In the office, Kang Zhenglun crossed his legs in frustration and glared at Zhao Mengxuan, who had a sly smile on his face. Looking at his fox-like cunning smile, the more Kang Zhenglun looked at him, the faster the anger in his body rose.
"Have you seen enough?" Kang Zhenglun finally couldn't control his temper and shouted.
"Don't be agitated, don't be agitated. It won't hurt to let me take another look. Look at you! You look so petty." Zhao Mengxuan sat on the sofa diagonally opposite him with a half-smile. The more he looked at Kang Zhenglun, the more he wanted to laugh. "Don't you think you look like a fire-breathing dinosaur recently?”
When did Kang Zhenglun become so impatient? In the past, he would at most roll his eyes at him if he looked at him a few more times, but it was different now. The more she stared at him, the more he could not control his fiery temper. He had always been a person who could control his temper freely.
And today, because his subordinate had made a small mistake, he fired him on the spot. Wow! To be honest, this was huge news. Coupled with the gossip that he had heard from Lan Xiu, it triggered his great desire to find out.
He heard that Kang Zhenglun had a secret mistress. With Zhao Mengxuan's curious personality, there was no way he would let go of this news.
"If you're too free, I don't mind sending you more business trips!”Kang Zhenglun was still angry. Because he was unhappy, he wanted to send Zhao Mengxuan away as quickly as possible.
"Hey, hey, hey! Can't you be a little kinder and let me, this old bag of bones, catch my breath?”Zhao Mengxuan stood up in protest.
"Rest? If you really wanted to catch your breath, you wouldn't be here with me today.”Kang Zhenglun snorted coldly in disdain. If he really wanted to catch his breath, he wouldn't have appeared in front of him now. He would've already fled to some faraway country for a vacation.
"I'm just concerned about you and trying to ease the tense atmosphere outside. Are you blind? Can't you see that the employees who are busy working for the company outside are all afraid to breathe because of your temper?”
Although Zhao Mengxuan said that, he was actually trying to get some insider information from Kang Zhenglun. That way, he could go and show off to his group of foxes and dogs. Since everyone was friends, why was it that only Lan Xiu, that transvestite, could spread Kang Zhenglun's gossip everywhere? Everyone was friends, so how could there be such a big difference? He said that he would risk his life to enter the enemy's territory to investigate the inside information.
"As long as you do your job well, why would you be afraid of being implicated?”Kang Zhenglun scoffed. "I'm very busy. If you're free, go and do your best for the company. Otherwise, I'll give you three seconds to disappear from my sight.”
"Don't be so heartless! After all, we are friends. You shouldn't have only told Lan Xiu about the 'important thing.'”
"What did I say to Lan Xiu again? Why don't I know anything? Aren't you a great detective? Why don't you investigate it yourself?" He wanted to know, but he didn't get what he wanted. He would just let him rack his brains and guess slowly!
"You're the magnanimous one. Don't keep me hanging.”
"I, Kang Zhenglun, want to be a villain. What can you do to me?”He couldn't help but ask himself if he had committed too many sins in his previous life, resulting in him meeting Lan Xiu and Zhao Mengxuan in this life.
"We're just concerned about you. Why don't you know what's good for you?”Zhao Mengxuan shouted," A few years ago, everyone thought that you 'couldn't make it'. Otherwise, why would you disappear from the entertainment scene for so many years? If it wasn't for the fact that we had a rare gathering a few days ago and accidentally heard from Lan Xiu that you had a mistress at home, I wouldn't have believed that you would really go all out.”
"What does it have to do with you if I have a mistress?”
A mistress? This was huge news for their friends. Who didn't know that although Kang Zhenglun was a playboy, none of the women who came and went could stay by his side openly? Furthermore, he had stayed by his side for several years. It would be strange if they weren't curious to death.
"Let's not beat around the bush. As the old saying goes, I just want to feast my eyes!”Zhao Mengxuan closed his eyes and immersed himself in his imagination. "Which of our friends here isn't curious? Everyone wants to see her true face. What kind of strange woman could capture your heart and tie you to your side?”
"Isn't she also a woman? How is it strange?”Kang Zhenglun avoided the main point and avoided the main point. He didn't really want to mention Zhu Jingrong in front of others. He wanted her to belong to him completely.
