Wife Takes the Reins: The Calm CEO

Chapter 39: Can a Broken Mirror Be Mended?

“Don’t mention it, Miss Xiaowan. Young Master Lingzheng has returned; I was actually about to call you down for dinner,” Housekeeper Mo said, regaining his composed demeanor. “I saw him, Sister Fen,” Li Xiaowan said softly. She had no idea how he would punish her next; just now, the look in his eyes as he stared at her seemed as if he wanted to kill her. Wasn’t he supposed to hate his ex-girlfriend with a passion? Judging by this, that wasn’t the case at all—he clearly still loved her deeply. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have flown into such a rage over her momentary lapse. They say a woman’s heart is as inscrutable as the depths of the sea, but sometimes, a man’s heart is even harder to fathom. “Is that so? Where did you see Young Master Lingzheng? I just searched every corner of the second floor and didn’t see you or him anywhere,” said Housekeeper Mo, his eyes filled with confusion. “The third floor!” Li Xiaowan replied. “Li Xiaowan, did you go to the third floor?” Housekeeper Mo asked in alarm, his heart involuntarily racing with worry for her. “Yes. I happened to notice a staircase to the left of the second-floor living room, so out of curiosity, I went up the stairs to the third floor.” Li Xiaowan noticed the unusual look in Housekeeper Mo’s eyes; she must know something. “Miss Xiaowan, it’s all my fault for not warning you. The third floor is Young Master Lingzheng’s private domain—strictly speaking, it’s off-limits. He never allows anyone to go up there; he even cleans the third floor all by himself,” Housekeeper Mo said with a sense of guilt. “Sister Fen, it’s not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s me. ‘Curiosity killed the cat’—that saying is absolutely true,” Li Xiaowan said, comforting both Housekeeper Mo and herself. At that moment, Li Xiaowan felt like a defendant standing before the bench, constantly preparing to face the judge’s verdict, and the wait was agonizing. “Miss Xiaowan, why don’t I go make you a cup of milk? It’s already very late, and you’ve been going hungry all this time just to wait for Young Master Lingzheng,” Housekeeper Mo said, looking at Li Xiaowan with sympathy. She was well aware of Li Xiaowan’s situation, but like Xiao Tong and the others, she felt powerless to help. “No need, Sister Fen. You go ahead and tend to your duties!” Li Xiaowan cast a grateful glance at Housekeeper Mo. Why would such a kind and gentle person as Housekeeper Mo choose to stay by the side of the arrogant Feng Lingzheng? Just how much of a spell had he cast on those around him? After Housekeeper Mo left, Li Xiaowan was left all alone in the vast living room. The light from the crystal chandelier overhead was too glaring, making her eyes feel deeply uncomfortable and giving her an urge to cry. She looked around—there wasn’t a single living soul in sight. The silence was eerie. Li Xiaowan instinctively glanced toward the front door, where everything was pitch black. As far as she knew, shouldn’t the area outside the villa be brightly lit? Why were there no lights? Or had they simply not been turned on? Her imagination made Li Xiaowan feel increasingly frightened, and a chill ran through her entire body. “Sister Fen, where are you?” Li Xiaowan couldn’t help but call out. But there was no echo. Li Xiaowan hurried up to the second floor. After all, Feng Lingzheng lived there. With his high-handed and domineering manner, coupled with his arrogant and flamboyant personality, she naively thought that no demon or monster would dare approach him—even the slightest trace of his presence would be enough to scare them all away. However, she had overlooked the most crucial point: compared to Feng Lingzheng, all demons and monsters were mere pips on the board. Li Xiaowan ran “thump, thump, thump” into Feng Lingzheng’s room. After slamming the door shut with a “bang,” she finally felt at ease. But what was that? Wait—that wasn’t “something”; it was a person! Feng Lingzheng had originally been facing away from Li Xiaowan, but upon hearing her footsteps, she turned around to look her straight in the eye. This woman had come in at just the right moment—Feng Lingzheng had been wondering where to vent her frustration, and here she was, walking right into her line of fire. “Li Xiaowan, who told you to come up to the third floor?” Feng Lingzheng said slowly, without a trace of anger in her voice. To Li Xiaowan, however, this was far more terrifying than if she had been practically screaming. “I’m sorry. I went up to the third floor without your permission and broke your picture frame. It’s all my fault. I’ll go buy you a new one tomorrow to make it up to you,” Li Xiaowan said, her tone extremely contrite, as she realized she had indeed done something wrong. “Hah! You’ll pay for it? Can you even afford it? And what about the scratched photo—can you restore it?” Feng Lingzheng said with a cold laugh, her face looking extremely stiff, almost contorted. I’ve really caused a huge mess. Compared to when I accidentally flung my heel onto his car before, this time is even worse—I’d scratched a photo of his ex-girlfriend! Judging by that vicious look in his eyes just now, I could tell he still hasn’t gotten over her. But wait—if that’s the case, why is he taking it out on me as a way to get revenge? This guy must be sick—and seriously so. “I can’t afford to pay for this. So what do you want me to do?” They say a broken mirror can’t be mended—isn’t that exactly the case with