Chapter 50
The fireworks in the distance had already dissipated, but the flowers in Shangguan's arms were still smoking. The moment I rushed over, that bunch of red flowers burst open with a pop, countless petals drifting down like the most beautiful flower rain.
My mind went completely blank in an instant. My heartbeat stopped, my blood stopped flowing, the beach and night sky seemed to turn into a single color—red, eternal red, nothing but red.
All sounds disappeared, as if even the world had vanished. I didn't know how to react, didn't know what to do. My body fell to the ground uncontrollably, but I felt no pain, only boundless coldness. Yet even this coldness seemed not to exist.
"Wow, that flower firework was so beautiful!" A female voice exclaimed.
Yes, it was beautiful, indeed very beautiful, but this beauty was...
"Why did you forget how to walk?" A familiar voice came from above.
I looked up in a daze, and there was a very familiar person crouching right in front of me—bronze-colored skin, tightly pressed lips, deep and beautiful eyes... Shangguan?
I blinked, then blinked again, looking at him in disbelief: "Shangguan?"
He sighed: "How long are you planning to stay down?"
Stay down? Only then did I realize I had been lying face-down on the beach this whole time, and people nearby were starting to look our way. My face burned hot, and I fumbled to stand up, but either from lying too long or from the shock, my limbs were weak and trembling. I managed to push myself up before collapsing again.
"You really..." Shangguan sighed once more, reaching out to pull me to my feet.
"Let go of me!"
"Yi, can we talk?"
"Talk about what? There's nothing to talk about. Since you're fine, I'm leaving." That damn Yang Yun, that lunatic—he tricked me again! He tricked me into walking right into his trap, I... I... I...
"We have to talk!"
"Who wants to talk to you!" I shouted, but couldn't break free no matter how hard I struggled. "Let go, or I'll scream."
He ignored me entirely, just pulling me along forward. I was both angry and resentful. People say once you abandon all shame, nothing can touch you, but there's a spectrum to that shamelessness, and clearly Shangguan surpassed me in this regard.
A flash went off—someone was taking pictures. I turned to see a girl with a camera smirking at me. My skin crawled. After my conversation with Ma Ting, I'd become hypersensitive to that kind of look. I immediately stopped resisting and walked quickly with my head bowed.
"Let go. I'll go with you!"
Shangguan didn't respond, his hand stayed locked on mine. Another flash, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I quickened my pace, practically dragging Shangguan along instead.
We stopped at a hotel parking lot. Just as I tried to pull away, he wrapped his arms around me.
"Don't move. Let me hold you for a moment." His voice was hoarse. I was startled, freezing in place.
Shangguan kept his word this time. He said "a moment" and it really was only about ten seconds. But when he released me, he still held my hand. I tried to shake him off, yet he only held tighter.
He glanced at me deeply and led me toward the hotel lobby.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Finding somewhere to talk. Do you want to stand here being watched?"
...
At the hotel, Shangguan took me straight to the top floor. That's when I learned this hotel was also one of the Shangguan family's properties.
Sitting on a plush sofa, Shangguan and I faced each other in silence. Neither of us spoke first. Under his focused, passionate gaze, my head dropped lower and lower.
I didn't know what to say. My courage seemed to have all dissipated with that eerie white smoke and the scattered petals in the night sky. But I had to speak, otherwise I might never get another chance.
"My ID is with you." I started, head bowed, voice very low.
"...Mm."
"My bankbook is with you too."
"Mm."
"That's my stuff." I said again, voice barely above a mumble.
"Do you want it back?" he asked softly, without any anger in his tone, but my head dropped even lower.