"In that case, there really is such a thing!”As if he had heard some great news, Zhao Mengxuan excitedly ran to his side and grabbed his arm, wanting him to say more. "What kind of person is she? Was it the radiant type? Or the petite and cute type? I can't wait to see her face.”
Kang Zhenglun waved his hand away in disgust and frowned in confusion. It was just a woman. Was there a need for him to be as excited as if he had discovered a new continent? "What does it have to do with you what kind of person she is?”
"As friends, of course we have to care about each other.”Zhao Mengxuan clearly looked like he was trying to pry into someone's privacy.
"How is this concern? It would be reasonable to say that he was waiting to watch a good show.”Kang Zhenglun didn't quite agree with his words. As Zhao Mengxuan had said, they had been friends for many years. How could he not know his personality?
"Don't be like this, let me know a little bit so that I can go and show off to that transvestite Lan Xiu. I can't be the one suffering every time.”
"What if I don't mention it?" Kang Zhenglun planned to drag it out with him.
"Zhenglun, you can't be so cruel.”Zhao Mengxuan was determined to throw away his image and beg.
"I'm sorry. We've been friends for so many years. I think you know that I've always been a heartless person.”The meaning was clear. If he wanted to know everything, he had to be diligent and investigate it himself. Otherwise, there was no need to talk about it.
" You, you, you…" Zhao Mengxuan pointed his index finger at him, looking like he was about to explode.
"What about me?"
"I…I…I beg you, please be merciful and tell me!”Zhao Mengxuan threw away all his pride just to get some information to show off to his friends.
"If you don't want to say it, then don't say it.”
Kang Zhenglun stood up and walked to the French window, smoking thoughtfully.
It wasn't that he didn't want to explain his relationship with Zhu Jingrong to Zhao Mengxuan, but that he had his own difficulties at this critical time.
Zhao Mengxuan silently sized up Kang Zhenglun, who was deep in thought. What surprised him was that the usually high-spirited Kang Zhenglun actually had a moment of loneliness?
Suddenly, a burst of hearty laughter echoed in the gloomy space.
Kang Zhenglun frowned unhappily and turned around to glare at the culprit who had broken the peaceful atmosphere. When he saw Zhao Mengxuan's smile, he was even more furious. "Are you done laughing?"
Zhao Mengxuan's smile widened as if he was deliberately going against him. "Oh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just suddenly remembered something!!”
Kang Zhenglun glared at him angrily. His intuition told him that what Zhao Mengxuan was thinking about was most likely related to him. Staring at his smiling face, she wished she could punch him to dispel the hatred in her heart.
"I think you're really too free." He took a deep breath and moved to his desk to take out a large stack of documents and handed them to Zhao Mengxuan. His tough attitude did not allow him to refuse. "Since you have nothing to do, I'll leave these cases to you so that I can go home and rest.”
Zhao Mengxuan shook his head and laughed."No wonder everyone said that you're becoming more and more like a 'good husband and good father'. It turns out that you really have a beautiful woman waiting for your husband to return home late.”
"Who's talking nonsense?"
"No one is spouting nonsense. As long as you are not blind, you probably know that in the past few years, not only have you not gone to the restaurant to socialize, but you have also gone home at a fixed time every day. Just imagining it was hard to believe. A playboy of his generation had become a good husband and father. Who wouldn't be curious about the woman who had captured the playboy behind the scenes?”
Kang Zhenglun was so angry that he was speechless. Just as he was about to explain, his phone suddenly rang.
"Kang Zhenglun." He picked up his phone and reported his name out of habit.
"Mr. Kang? I'm Aunt Zhou." After Zhu Jingrong became pregnant, he insisted on hiring a helper to take care of her so that he could take care of her daily life at all times.
"Did something happen to Jingrong?" he asked nervously, his heart in his throat. His intuition told him that something must have happened to her. Otherwise, Mrs. Zhou would not have called him during work hours for no reason.
"No, two uninvited guests came to the house. They said they wanted to take Miss away.”
"Who's tired of living?"
"They said that they are Miss's father and brother.”
Did he come to ask for her? But why should they take her away? No one could do whatever they wanted in his domain, not even her father.
"Aunt Zhou, no matter what, we can't let them take Jingrong away. Try to stall for time, I'll rush back immediately.”
After hanging up the phone, Kang Zhenglun immediately walked out of the door. He had completely forgotten that there was someone in the office who was staring at him with a dumbfounded expression.
Did he hear wrongly? Did Kang Zhenglun really abandon his work and leave for a woman?