that scratched photo? “What do you think I should do?” Feng Lingzheng retorted, her eyes filled with gloom. “How about I take it to a photo shop tomorrow and ask around? Wait! You must have a digital backup, right? If you save it to a flash drive, wouldn’t it be better for me to take it and get a new print made for you?” Li Xiaowan had a sudden brainwave, and she was utterly impressed by her own wit and ingenuity. “Are you just gloating over my misfortune?” Looking at Li Xiaowan’s beaming face, Feng Lingzheng’s expression grew even more grim, creating a stark contrast between the two of them. “No, I wouldn’t dare to be all smiley in front of Feng Dong.” She must have incurred a massive grudge against him in her past life; otherwise, Heaven wouldn’t have sent him to make her already miserable life even worse. “What kind of attitude is that?” Feng Lingzheng grabbed Li Xiaowan’s right hand—which had just been cut by glass shards—and squeezed it tightly, heedless of the excruciating pain radiating through her fingers. “Ah! Let go!” Li Xiaowan screamed in pain. “That’s right, scream. Scream as loud as you can.” Feng Lingzheng hadn’t failed to notice that the blood seeping from Li Xiaowan’s wound had already stained the gauze red, but he chose to remain unmoved. “You pervert!” Li Xiaowan muttered under her breath. “Let me teach you what a real pervert is.” In the blink of an eye,he instantly released his grip on Li Xiaowan’s right hand. Taking advantage of her momentary lapse in vigilance, he wrapped one arm tightly around her slender waist, pulling her into his embrace, then used his other hand to hold her head in place. Ignoring her frantic struggles, he pressed his lips firmly against her cherry-red mouth. Were her lips coated in honey? Why did they have such a sweet taste—a flavor that made him reluctant to let go? Feng Lingzheng desperately wanted to kiss her even more deeply, but his reason told him he must not let this cloud his judgment. Li Xiaowan was deeply frustrated. If she’d known, she never should have said the word “pervert” out loud; she should have kept it to herself. She truly regretted it now. Feng Lingzheng looked at her slender figure—not a single ounce of fat on her entire body—yet she possessed such incredible strength. Could it be that she’d taken some kind of strength-boosting pill or something? What on earth was she thinking? She was still in the midst of being molested—how could she possibly have the mental bandwidth to ponder such nonsense? “Waaah!” Li Xiaowan shook her head violently from side to side, trying to break free from Feng Lingzheng’s grip. But her strength was simply too weak; her efforts yielded no results, and instead, she was held even tighter. Ten seconds, twenty seconds passed—she had no idea exactly how many seconds had gone by—but Feng Lingzheng finally let go of Li Xiaowan. After releasing her, he casually pulled a tissue from the box beside him and wiped his lips thoroughly, from top to bottom and side to side. How could Li Xiaowan bear this? Not only had she been forcibly kissed, but she was also being treated with disgust, as if she were filthy. Li Xiaowan took a deep breath, forcing herself to ignore the excruciating pain in her hand, quickly sidestepped Feng Lingzheng, and rushed out of the room to the gazebo in the villa’s back garden. Fortunately, she was still able to find the gazebo based on a faint memory of its location; otherwise, in such a vast villa, she would never have been able to find a place of her own to retreat to. Although the gazebo could hardly be called a refuge, it at least allowed her to sit quietly by herself and lick her wounds. She still remembered a poem written by the Southern Song dynasty poet Wen Tianxiang: “The mountains and rivers lie shattered like cotton fluff scattered by the wind; my life drifts like a water lily beaten by the rain.” Now, using this poem to describe the circumstances of my life could not be more fitting. Why was she getting so sentimental again? She was still so young—why couldn’t she just stay positive? With that thought, Li Xiaowan pulled out a tissue and wiped away all the tears streaming down her face, then strode resolutely back to her room on the second floor. “If you’ve got the guts, don’t come back!” Feng Lingzheng sat lazily on the sofa, fixing Li Xiaowan with a piercing gaze as she spoke. This sent a shiver down Li Xiaowan’s spine: if Feng Lingzheng’s gaze could turn into a sharp sword, she would likely already be riddled with holes by now. “If I don’t come back, where else am I supposed to go? Whether you’re gloating or looking down on me, do whatever makes you happy—I’m done dealing with this.” After saying this, Li Xiaowan lay down fully clothed on the makeshift bed that was temporarily hers. Having said all that, Li Xiaowan was actually prepared to weather the coming storm. Yet at least four or five minutes passed, and Feng Lingzheng still hadn’t taken any action—or even spoken another word. Just as Li Xiaowan was beginning to think the night would pass peacefully, Feng Lingzheng mercilessly kicked her in the leg twice. “Does just trying to get some sleep bother you?” Li Xiaowan was genuinely furious. What kind of person was Feng Lingzheng? He exuded an air of domineering arrogance from head to toe—he was undoubtedly the most dangerous person around; anyone who got close to him was asking for trouble. “You’re sleeping in my room. I can do whatever I want. Move over.” Feng Lingzheng kicked Li Xiaowan once more, though he hadn’t used much force any of the three times.