Chapter 8: Self-Torture

Cloud Top Restaurant, the tallest restaurant in the capital, offers a bird’s-eye view of the most prosperous scenery in the city center. Unfortunately, the weather was rainy and overcast today, so Wen Lan Sheng couldn’t see the city skyline he had been longing for. But the thin clouds and the drizzling rain outside the floor-to-ceiling windows had a different charm.

“Xia Xia, let’s sit here.” Wen Lan Sheng pulled her to sit by the window.

The male waiter quickly brought the menu.

Fan Xia didn’t look at the menu carefully. Life in the orphanage had not given her high demands for food. As long as it was edible, she simply chose the set menu recommended by the restaurant. Wen Lan Sheng, on the other hand, was holding the menu, torn between Italian panna cotta and Sicilian cannoli.

She raised her slender, fair hand, resting her chin on her wrist, and looked at the lingering drizzle outside the window. The rain fell in strands in front of the transparent glass, each raindrop crystal clear. The inside of the window seemed to be stained with a faint, moist haze, as if a breeze carrying silk rain was blowing in.

“Forget it, I’ll have the Sicilian cannoli.” Wen Lan Sheng put down the menu and said with difficulty.

Suddenly, he felt an extremely uncomfortable gaze coming from behind Fan Xia, like a rusty knife cutting into his body. Although it was blunt and couldn’t break the skin, he could feel the overwhelming malice it exuded, as if it wanted to kill him.

Wen Lan Sheng looked over and saw Rong Xiu sitting by the window, her deep black suit as thick as ink, her waist straight as a pine. She was looking out the window, her fair and cold profile almost blending with the chilly drizzle outside.

Wen Lan Sheng bit his teeth in disgust, almost certain that the gaze filled with strong malice just now had come from Rong Xiu. It must be her.

What a lingering ghost!

Fortunately, Rong Xiu’s seat was behind Fan Xia, just in the direction she couldn’t see, so Fan Xia had never noticed Rong Xiu’s presence.

Wen Lan Sheng glanced at her sideways and did not tell Fan Xia.

It was not easy to have a world for two, and he didn’t want Rong Xiu, this mouse dropping, to ruin it.

Looking at Fan Xia, who had been looking at the scenery outside the window, and then at the appetizer that had just been served, Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes turned and he suddenly had an idea.

You want to peek? Fine, I’ll let you see enough.

“Xia Xia, my salmon tartare is so delicious. Try some too.” Wen Lan Sheng scooped some with a tortilla chip and fed it to Fan Xia’s mouth.

Fan Xia withdrew her wandering gaze, looked around, and said softly, “Lan Sheng, this is a restaurant, not at home. I can eat by myself.” Wen Lan Sheng wouldn’t give in, even deliberately clamping her feet under the table and acting spoiled, “Just one bite. If you eat it, I won’t feed you anymore. If you don’t eat it, I’ll keep holding it up.”

Fan Xia sighed helplessly and opened her mouth slightly to eat it.

“Is it delicious?” Wen Lan Sheng asked.

“Delicious.” Fan Xia nodded. The combination of salmon and avocado was very refreshing.

“Look at you, you got it on your mouth.” Wen Lan Sheng laughed lightly, leaned over, picked up a napkin, and gently wiped the corner of Fan Xia’s mouth. He deliberately bent over and lowered himself, almost sticking to Fan Xia’s face, intimately without a gap, even their breaths seemed ambiguous.

Wen Lan Sheng glanced at Rong Xiu’s direction with satisfaction and saw her hand tightly grasping the utensils, the blue veins on her wrist clearly visible, obviously stimulated.

Wen Lan Sheng laughed contemptuously and smugly.

“Rong Xiu? Rong Xiu? What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?” Xu Jing Ya looked at Rong Xiu, whose mood had suddenly changed drastically, and spoke up.

“It’s nothing.” Rong Xiu frowned tightly, her slender fingers impatiently tapping on the table to relieve the anger in her heart.

Wen Lan Sheng’s provocation was like a knife that broke through the wind and snow, the tip of the blade piercing straight into her eyes, so sharp that she dared not look. But even so, she couldn’t help sneaking glances in Fan Xia’s direction, even if it was just her back.

“That’s good. I saw your face suddenly turn pale just now and thought you were feeling unwell. What do you think of the taste of this restaurant? This restaurant is owned by my friend, and the chef was specially invited from abroad. The taste is very good. But I know you’ve been spoiled since you were a child and must have eaten all kinds of delicious food. If you don’t think it’s good, I’ll have my private chef make a special meal for you this afternoon as compensation…”

“Miss Xu, I thought we were having lunch today to discuss the development project of the island sanatorium.” Rong Xiu’s tone was unusually cold, interrupting Xu Jing Ya’s nonsense without any regard for her feelings.

Xu Jing Ya paused slightly, then smiled, “Of course we have to talk about the island project, but it’s rare for the two of us to have a meal alone. Today is also the weekend, so we can put aside work for now and chat about other things.”

“If we’re not talking about work, then there’s nothing else for us to talk about.” Rong Xiu looked up coldly. Even though she was suppressing the stormy anger in her heart, her tone was still as cold as ice shards.

Xu Jing Ya’s face fell a little. She was also a young lady from a wealthy family, with countless men who wanted to climb up surrounding her all day long, each one of them flattering and agreeing with her. Rong Xiu was the first person who dared to speak to her so bluntly and ruthlessly.

