Chapter 21 I Have Arranged Your Honeymoon

"A-Yan, what are you doing? Stop the car!"

"Sister Mu!"

Two panicked voices blended together. Then, someone grabbed me from behind, and a great force swept me away, throwing us onto the ground to the side. We rolled twice before coming to a stop. As I was helped to my feet, I felt a wave of dizziness.

A pair of leather shoes appeared in my field of vision. I followed those long, straight legs upward until I saw Zhou Chenyan’s cold, stern face. His thin lips parted slightly, "You..."

I raised my hand and slapped him across the face!

Silence. Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Zhou Chenyan’s eyes were dark and malevolent, his expression one of fury. "You damn woman, you hit me again?!"

He gripped my wrists tightly. Qian Yushu stepped forward to intervene, only to be shoved aside by him. Zhou Zhizi grabbed his arm as well, but he ignored them both, his eyes locked onto mine.

I winced in pain, my expression growing even colder. "I don’t know what kind of fit you’re throwing, but keep your eyes on the road next time. If you actually hit someone, you’ll be the one drinking tea at the police station."

Zhou Chenyan laughed in cold rage. He pulled me forcibly toward him, whispering into my ear like a lover. "Do you believe me if I say that even if I really did run you over and kill you, nothing would happen to me?"

"Of course I believe you. Who do you think you are? Is there anything in this world you wouldn't dare to do?"

In my past life, he had tortured me to such an extent that I had thought about calling the police for help. But he was so ruthless; he had locked me up in the villa. With dozens of bodyguards watching, I couldn't even step out the door! Because of that, I couldn't see my younger brother for the last time, and I missed the news of my best friend’s death. By the time I found out, she had already been cremated.

Thinking of this, hatred surged within me. I loathed this man before me to the core. He held me fast, refusing to let go, so I lowered my head and bit down hard on his wrist! I used all my strength, and soon the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

"Sharp-tongued and vicious."

Zhou Chenyan spat out the words, syllable by syllable, and dragged me toward the car. He handled me without a shred of tenderness, making my wrists ache. I struggled desperately, refusing to get in. Who knew what might happen once I was inside?

Qian Yushu stepped forward again. "Mr. Zhou, whatever you have to say, let's talk it out properly. Please don't resort to violence!"

Zhou Zhizi quickly grabbed Zhou Chenyan’s arm, using her own weight to hold him back. "A-Yan, calm down. Don’t treat Sister Yan-Yan like this."

"Move." Zhou Chenyan’s face was cold, unmoved.

"Let go!" I gritted my teeth. I should have realized long ago that this man was a lunatic! There was nothing he wouldn't do. He might even drag me into the car just to beat me. But I didn't regret slapping him; he had almost cost me my life! The terror of being nearly struck by the car still lingered in my heart.

Neither of them could hold Zhou Chenyan back. Finally, in a fit of pique, Zhou Zhizi let go of him. "A-Yan! What are you doing? Even if you’re jealous of Sister Yan-Yan, you shouldn’t be so ungentlemanly."

"I’m jealous of her?"

Zhou Chenyan seemed to snap out of a trance. He shoved me away, as if discarding a piece of trash. I was finally free, and for a moment, I felt dazed as I looked at the figure quickly moving to stand in front of me.

It was Qian Yushu. He was terrified, his whole body trembling, yet his slender frame did not retreat an inch. I looked at him coldly.

Zhou Zhizi’s voice sounded from the side, "Sister Yan-Yan and the senior are both good people. I believe she wouldn't do anything to betray you. You should at least get the facts straight."

"What else is there to ask?" Zhou Chenyan’s face turned a faint shade of green. "We are still at the Zhou residence, and she’s already so eager to pose and flirt with other men. Didn't you see it yourself!"

Zhou Zhizi choked on her words, casting a cautious glance at me. "That’s not possible. There must be a misunderstanding. The last time at the club, it must have been the first time Sister Yan-Yan and the senior met. How could she have changed her affections so quickly?"

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten." Zhou Chenyan’s gaze was gloomy, turning even more piercing as he looked at me. "You’ve only met a few times, and you’re already so eager to hook up with him. Mu Yan, you really are cheap."

Cheap?

I knew I shouldn't provoke him, but that word was like a switch for my humiliation. We hadn't slept together on our wedding night. After we married, he wouldn't touch me, always claiming it was out of consideration for me, fearing I would be in pain—but in reality, he was saving himself for Zhou Zhizi. It wasn't until he came home drunk and I took care of him that he dragged me to bed like a madman. That night, I was both in pain and happy. To be intimate with the one you love is a joyous thing.

But when I woke up, he saw the marks on my body and shattered the empty bowl on the nightstand—the bowl that had once held the hangover soup I made for him. He looked down at me from above and said, "You were so eager to climb into my bed that you even drugged me, using such low-down tactics. Mu Yan, you really are cheap."

I had tried desperately to explain that I hadn't done it, but he wouldn't listen. He insisted it was my fault and didn't come home for half a month.

I gritted my teeth, pulling myself out of those humiliating memories. In a daze, the arrogant, cold man from my past life overlapped with the Zhou Chenyan of the present. He was still the same. He had never changed.

He was still heartless and cruel to me.

I pulled Qian Yushu aside and met Zhou Chenyan’s gaze, my heart calm and without a ripple. "If I say yes, will you sign the divorce papers?"

"Say that again."

"As long as you sign, I’ll say it as many times as you want."

As long as I could leave him, I would use any means necessary. My reputation—that didn't matter. Being with him cost me my life.

Zhou Chenyan’s expression stiffened as he pulled me toward him, his voice raspy. "Do you really like him?"

"Will you sign?"

"Impossible! Don't even think about it!" Zhou Chenyan squeezed the words through his teeth. "I don't agree. Even if you die, you are still mine, Mu Yan."

How similar. Just two days ago, I had heard the exact same words.

I pushed his hand away, immovable, and murmured, "How truly selfish."

Qian Yushu realized what was happening, albeit slowly. "Mr. Zhou, have you misunderstood something? Sister Mu and I don't have that kind of relationship! I think of Sister Mu as my older sister!"

Zhou Chenyan looked at him coldly. "Get lost."

Qian Yushu flinched, but persisted, "You really have misunderstood. We have a pure friendship. I... I have someone I like, and so does Sister Mu. She likes you. Just now, she said..."

"Qian Yushu."

Only then did I realize what a useless ally he was; he took the lies I told to fool Zhou Chenyan as the truth. "You should go first."

He hesitated, then left, looking back with every step.

"Is what he said true?" Zhou Chenyan’s voice came from behind me.

I took a deep breath. "If you are willing to sign, then it can be true."

The expression that had just begun to soften on Zhou Chenyan's face darkened once more.

"Keep dreaming."

I cast him a cold glance and turned to leave.

I returned to the Zhou residence. Only here would Zhou Chenyan have any reservations. Our relationship had dropped to the freezing point once again. Although it had never been good, it was even colder this time; even when we shared the same space, neither of us would look at the other.

This strange atmosphere was soon noticed by Mother Zhou. Early the next morning, she delivered a bolt from the blue.

"I have arranged a honeymoon for you two."