"Wait, you!" Zhao Mengxuan was in disbelief. "You're leaving just like that?"
"Anyway, the company still has you, right?”Kang Zhenglun said matter-of-factly.
"That's right, but you can't leave just like that. There must be a reason, right?”
"As you said just now, my wife is quarreling at home. As her husband, shouldn't I rush home to accompany my wife without delay?”Kang Zhenglun threw out this serious and somewhat ambiguous sentence. He believed that this sentence alone would be enough to make his friends around him spout nonsense for a while.
They thought that he had a mistress, but who would know that the real identity of his mistress was the wife he had been married to for nearly six years and had never made public? However, they would never have the chance to find out because they were about to get a divorce.
"Are you kidding me?" Zhao Mengxuan asked in a trembling voice. He couldn't believe that Kang Zhenglun was already taken.
Kang Zhenglun looked at Zhao Mengxuan, whose eyes were wide open and couldn't believe what he had just heard. He couldn't help but feel proud of himself. "What do you think?"
When he returned home, Kang Zhenglun pushed open the tightly shut door in exasperation. Because he was too excited, the few people who were at loggerheads inside were shocked. They turned around at the same time to look at the source of the voice. When they saw who it was, their faces darkened.
Kang Zhenglun didn't say a word as he quickly came to Zhu Jingrong's side and hugged her possessively, while glaring at the two uninvited guests in front of him!! Her father, Zhu Xuehuang, and her younger brother, Zhu Boyang.
"How did you know about this place?”Even Kang Zhenglun's friends couldn't easily find out about this small nest in the suburbs of Taibei. If Zhu Jingrong had told them herself, it would be even more impossible because she wanted no one to know about their relationship, so they couldn't easily find out about this secret place.
"It's very simple. Jing Rong meets her brother every once in a while. Her unwillingness to reveal it doesn't mean we can't follow her.”Xue Huang Zhu said it as if it was a matter of course, but he didn't know that his words had already provoked him.
"This is not a place you can enter and exit as you please.”Kang Zhenglun frowned, his chest filled with anger as he hissed through his teeth.
"We didn't want to come either, but as a father, how can I watch my daughter go into the tiger's mouth like a sheep?”Zhu Xuehuang tried to meet Kang Zhenglun's dark eyes fearlessly, but his wavering gaze revealed the fear in his heart.
"Oh?" Kang Zhenglun deliberately raised his voice, his tone filled with contempt and mockery. He didn't believe that the selfish Zhu Xuehuang would worry about his daughter. He was afraid that there was another purpose for his sudden visit today. "What right do you have to say that she's a sheep entering the tiger's mouth? Do you have evidence?"
"I don't need any evidence. Jingrong's presence here is the greatest evidence. Look at what you did to her, you lecher!”Zhu Xuehuang pointed at Zhu Jingrong's slightly protruding belly due to her pregnancy.
"Tell me, what did I do to her?”Kang Zhenglun looked at him coldly.
"Don't think that just because you're rich and powerful, you can do whatever you want to anyone.”Zhu Xuehuang glared at Kang Zhenglun, unwilling to be outdone. He had come here today with a purpose. He could not be easily suppressed by Kang Zhenglun. "Do you still want to lie through your teeth? You still dare to say that you didn't rape Jingrong?"
"Rape? Your words are too insulting.”He lowered his head and kissed Zhu Jing Rong's hair, intimately whispering into her ear,"Did I rape you?"
Zhu Jing Rong sighed lightly. Wasn't the reason for today's result planted by her father back then? She had no intention of blaming anyone. Moreover, her relationship with Kang Zhenglun had always been a " legal transaction ". There was no such thing as " rape ". To be honest, his attitude towards her during this period of time was so good that it made her feel scared. Other than the fact that there was no consensus on the child, he really treated her very well.
He gave her a bouquet of flowers every day, took her to play during the holidays, dotingly combed her long hair, and even took time to walk with her every day after she was pregnant. If this was not good enough, she really did not know what was good enough.
She was very satisfied with this kind of life, but it was a pity that the two of them did not spend much time together. She had always thought that the moment he agreed to let her leave, she would cry tears of joy. Who knew! When Kang Zhenglun announced at the beach that she could leave after giving birth to the child, she had indeed hidden in the quilt and cried that night. However, the reason why she cried was because she did not have much time left by his side.
