Unforgettable Love: The CEO 's Golden Cage

Chapter 14

Instead of an apology, Shang Xiuwen’s only reply was: "Stop coming to find me. Let's just go của separate ways, alright?"

Kaiyin stood there stunned, her gaze vacant and glazed. "Please... don't be like this, okay?"

He lowered his head and looked at her slowly. His face was deathly pale, his spirit utterly exhausted, and his heavy sigh was filled with a profound, desolate sadness.

"I’m marrying Vice Mayor Su’s daughter at the end of the month," he said. "I’ve been very busy lately, so unless it's urgent, don't contact me again."

With that, he prepared to walk back into the residential complex without a backward glance. But Kaiyin reached out and gripped the shoulder of his sweater, refusing to let go.

Shang Xiuwen turned back. Seeing the hatred and pain in the depths of Kaiyin’s eyes, a cruelly piercing smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He reached out, pinched her chin, and with a trace of cold arrogance, shoved her backward.

"Aren't you tired of this?" he snapped. "Is this your idea of a proper upbringing—pestering a man who’s already engaged in the middle of the night?"

Kaiyin gripped his sweater even tighter, her head held high as she stared at him. Her beautiful eyes were wide and round, brimming with unshed tears.

"Shang Xiuwen, are you serious?"

He let out a short laugh, turning away just before he might have broken down. "You women always have this problem—you think a man can't live without you." When he finally turned back, his eyes were filled with mockery and ruthless determination. "Xiao Kaiyin, you’re only twenty-two. It’s not like I’ve wasted your life."

Kaiyin’s eyelashes fluttered downward as a faint, incredibly weak smile rippled across her delicate face like a wave. In that moment, Shang Xiuwen shook off her hand and walked away, leaving her behind with finality.

***

The sky grew darker, revealing a vast, obsidian dome above. She stood alone beneath the high-rise buildings of Ruijing, her long, desolate shadow stretching out across the ground.

After a while, she began to walk, following the quiet, empty sidewalk toward home. She didn't cry or make a scene; she simply kept her hands deep in the pockets of her down jacket and tucked her chin into her collar to keep from catching a cold.

...

The New Year's Day celebrations had brought massive sales to the shopping malls. After their hot pot meal, Qin Ling and Rui Rui had headed straight to the pedestrian street for a night of shopping. Though their wallets were significantly lighter, they were satisfied with their high-end purchases.

Carrying several brand-name shopping bags, the two chatted as they returned to the complex just before 11:00 PM.

They only dared to be this reckless when their mothers weren't home. Normally, the three girls had a 10:00 PM curfew, and any delay would be met with strict family discipline—even back when Shang Xiuwen had struggled to come home for New Year's and take Kaiyin out on a date, the rule still applied.

As Rui Rui was telling this to Qin Ling, they reached the stairwell and noticed a black private car parked downstairs. A slender arm with a rolled-up sweater sleeve rested on the driver's side window frame, holding a cigarette that was half-burned down between the index and middle fingers.

As she entered the stairwell, Rui Rui looked back curiously at the car. A handsome man was leaning against the seat back with his eyes closed, ignoring her.

Rui Rui and Qin Ling went upstairs.

Qin Ling handed the shopping bags to Rui Rui and took out her keys to open the door. But the moment the door swung open, a series of shrill, painful coughs erupted from inside the house.

***

Recognizing that it was Kaiyin's voice, the two sisters were struck with shock. They slammed the door shut, tossed their shopping bags onto the floor, and rushed one after another into the bathroom on the left.

Except for the bathroom, every room in the house was shrouded in pitch-black darkness. Kaiyin was kneeling by the toilet, coughing heart-wrenchingly. Her face was drenched in tears, and her long, curly hair was a tangled, messy heap. The tap in the sink had been left running, and the water level was rising higher and higher; had they arrived even a second later, the water would have overflowed onto the floor tiles.

"Miaomiao!"

Rui Rui scrambled to turn off the water, while Qin Ling hooked her arms under Kaiyin’s armpits, struggling with all her might to lift her up. Seeing Kaiyin in such an abnormal state, both sisters were utterly stunned.

"Miaomiao! Get up, quickly!" After turning off the tap, Rui Rui rushed over to help Qin Ling.

Kaiyin was kneeling on the tiles dressed in her loungewear—a wool sweater, wool pants, and burgundy rabbit-hair socks. Her small head was buried deep in the toilet bowl; she was vomiting and coughing so violently it felt as if her internal organs might come up. Although Qin Ling and Rui Rui tried to hold her, she refused to get up, her hands clutching the rim of the toilet. By the end, she was only retching up bitter stomach acid.

Qin Ling knelt down to pat Kaiyin’s back while Rui Rui rushed out in a panic, returning with a cup of steaming hot water. Working together, the two sisters managed to support her; Qin Ling held Kaiyin’s shoulders as she slowly lifted her head from the toilet, and Rui Rui immediately pressed the cup against Kaiyin’s deathly pale lips.

"Miaomiao, drink some hot water."

Kaiyin gripped Rui Rui’s hand, struggling to swallow the hot water into her stomach. Qin Ling tried to pull the cup away, fearing the high temperature might damage her stomach lining, but Kaiyin held onto their hands with a death grip. The sound of her gulping down the water lasted for a long time. Crouched by the toilet, the three sisters were truly at their wits' end.

***

"Rui Rui, grab her arm."

Under Qin Ling’s direction, the two of them finally managed to lift the originally petite Kaiyin, who was now completely limp and powerless. Supporting her on both sides, they dragged her from the bathroom and brought her into the bedroom.

The moment Kaiyin lay on the bed, she curled into a tight ball. Qin Ling was pulling back the neatly folded silk duvet when she caught sight of Kaiyin and instantly screamed, covering her mouth in terror.

"Ah—!"

Rui Rui, who was turning on the air conditioner, looked back in confusion when she heard the scream. She followed Qin Ling’s gaze to Kaiyin, but her reaction was even more intense.

"Ah!"

The two sisters stared at each other, speechless with horror.

A bloodstain, shaped like a map, had soaked through the back of Kaiyin’s clothes. Qin Ling leaned down to touch it; to her shock, the blood was still wet.

"Miaomiao..." Qin Ling’s mouth hung open, her lips trembling. She truly couldn't believe it: "Are you... are you pregnant?"

Hearing this, Rui Rui turned deathly pale. Theirs was a traditionally conservative family, where it was strictly forbidden for a girl to cross the line with a man before marriage. If their parents ever found out about Kaiyin being pregnant, the roof of the house would practically be blown off...

"Rui Rui, call Shang Xiuwen right now!"

Startled, Rui Rui nodded immediately and walked shakily into the living room to contact Shang Xiuwen.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Qin Ling was on the verge of tears. They were both only 22-year-old girls who had never even been in a relationship; they had no idea how to handle such a situation. Seeing Kaiyin curled up in pain on the bed, Qin Ling felt utterly helpless and could only pick up her phone to dial 120 for an ambulance.