Chapter 115: Chapter 115
“This is us.” The girl motioned to the expanse of windows servings as a wall with a center pair of double doors. All of the glass had slotted blinds which were shut, concealing the room inside from view. She was shown into a spacious office with a vast full-length wall of bright and uncovered windows so you could view the entirety of the Huangpu river and all the surrounding buildings and beyond. It was spectacular from up here and took her breath away.
“I’ll make you some coffee and a fruit platter and come right back.” The girl motioned to the far end where a grouping of grey leather couches sat beside a bar in a casual area, and she walked in with a friendly smile, sliding her sunglasses off and putting them into her pocket. Absorbing the atmosphere of the room and somehow feeling YuZhi in the details which gave her both a sense of warmth and painful loss. It helped her still her inner frenzy for a moment and take a proper breath.
YuZhi’s large dark wood desk was a curved feature on the opposite end, backed with matching bookcases and furniture that held a collection of personal items and a ton of hardback books. Pictures, memorabilia, and metal sculptures, that all seemed to fit in a CEO’s office.
TangShi forgot her fear and anxiety when faced with this serene space that had a calming effect in its quietness and view. Realizing the room became eerily silent once the door was closed and she looked around wondering if it was a deliberate feature and had been soundproofed. She guessed given some of the sensitive nature of his meetings and calls, it was most likely so. She wandered to the first chair and sat down cautiously into the soft design, glancing around, a little uptight because she felt like she was invading his personal space.
She didn’t dare look at anything on his desk, or the shelves, for fear of what she might see but did notice a large space of seemingly new artwork over the fish tank wall where he had once told her was pride of place for her work. Her heart sank seeing that now something else was standing boldly where his view from his desk zoned in. Another reminder that he had wiped the slate clean and removed TangShi in the smallest traces of his everyday life.
The click of the door opening had her turn back with a bright welcoming smile, reaching for her sunglasses to cover her obvious tear inflicted puffiness. Expecting to see the receptionist returning with a tray and froze mid task when two suited familiar men strode in, faces in files as they walked in unison. Mumbling details to one another as they read.
TangShi stood up abruptly, dropping her glasses back into her pocket, her heart hammering through her chest at the sight of YuZhi and yet it was ZhengLi who raised his head and spotted her first at catching her movement. Stopping in his tracks mid walk to the desk and tugged on YuZhi’s navy suit sleeve with a nodding gesture her way. His brow furrowed and his cheek flexed.
“What?” YuZhi looked to him on his right then followed his line of sight to the sitting area and froze too. His expression blanked out almost immediately and he locked eyes on a nervous trembling TangShi. Like laser beams being initiated and his previous calm expression hardened, and his eyes narrowed at her. He seemed to grow taller as he stood straight, and his posture became somehow intimidating.
“Leave.” His harsh single word was delivered in a cool and cold tone loud enough for it to echo around TangShi. The effect was that of being stabbed in the heart and her eyes pricked and misted over as she swallowed hard, losing her courage. His face betraying nothing of his inner war of emotions at seeing her, or the increase to his pulse and sudden compression of his chest.
“I’ll escort her out.” ZhengLi cut in, moving past him aware they didn’t need a scene up here that could be leaked to the press. He always ran interference in YuZhi’s life and work and didn’t want this to escalate.
“YuZhi, I just want to talk and to see you for a minute. I have some things to say, to explain….” TangShi blurted out, a mess and jumble of thoughts and desperate for just a few minutes of his time. Not sure what she could realistically say now she was faced with him.
“I have nothing to say to you, and I don’t want to see you. Sign the divorce papers and go home back to that family of yours. The contract was void the second you fucked someone else and you’re not my problem anymore.” YuZhi’s words bit at TangShi, and she dropped her head in shame, feeling his anger even if he sounded controlled and unaffected. Guilt wounding her and unable to deny his words.
“Come on, TangShi, this isn’t the place. I’ll see you out. Be a good girl and let’s do this without drama. We have a lot going on today.” ZhengLi had been with YuZhi all week and knew how close to flipping his switch and being extra cruel he was as this heartbreak dragged on. YuZhi’s patience worn thin at her invading his workspace and bitterness swirling at having to face his own agonizing feelings at seeing her.
“We’re busy. She can see herself out. She got herself in here after all. Go.” YuZhi nodded towards his door, talking as if she was an unimportant being, and TangShi hesitated. Panic rising in her throat.
“Please….” She began to beg through a mumble as tears broke and her voice trembled.
“Please? Don’t make me forcibly throw you out because I will, and I don’t care what others see or spread about us. They’re going to know soon enough that it’s done. I’m not in the mood for tears or begging so don’t lower yourself to that…. I have better things to do with my time today than watch a drama.” He waved her away, glancing back at the papers in his hand even though all the words seemed to blur together, and he gritted his teeth to stay unaffected.
ZhengLi walked towards TangShi, his expression grim as he fixed his jacket and buttoned it up to somehow symbolize he wasn’t here to play nice or be the guy she once called friend. He was in bouncer mode and not going to soften. He hooked her by the upper arm with his hand firmly and tugged her towards the door with intent.
TangShi gasped through soft tears at the sudden lurch of movement, shaking her head at him as words died in her throat, then appealing to YuZhi with doe eyes aimed his way to try and beg.
“Wait.” YuZhi flicked a look at ZhengLi as something crossed his mind and for a moment TangShi saw a ray of hope and stumbled, her body shaking as she gazed at the love of her life stepping her way. Maybe he really did want to hear what she had to say, and she held her breath as he approached her, praying for a miracle.
“YuZhi…” She began to try and formulate words but flinched when he grabbed her wrist roughly and yanked her hand to his aggressively. Pulling his fingers over hers to straighten them forcibly, no love or care in what he was doing, until he located her engagement ring and tugged it off harshly in one fluid swipe. It hurt so that she winced and gasped, leaving red marks across her knuckle with the way he whipped it off and scrape marks down her fingers where the setting scratched her skin form being close together.
“This was paid for by my family and belongs to me. ZhengLi, here.” He tossed it up into the air, so ZhengLi caught it smoothly, a flicker of confusion crossing his face his face. YuZhi acting like it was an unimportant trinket. “Return it. She doesn’t deserve to keep it.” YuZhi clicked his fingers to motion them away, turning away from her startled wide-eyed expression with a hateful glint in his eye and TangShi broke.
“I didn’t do this on purpose…. I don’t know why this happened, YuZhi, please. I’m sorry and I don’t want this. I want to fix us.” She wailed reaching out to catch hold of him, but it triggered that same angry response in him from that morning and he spun on her, lurching forward and catching her by both shoulders with a strong jerk that rattled her brain inside her skull. His own hurt and temper getting the better of him and unable to control it.
Rendering her mute with shock he would be so physical and harsh towards her. Gripping her tighter than he intended to until his knuckles whitened and TangShi grimaced, flinching at the biting hurt but was too afraid to make any noise.
“I don’t give a fuck what you meant to do. It’s done. Get it into your head that WE are done, and I don’t wanna see you, hear from you, have you in my office, or my apartment, or my life. I wish I’d never met you and want you to go somewhere far where I’ll never think of you again. I don’t love you anymore. You killed that the second you got into bed with him, so do me a favor and get the fuck out of my way and don’t darken my doorstep again.” He shoved her back out of his grip, unable to stand the scorching feel of her gentle heat in his palms and dusted his hands off as though he had touched something dirty.