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Chapter 58 Part 4: Deals, Demands, and Devotion
"I gave her to you once; now I want her back not just to own her; honestly, taking her wouldnāt be hard. I just donāt want to see her destroy herself more. I want her happy. If youāre honest, so will I be otherwise, kiss your chance goodbye."
He squinted at me, weighing me.
"I want to end this with both of us respecting her. She may pick neither of us. If that happens, you must promise to let it go. If she picks you, Iāll wish you well. But if you make trouble after, Iāll come for you."
Long pause, then a drag on his cigarette. "I love Wanwan more than you ever could. If not for you, weād be married by yearās end. When she became your slave, I was furious that was the first time I ever cursed her. I didnāt want to let go, but she insisted. So I gave her a condition: she could go, but she must also be my slave for a year in all but name serving me completely during that time."
Flashes of Su Wan crying, nodding to me when Iād asked if it was her choice back then, Iād believed it and terminated our contract.
Now I knew she had lied, to protect Zhou Tingās reputation.
She was too kind, unwilling to paint Zhou Ting as the villain.
"To buy time, to keep her from you, I thought... Iāll love her twice as hard in that year, show her the gulf between us in material and in love."
He was right about the materials. As for love how long had I known her, really?
"But you," he growled, "are a master of mental torture. If, that day, seeing us at the hotel, youād lost it made a scene, even called the cops maybe sheād have been done with you. But you didnāt. You walked away looking pathetic, which only hardened her resolve."
Another furious drag, the cigarette butt flaring. "Iām not reconciled! Seven years, Iāve cherished her defied my family for her. And you! Youāve let her down countless times. Do you know how often sheās cried for you? How much effort Iāve spent making her smile? I finally had her consent to marriage but you appear out of nowhere to steal her back! I canāt accept it!"
"So... that day you intended for me to see?"
"I didnāt think youād force your way in. I didnāt think it would drive her deeper into obsession. I thought youād fight and split, sheād forget you, come back to me."
He coughed from smoking too hard. I lit one myself, coughing too.
Smoking is harmful to health.
In truth, I understood him finding out your woman wants to be another manās slave? Same as my gut-punch seeing them in bed.
"Would you have hurt her if she refused your condition?"
He snorted, side-eyed me.
I didnāt press. "Then weāre even now."
No reply.
"One promise: Iāll tell her truths that will loosen her attachment to me. Then itās fifty-fifty you may win her, or she may cast us both off. Either way, you respect her choice. Break that, and Iāll ruin you."
After a long pause, he said, "Alright. I promise."
Finally, the picture was clear how I wasnāt the original "me," how Su Wanās loyalties and the deal with Zhou Ting had tangled into this mess.
Back inside Yun Xiaās, all three of us sat: me and Zhou Ting side by side, Su Wan across, collar gone, unsure.
Yun Xia perched with her vase like a judge.
I drew in a deep breath. "Su Wan, first... Iām sorry. I didnāt think a lot of things through. But I swear: after the crash, I truly lost my memory. Iām not lying.
"But you need to understand: the me you see now is not the me you knew from five to fifteen, nor the me who reunited with you seven years later. Everything before the crash everything you, Yun Xia, the orphanage is gone. Iām like an upturned cup: empty. So the man you see is just a stranger in Yu Qiās skin."
She stared, some fear in her eyes.
Yun Xia kicked me under the table.
I smiled at her, shook my head, and went on: "After the crash, I suspect you noticed changes not just you, many did. All I can say is: from the moment I woke, I liked you. But I didnāt know you; I just thought you were beautiful so at first, it was purely lust."
Su Wan was near tears. Zhou Tingās hands clenched.
"But you are kind, beautiful, and treated me well. Over time, that lust became real affection. I genuinely liked you thatās why seeing you with him hurt me so much. But thatās my side you can believe or not."
She trembled, eyes wet.
"That Yu Qi you knew died with his memories. No matter how I try to learn our past, itās incomplete. So Iām no longer the āmeā youāre loyal to. That vow doesnāt bind you to me anymore."
Yun Xia exploded: "You bastard youāre dumping her? Denying everything with one line? You just fucked me, now call yourself a stranger? Donāt you think thatās outrageous? Even if you lost your memory, does that erase the feelings after the crash? The love you two had then? Wasnāt that you too?"
I smiled. "Hear me out smash the vase on my head if you want after." Su Wan sat slack, soul absent.
It hurt, but I faced her: "I like you, Su Wan. Iād like to be with you. But think carefully Iām just someone who looks like Yu Qi. And though I hate to admit it, Zhou Ting loves you more than I do."
Yun Xia suddenly lunged, arm around my neck choking me: "Yu Qi, fuck you!"
I couldnāt breathe; Su Wan didnāt move. Zhou Ting pried her off before she killed me.
Still catching my breath, I said, "Donāt be trapped by us. We agreed: whatever you choose, weāll respect it. You can pick me, him, or neither. I know weāve hurt you; Iāll make amends however I can as long as you live well. Thatās all I have to say."
Yun Xia started to speak; I covered her mouth.
Zhou Ting looked at Su Wan with aching eyes, fingers trembling, voice low and almost supplicant: "Wanwan, I love you."
My own chest and nose tightened.
I had a sick certainty Iād lose Su Wan forever.
So I stood, knelt beside the sofa, gritted my teeth, and told Yun Xia: "Big Sis, hit me." Whether she chose Zhou Ting or not, I didnāt want to hear the answer.
If the ending held no place for me, then Iād rather run.
Yun didnāt hit me she stood, looked at me, then at Su Wan, touched my head. "Itās okay. Even if youāve forgotten, Big Sis will always be your Big Sis."
My eyes burned; I turned my face away.
At the table, Su Wan slowly rose, walked to Zhou Ting, cupped his face, and kissed his forehead. Zhou Ting was so moved he wrapped her in his arms.
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