Gloves - Chapter 8

“What’s wrong? Is it not tasty?” An Chujie has had a poor appetite ever since her surgery. Her stomach is now small, and she can’t eat much without feeling full.

“If it’s not good, let’s go to another place.”

“No need,” An Chujie shook her head.

Her phone, placed on the table, lit up. An Chujie quickly picked it up and pressed the hang-up button when it started vibrating. Instinctively, she glanced at Shang Zhuoxi, who seemed to not have noticed her actions.

“Answer it,” Shang Zhuoxi said while driving, watching An Chujie’s phone continue to flash in the rearview mirror. However, An Chujie still pressed the hang-up button.

“It’s an unknown number, maybe it’s a scam,” An Chujie tightly held onto her phone.

Shang Zhuoxi remained silent.

Once they arrived home, the phone rang again. Shang Zhuoxi’s patience had reached its limit. She glanced at the screen, and indeed, the caller ID piqued her interest.

“Answer it,” Shang Zhuoxi’s tone had turned into a command. An Chujie looked at her intimidating expression, and fear consumed her from within.

Shang Zhuoxi decisively picked up her phone and walked towards the panicked An Chujie. She reached out and touched the back of her head, slowly moving downward. Suddenly, she forcefully grabbed An Chujie’s neck, just like holding a small kitten, and leaned down to whisper softly in her ear:

“If you don’t even answer your old lover’s calls, it might not be good for you,” she pressed the speakerphone and held the phone towards An Chujie’s face.

“Thank goodness you finally answered, Chujie. What were you doing earlier? I miss you so much. About what I mentioned last time… how have you been considering it? I truly love…”

“Stop, Yi Heng. I’m not in a convenient situation right now,” An Chujie choked back her sobs, covering her mouth with both hands, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

“What’s wrong, my baby? Are you crying? Is it menstrual pain again…” The man’s concerned words kept coming through the phone. But now was not the time for these discussions. An Chujie forcefully snatched the phone from Shang Zhuoxi’s hand and quickly hung up. Her hands were trembling, as she feared that Shang Zhuoxi might do something unexpected to Yi Heng.

“Tsk tsk, how touching. So full of love and endearment, even knowing your menstrual cycle,” Shang Zhuoxi cupped An Chujie’s tear-streaked face, pretending to be sympathetic as she continued speaking.

“After all these years, you two still have this complicated entanglement. If he were to see your tear-stained face, would he also want to kill me? Hm?” Shang Zhuoxi, wearing gloves, forcefully rubbed An Chujie’s tear-stained face.

An Chujie opened Shang Zhuoxi’s hand.

“You better not harm Yi Heng, otherwise…” An Chujie’s words came to a halt at the tip of her tongue.

“Otherwise what? Kill me?” Shang Zhuoxi’s lips curled into a helpless smile.

“Otherwise, I won’t let you off easy either. We can torment each other and be bound together!” An Chujie fiercely retorted, refusing to back down.

“You’re really delusional, An Chujie! I haven’t even touched your lover yet, and you’re already so furious. How selfish of you,” Shang Zhuoxi forcefully pinched An Chujie’s chin, exerting a grip that felt like she wanted to crush the person in her hand. Her deep blue eyes were once again covered by the unfathomable depths of the ocean.

“When your family hurt the person I loved the most, did you consider even a tiny bit of my feelings?! When your father sent my father to prison, did you ever try to understand it from my perspective? Where were you, Miss An, when I needed someone to accompany me in my most helpless moments? I am also a human being, capable of feeling pain. Just because I didn’t voice it out doesn’t mean it didn’t exist!” The speaker’s eyes turned red.

Shang Zhuoxi’s words were like a thunderclap that exploded on flat ground, with its lingering echoes filling everyone’s ears, poking at their eardrums. The gunpowder quickly dissipated in the air, leaving behind a dense smoke that gently enveloped your nose and throat, ultimately suffocating.

