Gloves - Chapter 9

NOTE: Quite disturbing scene in this chapter

[An Chujie’s Memories]

Later, I officially started dating Shang Zhuoxi. It was her idea, and she even gave me a special lesson about what we can and cannot do when we’re together.

That day, I was doing homework at her place when she approached me with a serious expression. In her Canadian-accented Mandarin, she told me that if any boys confess their feelings to me or try to pursue me, I should immediately set boundaries with them. Of course, the same goes for girls. I nodded, admiring her clear, light blue eyes. She then brought up Yi Heng, and her beautiful brows furrowed. She said she still didn’t want Yi Heng to like me, but she couldn’t control that. So, being friends with him was acceptable, but not in front of her, Shang Zhuoxi.

What does it mean to be friends in front of her? I couldn’t help but laugh. In that moment, Shang Zhuoxi seemed like a little child. She didn’t understand my reaction and instead interpreted it as me disagreeing with what she said. She pouted, her beautiful features scrunching up into an adorable expression.

She asked me why I was laughing, and I told her it was because of her. In the next second, her kisses came crashing down on me. She pinned me against the desk, and I could only respond with even more passion to show her that my heart belonged to her alone. God, I loved her little bit of dominance.

Shang Zhuoxi is a very romantic person. On her seventeenth birthday, she gifted me a sea of flowers, all because I casually mentioned during a visit to a garden that I loved it there. She spent nearly half a year transforming the vast grassland behind her house into the setting I loved and personally planted beautiful flowers.

I stood amidst the fragrant flowers, looking at Shang Zhuoxi who was also surrounded by the blossoms. Her soft, golden hair cascaded gently over her shoulders, and she looked like a painting. And this beautiful backdrop was created stroke by stroke by her hard work, anyone would fall in love with Shang Zhuoxi in this scenario, wouldn’t they?

Love at seventeen is so intense and pure, without any impurities. I didn’t have time to think if Shang Zhuoxi had planned all of this in advance. She was waiting for me to take the initiative and step into the abyss.

They say the best state of being in a relationship is when you can be in the same space, each doing your own thing. I think we were in that state at the time. I would be in her study at her house, doing homework, while she would be in the adjacent operating room, researching various medical and chemical compounds that I didn’t understand.

For her, I learned how to cook. I searched the internet and visited bookstores.

At home, the housekeeper wouldn’t let me near the kitchen, so I would go to Shang Zhuoxi’s house on weekends and experiment with cooking. One good thing about Shang Zhuoxi is that even if what I made was terrible, she would insist on eating it all without saying anything discouraging. It made me feel a bit sorry for her, so I made up my mind to become good at cooking, until the day we could sit at the dining table and truly enjoy the fruits of my labor.

After graduating from high school, I received an acceptance letter from the Toronto Music Academy. I told Shang Zhuoxi that I wanted to visit the place where she grew up. She said she would wait for me. However, all my beautiful imaginations were shattered that summer.

Knowing that I would be away for a long time, I gathered the courage to ask my dad if I could spend a summer at Shang Zhuoxi’s house, so I could spend more time with her. I thought he wouldn’t agree, but in the end, he granted my request. I remember he only said two words:

“Alright then.”

My dad didn’t know about Shang Zhuoxi and me, and of course, I had no intention of telling him.

But shortly after I arrived home, Shang Zhuoxi seemed like a completely different person. I could hardly see the sparkle in her deep blue eyes anymore. Most of the time, she was either busy at the hospital or in her home operating room. She would work late into the night, sacrificing her normal resting time. It pained me to see her like this, and I worried about her health. Unfortunately, my concerns became a reality when she fell ill.

It started with a minor cold, but then she began to develop a fever that only grew worse. Despite feeling unwell, she continued to tirelessly handle her transparent liquids and glass bottles in the operating room every night.

One morning, Shang Zhuoxi stood behind me, waiting for me to cook something delicious for her. Suddenly, I felt a weight on my shoulder, and her body slumped forward. Shang Zhuoxi had actually fainted, and I was terrified. You see, she was nearly 20 centimeters taller than me, but I managed to carry her and carefully lay her down on the couch. Her face was burning hot.

I held her tightly, crying in desperation. I was afraid that she might die like this, and I would rather be the one suffering. But as it turned out, it was me who ended up suffering. It was all part of Shang Zhuoxi’s self-sacrificing plan.

When she woke up and saw me crying, she promised to rest properly for a few days and not work so relentlessly. She smiled and called me a silly fool. As long as she listened to me, I was happy.

What had to happen eventually came to pass. I finally walked willingly into the abyss named Shang Zhuoxi, a dark memory that I would never be able to erase in this lifetime.