They had been together for so many years. It would be a lie to say that they had no feelings for each other. It was because they were too passionate that she was even more afraid of the result of being honest. She was afraid that it would be a rejection that she could not bear.
Faced with Kang Zhenglun's question, she was even more afraid that the words that came out of her mouth would incur her father's displeasure. She simply threw her entire face into his broad and warm embrace and answered timidly,"He's very good to me. You don't have to worry.”
"Jingrong, don't be afraid. Dad is here, I will make decisions for you.”
"Decide?" Zhu Jingren almost couldn't help but laugh. The person who messed up the pace of her life was not Kang Zhenglun, but his father, who kept saying that he wanted to make decisions for her. Now, he, the initiator, actually wanted to avenge her? Thinking about it, she felt that it was very ridiculous. "What right do you have?"
"We can sue him for detaining you for no reason.”For a moment, Zhu Xuehuang still couldn't hear the mockery in her mouth and thought that he had finally convinced her.
Zhu Jing Rong laughed mockingly," You still don't understand? From the very beginning, we had no chance of winning.”
"I don't care. He has to be responsible for your losses.”
"Then why don't you tell me what responsibility I should take?”Kang Zhenglun finally asked after a period of silence.
"There are rumors that you have a mistress. This will have a negative impact on Jingrong's future marriage, or it will be difficult to find a good in-law, so I want you to pay Jingrong a sum of money to cover up her shame.”
Seeing that his face wasn't red and he wasn't panting, no wonder Zhu Jingrong was so desperate that she wanted to laugh. The family she had been trying her best to protect was like this. As soon as they saw that the person she relied on had something to gain, they immediately appeared from the corners of the world. And before that? However, he was hiding because he owed a debt.
"What if I don't pay?"
"Then we'll see you in court."
"What if I'm willing to pay? Does it mean that I can have Jingrong openly from now on?”Kang Zhenglun asked with a smile, making it difficult for others to understand the true meaning behind his words.
Xue Huang thought that he was in the wrong, so he asked for an exorbitant price. This was his only chance to do whatever he wanted. If he didn't seize it now, when would he? "Of course not. If you want to have Jing Rong, then the price will have to be calculated separately.”
"Name a price. If it's within a reasonable range, I might consider it.”Although he said that, Kang Zhenglun had never thought of paying Xue Huang a single cent. If Xuehuang Zhu wanted to ask him for the price of selling his daughter, then wouldn't he have to ask Xuehuang Zhu for the money he had stolen five years ago?
Xue Huang proudly extended two fingers. " Non-negotiable. Twenty million."
What did these two self-righteous men take her for? He actually bargained in front of her. What was even more hateful was that she was the "item" that made them unable to agree on the price. Suddenly, she felt very sad. The family she tried so hard to protect was now trying to sell her to another man in front of her. She could no longer understand why she had reluctantly agreed to Kang Zhenglun's unreasonable conditions back then.
She thought that she had made the most appropriate arrangements back then, but now she felt a deep sense of betrayal. It turned out that the stupidest person here was actually herself. For whom did she suffer and endure all the pain these days? She couldn't make sense of it anymore.
Only now did she understand that this kind of despicable human nature was what she had always been afraid of. It was not what she had thought for a long time. It turned out that the main reason for being afraid of being tied down was betrayal!
She suddenly broke free from Kang Zhenglun's embrace, allowing everyone present to clearly see the anger on her entire body. "Enough! Enough! Have you guys said enough?"
"What are you doing? Can't you see that I'm fighting for power for you?”Xuehuang Zhu glared at her.
"Fight for power? No, I didn't see it. I saw a father who desperately wanted to sell his daughter!”Because he saw the truth, he felt even more despair towards human nature.
Almost without warning, Xue Huang furiously slapped Zhu Jing Rong's delicate face. Instantly, a fiery red five-fingered mark was branded on her snow-white face.
Staring at her face that was branded with a five-fingered mark, Kang Zhenglun was furious. "How dare you hit her in front of me?”His heart ached as he wanted to hug her trembling petite body, but she did not retreat further than he wanted.
"I'm just teaching my daughter a lesson. I don't want an outsider like you to interfere in our family matters.”Xue Huang recklessly provoked Kang Zhenglun.
"Don't you understand? You were the one who couldn't figure out where you stood from the beginning.”He angrily returned Xuehuang Zhu's punch, doubling the pain he had inflicted on Zhu Jingrong.
