novelraw Chapter 275: "Save It, How Could She Be Afraid of Me!
Chapter 275: "Save It, How Could She Be Afraid of Me!
Zhou Mochen watched her quietly and readily admitted he was wrong. "My fault. Don’t be angry. Let’s eat first."
By all rights, now that her boyfriend had admitted he was wrong, her sudden burst of anger should have subsided. But it didn’t. She didn’t even know where the anger was coming from; instead of being extinguished, the flames only grew stronger. Still, she smiled and said, "You guys go ahead and eat. I’ve lost my appetite."
Just as Xu Su stood up, Zhou Mochen’s expression changed as he grabbed her. "Susu, if you’re going to be willful, at least wait until after dinner!"
"Yes, I’m being willful." Xu Su smiled and shook his hand off. "So what if I want to be? Is that not allowed?"
"What are you making a scene about now? Why do you always have to pick a fight with me?" Zhou Mochen glared at her, his eyes blazing with fury.
Xu Su turned her head away, refusing to look at him. "Let go."
The hand on her arm suddenly tightened. Zhou Mochen sneered. "Let go? Xu Su, you must be dreaming. Have you still not realized..."
"Alright, that’s enough. How did things suddenly get so ugly?" Shen Chen threw down his chopsticks, shot up from his seat, and wedged himself between them. He gripped the hand on Xu Su’s arm and looked at Zhou Mochen. "Let go first. Don’t do something impulsive in the heat of the moment. You’ll only be the one to regret it later."
The grip on her arm loosened, and Xu Su walked toward the door.
"Let me go!"
Zhou Mochen tried to chase after her, but Shen Chen blocked him with all his might. The two were just short of coming to blows.
"Both of you need to calm down. Why are you fighting so fiercely over nothing?" Shen Chen advised him, sounding like a love guru. "You’re five years older than her, shouldn’t you be the one to give in? You’re actually throwing a tantrum? Aren’t you afraid you’ll scare her?"
"Oh, save it. Her? Afraid of me?" Zhou Mochen shoved him away, his face still furious. "She hasn’t eaten yet. I have to go get her back to eat."
Shen Chen, who had been about to stop him again: "..."
’I haven’t even eaten, so why do I feel so full...’
’...So this is what they call a couple’s little squabbles?’
Xu Su returned to her room and was about to shut the door when Zhou Mochen, who had followed her, blocked it with his foot. He grabbed her waist, slipped inside, and shut the door behind him, pinning her against it. "What are you running from? So angry you won’t even eat?"
He tilted her chin up and leaned in to kiss her, but Xu Su covered his mouth with her hand. "Aren’t you disgusted with yourself? Kissing the ’little kid’ you were just talking about?"
Zhou Mochen pulled her hand away, his kiss landing between her brows as he apologized sincerely. "I was wrong, I misspoke. I don’t see you as a child, really. I just want to dote on you. Please don’t fight with me, Susu..."
A flurry of hot kisses rained down on her. Infuriated, Xu Su grabbed him by the neck and shoved him away. "Don’t resort to this every single time we fight! Get lost!"
Get lost...
The words, tumbling out of her mouth, made Zhou Mochen freeze. He stared at her, unmoving and terrifying.
Xu Su knew she’d gone too far. She pressed her lips together, unable to take back her words. After standing stiffly for a moment, she said, "Just get out for now. Let me be alone for a bit."
"Be alone for what? Are you that sick of me? I say one little thing you don’t like and you immediately start picking a fight?"
Zhou Mochen grabbed the nape of her neck, forcing her to meet his gaze. He suddenly laughed. "Sometimes I wonder... how did you and Xi Zirong get along during that year you were together? Xu Su, would you ever have had the heart to throw a baseless tantrum at him?"
’What does that have to do with anything? He’s starting to dredge up the past now, is he!’
Xu Su looked away, not bothering to answer him.
’Every time he brought this up, she felt a pang of guilt. But when she really thought about it, what had she done wrong? He was the one who had forced the issue from the very beginning—it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’d been relentless!’
"You still like him, don’t you? Because you like him, you find me more and more unbearable." When she didn’t answer, Zhou Mochen showed no sign of impatience. He reached out and gently caressed the already fading red mark on her cheek, his tone terrifyingly calm. "On New Year’s Eve, where did you go with him after leaving the arcade?"
Xu Su’s head snapped up, her expression frozen.
Zhou Mochen feigned surprise. "Why so shocked? You didn’t really think I’m still that same fool who believes anything you say, that I wouldn’t investigate anything, did you?"
"I didn’t contact him. We just ran into each other by chance." Xu Su, who had been filled with rage moments before, was now like a cat that had its tail stepped on. She took a deep breath and tried to explain calmly, "I only hid it from you because I didn’t want you to read too much into it... Please, don’t misunderstand."
"Of course. Only when Xi Zirong comes up are you willing to speak to me properly. Me tearing my heart out for you is useless, isn’t it?" Zhou Mochen let out a strange laugh. "Xu Su, why don’t you tell me? How did he make you so unforgettable? You were forced to break up with him because of me, and I’m the evil man who stole you away, right?"
His already-convinced expression both angered and frustrated Xu Su. She felt like nothing she said would get through to him and couldn’t understand how they had reached this point.
The hand on the nape of her neck tightened slightly. Zhou Mochen lowered his eyes. "Answer me."
"You don’t believe me anyway, right? So why bother asking? What is it that you want me to say?"
Feeling helpless and incensed, Xu Su said bluntly, "You’re right. I like Xi Zirong. I’ve always liked him. If you hadn’t been so relentless, I would never have broken up with him. Are you happy now?"
Happy now...?
Zhou Mochen stood frozen for a long moment. It seemed he had never imagined she would admit it so bluntly, that she wouldn’t even bother to make up a lie.
The moment the words were out, seeing the color instantly drain from his face, Xu Su was filled with regret. She knew she had only said it out of anger, but he had probably taken it seriously.
Xu Su reached out to grab the corner of his shirt, hastily explaining, "Don’t—"
"Don’t say it!" Zhou Mochen cut her off. "Don’t say another word."
He yanked Xu Su aside and pulled open the door to leave. His urgency was as if there were a monster in the room about to devour him, or as if he feared that if he stayed a second longer, he would lose control and do something irreparable.
Thrown off balance, Xu Su stumbled. Seeing him about to leave, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him from behind, pleading urgently, "...What I said just now, it was all out of anger! Don’t believe it! Zhou Mochen, please, don’t believe any of it, okay?"
"Let go." Zhou Mochen reached back to pry her hands from his waist. "Xu Su, I’m warning you, leave me alone right now."
But how could Xu Su possibly listen? If she really let him go, he would be heartbroken, hiding in some corner and suffering all alone...
Thinking of this, Xu Su refused to let go and yelled fiercely, "Turn around. I need to hug you."
Her imperious tone was enough to make one’s teeth ache, yet Zhou Mochen stiffly turned around, only to be pulled into a tight embrace by Xu Su.
"Everything I just said was really just nonsense I spouted because I was angry! Don’t you dare believe a single word of it, you hear?" Xu Su hugged his waist for dear life, exasperated. "When I tell you the truth, you refuse to believe me, but the second I say something out of spite, you take it as gospel! Are you an idiot?!"
"Is that so?" Zhou Mochen stood perfectly still, letting her hold him. "I suppose I am an idiot. With you, I can’t tell which words are true and which are lies."
Xu Su was speechless for a moment. She tilted her head up to look at him and asked, "When did you find out?"
"When?" Zhou Mochen’s voice was flat. "Last night."