Falling into the Capital's Radiance - Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Go home?

Zhao Zonglan sensed Shen Jingni’s dejection.

His slender fingers gripped her chin, tilting it up and forcing her to look at him.

His brows were furrowed, his dark pupils smoldering with anger. “What kind of tantrum are you throwing now?” he asked in a low voice.

A tantrum?

Shen Jingni looked up at him, the sparks of anger in her heart flaring up. She lifted her chin and said petulantly, “That’s right, I’m throwing a tantrum.”

“If Mr. Zhao can’t stand it, you’re more than welcome to ignore a high-maintenance brat like me.”

Refusing to back down, she stood up from the sofa. She held her head high, finally gaining a bit of momentum as she glared back at him indignantly.

“Or, you could just have someone throw me back to Jingshi.”

At least she’d save some money on a plane ticket.

The kitten throwing a fit had adopted a ‘burn it all down’ attitude. Her little mouth was stubborn, refusing to yield even an inch.

Zhao Zonglan didn’t want to start a pointless argument.

But he was still at a loss; he had no idea what she was so angry about.

A shadow fell over his handsome features. His grip on her chin tightened. “Is it because you didn’t like the gift, or because I didn’t satisfy you last night?”

How could he ask such a thing with that cold, ascetic face of his?

Recalling the previous night, Shen Jingni couldn’t help but feel her ears burn.

Satisfied? She had definitely been satisfied.

In fact, it had been a bit too much.

But now was hardly the time to discuss that.

Her arrogant bravado from a moment ago instantly halved. She pouted, gritting her teeth. “Don’t you dare mention last night.”

“I just want to go home. I don’t want to be with you.”

After saying that, Shen Jingni turned her face away, refusing to look at him.

Hearing her say this made Zhao Zonglan feel a wave of irritation.

His craving for a cigarette hit him.

For a moment, the room became terrifyingly quiet.

He let go of her and pulled a cigarette from the pack. With a *click*, the tobacco was lit by a leaping flame, and the faint scent of smoke drifted through the air.

“You want to go back that badly?”

Zhao Zonglan exhaled a cloud of smoke, looking at her with a cold expression.

The young woman stood with her bare feet on the sofa, wearing only a white cotton nightgown. She looked small and frail, the marks of their lovemaking still visible on her snowy neck, yet she stubbornly refused to even glance at him.

Shen Jingni gave a muffled, “Mm.”

Zhao Zonglan restrained the gloom in his eyes, showing patience for the first time in his life as he tried to persuade her. “Fine.”

“Drink the medicine, and we’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

“I’m not drinking it!”

Shen Jingni’s refusal was blunt and resolute, showing her backbone. “I’ll leave on my own tomorrow morning. I don’t want to go with you.”

The coldness in Zhao Zonglan’s eyes deepened.

In this world, no one dared to defy him so repeatedly or cause him such displeasure.

He didn’t indulge the disobedient little thing further. He simply signaled Chang An to bring the medicine in.

“Drink it, and we leave tomorrow.”

“Don’t drink it, and you stay here forever.”

The absolute control of a man in power did not allow for easy transgression.

He continued to smoke idly, his voice carrying a terrifying chill. “You should be well aware that if I don’t give the word, no one will dare let you leave.”

“Even if you could leave this villa, you wouldn’t make it out of Yangzhou.”

Shen Jingni was so angry her hands were shaking.

She bit her lip hard. Her already haggard face looked pale under the lights, and tears of grievance welled in her eyes.

Fine. Great.

Using his power and capital to coerce her again.

This was the second time.

Shen Jingni took a deep breath. Stepping onto the carpet with her bare feet, she picked up the bowl of pitch-black herbal medicine from the table. She tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and downed it all in one go, as if facing death.

Her mouth was filled with bitterness.

But she wasn’t the type to suffer in silence.

In a few strides, she reached Zhao Zonglan. She grabbed the man’s clothes, stood on her tiptoes, and sought out his lips to press her own against them.

She wasn’t going to be the only one tasting this bitterness.

Zhao Zonglan’s tall frame stiffened slightly before he followed her lead, leaning down.

Under her amateurish kiss, the man’s thin lips parted slightly, allowing those bitter-tasting lips to run wild in his territory.

