Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Get out!
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TianZhi was an upscale area . Because the residences are valued in millions, the area around TianZhi caters to rich people, like the porcelain gallery Xiaonian visited last time .
Xiaonian never visited the grocery store in this area, but if experience has taught her anything, it was to expect the worst .
The car parked in the basement and Gong Ouyang dragged her out to the elevator that led to the store .
Was it just her, or did he seem oddly excited at this?
When they entered the store, quite a number of ladies turned their heads to stare the man beside her .
Xiaonian sighed with deep feelings .
The world sure was unfair . What was the point of an evil rich person like Gong Ouyang having a face like that .
Rich, arrogant and handsome CEO’s, in her humble opinion, belonged on comic boards . In real life, they just made people want to strangle them .
Gong Ouyang, who was unaware of Xiaonian’s thought process, ignored the stares of the ladies and waited back as Xiaonian pulled out a cart and then he held her other free hand .
Gong Ouyang was dressed in casual’s and sunglasses, his hair left mussed and he exuded the air a casual model .
Xiaonian was sure she looked like one of those cheap freebies you get with a branded item standing beside him .
Sigh . She really wanted to runaway and hide among those cereal boxes .
Gong Ouyang and Xiaonian started browsing through the isles for shopping . Xiaonian was pushing the cart with one hand while the other was firmly clasped in Gong Ouyang’s hand . It was quite inconvenient .
“What do you want to eat?”
Xiaonian was scared stiff by the exorbitant prices of the fruits and vegetables . Even a small lychee cost tens . Isn’t this daylight robbery?
Gong Ouyang looked at the shelves and pointed his slender forefinger, “this, this, this, this, this…”
“… . . ”
Xiaonian’s eyes widened .
What are those?
She did not even know if they are edible!
One fruit (or vegetable?) looked like a mass of spines . Wouldn’t people’s mouths be poked full of holes?
Gong Ouyang was still in the middle of selecting, “This, this, this, and this too” he paused a little, “so bothersome . We’ll get them to send all of it . ”
Buy all of them?
To do what?
Bury her in them?
Xiaonian looked lost for speech . This tyrant, please don’t show up before us commoners!
Xianoain sighed, “Can I choose?”
“Yes” Gong Ouyang promised quickly .
It was obvious that Gong Ouyang did not know how to shop for groceries . She wondered if anyone living in the TianZhi ever did .
Xiaonian slowly made a mental list of the dishes she could cook and started picking up the ingredients one by one and put them in the shopping cart .
Gong Ouyang who did not like being out in public slowly lost interest in choosing the ingredients and simply followed Xiaonian everywhere playing with with her fingers .
Her fingers seemed to be his only interest .
After shopping the groceries, she went to the skin care isle and browsed through some face mask brands .
It has been a long time since she properly took care of herself . These days her life slowly settled back into a routine and she wanted to pick up some stuff .
Mu family owned huge skin care products and were very popular in S city . Xiaonian stopped before their product and picked it up, on the packaging Shi Yue’s face looked at her smiling sweetly and an uncomfortable lump settled in her throat .
She quickly put it back in the shelf and chose a product from other company .
“Your sister is quite ugly, not at all like you” Gong Ouyang said suddenly looking at the face on the packaging .
Gong Ouyang was not wrong . Shi Yue’s beauty was enhanced by cosmetics and makeup . How many of such beauties hadn’t he seen in his life, women with thick make up slathered on their faces and drowned in bottles of stinking perfumes .
Shi Xiaonian on the other hand, was a natural beauty . She did not need any makeup to bring out the softness of her skin or the delicate features of her pretty face . She also liked to dress in loose fitting clothes that covered up her curves that would otherwise make men instantly notice her .
Xiaonian put on a small smile at his comment, “She is considered as a very pretty actress by a lot of people actually . ”
“So ugly and can still be called a star? People’s aesthetics are really weird . ” Gong Ouyang looked at the face on the packaging one more time and moved away dragging Xiaonian with him .
Xiaonian heart stopped for a minuscule second . Her whole life, she had been deemed as someone inferior to Shi Yue by people around her . Even the man she considered most important to her was charmed away by her . And now, to be told by Gong Ouyang that she was more beautiful… . she really felt a tendril of something akin to happiness unfurling in her heart .
Someone considered her beautiful too . A small smile bloomed on her little face .
With her mood brightened by Gong Ouyang’s comment, she said, “I’m done here, lets go home, I’ll cook you a proper Hong Kong breakfast today . ”
“Do you know how to make English breakfast?” Gong Ouyang asked her .
Xiaonian shook her head .
“You are so stupid . How do you not know how to make English breakfast?” Gong Ouayng lectured her sternly .
Later when he took her and the child back to England to meet his family, how will she win the favor of his parents without even knowing that?
Gong Ouyang suddenly stopped in his tracks, his face frozen with shock .
Why did he want her to be liked by his parents?
Gong Ouyang was shocked to realize that he was concerned about this insignificant woman and was planning to pave a way for her to stay by his side in the future .
