she herself hadn't even noticed.

She made no attempt to hide her gaze, and these leaked emotions were naturally noticed by Shen Qingchen and Tang Xingyu.

Yet another person had come for Xie An.

Shen Qingchen's gentle eyes cooled slightly. But considering the current situation, he had no choice but to suppress the annoyance in his heart. The corners of his mouth maintained a polite smile, and his voice was as soft as a spring breeze.

"Sure, the more talented people we have, the livelier it will be."

Shen Qingchen wore a black silk shirt paired with a white trench coat and a suit jacket, with very small pleated designs on the shoulders.

The white suit, which was difficult for most to pull off, fit him perfectly, further accentuating his upright figure, as elegant as bamboo. The black shirt added a touch of restraint and maturity to him. His black hair had been styled with exquisite curls, making his entire being look elegant without losing his nobility.

After properly agreeing to Tang Xingyu and Jin Yansi joining them, he no longer looked at them. Instead, he slowly took off his suit jacket and gently draped it over Xie An's shoulders: "It's cold outside. We'll head back after getting some fresh air for a bit. Don't catch a cold."

Xie An knew he was explaining things to her. The two of them had a hot spring date tonight, but to deal with the current situation, they had no choice but to go out and brave the cold wind for a while.

His words were meant to tell her that the duration of their walk was entirely up to her; there was no need to force herself.

Xie An really liked Shen Qingchen's eyes—gentle, tolerant, and radiating a warm light. When he looked at her, his gaze was deeply affectionate and sincere, like a warm spring pool that made one unable to resist falling into it.

As long as Shen Qingchen was by her side, she felt very at ease.

A smile bloomed on Xie An's lips, and her eyes, bright as washed water, gazed intently at him, as if containing countless stars. Enveloped by such a gentle and trusting gaze, anyone's heart would soften.

Especially since the person before her was Shen Qingchen, who harbored an overflowing desire for her.

Shen Qingchen's fingers on her shoulder curled slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing. If the occasion weren't inappropriate, he would have long since embraced her, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder to plant soft kisses.

From the crook of her shoulder to her neck, winding all the way forward, finally stopping on her rosy lips.

She would surely flush red quickly, and her body would tremble at his slightest movement. Because of the tiny, ticklish sensations on her skin, she would instinctively push him away, wanting to create some distance.

However, it would be useless, because his hands would wrap around her waist. The moment she showed any sign of refusal, he would slowly tighten his grip, bit by bit, savoring the corners of her eyes turning even redder, swallowing all the fragmented sounds escaping from her small mouth. She would definitely still look at him with those watery eyes.

However, by then, it probably wouldn't just be her eyes that were wet.

Thinking of that exquisite image, Shen Qingchen's throat grew even drier. His gentle pupils became tinged with a thick, sticky warmth, while the smile on his lips grew even softer.

Shen Qingchen's emotions had always been restrained. His twisted feelings were only revealed for a split second before being tightly wrapped up once more. Xie An beside him didn't notice, but that didn't mean Jin Yansi and Tang Xingyu beside them hadn't.

Jin Yansi had seen many eyes filled with desire—for money, lust, power, beauty... But no matter which kind, they all possessed a morbid, sticky quality.

Like foul, stagnant water, or decaying flesh, monsters struggled out from within, fighting in their territory, charging toward the object of their desire.

Even she, occasionally looking in the mirror over the past few days, would notice a dark mist fermenting deep within her eyes, though she had never known where that dark current originated.

Now, seeing Shen Qingchen reveal his moment of longing for Xie An, she realized that the source of that dark mist was her own desire for Xie An.

She had desire for Xie An.

The gentle times they once couldn't let go of had been ground down by identity and misunderstandings until they were stained with blood. The more she wanted to escape this twisted conflict, the more her resentment and intertwined love and hate became entangled, giving birth to an ugly monster from the morbid, foul soil, roaring in her heart every single second.