022. He's an Angel, I'm a Demon (2)

A Kang halted less than a meter from Ming Xichen. His face was a mask of icy sternness, revealing no hint of emotion.

"I can only say it's not what you think," she murmured, at a loss for how to explain. Her heart was once again in utter turmoil.

"Once again, it's this face! Are you fated to be entangled with this face for your entire life? Is it a past - life bond or an inescapable destiny? Can't you live without him? Well, now it's great. You don't have to go to hell to be with him. He's returned to the mortal world to rekindle your romance," A Kang spat out the words, dripping with sarcasm and seething anger. The very air between them seemed to turn frigid and menacing.

"He was never in hell," Ming Xichen said softly yet coldly.

She stared into A Kang's eyes, at his face. He seemed like a stranger to her now. She didn't know how to respond to his accusations and outbursts. She knew he was truly enraged, but she had no desire to explain anything to him.

"Haha..." A Kang laughed out of sheer fury. "Yes, he's an angel, and I'm a devil. I'll go to hell. Are you satisfied now?"

"I don't want to argue with you. I'm exhausted. Could you please move aside?" Ming Xichen's weary eyes stabbed deeper into A Kang's heart.

"Now you don't even want to talk to me, right?" A Kang's eyebrows knitted together so tightly they were almost a knot. In his anger, he'd forgotten that he'd come here to apologize.

She shook her head and tried to walk around A Kang to leave.

He seized her wrist forcefully, and she had no choice but to stop and turn around again, regarding him with a helpless look.

He squeezed her wrist tightly, his blood - shot eyes glaring at her. Each word was forced out through gritted teeth: "Ming Xichen, you've gone too far! Are you doing this on purpose? You stabbed me in the back when I was full of hope. You cast me into the abyss when I thought there was a future!"

This A Kang terrified her. She wanted to step back, but his fingers were like vice - grips on her wrist, the pain excruciating and the hold unyielding.

The pain made her frown. "Stop losing your temper and let me go first."

"Am I losing my temper?" He ground his teeth, and the veins on his forehead bulged. "Don't tell me you don't know what you're doing. If you had any feelings for me, you shouldn't be with him now! First, you said you needed time, and then you came to taunt me. You toy with feelings as you please. Don't you know I'll get hurt? Do you?!"

Blood rushed to her face. Toy with feelings? She'd tossed and turned countless nights, trying to untangle these complex emotions. She'd never intended to hurt anyone, yet in the end, she'd hurt them all.

She'd never been so enraged before. Shame and indignation at being seen through made her shove his chest forcefully. For a moment, all she could say was, "Get out of my way, get out of my way!"

He ignored her pushing and hitting. He took a deep breath, attempting to calm his voice, and said, "Okay, tell me why. You've been on edge all day, and chattering isn't like you. What are you afraid of? What are you hiding from me? Why are you with him? Just because of that face?"

Her movements froze. Her eyes shifted guiltily for no apparent reason, and her anger subsided. Why was he so perceptive? She was just hesitant.

In this state of unease, she was afraid to be alone with him. Afraid that his passion would sweep her off her feet. Afraid that she'd make an impulsive decision in a moment of intoxication. She just needed a bit more time to think.

He pinched her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes, which were ablaze with emotions that made her tremble. He gritted his teeth and said, "Say it! Why?"

Ming Xichen was startled and blurted out, "I got drunk last night, and he took care of me all night." As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew it was a mistake. There were so many underlying reasons, but it might sound ambiguous to him. So she quickly added, "I mean, I was really drunk."

"Stop talking," he interrupted her.

No way! Were they really that in sync? Could he anticipate what she was going to say like this? She couldn't even explain it clearly herself.

She looked up at him and saw that his face was deathly pale and his expression was strange. His dark pupils were so empty that it seemed they could swallow people whole.

Damn it, she'd said the wrong thing again. A sudden, sharp pain pierced her chest. She didn't want to see him like this. She'd rather see him raise his eyebrows arrogantly than this.

She reached out to touch his face. "Don't be like this. I..." The pain in her chest cut off her words. She took a breath. "It hurts me..."

He waved her hand away. His long, slender fingers were ice - cold. "Stop playing these games, Ming Xichen," he said calmly, but there was an indescribable oddness in his voice.

She stared blankly at his face, at a loss for words.

"Whether it's your pity or your heartache, that's not what I truly want," his cold fingers caressed her face. His voice was still low and melodious, but it was as cold as glass and crystal, beautiful yet devoid of warmth. "Next, are you going to tell me that you don't want to be with me because you've found your true love and you're going to confess it to me?"

Found her true love? Who? Shen Yunyi? Ming Xichen was utterly bewildered. What was he thinking?

He lowered his head, and his breath tickled Chenchen's temple. He sighed and said, "Is it still not me?"

She was still pondering his words. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in her head. His sudden, violent anger... Could it be that he thought she was with Shen Yunyi?

She looked into his eyes. "Listen to me. I..."

His lips crashed down on hers, and the words she hadn't finished saying were lost between his lips and tongue.

It hurt so much! His kiss was savage, devoid of any tenderness, biting and tearing. She could feel the blood seeping from her lips. The blood mixed with saliva in their mouths, and she could taste the salty blood on her tongue. But he showed no sign of stopping, mercilessly intensifying her pain.

His lips clung to hers. Finally, she found a gap between their lips and tongues and angrily said, "We..."

"Don't say it!" He suddenly hissed. Damn it! There was a strange lack of expression on his face, so cold that there wasn't even a flicker of anger.

A cold and eerie feeling welled up from the bottom of Ming Xichen's heart. A Kang had changed. He'd become cold - hearted, paranoid, overbearing, and arrogant. Even if she had feelings for him, they'd be worn away by these repeated hurts and turn into a shadow that would consume them.

She clamped her mouth shut and dodged his lips and tongue. Then she bent her knee and aimed a kick at A Kang's groin.

A Kang nimbly dodged. His eyes finally locked on Chenchen's face. His face was ashen, and his gaze was as sharp as a blade. He gritted his teeth, and his jaw twitched slightly. Finally, he said hoarsely, "Ming Xichen, you heartless, cold - blooded..."

She shot him a fierce look, a cold smile playing on her lips, and then turned on her heel and left.