An Chujie was speechless. She saw the wounded expression on Shang Zhuoxi’s face, and it was the first time that Shang Zhuoxi had expressed her feelings so openly. The immense amount of information conveyed in her words left An Chujie unable to accept it at that moment. It seemed as if Shang Zhuoxi was the victim, and should An Chujie alone bear the burden of the cruel treatment she had endured?

Soon, the redness in Shang Zhuoxi’s eyes faded away, and the turbulent sea within her calmed down. It turned out that An Chujie loved her so deeply, to the point of being willing to fight against her. What meaning did her own actions hold when An Chujie had already done so much? Besides, Shang Zhuoxi had no intention whatsoever of harming Yi Heng.

They remained silent for a long time until Shang Zhuoxi finally spoke up.

“If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. Do as you please. But please make sure you leave tonight. I don’t want to see you still in my house tomorrow,” her words were gentle, and Shang Zhuoxi felt exhausted. After speaking, she went upstairs, leaving An Chujie alone with the suffocating air.

An Chujie felt like a hydrogen balloon tightly held in Shang Zhuoxi’s hand, only to be suddenly released without any warning. The instant loss of weightlessness caused the balloon to lose its balance.

Indeed, An Chujie didn’t want to stay here for even one more second. But what did Shang Zhuoxi mean by her words? There were still so many things she hadn’t figured out. Shang Zhuoxi now told her to leave, but where could she go? She no longer had a home, Shang Zhuoxi had severed all her connections, even the rented house had been cancelled by her. And there was a large debt to repay behind her. An Chujie mocked her own sorry state. What was the reason she chose to come back to this city in the first place, and what had she gained from it?

The next day, when Shang Zhuoxi woke up, An Chujie was indeed not at home. She remembered An Chujie’s retreating figure from last night when she opened the door. She didn’t know where she could have gone. She wanted to call her back, but she hardened her heart and held back. After all, An Chujie had a man who treated her so well.

Shang Zhuoxi tried to tell herself not to think too much about it, but when she opened the door, a frail body collapsed at her feet unexpectedly. It caught her off guard. Oh god, An Chujie had actually spent the whole night at her doorstep. An Chujie’s body curled up, her spine arched high. It was an uncomfortable sight for anyone to witness. Shang Zhuoxi’s heart was stabbed mercilessly. Just as she reached out her hand, about to touch the other person, she suddenly pulled it back. No, she couldn’t extend her hand like this. An Chujie didn’t deserve her reaching out to her again. Shang Zhuoxi took a deep breath, used her foot to move the sleeping person aside, closed the door, and drove away. An Chujie, you can self-destruct.

……….

“Dad, don’t worry. Once I prove the value of that ingredient again, I will make sure they all get what they deserve,” Shang Zhuoxi took off her mask and spoke each word deliberately.

“Zhuoxi, you’re still young. Be careful in everything you do. Dad is doing well, and they all take good care of me, especially that female doctor. She’s very considerate. Over the years, the hospital has slowly regained its reputation under your leadership. Dad doesn’t want anything else, just that you don’t get too tired. Look, you seem to have lost weight again,” Shang Cheng spoke with guilt, blaming himself for leaving his daughter to face all the pressure alone. Not only could he not help, but he was also becoming a burden to her. He hated himself for not being a normal father who could spend more time with Shang Zhuoxi.

“Dad, I won’t get too tired,” Shang Zhuoxi reassured him.

“Daddy loves you.”

“I love you too.”

“Zhuoxi, come and see Uncle Shang. Have you missed me?” The woman who spoke immediately rushed towards Shang Zhuoxi upon seeing her.

“Yuer, thank you for taking care of my dad. If there’s anything you need, just…” Shang Zhuoxi couldn’t finish her sentence as her lips were silenced by Xu Yuer’s finger.

“Shh, I only want you,” Xu Yuer said, her hands hanging on Shang Zhuoxi’s neck, her eyes filled with desire.

“Don’t tease, Yuer,” Shang Zhuoxi managed to force out a smile.