That day, I was weeding in the garden, but suddenly, it started raining. The raindrops moistened the flowers and plants, releasing an intoxicating fragrance. When Shang Zhuoxi saw me, my whole body was already drenched, as if I had just emerged from the water. She looked at me with a gaze that held an unknown meaning, and told me to go take a shower and change into dry clothes to avoid catching a cold. I obediently followed her instructions.

Shang Zhuoxi helped me towel off my hair, and her face slowly approached mine. Her eyes were irresistible, and we naturally kissed each other. From the bathroom to the couch, it was different from our usual tight embrace. Her hands began to explore my body, making me both nervous and excited. She whispered in my ear, asking softly if I was willing to give myself to her. The humid air made my face feel like it was on fire. Although I was a bit scared, I nodded for her, all for her.

Shang Zhuoxi sat on the couch and held me horizontally. I sat on her lap, leaning into her embrace. My hands weakly clung to her neck as her kisses made me tremble. Her touch, reaching every part of me, felt like unlocking switches I never knew existed…

After the pain came countless moments of pleasure, like the heavy rain I had gotten soaked in before in the garden. My body was drenched, but my heart was filled with joy…

She always wore silicone gloves, and now I realize it was because she thought I was so dirty.

Outside, thunder rumbled like a battle anthem for soldiers marching into the battlefield, immensely tragic. I was lost in her deep blue eyes, like a whirlpool, as this woman named Shang Zhuoxi filled every inch of my heart and body… After exerting all my effort to find happiness, all I was left with was a limp and numb body.

When my consciousness returned, I opened my eyes to see the person I loved the most holding a cold knife, ruthlessly slicing through my body. But I couldn’t feel the pain of the blade, only the ache in my heart. Everything felt like a suppressed black and white movie, with only the nauseating sound of “slurp, slurp…” echoing. It was as if my throat was blocked, and I couldn’t make a sound.

The white gloves were stained red with my blood, yet Shang Zhuoxi’s hand reached into my abdomen. I only felt a slight pressure. She quickly injected the transparent liquid she had tirelessly prepared into my body. She was using me as an experiment!

Sadness, hatred, and regret all turned into tears that flowed freely. I struggled to lift my head, expressing my feeble resistance. Shang Zhuoxi seemed surprised by my reaction and hurriedly approached me, aiming the sharp needle at my head. Soon, I lost consciousness. All I remember is her wearing a mask, her eyes revealing an invisible darkness, cold like hell.

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“Keep them coming, there are still two more boxes,” Yang Yiluo said as she returned from her fifth trip to the restroom. The smiles on everyone’s faces began to turn sinister. The various lights refracted through the transparent liquid, making people dizzy. Everyone at the gathering frequently picked up their glasses, all reaching for the same person. Yang Yiluo patted her head, forcing a smile as she downed one glass after another, swallowing the liquid within. The alcohol felt like a scorching chain sliding down her throat, continuing to burn her stomach. What a nuisance it was that the woman across from her, with the long straight hair, who she had been intimately involved with just a month ago, was now just like the others, smirking and offering her a glass of guilt.

They were all former colleagues from the company where Yang Yiluo used to work. Some admired her, while others had ill intentions and were there to mock her, until the person being forced to drink became glassy-eyed.

At this moment, Yang Yiluo wished that Tu Yi was by her side. The man who called himself the Queen of a Thousand Glasses would surely help her fend off those glasses…

Yang Yiluo wasn’t someone who could handle their liquor well. If she continued playing along with them, it was likely to end in disaster. So she made an excuse and bid her farewell.

Enduring the headache, she struggled to keep her eyes open, reaching instinctively for her phone and dialing Nian Zichun’s number.

“Nian Zichun, come out. Come out,” Yang Yiluo said, leaning her hand on the flower bed by the roadside.

Nian Zichun had just finished showering, drying her hair while listening to the phone call.

“Yiluo?”

“Come, come to the Supreme Tower,” Yang Yiluo said, spinning around in place until she finally figured out her location.

“What’s going on, Yiluo?” Nian Zichun wondered why Yang Yiluo sounded so urgent, asking her to come out like this.

“I feel so uncomfortable…” Yang Yiluo said, straightening up and swaying towards the lamppost ahead. Her weak body finally found support as she leaned against the lamppost, the hand holding the phone dangling by her side without hanging up.

Nian Zichun couldn’t help but feel puzzled, but when Yang Yiluo mentioned feeling unwell, her heart softened.

“Alright, don’t move. I’ll come pick you up,” Nian Zichun said. She sighed, realizing that Yang Yiluo was truly a girl who never gave anyone peace of mind. Nian Zichun changed her clothes and headed out the door.