This was ridiculous!
This type of woman, who did not have anything to her name, someone not even qualified to lift his shoes, for her he visited an island and now a grocery store?
How did he become like this without his own knowledge? Unless she was manipulating him slowly!
Gong Ouyang’s hands clenched in rage .
“What do you like in english breakfast?” Xiaonian who still in a good mood from his praise inquired him without knowing what he was thinking .
She vaguely remembered that one of his parent belonged to the British aristocracy and his family was now based in Britain . Was he previously used to eating English breakfast?
“Nothing!” Gong Ouyang snapped at her .
" . . . "
Xiaonian found his mood swing inexplicable . She couldn’t understand why he became angry all of a sudden, wasn’t he in a good mood just a few minutes ago?
Xiaonian quickly finished the billing and carried the bags to the luxury car waiting for them in the basement .
Gong Ouyang became unusually silent since then and refused to talk to her or look at her . He just stood by her side and looked fierce .
Xiaonian put the last of the bags in the trunk with the help of the driver and looked inexplicably at Gong Ouyang’s angry face .
Gong Ouyang noticed her gaze and his mood worsened . He rushed forward and grabbing her arm he pushed her into the car in an unreasonable manner .
The car frame hit her head roughly before she tumbled on the rear seat . She couldn’t help but look at him in confusion .
What did she do to displease him?
Was this the good temper butler De talked about? Really good!
She gently touched her head to see if there was bump .
“Shi Xiaonian!” Gong Ouyang bent over her and held her throat in his hand tightly, “shouldn’t you be more truthful now?”
Truthful?
Xianian felt fear shoot up through her stomach .
Her throat hurt, his grip was really strong and she couldn’t struggle free from it . Stabbing pain kept shooting from where his fingers pinched her .
The driver ignored the happenings in the back seat and started the car .
The road back to TianZhi was blocked by a charity event, so he took an alternative road through the city .
Gong Ouyang looked at her face contorted in pain, “just confess and I won’t push you away” .
Gong Ouyang thought that the main reason behind Xiaonian’s behavior was to keep staying beside him . And he did not want to drive her away after she gave up his child, he would still keep her by his side . But she definitely cannot manipulate him!
He felt her body trembling in fear and his hold on her throat slackened, and Xiaonian immediately scooted far away from him curling into a ball against the door .
She really did not understand what he wanted her to confess .
Gong Ouyang saw that she was scared, may be now she wouldn’t be so obstinate and tell the truth, “until when are you going to pretend that you are innocent? Aren’t these cheap tricks just a way to stay by my side?”
Xiaonian was startled . Was he talking about the child again?
“Three years ago… it wan’t me who gave you the medicine . . I really don’t have your baby” she managed to say weakly . Her throat hurt and every word she uttered sent pain streaming .
“You keep lying!” Gong Ouyang shouted at her looking bitter .
Xiaonian jumped at his loud voice .
Why can’t she understand that she just needed to tell the truth and he would make sure that she had a decent life . Instead of manipulating him, she should just be honest and he would definitely let her live a better life .
Both her and the child .
Gong Ouyang’s gloom deepened, her pitiful figure made him want to gather her into his arms and soothe her fears away, but the cynical part of his brain reminded him that this might be an act on her part to bend him to her will .
Gong Ouyang controlled his emotions and a calm expression slid on his face . He tried to remember that she was not capable of such tactics, that she might not be doing this by her own volition .
Slowly, his mood stabilized enough for him to sit back and talk without bursting out .
“Tell me where you hid the child?” he asked her again .
Xiaonian went pale at his questioning . Where was she supposed to get a non existent child from?
She licked her lower lip in fear and watched Gong Ouyang’s expression, her eyelashes trembled like the wings of a butterfly and she saw that he looked more calmer now .
“I don’t have a child” she tried telling him slowly still looking at his face for any changes in his reaction, “I’m really not lying . I . . I asked you to find my classmate Tang Yi, she . . she was on the cruise with me three years ago . She can definitely prove that I am innocent . ”
The feeling of being suffocated in his hands while she was unable to defend herself was terrifying . She buried her head into her chest further hoping she can just vanish from Gong Ouyang’s sight .
“I really am not trying to stay by your side . ”
She really was not trying to trick him into anything . She just wanted to live her life without fear from his threats, that was all .
Gong Ouyang stared at her, the anger that he suppressed just a minute ago now sprung back two fold morphed into irritation, “you really don’t want to stay by my side?”
Xiaonian quickly nodded her head . At this moment, she absolutely did not want him to misunderstand her . She had no motives towards him and just hoped that he wouldn’t stay angry at her anymore . It was very frightening .
While Xiaonian was trying to appease Gong Ouyang, anger flared up in his chest . Slender fingers grabbed her arm tightly .
Xiaonian cried out in pain and trembled more trying to burrow into herself in the corner, “Ple . . please let me go . ”
He cannot wait to kill her!
She didn’t want to stay by his side?
Who did she think she was?
