Chapter 60 - The Beast III (1/2)

Warning: contain mature content. If you are triggered you can skip the ***....*** part.

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As Guan Gao Huan raised his hand for the handshake, Xiong Zhi flinched and closed her eyes on instinct. Like she was about to receive a beating.

When seconds passed and nothing came, she opened her eyes to see the bewildered look of the elders, the amused gaze of Gao Huan and the worry in Linfeng's eyes.

Xiong Zhi came back to reality. Her heart was still beating fast, it was not the same comforting feeling she felt with Linfeng, but contrary, it was a frightening feeling. She calmed herself down.

She acted in instinct but she could not blame herself. After that incident, she became an official punching bag of that man. Whenever he visited on that island, his face was always dark and all his pent-up frustration for the loss of his project against the SC company would be lashed out on her.

So whenever she heard the sound of a helicopter, she always hides. Under the bed, in the closet, anywhere. His abuse was becoming more extreme as time passed.

Until one day--

”---pleased to meet you, Miss Zhi.” The voice she dreadfully feared brought her back before she started to be drawn by the memories of the past.

Gao Huan's hand was still in the air waiting for her to accept it.

Which she doesn't want to.

She hated him.

So much.

She was so disgusted by him.

That she wanted to puke when she saw him.

She was mad mad mad....so mad at him! She felt her throat dried. What followed that eight months was hell.

She could never forgive him.

Not in this second lifetime. Nor the next lifetime, or after ten, hundreds, or eternal lifetimes!

She swears by the gods, if she was given a chance, a second chance, she would become strong to escape that fate. That hellish fate.

To escape from this beast.

To fight this monster.

And to pay him back a hundred times.

”Young miss Zhi...” Linfeng reminded Xiong Zhi gently.

His young miss was acting strangely.

Xiong Zhi stirred at the remainder of Linfeng. She looked at the hand and then to the elders. They were furrowing their brows like they found the scene unpleasant.

Yes. They were carrying each thought such as

'Is the young miss doesn't want to accept the hand of Guan?',

'What she's standing for gawking at him?!',

'Is she acting high and mighty in front of the Guans?'

Old Xiong also furrowed his brow. Did his granddaughter knew Gao Huan, or maybe she knew he was the man that supposed to be engaged on her? Old Guan looked at Old Xiong questionably.

Gao Huan was still waiting for Xiong Zhi to accept his hand. He was getting impatient. He wants to bring it down. As he was about to do it, Xiong Zhi with sweat on her forehead reached out her hand to accept it. She swallowed her urge to punch him, to put a knife on his heart, or throw a bomb on him.

Gao Huan saw the hand and he smiled playfully. Xiong Zhi's hand was still on mid-air when he caught it, brought it to his devilish lips and kissed it.

All the women who saw it blushed at the romantic greeting of Gao Huan. How they wished it was their hand!

Linfeng's eyes flashed an unknowing glint and still kept his calm expression.

But Xiong Zhi, the owner of the hand, froze. Her face was unreadable.

Gao Huan put down Xiong Zhi's hand gently and said in a gentle manner.

”I am honored to meet the young miss of Xiong. You are more than what I expect. Stunningly beautiful.”

Xiong Zhi who had her face unreadable replied in a calm voice.

”Young master Guan Gao Huan is joking. You made this girl flattered. You are also more than what I expect.”

Xiong Zhi's last sentence made Gao Huan twitched his brow. It was just casual jesting. Yet why he feels that there was deeper meaning on it?

”I'll excuse myself first. Please pardon me. ” Xiong Zhi said and passed them.

The elders saw the pale complexion of Xiong Zhi.

Old Xiong could not help but ask.

”Are you going to retire early?”

Xiong Zhi did not look back but she still answered politely.

”I'll just go to powder my nose, grandfather. I'll join you later to entertain the guest.”

And with that Xiong Zhi walked away.

Linfeng bowed a greeting then followed Xiong Zhi.

No one knows that under that calm facade was a shivering body. Xiong Zhi's hands that were hidden in her sleeves were shaking. She wanted to scream, to yell, to spat on his face!

But fortunately, she was calm. She was trying her best to control her anger, her disgust. The ugliest memory kept appearing.

His touch, his kiss, was the most disgusting thing she ever knew.

She doesn't know how, but she managed to enter the female CR.

She calmly opened the faucet. With a soft move, she pressed the liquid soap container and droplets of liquid soap were applied to the spot where the beast kissed it. She calmly washed it.

If there was someone who saw her they would only saw it as a beautiful girl who gracefully washed her hand.

However, inside of this girl, her mind was in turmoil, her heart was bursting. The memory, the disgusting memory that she kept hidden, that she buried so deep to never remember it again. The memory that she promised to never ever touch. The memory that she tried so hard to suppress was now playing in her mind...

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**** It's been two years since I was forced to leave the Xiong mansion. I lost count on how many times we moved. Again, we were in the middle of the ocean, an Island. This place had only two seasons: rainy and sunny. It was the longest time we stayed in a place. It's been months since I saw the snow.

This time, I was playing the guzheng again. At least this companion made me relaxed. As I raised my hand to pluck the string, I flinched. The bruise on my left arm was not yet healed.

I subconsciously touched the pain in my neck. There was a purple mark with the size of a male hand. It had been three days now since it was given to me. However, the pain hadn't subsided yet.

Then I bitterly laughed. Seems likes staying here for two years and receiving a constant beating for more than a year made me a complete idiot.

After I escaped my first escape night, there was a time where that beast went extreme to his venting.

I was left unconscious for a whole two days. When I woke up, I immediately run away. However, when I reached the gate, I found the place was full of snow, an unending mountain of snow. I couldn't see anything in that vicinity. That's why the place was not heavily guarded. Because even though I can escape, I'll immediately die outside.

I lose hope.

....there is nothing I could do....no one could help me...

The image of Linfeng came again.

Was he looking for me?

No.