“Zhuoxi~” Xu Yuer patted Shang Zhuoxi’s beautiful face, acting all cute and said, “You seem unhappy today. Who has the ability to upset my Zhuoxi?” She then furrowed her brows, pretending to think deeply.

“There’s no one,” Shang Zhuoxi rubbed Xu Yuer’s hair.

“Would you take me out to have some fun? I’m getting moldy staying in this dark and depressing place all day. Please?” Xu Yuer pleaded, tugging at her white coat pitifully, looking at Shang Zhuoxi.

“Okay, we can go wherever you want. How about that?” Shang Zhuoxi bent down to face Xu Yuer.

“Really? Yuer likes Shang Zhuoxi the most!” Xu Yuer jumped up happily. Shang Zhuoxi liked the girl’s cheerful personality, and her mood improved a little as she watched Xu Yuer’s smile.

………..

Apart from Shang Zhuoxi, An Chujie could only think of her stepmother and brother in this city.

The so-called “brother” was busy playing a game, and my knocking on the door prevented him from achieving his “godlike” record, so he flew into a rage at An Chujie. As for that stepmother, she was busy playing cards, of all things. They were supposed to be my legal family, and the gambler was supposed to be my dad’s wife. It was An Chujie’s kindness that led to the current situation. Just like the farmer and the snake, these two little snakes were not only ungrateful and insatiable, but they also had the audacity to turn against her. An Chujie made up her mind. After clearing their debts, she would never show them an ounce of sympathy again.

“Son, let me tell you, the God of Wealth must be smiling upon us today. We made a fortune…” The gambling woman came back in high spirits. It seemed like she was in a good mood. However, when she saw An Chujie, the smile on her face froze.

“Oh, we have a visitor…”

A visitor? So be it.

“Take this money for now. When the debt collectors come, tell them to…”

“What are you saying? Debt collectors? Are you cursing me, you little bitch? Just when I finally paid off everything, you come here to curse me again! You and your dad are the jinx in my life!” The woman gritted her teeth and said viciously.

“Paid off everything?” An Chujie’s focus wasn’t on the woman’s complaints about herself.

“Do you even understand the money you supposedly paid off yourself? This is enough. In the end, you’re just here to curse me,” An Chujie replied calmly to her rude and arrogant stepmother. But how could that debt disappear when she clearly didn’t have the means to pay it off?

“You’ve been working for so long and you only earned this little? With your looks,” the woman scrutinized An Chujie up and down, “you could make so much more by selling yourself every day!” The woman’s shameless words were a common occurrence, showing no consideration for others’ ears. She extended her hand in disdain, but unexpectedly, An Chujie took the money.

“What are you doing, An Chujie?”

“Mrs. Luo, I hope you understand that I helped you pay off the debt because you are my father’s wife. I couldn’t bear to see a woman who has carried the title of my stepmother for over twenty years, reduced to mere survival without any semblance of a life. But now, listen carefully, my father doesn’t owe you anything, and I have absolutely no obligation to clean up your mess,” An Chujie emphasized her words.

“You…” The woman’s eyes widened, her hand trembling as she clenched her fist.

“Now that the debt is cleared, I’ll take my leave. Take care of yourselves, goodbye, Mrs. Luo.” An Chujie carefully placed the stack of money back into her bag. She didn’t know who paid off that debt, but at least she now had some money to buy the things she needed.

“All rich people are the same! It’s my fate, my fate. I shouldn’t have married that dead man, An Minli…” The woman began wailing, pounding her chest and stomping her feet.

An Chujie gently closed the door. This used to be her home, with the property registered under the name ‘An,’ but her father later changed it to the name ‘Luo.’ For someone who showed no gratitude, An Chujie wouldn’t and didn’t need to waste any more of her youth and energy. In this moment, she thought about her 16-year-old self, when her home had her father, Luo Luo, the adorable housekeeper, and servants, and all the little secrets she kept in her heart about Shang Zhuoxi.

In the empty and echoing house, the woman’s wails could still be heard, while her son was busy becoming a “god” in his game.