The cigarette in his hand burned slowly, the ash falling silently onto the carpet.
The heat in his body was easily stirred up by her again.

The breath she shared was slightly bitter and a bit astringent, but at this moment, Zhao Zonglan savored it like nectar.

Shen Jingni didn’t actually want to kiss him; she just wanted him to taste the bitterness too.

People said there was no such thing as true empathy in this world, so she would let Mr. Zhao experience it for himself.

However, things didn’t go as planned.

Zhao Zonglan didn’t seem to mind it at all.

He even entwined his tongue with hers, drinking her in bit by bit, inch by inch.

She hurriedly pulled away, her breathing unsteady, her exquisite collarbones rising and falling with her chest. “Now you know how bitter it is, don’t you?”

Zhao Zonglan just looked at her without saying a word.

Seeing his indifferent expression, Shen Jingni was so angry her lungs felt like they were going to burst.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.

With reddened eyes, she accused him resentfully, “I wasn’t making trouble. It’s all your fault.”

“Not only did you force me to drink such bitter herbal medicine, but you also threatened me. You hurt me last night, and you ignored me today. Zhao Zonglan, you’re a total jerk…”

As she scolded him, she was the first to start crying.

Her tears fell like little pearls, pitter-pattering down.

She cried with utter heartbreak.

Seeing her tears, Zhao Zonglan felt even more frustrated. An indescribable feeling blocked his chest; he knew very well that no amount of nicotine could suppress it.

He stubbed out his cigarette, gathered her thin frame into his arms, and sighed helplessly. “I didn’t ignore you.”

“Liar.”

Shen Jingni sobbed as she tried to push him away. “I don’t want you to hold me. Let me go.”

Zhao Zonglan shed his cold aura and gripped her waist tightly. He lightly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumb, his voice deep. “I had a meeting at eight this morning and went down the mountain at ten to discuss a project. While I was there, I arranged for a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to see you. Rong Zaiyi recommended him.”

As he said these words, even Zhao Zonglan found it hard to believe.

He was actually explaining himself to her.

On second thought, forget it. Seeing her cry so pitifully, he would just treat it as coaxing a child.

Hearing him say this, Shen Jingni stopped crying so hard.

But she had her pride.

“No, I don’t want that doctor.”

She wasn’t happy at the mention of Rong Zaiyi’s name.

If it were the old Zhao Zonglan, he definitely wouldn’t have indulged her.

After all, he had condescended to personally seek out an old doctor for her, one who had a very eccentric temper.

But now, her crying gave him a headache and left him somewhat at a loss. He responded in a low voice, “Fine, we won’t.”

Realizing that Zhao Zonglan was coaxing her, Shen Jingni’s tears became even more uncontrollable.

That was just how people were.

When crying, if someone came to comfort you, you would only cry more sorrowfully and aggrievedly, letting everything out in one go.

The tip of her nose was red from crying, her eyelashes were wet with tears, and her porcelain-white face was covered in tear streaks.

Zhao Zonglan’s brow furrowed deeply as he lifted her up and held her in his lap.

Sitting on the sofa, he gently stroked her back, his forehead against hers, his high nose bridge brushing against her small nose.

His voice was low and helpless: “Tell me, what will make you stop crying?”

Shen Jingni finally felt a bit better.

She wasn’t just a brainless beauty who only knew how to cry; she knew when to stop while she was ahead.

But she couldn’t easily let this capitalist who only knew how to exploit her off the hook.

“I’m hungry.”

She sniffled and said with a sob, “I want to eat water-boiled fish.”

She hadn’t eaten much all day and was indeed a bit hungry, so she decided to give him a difficult task while she was at it.

“No. You need to avoid spicy and greasy food.”

Shen Jingni refused to listen, throwing a tantrum in his arms as if she were about to start crying again. “I want to eat it! I’ve been eating nothing but bland food these past two days. My sense of taste is going to atrophy.”

Zhao Zonglan was rendered completely helpless by her antics.

His eyes darkened. “You’re certain you want to eat that?”

She nodded while wiping her tears. “Yes.”

Zhao Zonglan leaned down and bit her lip, punishing the troublesome little thing.

Only then did he stand up, indifferently dropping two words: “Wait here.”

As Shen Jingni watched his tall figure walk away, she didn’t forget to add her requirements: “I want sea bass, and no cilantro…”