Her words that she did not want to stay with him wiped out any rational thought in his head . He forgot why he was blaming her in the first place, all that remained was this monstrous anger that wanted him to lash out at her for wanting to escape from him .
If that classmate proved that she was innocent, she will immediately go away?
She dared!
“Stop the car!” Gong Ouyang ordered, his anger ready to burn everything .
The driver hurriedly braked .
“Get out!” Gong Ouyang grabbed Xiaonian by her blouse collar and dragged her out of the car pushing her on to the road .
Xianian was forced on a busy road .
A car rushed past her almost running over her and Gong Ouyang’s car roared away .
A shocked Xiaonian quickly walked to the nearest footpath, did Gong Ouyang want to kill her?
What was wrong with him?! Strangling her and then pushing her off on a busy road, nearly killing her!
“Take your medicine you stinky man!” Xiaonian shouted in the direction his car departed . A layer of water swirled in her eyes but she stubbornly suppressed her fear with anger .
She would not cry like a weakling .
Her shout was downed in the sound of traffic and she was left standing on the footpath with few people staring at her curiously .
Only then did she realize that one of her slippers was missing and the top of her blouse was ripped when Gong Ouyang dragged her out of the car .
She probably cut a very sorry figure right now, looking like this and shouting at traffic . Feeling embarrassed, she quickly pushed her hair behind her ears walked away from the footpath .
When she turned to leave, pain shot up her leg .
Did she hurt her leg during the fall?
She tried taking another few steps cautiously but found that her ankle throbbed whenever she put some weight on it .
The bump she received on her head hadn’t stopped throbbing and now she already had an injured throat that made swallowing hard and a twisted ankle that made walking hard .
She called Gong Ouyang a few chosen names in her heart and slowly ambled away .
She wanted to call a taxi to go to home, but it was only then she realized, now that Gong Ouyang asked her to get out, she had no where to go .
Her old house’s lease was terminated when she moved to TianZhi and now her family completely cut off their connection . Dumbfounded by her realization that she was now utterly homeless, Xiaonian stood still on the footpath blocking pedestrians who grumbled in annoyance .
Waking up from her reverie, she looked around her wanting to know where she was and only then realized that she was in the city and actually very near by her publishing company .
Perhaps, Gong Ouyang won’t bother her anymore .
Xiaonian laughed at her own thinking .
Clutching her 4 year old purse in her hand, she slowly limped towards the next street where her publishing company was .
When she went inside, her colleagues gathered around and started asking questions about her appearance in concern .
“Dan, what happened to you?” her editor Xia Yu immediately noticed her swollen ankle and cried out .
“Got caught in a crowd and lost my footing” she tried to explain in way that wouldn’t cause doubts .
“Such insensible people! Are you okay? Do you want to go to the hospital?” Tia Yu freed around like a mother hen eliciting a small smile out of Xiaonian .
“Ah . I think I should go to a hospital . I’ll catch a taxi in a bit . ”
Xia Yu immediately rejected her idea, “How can you go by yourself? I’ll call Li Chen, he’ll take you to the hospital” she immediately volunteered her husband for the job .
“No, no . I can make it there myself” Xiaonian tried to reject Xia Yu’s offer . Her husband was a very nice man and she did not want to cause him unnecessary trouble with her problems .
“Nonsense” Xia Yu dismissed her worried and within 15 minutes a happy and sunny Li Chen arrived at their company with his old car .
Tia Yu put a hand round Xiaonian’s shoulder and helped her into the car while Li Chen got into the driver’s seat, “brother Li, I’m sorry to have troubled you” Xiaonian could resist apologizing .
“It doesn’t matter, doesn't matter” Li Chen laughed, he was a simple and honest man, “I’m a wife slave, have to run where she points” he laughed while driving .
“Oh” Xiaonian couldn’t help but be affected by his cheery mood .
This is how a husband should be .
Xia Yu adores him to pieces and he reciprocates it with enthusiasm .
“Ah Xiaonian, Xia Yu said you wanted to go to your home first, am I going in the right direction?” Li asked .
Xiaonian hesitated . She needed a change of clothes but needed to get cleaned up but she did not have anywhere to go, she doubted if she would be allowed back to TianXhi if she showed up for her clothes now .
Haah, even if she was, it would be impossible to ask brother Li to drive there .
“That, brother Li, could you please take me to a nearby hotel for now . It’s temporarily inconvenient for me to go back right now . ”
“Good . ”
Li Chen circled twice around their block and found a decent hotel .
When Xiaonian tried to climb down the car, her foot felt painful and she almost lost her balance .
“Oh, let me help you” Li Chen saw her shaky appearance and ran around to steady her .
“Thank yu very much brother Li” Xiaonian was very grateful for his assistance .
Li Chen smiled “Nothing, nothing . You just deliver your scripts on time and make sure my wife comes back home on time” he joked .
“Ok” she agreed .
Xiaonian put a little bit of weight on Li Chen and leaned on him for support when suddenly, the sound of emergency brakes being engaged was heard .
In the next second, the black luxury car’s door slammed open .