"You have no right to hit me!" Xuehuang Zhu quickly wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth and wanted to punch back, but his right hand was caught by him as soon as he swung it. "Who do you think you are?"
"Coincidentally, I'm nobody, but I'm Jingrong's legal husband.”Kang Zhenglun replied coldly.
This was the first time Kang Zhenglun had revealed the true relationship between them to others. Not only was Zhu Xuehuang shocked, but even Zhu Boyang and Zhu Jingrong, who were standing silently at the side, were shocked as well. The one who was the most shocked was none other than Zhu Jingrong.
Wasn't he the one who didn't want others to know about their relationship? But now, he said it without hesitation.
She didn't understand what he wanted, and what was the point of saying all this now? They were about to get a divorce, weren't they?
After being stunned for a while, Xuehuang Zhu suddenly smiled. "How can you say such a ridiculous lie!”
"Why don't you ask Jing Rong yourself if I'm lying?”He pushed all the questions to her. On one hand, he wanted to let Xuehuang Zhu figure out their relationship. On the other hand, he wanted to force her to admit their relationship. The more she did not want to admit their relationship, the more he wanted her to face it carefully.
"Jing Rong, tell me." Xue Huang placed all his hopes on Zhu Jing Rong, hoping that she would say no.
"He's right. I married him more than five years ago. He's my lawful husband. Do you still want to sue him for raping me based on this?”
Her answer dealt a fatal blow to Xuehuang Zhu." Why are you so stupid?”He said in agony, but in reality, he regretted that his only chance to threaten Kang Zhenglun had disappeared.
Her entire body was filled with hatred as she approached her father step by step. "Are you calling me stupid? Why don't you think about who I'm doing this for? It's you, it's you who forced me into a desperate situation! Since that's the case, what makes you think I'm stupid?”Zhu Jing Rong couldn't help but roar, turning the dissatisfaction she had felt over the past few years into anger.
"You! You motherf * cker!" Because she had pointed out his weakness, he flew into a rage out of humiliation and swung his palm at her again. "I really raised you for nothing."
Zhu Jing Rong fearlessly met her father's crazed eyes and waited without moving for his hand to land on her red and painful face again. How could the pain on his face compare to the wound in his heart? The wound in his heart felt like a sharp blade was stabbed into it again and again. How could the red and swollen skin on his face compare to such pain?
However, this time, Xue Huang did not get what he wanted. He had just swung his hand when Kang Zhenglun immediately grabbed it. Due to his anger, Kang Zhenglun increased his strength, causing Xue Huang to cry out in pain and beg for mercy.
"Get lost!" Kang Zhenglun grabbed his hand and flung him away, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. "Get lost! From now on, no one is allowed to approach her without my permission. If I find out, I won't be able to bear the consequences!”
After the father and son of the Zhu family left, Kang Zhenglun quickly came to Zhu Jingrong's side. He reached out to check the wound on her face, but she rejected him coldly.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm fine."
"Nonsense! Look at how red and swollen your face is. Why are you still being stubborn?”
"What is this pain? There's no greater sorrow than a dead heart." She looked up at him with her empty eyes. "It turns out that what I've always been afraid of is not emotional attachment, but emotional betrayal. I've done so much for them, and what have I gotten in return? He was hurt and used again and again.”
"They use you and don't want you, but you still have me! And I'll be by your side to accompany you and protect you!”Looking at her desperate eyes, he couldn't help but feel afraid.
"You? Aren't you the same as them? How dare you say that you're not using me? Using my female body to create an heir for House Kang?”Zhu Jing Rong raised a cold smile and bitterly asked back. "Do you dare to say that you're different from my father and the others?”
"What do you want me to do?" He cried out in despair. No matter how tightly he hugged her, he still felt that he was slowly losing her. "What do I have to do to make you see my sincerity for you?”
"You don't have to do anything, and you don't have to lower yourself to a lowly mistress like me.”Unable to break free from his possessive grip, she could only let herself covet this last warmth that belonged to him. "I'll follow the original contract. After the child is born, we'll have nothing to do with each other anymore. You can continue to live a carefree life like a playboy, and I can also seek peace of mind.”
Leaning on his shoulder, the tears that she had been holding back finally flowed down her cheeks like two clear streams of water, sliding down the deepest pain in her heart.# Review: hch471000 Time:1024201811:37AM#Special
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