Chapter 9 — My Sister Stole My Fiancé

Gu New Year stood up to support me.

I bought a hangover remedy for you?

I waved my hand away.

No need, a good night's sleep will do. Just take me home.

He helped me out to the door. As we passed by Song Chi Da, the hand resting on his thigh tightened into a white-knuckled fist, but in the end, he still did not stand up. On the way back from the gathering, Song Chi Da's gaze swept over the passenger seat, his voice glazed with a thin layer of frost.

Ruan Ming Ya, you did this on purpose.

The carefully painted, feigned joy at the corners of Ruan Ming Ya's eyes slowly drooped as she stared blankly out the window.

What, are you heartbroken?

We ended a long time ago. There is no need for you to keep clinging on.

This sentence acted like a detonator, completely shattering Ruan Ming Ya's fragile sanity over the past two days. She suddenly whipped around, her voice rising in sharp accusation.

Me, clinging on? Or is it that you haven't let go at all!

Don't think I don't know. During the day at the company, you wear your wedding ring for her, but the moment night falls, you switch back to mine.

The car screeched to a sudden halt, the tires burning against the asphalt with a piercing shriek. Ruan Ming Ya clutched her forehead where she had struck the dashboard, swallowing back her tears as she forced herself to look up at him.

What, you didn't expect me to know?

Your company secretary, the receptionist, the general manager—they are all my eyes and ears.

Song Chi Da turned his head, his gaze already bleeding a terrifying chill. Yet, still mindful of their past as husband and wife, he forced his voice to soften.

Ming Ya, you chose every single bit of this yourself, didn't you?

Once a choice is made, one must bear the consequences. I have not been a good husband, but Qi Xia—she has never once crossed the line.

Hearing him finally make that admission, Ruan Ming Ya laughed until tears streamed down her face, a sound steeped in bitter self-mockery and unyielding resentment.

Do you really think she has let you go as well?

His eyes narrowed dangerously.

What did you do?

I slipped something into those ten glasses of wine. The exact same substance you used on me years ago.

Song Chi Da suddenly lunged forward, his hand wrapping tightly around her throat.

Do you want to die?

Ruan Ming Ya clawed desperately at his arm, her complexion turning a frightening shade of purple. Then, abruptly, the grip on her neck slackened, and he let go.

Song Chi Da, she is no better than I am.

Do you believe me? Her very first phone call will be to you, begging for your help to undo the effects.

The man in the driver's seat offered no reply, but the sudden, ragged acceleration of his breathing betrayed every frantic thought churning within him. One minute passed. Five minutes. Seven, nine, ten minutes... Until half an hour later, a full hour after my departure, the pinned chat box on his phone remained completely dead silent. Ruan Ming Ya herself began to grow uneasy.

Impossible... She is nothing more than a cheap creature lusting after her own brother-in-law! How could she possibly not call you?

By this time, Song Chi Da could no longer register a single word Ruan Ming Ya was saying. The fleeting image of me leaning on another man for support refused to leave his mind. A dull, incessant ringing echoed in his ears.

Get out of the car!

Ruan Ming Ya opened her mouth to speak, but one look into his terrifying eyes paralyzed her with dread, and she scrambled out of the vehicle in a panicked mess. The moment her feet touched the pavement, the car tore away like an arrow released from a taut bow, vanishing into the night. Outside the apartment building, Song Chi Da hammered frantically at the elevator button. It was the peak of the evening rush hour, and the elevator cars remained stubbornly full. His wild, unhinged demeanor frightened the surrounding commuters, setting off a wave of anxious murmurs. Glancing wildly around, he abandoned the wait and bolted toward the emergency stairwell. Up to the twelfth floor, taking three steps at a time, cold sweat plastered his hair to his forehead while a burning, tearing pain flared in his thighs as if invisible hands were trying to drag him down. When he finally burst through the fire door on the twelfth floor, he sprinted toward apartment 1201 and began pounding violently on the heavy wooden door.

Qi Xia! Open the door!

His blows echoed through the hallway, but absolute silence answered from within. Suddenly, the sharp sound of shattering glass drifted out from behind the door, instantly snapping the last thread of his sanity.

Qi Xia! Snap out of it! He is not him! I have come for you, please open the door, won't you?

The door remained stubbornly sealed, but his shouting successfully woke the neighbor next door. An elderly woman emerged wielding a feathered duster, her face twisted in impatient irritation.

Listen here, you big young man, what are you howling about in the middle of the night? Is your wife cheating on you in there?

He whipped around, his eyes bloodshot and blazing with murderous fury.

With a deafening slam, the old woman slammed her door shut without a second hesitation.

He spent the entire night pounding on that door. When Gu New Year brought me back from the hospital the next morning, we happened to run right into Song Chi Da, who was slumped against the wall, utterly exhausted from his vigil. I stepped forward and kicked him. Song Chi Da slowly raised his head, his eyes a web of broken blood vessels as his voice rasped out.

Qi... Xia...

His gaze dropped to the medical diagnosis clutched in my hand, then slowly drifted to the arm Gu New Year had wrapped securely around my waist. Without a sound, he pushed himself up from the floor, his fist whistling through the air as he threw a punch straight at Gu New Year.

You bastard!

I cried out in alarm and lunged forward, throwing myself between them. When the heavy fist was a mere three centimeters from my chest, Gu New Year caught his wrist mid-air. Song Chi Da stared at me in absolute, disbelieving horror as I shielded the other man.

Why? Why are you protecting him?

Song Chi Da, if you want to lose your mind, go do it in your own home.

A sudden, choking laugh escaped his throat, filled with raw agony as he yanked his hand back and stumbled a few paces away.

Right, I am insane, all because you are so utterly despicable!

He pointed a shaking finger directly at Gu New Year, his fingertips trembling violently.

To get back at me for choosing Ming Ya all those years ago, the moment you were drugged you willingly crawled into this man's bed, even letting him drive you to the hospital?

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that those exact same vicious words would come out of his own mouth, mirroring Ruan Ming Ya's malicious accusations word for word.