Ruthless Romance

Chapter 16: Too Merciful Towards You

Mu Tingchen gripped Wen Yan's chin, his voice icy yet laced with an irrefutable command. "You'll return to school when your body has fully recovered. Don't go there looking sickly to garner sympathy!"

Panic surged through Wen Yan as she hastily propped herself up. "No, I can't—"

He remained silent, towering over her with an aura of frigid intensity that seemed to chill the very air around them.

Biting her lip nervously, her voice quivering, she managed to say, "I promise to study hard. When I start earning money, I'll repay everything I owe you. You've sheltered me for ten years, and I'm truly grateful. Once I begin my internship, I'll move out as soon as possible."

Indeed, she had never intended to rely on him for life. The debt she owed him was immense, and she didn't want to keep accumulating it indefinitely.

Suddenly, Mu Tingchen smiled. His smile was like the cold, distant moon – unreachable, untouchable, and so frigid it deterred any approach. "Let me make this perfectly clear to you now: you will never leave, not in this lifetime."

Wen Yan's heart sank. For the first time, she looked directly at him without flinching. "When you see me, doesn't it remind you of your deceased parents? Why would you want to keep someone like me by your side? I will repay my debt to you, giving everything I have, spending my entire life to repay it – but in my own way!"

Mu Tingchen's breath caught, his eyes darkening. He had always known her to be obedient, never daring to defy his wishes. But he had overlooked the fact that she would grow up and change. The stubbornness in her core had finally built defensive walls against him, even raising a sword in defiance.

They stared at each other, locked in a silent battle of wills. After a moment, his long fingers loosened his tie, and he shrugged off his suit jacket, carelessly tossing it onto the carpet. "What you owe me can never be repaid in this lifetime. I've been too merciful towards you."

As Wen Yan realized what he intended to do, her first instinct was to flee. But as soon as her body left the bed, his large hand pushed her back down, his towering form pinning her in place.

His scent enveloped her, clouding her thoughts. She placed her hands on his chest, trembling as she pleaded, "Please, don't do this..."

Unmoved, he swiftly restrained her hands above her head, binding them with his necktie.

Thinking about her stubborn desire to sever all ties between them, a dark cloud settled over Mu Tingchen's face. He buried his face in her neck, forcefully claiming her lips.

His kiss was invasive, gradually consuming her defiance, overwhelming her completely.

When Wen Yan realized there was no escape, she ceased struggling. Her eyes became vacant, allowing him to do as he pleased.

Noticing the change in the woman beneath him, Mu Tingchen paused and looked at her intently, as if trying to see into her very soul. When he saw the lifelessness in her eyes, he abruptly rose and roared, "Get out!"

Wen Yan's empty gaze slowly regained focus. Before she could even process his sudden change, she hurriedly clutched her clothes and fled the bedroom.

As soon as she closed the door, the sound of objects being smashed echoed from within. She shuddered, quickly retreating to her own room.

For the entire afternoon, there was no further sound from the adjacent room. It wasn't until after seven in the evening that Mu Tingchen's car was heard leaving the Mu residence.

Although Mu Tingchen hadn't explicitly confined her to the house, he had instructed Manager Lin to inform her that she must rest at home for a few days.

Despite her reluctance, Wen Yan didn't dare provoke his anger at this time. She had no choice but to obediently stay home and recuperate.

Fortunately, Mu Tingchen didn't appear again for the next few days. The anxiety that had gripped Wen Yan's heart since that night finally began to subside.

As the days passed, Wen Yan found herself trapped in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. On one hand, she felt immense gratitude towards Mu Tingchen for providing her with a home and education for the past decade. On the other, she couldn't shake off the suffocating feeling of being indebted to him, a debt that seemed to grow with each passing day.

She spent her days in quiet contemplation, her mind constantly replaying the events of that night. The fear she had felt, the helplessness, and then the sudden reprieve – it all swirled in her thoughts, leaving her confused and emotionally drained.

Wen Yan found solace in her studies, throwing herself into her books with renewed vigor. If knowledge was power, then perhaps it was also freedom. She dreamed of a future where she could stand on her own feet, free from the shackles of debt and obligation that bound her to the Mu family.

Yet, even as she planned her escape, a part of her heart ached at the thought of leaving. This house, for all its cold grandeur, had been her home. And Mu Tingchen, despite his mercurial moods and intimidating presence, had been her anchor in a world that had taken everything else from her.

As the days turned into a week, Wen Yan's physical health improved, but her emotional state remained fragile. She found herself jumping at small noises, half-expecting Mu Tingchen to appear at any moment. But he remained absent, his presence in the house marked only by the occasional sound of his car in the driveway late at night.

Manager Lin, ever dutiful, kept a watchful eye on Wen Yan. He brought her meals, inquired after her health, and relayed any necessary messages from Mu Tingchen. But even he seemed perplexed by his master's prolonged absence and uncharacteristic behavior.

On the eighth day of her confinement, Wen Yan finally gathered the courage to ask Manager Lin about returning to school. The old man's kind eyes crinkled with concern as he promised to relay her request to Mu Tingchen.

That night, as Wen Yan lay in bed, her mind drifted to the future she longed for. A future where she could repay her debt, not just in monetary terms, but in a way that would free both her and Mu Tingchen from the burden of their shared past. She dreamed of a day when she could look him in the eye as an equal, no longer the orphan he had taken in out of duty or pity.

As sleep finally claimed her, Wen Yan's last thoughts were of hope – hope for understanding, for freedom, and for a chance to redefine her relationship with the man who had shaped so much of her life. Little did she know that the coming days would test her resolve in ways she could never have imagined, as the delicate balance between gratitude and independence, between the past and the future, teetered on a knife's edge.