Love for You

"Miao Jing!! Have you grown tired of living?" The roar seemed to shatter the roof. "I'll fucking kill you, believe it or not!"

"I believe it, of course I do. You're the best at fighting anyway, so just beat me to death." She sat primly on the arm of the sofa. "I just don't understand. I haven't done anything wrong, so I don't know why you're so angry."

"Haven't done anything wrong? Staying out late at night instead of sleeping at home, chatting with boys at an Internet cafe? What could you possibly be talking about?" He stood imposingly before her, hands on his hips, eyes wide and bloodshot. "What were you talking about?"

"About stars and the moon, about poetry, literature, and life ideals."

Her small face remained stern as she blinked. "Aren't you also up late at night? What were you talking about with that woman? Standing downstairs with someone at four in the morning, all touchy-feely and groping each other. How can you be so disgusting? With such loose morals, you'd better be careful about getting AIDS—rotting with pus all over, vomiting blood, covered in sores, avoided like the plague for the rest of your life."

"Damn it... I was just kissing, and you curse me like that?" Chen Yi was so enraged he nearly saw stars, gritting his teeth with a bitter laugh. "I've fucking raised you for nothing all these years, you little ingrate. You're exactly like Wei Mingzhen. I must have been blind, goddammit."

The stool at his feet, an eyesore in his fury, was kicked flying by Chen Yi and shattered into pieces.

Hearing him mention Wei Mingzhen, Miao Jing's expression instantly fell. Her gaze fixed on the smashed plastic stool, she said coldly, "Right. Birds of a feather flock together. If the upper beam is crooked, the lower one will be too. I'm just like my mother, and you're just like your father. At this rate, I bet you'll inexplicably become a dad too, turn into Chen Libin, and have another Chen Yi—only to abuse him, beat him, and make him relive your life."

Chen Yi's body trembled violently. His gaze sharpened to an extreme, turning sinister and icy. His face tightened with ferocity as he raised his hand high, ready to deliver a fierce slap.

She bit her lower lip, her expression stubborn and aloof. Her dark glass-bead eyes stared fixedly at him, her long, curled lashes not even fluttering. In her clear pupils was the reflection of his furious self. The raised hand lost its force midway, and instead, he pinched her cheek. Bending down, he sneered at her, "Then you'll end up like Wei Mingzhen too—living off men your whole life, eventually causing someone's death, slinking away with the dead person's money like a rat, even throwing away your own biological daughter like trash."

"I would never do that," she declared word by word, lifting her chin proudly. "When I grow up, I'll live well. I'll have the final say in everything. I'll make men chase after me, and I'll get everything I want."

"Ha!" He snorted disdainfully, tightening his grip on her cheek until it hurt. "Stop dreaming. You have nothing right now. If I hadn't taken pity on you, you'd have starved to death long ago, who knows where, as an orphan."

"I don't need your pity!" Miao Jing's cheeks stung so badly tears welled up. She reached out to scratch Chen Yi's arm, trying to break free from his grip. "I'm not a burden!"

Her long nails left red marks on his arm. Chen Yi frowned in pain, his temper flaring again as he slapped her thin shoulders repeatedly. "I haven't even beaten you yet, and you dare scratch me?"Her shoulder felt like it was about to shatter under the force of his large palm, the pain unbearable. Tears welled in her eyes as a flicker of rage flashed through them. With a burst of energy, she threw herself against him, clawing at his face and neck with all ten fingernails, gritting her teeth as she screamed, "Let go of me! Don't touch me!"

"Can't you just fucking behave, Miao Jing? Are you insane?"

"You're the insane one, you bastard! You pervert!"

"My face!! Damn it!!!"

Furious, Chen Yi shoved the frenzied girl away. Miao Jing stumbled and fell onto the sofa, still clutching his arm. She opened her mouth and bit down hard. Chen Yi winced, inhaling sharply as the two tumbled and wrestled on the couch. Miao Jing kicked and thrashed against him, her frantic scratching fueling his irritation. Cursing under his breath, he used his larger frame to pin her down, rendering her immobile. His chin pressed against her forehead, her face buried in the crook of his neck. The soft sensation brushed against his Adam's apple, an oddly intimate and lingering touch. His sharp Adam's apple involuntarily bobbed, and he felt a strange, cool dampness—unmistakably a woman's lips, Miao Jing's lips.

Further down, the curves of her body were impossible to ignore. The bones and flesh beneath her school uniform were faintly perceptible, and her skirt, which reached mid-thigh, had ridden up, revealing smooth skin whose texture he could feel even through his trousers. Chen Yi closed his eyes slowly, his livid expression softening slightly. Pushing himself up from the sofa, he strode into his room without a backward glance, slamming the door shut with a resounding crash.

Miao Jing lay on the sofa, flushed and breathless. She tugged her skirt back into place, the weight of Chen Yi's robust, heated body lingering long after he'd left. She stretched her limbs, rolled over, and lay still, her large eyes wide open, long lashes fluttering softly. Her gaze was profound and serene.

Once she had recovered, Miao Jing retreated to her room and closed the door. Next door, Chen Yi emerged with a towel slung over his shoulder, heading to the bathroom for a cold shower before slipping out silently.

Lately, he had been listless, devoid of interest or energy, like a young eagle whose wings had been abruptly clipped, steel rings shackling its talons. Flapping its wings futilely, it could no longer soar. He kept odd hours, plagued by countless troubles, and now had an unruly high schooler to deal with at home. What could he do? The nightclub was filled with hundreds of young women, each with her own bizarre story. As the saying goes, "a crooked stick casts a crooked shadow." In two months, summer break would end, and Miao Jing would enter her final year of high school. If she ever turned out as rotten as the rest, where would he vent his frustration?

They avoided each other day and night, maintaining a frosty silence. At mealtimes, their chopsticks remained still, untouched. Chen Yi mustered the energy to keep a covert watch on Miao Jing's antics, occasionally stealing glances at the chaotic dance floor while smoking in a corner with his colleagues.

At two in the morning, the scene was at its wildest and most chaotic.

His walkie-talkie crackled to life, announcing a young woman waiting for him at the entrance. Assuming it was one of the flirtatious regulars, he ambled out lazily. There, amidst the constant flow of people at the door, stood a delicate young girl, looking pitiful. She wore flip-flops and a thin blue spaghetti-strap nightgown, the colorful lights glinting off her porcelain skin like the peak of a snow-capped mountain under the moonlight.