Chapter 24: The Sting of Betrayal

The words she had just spoken, along with her frantic clawing at her cheeks after he rejected her—she raked her nails back and forth, nearly tearing her delicate skin. That hysterical display genuinely startled Chen Lin.

Just as Chen Lin was considering whether to intervene and stop her from hurting herself, Shihan thankfully returned to normal. Cold sweat had nearly soaked his back—definitely good news for him.

“No need for milk tea. But as for what just happened—I’ve already forgotten all of it,” Chen Lin said to Shihan.

Of course, that was a lie. How could he possibly forget what had just happened?

Shihan had no idea what Chen Lin was really thinking. She was also unaware that she had just had a fit of hysteria. Such subconscious behavior escaped her notice entirely.

“It’s getting late. Let’s stop here for today, okay?” Shihan asked Chen Lin.

“Mm.” Chen Lin felt like he had been granted a reprieve. “Then… goodbye.”

“Goodbye.” Shihan waved to Chen Lin and watched his retreating figure until it disappeared from her sight.

Shihan extended her delicate tongue from her rosy mouth and licked her full red lips. “No matter what it takes, I will never let you leave me. Better to have possessed than to regret losing you.”

After leaving Shihan, Chen Lin walked briskly for a good distance. Only when he was sure he was far enough away did he slow to a normal pace.

To say Chen Lin wasn’t tempted by such a cute girl’s confession would be a lie. He wasn’t made of wood; he was flesh and blood, with all the emotions of a normal human being.

But being human meant having the rationality to control one’s instincts, not acting like an animal. So Chen Lin had rejected Shihan, following his rational decision.

Soon Chen Lin was almost home, walking through streets he knew by heart. His mind felt completely blank—the aftereffect of Shihan’s confession.

When he reached his house, he went up to the second floor as usual and fumbled in his pocket for his keys, intending to open the entrance door.

“Why are you coming home so late?” A voice Chen Lin knew well came from behind him.

It was very familiar—he recognized it instantly as Yan’s voice. Although it still had its usual childish tone, now it carried a chill that could freeze frost.

Chen Lin snapped out of his dazed state. He was surprised—why was Yan at his door so late? He hadn’t noticed anyone behind him just now. When had she gotten there?

“Didn’t I tell you? I had important business to take care of, that’s why I’m late.” Chen Lin turned around, lecturing Yan as he did. “But why are you at my door at this hour…” Before he could finish, something completely unexpected happened.

In the instant he turned, before he could even see clearly, Yan threw herself into his arms.

Something cold entered his abdomen.

“The important business you talked about—it was going on a date with another girl, wasn’t it?” Yan’s once pure eyes now held no light; they were like a stagnant pool.

It was the look of a dead heart. Betrayed by the one she loved, she no longer held any hope for feelings. “Don’t my dates matter at all? Compared to me, other girls are more important, right…”

Yan’s voice had turned sharp, even terrifying. Chen Lin had never imagined that the soft, gentle Yan could make such a sound. The cute image of Yan in his mind shattered completely.

A sharp, wrenching pain, delayed by a few seconds, rapidly spread from where the cold object had pierced him. Warm liquid flowed from the wound, trickling over his skin and warming its cold surface.

Chen Lin looked down at his abdomen. His vision was already blurry, but he saw a pocket knife buried in his stomach.

The blade had sunk deep; the white metal was invisible, only the wooden handle remained visible. From his frequent trips to the supermarket, Chen Lin recognized that handle. It seemed to be an expensive imported fruit knife from the shelves. It was perfect for peeling apples—you could strip the skin in one go.

He remembered it so clearly because he had once wanted to buy that knife, but gave up due to the high price.

Yan pulled out the knife. Blood spurted out faster than expected. The weakness from blood loss immediately caused Chen Lin to collapse to the ground.

Blood dripped rapidly down the suspended steel staircase.

‘Have you lost your mind?!’ Chen Lin wanted to demand, but the fear of death made him plead in a weak voice, “Don’t kill me.”

Chen Lin could clearly sense that the Yan before him was no longer the little girl he used to know. She had become terrifying, as if she were someone else.

“Since Big Brother thinks I’m not important, then Big Brother is no longer important to me either,” Yan said to him. Then, as if finishing him off, she stabbed repeatedly.

Of course, Yan was lying. How could Chen Lin be unimportant to her? He was the most important existence. As long as she could be with him, she could endure anything. But precisely because of that, seeing him with another girl was something she couldn’t bear. She would never admit that he could be happier with someone else.

As if wanting to convey the unbearable pain of loving Chen Lin to him, Yan kept stabbing. At first, Chen Lin was in agony, twisting his body futilely to avoid the blows. But gradually, he stopped feeling pain. His thoughts grew hazy, as if he were an outsider watching Yan stab him.

‘Was he going to die?’ He had thought he would be terrified, but surprisingly, he felt an unusual calm. ‘Leaving this world just like that… how unwilling I am.’ That was Chen Lin’s last thought before his vision went black, and he sank into darkness.

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