C15 Liar

His tone was icy.

There was no mistaking the car that had brought her here—anyone who knew anything would have immediately recognized by the license plate number that it belonged to the Tang Sect.

As for Yanxi, she was perplexed by the sudden presence of Bai Tiancheng at her workplace. Even more so that he was demanding answers to her whereabouts the previous night.

Before she could even make sense of the situation, she heard Tang Zhengxun’s voice inside her head, repeating what he had said to her:

"You are the most pathetic woman I have ever seen! You deserve every heartbreak you welcomed to yourself!"

The reminder somewhat strengthened her resolve, and she squared her shoulders and looked her husband in the eye. She firmly ignored the aching in her chest.

"My whereabouts are none of your business," she said with as much nonchalance as she could muster.

The change in her demeanor visibly took him aback, and he paused in silence for a good minute.

When he finally regained his bearings, he grabbed Yanxi by the arm. He was so forceful, she winced in pain.

“You were with the Young Master Tang last night, weren’t you?”

“Yes, I was!” she declared as she tried to shake off his grip as it was growing painful by the second.

“Did you sleep with him?” Tiancheng now grabbed her jaw with his other hand. He gritted his teeth and glared at her. “Answer me, Qin Yanxi! Did you have sex with that man?”

He was pulling at her jaw, forcing her to stand on her toes to keep her neck from breaking.

His fingers were digging into her face, aggravating her swollen cheek; it had yet to fully recover.

Right there and then, Bai Tiancheng looked feral, like he was about to tear into her flesh at any moment.

And yet, what pained Yanxi the most was his accusatory questions, as thought it was already a foregone conclusion that she would do the things he was suspecting.

“We already had sex, even before last night!” she spat out, trying to keep her tears at bay. “Well? Are you satisfied with this answer?”

He should be, since she was only speaking the truth.

Bai Tiancheng was not the only unfaithful party in this marriage. Just a month ago, she had also engaged in an extra-marital act with another man.

Bai Tiancheng’s eyes darkened in an instant, before narrowing into slits. His face flushed with rage, and Yanxi couldn’t help but panic a little.

“No wonder you’re holding your head high today, Qin Yanxi. So you’ve sold your body in order to gain connections with the Young Master of the Tang Sect! You’re actually quite capable, aren’t you?”

His hand on her jaw crept down until it grasped her neck. His fingers slowly tightened.

“Let go of me, Bai Tiancheng! You’re hurting me!” Yanxi fought against his hold, her tears finally slipping free in her struggle.

The next thing she knew, he was devouring her lips, biting at the supple flesh.

“Is it because I refused to sleep with you that you found yourself another man?” he demanded furiously before swooping in again and taking her mouth.

“That hurts, Tiancheng! Let go!”

There was no warmth in this kiss. In fact, there wasn’t anything distinct that she could make from it, except perhaps for the pain and the metallic taste of blood.

“Stop it! You have no right to do this, let go!”

But the more she struggled, the tighter he held her.

And his kiss grew even more overbearing.

She kept her lips closed as he began to sweep his tongue over them, demanding entry. He got it when she ran out of breath and gasped for air.

He ravished her mouth, taking in every small breath and every little whimper she let out.

And then came the sudden, blinding flashes, disorienting them. Tiancheng immediately pushed her away, his action without a shred of reluctance.

Briefly, she recognized the panic in his eyes as she stumbled away from him. The sight left a bitter taste on her tongue.

So he didn’t want to be caught acting intimate in public? Or was he just afraid that his other woman might see their photos on the tabloids?

“Miss Qin, when did you start getting involved with Mr. Bai?”

“Miss Qin, what is your relationship with Mr. Bai?”

It was just one hectic, unwelcome surprise after another. First Bai Tiancheng, now a horde of reporters. And so early in the morning, too!

She ignored their questions and pushed her way to the entrance.

Only then did she realize that Bai Tiancheng had long fled, leaving her to fend for herself.

Unconsciously, her fingers touched her lips. It was still stinging from his sudden assault earlier.

A vague thought occurred to her then—that faint traces of his scent were still lingering around her. The realization only brought on even more resentment.

In the past, she had always hoped that Tiancheng would kiss her, at the very least.

Now that he finally had, she was more than disappointed—she was angry. It was the exact opposite of the magical romance she had always imagined.

She walked through the main doors of the building and was promptly greeted by Jin Xiaolu.

“That bastard Bai Tiancheng is just too much! He’s really gone too far this time!”

Xiaolu’s words gave Yanxi a sense of foreboding. “What’s wrong? Did something happen? What did he do?”

“He came here to sign a contract with your sister!” Xiaolu huffed and snorted sarcastically.

“No wonder the Bai's department store didn’t renew your contract. It turns out that they’ve already been planning to change the spokesperson! That slimy bastard is really just… Arrgh!”