Chapter 28: A Tragic Drama

Pushing open the door, the familiar silence and darkness greeted her once again. The tears she had been holding back suddenly burst forth like a dam breaking, and in that fleeting moment, Hua Lianxi felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness and pity.

She sobbed softly, her low whimpers escaping as she groped along the wall towards her room. One hand stuffed into her mouth, she bit down hard, ignoring the red teeth marks that appeared on the back of her hand, and quickly entered the room.

With a grim expression, Kong Chengyi held a lit cigarette between his fingers, taking a deep drag and then exhaling heavily. The thick smoke slowly dissipated. After finishing two cigarettes, he finally picked up his pace and headed home.

Upon arriving, he found the house in complete darkness, the air eerily still, devoid of any human presence. The glowing ember of his cigarette was the only source of light. Standing in the pitch-black living room for a moment, his sharp eyes failed to detect her presence or scent. He then forcefully flipped the light switch and kicked the door shut with a loud "bang."

Leaning against the door, tears streamed down Hua Lianxi's face as she clutched her chest, hating herself at that moment, hating the sudden surge of emotions. She had always believed that she had become cold and detached through her struggles, able to mask her true self.

The loud "bang" startled her, causing her to tremble. She slowly slid down the door, her thin face buried between her knees, her lips tightly pressed together. The salty tears flowed into her mouth, feeling even more pungent than vodka.

Her lips stung, and the metallic taste of blood mixed with her tears, making her hold her breath in discomfort. Supporting herself with one hand on the door, she slowly moved her numb legs and haphazardly tugged at her dress, fumbling her way into the bathroom in the dark.

Without a care for the expensive dress, Hua Lianxi tossed it onto the bathroom floor and turned on the shower. She tilted her head back, letting the powerful water stream hit her face. Her long hair instantly became soaked and hung heavily. She deliberately held her breath, deliberately made herself uncomfortable, as if she were filthy and needed to be cleansed, needed to be punished.

With three buttons of his shirt undone and the hem of his shirt untucked from his trousers, Kong Chengyi casually took a bottle of red wine from the cabinet and poured a full glass into a crystal goblet. He sniffed the rich aroma before taking a small sip, savoring the flavor before downing the entire glass in one gulp. He set the glass down heavily and poured another half glass.

Leaning on the bar with both hands, Kong Chengyi's deep eyes gazed past the bright lights towards Hua Lianxi's room, as if trying to see through the door, as if trying to guess what she looked like at that moment.

After finishing the glass of wine, Kong Chengyi slowly made his way upstairs, eventually opening the door to his own room. He squinted slightly as he turned on the light and went straight into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water could be heard.

A moment later, Kong Chengyi emerged from the bathroom, a towel in one hand as he roughly dried his damp hair, the other hand holding a gray bathrobe. The cool air carried a faint hint of fragrance, and his deep eyes suddenly opened as he paused.

Her delicate toes curled against the floor, her long, smooth legs bare and sexy, the black silk nightgown barely covering her thighs, as if one more inch would reveal the secrets beneath. Her wet hair was disheveled, and Kong Chengyi could even see water droplets falling onto the silk nightgown and spreading out. Her hands hung naturally, her red lips slightly parted, as if waiting to be kissed.

Pausing his drying motion, Kong Chengyi's deep gaze fixed on her face, silently guessing her intentions.

Hua Lianxi forced a smile, stepping forward under his gaze, stopping just short of touching his nose. Her phoenix eyes lowered slightly, gazing at his muscular chest, her heart pounding wildly.

The familiar fragrance filled his nostrils, and Kong Chengyi lowered his eyes slightly, gazing at her flushed face as his Adam's apple moved. He allowed the water droplets from his hair to fall onto her nightgown, a faint smile playing on his lips.

Tilting her head up, Hua Lianxi stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Kong Chengyi, deciding to give herself to him.

If she couldn't escape, she might as well burn passionately, releasing herself in the flames, turning herself into ashes, and facing a new self with a more resolute attitude. She believed she wouldn't be the second Hua Zhenzhen and stubbornly tried to prove with her actions that she wouldn't repeat her mistakes.

Feeling Hua Lianxi's passion, Kong Chengyi suddenly narrowed his eyes.

Weren't they strangers? Why were they kissing so passionately now?

Or, in her world, was passionate kissing just a casual thing? Perhaps she had already experienced countless men, and he was just an insignificant one.

Kong Chengyi was startled by his own thoughts, his eyes opening to reveal a cold, mocking gaze as he watched her immersion and helplessness.

Pulled more tightly into his embrace, Hua Lianxi opened her eyes, only to meet his cold gaze.

Her heart skipped a beat, not understanding his dark thoughts.

The veins on his forehead bulged, and Kong Chengyi suddenly picked her up and threw her onto the bed.

"Ah!" Biting her lip, a crystal tear slid from the corner of her eye as Hua Lianxi opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling.

Everything was set in stone, she couldn't escape. She would rather face it bravely, but was such a tragic outcome what she had wished for? Or was all this moth-to-the-flame behavior just her self-destruction?

Waking up from the dream, Hua Lianxi sat up in shock, only to be greeted by the dim room.

Turning on the bedside lamp, the simple black and white decor brought back her memories in a flash. Remembering her madness and determination from the previous night, she quickly threw off the covers, revealing a bright red stain on the white sheets.

Looking down at her pale skin, Hua Lianxi wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, her head bowed, feeling lost.

After a moment of silence, she pricked up her ears, but still heard no sound outside the room, the house was eerily quiet.

Turning on the light, the dim room was instantly illuminated. Exhausted, she wrapped herself in the blanket and slowly moved to get out of bed, her hand accidentally knocking something over, causing a "crash."

Looking back, she saw a transparent glass cup shattered into tiny pieces on the floor, the shards glinting in the bright light. The water had spread out, soaking the torn nightgown on the floor. On the nightstand, she noticed a signed check and a small pill.

Trembling, she picked up the pill, fully aware of its purpose. Hua Lianxi silently smiled, mocking her own stupidity. Squinting, she read the amount on the check, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her face.

So, her moth-to-the-flame act was just like the lonely, torn nightgown on the floor, merely representing the tragic play of her madness the previous night.

The dimly lit conference room was illuminated only by the projector's light. Kong Chengyi sat lazily in his chair, his long legs casually crossed, his bright eyes fixed on the screen. His thumb pressed against his temple as he listened intently to the operations manager's analysis of the previous quarter's performance at the Chenghai Hotel.

Suddenly, the conference table vibrated with a "buzz," and Kong Chengyi's gold-plated phone on the table lit up, then quickly went dark.

The operations manager, sensitive to the interruption, paused and looked at Kong Chengyi, waiting for a moment, thinking he would check his phone. But seeing that Kong Chengyi remained focused on the screen, the manager quickly resumed his report.

The large conference room was filled with the hotel's top executives, all holding their breath in the dim light. Several of them secretly pulled out their phones, hiding them under the table as they quickly switched them to silent or turned them off.

Ten minutes later, as the operations manager was still analyzing the hotel's current situation, the phone buzzed again. The manager didn't dare pause, continuing his analysis without missing a beat.

Kong Chengyi suddenly turned his head, just catching the phone's screen lighting up before it went dark again, showing two unread messages.

After a moment of thought, he narrowed his eyes and picked up the phone, feeling it vibrate again in his palm, indicating a new message.

With his slender fingers, he swiped the screen and opened the messages, seeing a series of notifications about his supplementary card being used for purchases. Each transaction was for a significant amount, all at high-end stores in the city mall. Staring at the screen for a few seconds, Kong Chengyi turned it off and placed the phone back on the table, his face cold.