If it weren’t for the fact that Rong Xiu held thirty percent of the shares of Shan Hai Group and was a man, and that marrying Rong Xiu would make Shan Hai Group hers, she wouldn’t be willing to have a meal with a man like Rong Xiu.

Beautiful as she was, it was a pity that she was an unmeltable iceberg, speaking harshly and hurtfully. No woman would like a man like her.

Despite her complaints, Xu Jing Ya still said with a smile, “Don’t be angry. My father and your father are close friends. Your father told me that you haven’t been in a relationship for many years because of the company, and he feels heartache for you. But he’s also afraid that work will delay your lifelong event, so he specially asked me to come and chat with you more.”

“Afraid of delaying me?” Rong Xiu curled her thin lips, the mocking arc revealing her innate arrogance, “My private matters don’t need anyone to meddle in.”

Her good father wasn’t afraid of delaying her lifelong event at all, but was worried that her good sister would have no foothold in the company, right?

How ridiculous, to actually join forces with outsiders to scheme against her, using the name of discussing business to arrange a blind date.

She instinctively wanted to take out a cigarette from her clothes, but thinking that Fan Xia was not far away and the pungent smell of tobacco would drift to her side, Rong Xiu pressed her hand, and the irritation in her heart became even more severe.

“Your father is also doing it for your own good. As a son, you should understand your parents’ good intentions.” Xu Jing Ya smiled awkwardly.

“Miss Xu is quite filial.” Rong Xiu suppressed her anger and smiled ambiguously, “Since you are so filial, why don’t you think of a way to save the Xu family’s fast-moving consumer goods brand that loses money every year? Otherwise, when it crashes, you’ll have to sell even your ancestral home, and your revered parents will have to wander the streets with you.”

“You—” Xu Jing Ya slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Rong Xiu’s nose and wanting to curse, but she didn’t dare to tear her face apart due to Rong Xiu’s strong financial power. She could only glare at her resentfully and leave in anger.

The commotion here attracted many people, naturally including Fan Xia, who was not far from them.

“CEO, I didn’t expect to see you dining here too.” Fan Xia walked up and greeted.

“What a coincidence, you’re here too?” Rong Xiu stood up, feigning surprise in her narrow eyes.

Fan Xia nodded, “It’s the weekend, so I took Lan Sheng out to play.”

“Hello, Senior.” Wen Lan Sheng held Fan Xia’s arm and smiled in greeting, “I’m sorry, Senior. Actually, I saw you just now, but because I saw you with a lady, who should be your girlfriend, I thought I shouldn’t disturb your meal together. Huh, she left?”

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Rong Xiu’s tone was distant and cold, “I don’t have a girlfriend either.”

Wen Lan Sheng looked at Fan Xia for help, “What should I do? I said the wrong thing again? Senior, don’t take it to heart. I just thought you two looked good together, so I assumed you were… It’s all my misunderstanding.”

Rong Xiu lowered her eyes, suppressing the storm-like anger in them, “It’s okay.”

“That’s great, as long as Senior doesn’t blame me. Since we’ve run into each other, let’s share a table, Senior. It’s been a long time since we got together.” Wen Lan Sheng held Fan Xia’s hand and proposed.

The tightly interlocked fingers, the intertwined iris wedding rings, their dazzling brilliance burned his eyes, silently mocking his dark thoughts that couldn’t see the light of day.

“No need.” Rong Xiu refused in a deep voice, “I have other matters to attend to. You two enjoy your meal.”

“Leaving so soon?” Wen Lan Sheng feigned regret, “I wanted to spend more time with you, Senior. But it’s alright, even if we miss this chance, it’ll be the same when we gather at the wedding next time.”

Raging fury shot straight into Rong Xiu’s brain. His tightly clenched fingernails dug deep into his flesh, but even so, it couldn’t alleviate the pain of Wen Lan Sheng’s soft knife stabbing into his heart.

He almost rushed out of the restaurant and got into the car. Otherwise, if he endured any longer, he himself didn’t know what he would do.

Below Cloud Top Restaurant was a square with a large flow of people. Rong Xiu’s car was parked by the roadside.

He took out a cigarette, bit it in his mouth, lit it, and smoked it. The smoke swirled, the tobacco scent filling the entire car, but even after smoking two cigarettes, the irritation in his heart showed no signs of subsiding, like a fire that could never be extinguished or quenched, burning at all times.

Rong Xiu leaned back in the seat, his long neck raised in a slightly protruding arc. He stared out the car window in a daze. Outside the car were countless vendors carrying flowers, balloons, and small toys, weaving through the bustling crowd.

A familiar figure in white entered his field of vision. Rong Xiu’s unfocused eyes regained their light.

He hid in the car and watched as Fan Xia bought a bouquet of red roses from a little boy selling flowers and gave them to Wen Lan Sheng, who was standing beside her. Wen Lan Sheng happily held the flowers, lowered his head, and lightly sniffed their fragrance. That ring was thus surrounded by the passionate red roses.

In the privacy of the car, Rong Xiu finally stopped concealing his emotions, revealing an envious expression, until the cigarette burned out and scalded his fingers.

He frowned in suppressed pain, but didn’t throw away the cigarette in his hand. Instead, as if possessed, he held the cigarette, unbuttoned his cuff, and fiercely pressed it against his arm.