Scorpion
Chapter 2/5 of the week
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Lin Ruoxi stood still on the ground. Since Yang Chen started killing, she hadn’t even moved half a step. Currently, when she saw the guy covered in red whose palms were soaked in fresh blood as if he bathed in blood, Lin Ruoxi subconsciously took half a step back.
Yang Chen raised his previously lowered head and smiled as he noticed the panic in Lin Ruoxi’s eyes.
“You’re scared,” Yang Chen said with a low voice.
Lin Ruoxi balled up her white hands while her knuckles paled. As her body shivered lightly, she answered after a long time, “Sti—still okay…”
Yang Chen mocked at himself. “You don’t have to force yourself to say that. Sooner or later you will witness such a scene, such a me. Back then, I intentionally avoided showing this side of me, but having come till this day, I guess I don’t have to hide anymore. Any ordinary woman, no, any ordinary person wouldn’t hope to see this side of me.”
Lin Ruoxi’s slightly wet eyes gazed upon Yang Chen. When she heard what Yang Chen said, her heart felt an intense ache. She wanted to open her mouth to console him, but she held too many doubts, and too many complicated thoughts. When she wanted to voice out, no words seemed to come out from her mouth.
Who is he in the past? Why would he kill in such a violent manner? How many people has he killed in the past?
Is he a wanted murderer? An internationally wanted criminal? A terrorist? Or is he… something else…
Lin Ruoxi suddenly felt afraid. The man in front of him looked the same as before, but felt exceptionally unfamiliar at the same time. Although he was smiling at her, there seemed to be a wide gap between them which didn’t have visible ends.
Except heartache and fear, this kind of feeling didn’t include the slightest bit of rejoicing, even if the only reason she managed to survive was because of his competence.
As Yang Chen observed Lin Ruoxi’s silence, a feeling of sorrow and a sense of relief arose.
He had to eventually face everything. It was a type of punishment, and a kind of redemption as well.
Silence continued for a while more before Yang Chen tidied up his thoughts. Sincerely, he said, “Ruoxi, I know that you must be hoping for my instant disappearance now. Tonight, you should be getting nightmares. I’m sorry, I don’t want this to happen as well. However, Jingjing’s incident that took place today… although it was done by Zeng Xinlin himself, I’m at fault as well. I’ve definitely done a lot of things that I feel sorry to you for.
“I’m not a competent husband. Up until now, I’m still not able to give up on the other women who similarly love me with their lives for you. There are some who you know, and some who you don’t. However, to me, they’re the same. Although they’re third parties, they’re still people whom I like and care for. I admit that I’m greedy and detestable. I don’t want to lose you, but I don’t want to lose any of them as well.
“Earlier today, when I saw you running back to your room, I looked at myself with contempt. So, although I didn’t have to take action myself against the people earlier, I still did it in front of you.
“If I choose to continue staying here, I should tell you who I truly am. As you can see, this pair of filthy hands drenched in blood are my real hands. In the past ten years or so, I myself lost count of how many lives I’ve taken away. I have more brutal means of doing it than the ones bef—”
“Stop talking! I don’t want to listen!”
Lin Ruoxi suddenly shouted loudly and cut off Yang Chen’s sentence. When this woman who was as calm as a robot shouted emotionally, Yang Chen stunned in shock.
“I didn’t ask you to say, you’re not allowed to speak. Who wants to know about your past? You’re someone who used to sell mutton skewers! Do you think I’d believe the story you made up?! I don’t want to listen!”
Lin Ruoxi turned around and squatted down. Somehow, she had the strength to carry Wang Ma who fainted on the floor up and dragged her to lean against the sofa. She turned said to Yang Chen, “What are you standing there for? Your entire body is very dirty. Aren’t you going to bathe yet?”
Yang Chen smiled bitterly. “Ruoxi, I’ve chosen to confess, you don’t have to evade the matter for me. To be honest, I’m very thankful that you haven’t escaped away after seeing me like this, I’m serious.”
Lin Ruoxi’s body lightly shivered. Turning her head away, she said coldly, “I have no idea what you’re talking about…”
“Regardless if you understand or not, I’ve shown you what I originally hoped that you would never see eternally. I know that you can’t accept it, but who would be able to?” Yang Chen asked softly. “I’m thankful that you’ve tried to accept me, but I guess it’s time for me to leave already. At the very least, you won’t feel the kind of threat earlier because of me…”
When she heard the word ‘leave’, Lin Ruoxi’s face revealed panic. Seeing Yang Chen’s decisive look, he didn’t look like he was joking.
“You mustn’t be too arrogant, Yang Chen,” Lin Ruoxi said coldly after turning around vigorously. “When have I ever said that I wanted to accept you? What does the fact that you have other women have to do with me?! Do you really think I’d fall for you?! Don’t think that I like you just because I started treating you slightly better. My attitude would turn slightly better even if it’s a dog or a cat, as long as it stays at my house for a rather long time. Yang Chen, let me tell you, our marriage is through a contract. Before the contract ends! I don’t allow you to leave! Can you hear me?!”
Staring at Lin Ruoxi who shouted as her reddened eyes teared, Yang Chen was astonished and couldn’t speak a work.
“Aren’t you just good at killing people? Aren’t you just slightly violent?! Didn’t you hear what they said earlier? Ever since I took over Yu Lei International in my twenties, I have stepped over the corpses of other businesses, the loss of countless jobs and the devastation of endless families to finally stand at where I am today, just like the times where I used you and Qianni and destroyed Changlin Media and Xu family with a conspiracy! If you want to talk about brutality, am I that much better than you? There are lots of people in Zhonghai who want to make a hole in my forehead using a gun like Xu Zhihong! But so what if that’s the case? I’ve grown up this way, if I haven’t done this, there wouldn’t be Lin Ruoxi standing in front of you alive… You destroy the lives of people while I destroy the competitors in the market, and the future of families. Do you think you’re any more impressive in front of me?!”
“Ruoxi…” Yang Chen said softly, dumbfounded.
Lin Ruoxi shut her eyes to stop her tears from flowing. Since she got overly emotional, she was heavily panting. Keeping silence for a while, she continued speaking in a recalling manner, “Before my grandma passed away, lying on the sickbed, she told me a story…
“Once upon a time, there was a poisonous scorpion. He wanted to cross a fast-flowing river but he didn't know how to swim. So, he asked for the help of a frog.
“The frog declined his request, as he thought the scorpion would sting him. But the scorpion said, If I stung you, I would drown in the river as well, why would I do that?
“The frog thought it was very logical, so he accepted the request.
“However, when the frog carried the scorpion to the centre of the river, the current of the river suddenly sped up. The scorpion got afraid and stung the frog once.
“The frog immediately got poisoned and was at the edge of falling into the river.
“Baffled, the frog asked the scorpion, why did you sting me? Won’t you die this way as well?
“To which the scorpion replied, I didn’t want to do it, but this is how I live. Knowing I won’t end up well, I still stung like like crazy. This… is my instinct that I can’t resist!”
Yang Chen felt an electric current up his brain and his body lightly quivered.
Lin Ruoxi bit her lips miserably as she gazed upon Yang Chen’s face. Smiling coldly, she said, “Now, do you understand why I’ve always been distanced from people? Do you finally understand why I’m always alone? Just like what you think, you’re afraid of me dying because of your instinct, the same goes to me, my instinct will kill other people.
“You and I, are both poisonous scorpions. Because of our instincts, people see us as crazy, living monsters who live ridiculously. None of us can sting each other to death, only we, would kill ourselves…”