Chapter 2: Competing for cuck
1456 Words
On the last day of May, the outdoor temperature soared above thirty degrees Celsius. The overcast rain did not cool things down; instead, it made the atmosphere even more oppressive.
The black umbrellas uniformly opened along the steps acted like a warning under the clear sky: Do not approach.
Inside the umbrella, the woman in the red dress clearly sensed the tension, especially Fiona Ruan who remained silent, quietly removing her watch from her right wrist. The woman was about to turn around to seek help from Jason Chang, but her head turned less than ten degrees, accompanied by a loud “smack”. Her entire face twisted in the opposite direction with such force that she felt her neck might snap.
Her figure swayed; she was stunned. The woman did not shout but felt a buzzing in one ear.
After a while, the woman slowly straightened her face, looking at the short-haired Fiona Ruan wearing sunglasses. It was hard to say whether she was surprised or terrified. Under Fiona’s gaze, she deliberately slowed her hand movements and with a loud sound, staggered, causing the bouquet of roses in her arms to slip from her hands.
Clenching her teeth, the woman remained silent for a few seconds, then, as she turned around, she raised her right hand to swipe at Fiona. Fiona stood still, calmly raising her left hand to grasp the woman’s wrist, producing a crisp sound as the woman’s right cheek received a third slap. The fingerprints were clear, quickly swelling red.
With eyes burning with rage, the woman turned her face and said, “Do you know who you are…”
Fiona Ruan expressionlessly raised her right hand.
Smack!
The woman: “How dare you…”
Smack!
The woman: “Fiona!”
Smack!
The woman: “Brother Jason…”
Smack!
Each strike landed accurately in the same spot. In the blink of an eye, the woman’s face bore fresh slap marks, as if blood might drip from them at any moment. She wanted to resist, but she was wearing high heels, not flats like Fiona Ruan, who was taller. Fiona looked at her slender, delicate form, yet her strength was formidable. Holding the woman’s wrist firmly was not out of fear of her resisting but fear of her collapsing.
Thus, no matter what the woman said, even if she just turned her face to utter a single syllable, Fiona Ruan would not hesitate to slap her again. Ignoring the insults and pleas, Fiona continued to slap until the woman instinctively dodged, not daring to turn her face. Fiona loosened her grip, and the woman immediately buried her head next to a pillar.
Fiona Ruan also crouched down, her expression calm, her voice steady, “Do you still want to dig deeper?”
The woman, scared, trembled and shook her head.
Fiona didn’t hide her sarcasm: “You look like someone who’s used to picking up trash, casually donning a dragon robe that would ruin the country, and actually thinks you can ascend to the throne at any time.”
Jason Chang acted as if he was not involved, seemingly not hearing Fiona’s veiled barbs.
Fiona plucked a rose from the bouquet at her feet, stood up, and approached Jason Chang, provocatively handing it to him: “Sorry, Brother Jason. I’m offering flowers to the Buddha, wishing you happiness in singleness.”
Jason Chang smiled as he took the flower: “Fourth Sister, don’t be so polite. I still have one just like it.”
Fiona gave a faint smile, while adjusting her watch, she walked down the steps. Fiona family’s bodyguards, holding umbrellas, followed closely. On the steps, only members of the Jason Chang family remained.
A bodyguard held an umbrella over Jason Chang as he prepared to leave. The woman in the red dress, who was crouching on the ground, immediately looked up: “Fourth…”
Before the word “brother” could be spoken, Jason Chang glanced over, and the woman instantly fell silent.
In truth, Jason Chang was very handsome, with a high nose bridge and gold-rimmed glasses, easily giving the impression of being cultured and noble. But now, he inadvertently revealed his true self. Through the lenses, the woman was frightened by Jason’s cold and sharp expression.
At this moment, he was a completely different person from how he appeared before Fiona Ruan.
Jason Chang coldly asked, “Who told you to come?”
The woman tensed, unable to make a sound.
Jason Chang blinked without blinking: “I clearly stated the price when I used you before. You used me without even a greeting. Do you think your assets are more than mine, or are you better at playing games?”
The woman couldn’t say whether she felt wronged or scared, tears streaming down her face.
Jason Chang looked right through her: “Go back where you came from. Today, you’re lucky to have encountered her in a good mood. If you make her see you again, you might lose more than just face.”
A bodyguard opened the deep green Bentley car door. Jason Chang bent down to sit inside, followed by the unending private cars, gradually driving away from the civil affairs office entrance.
As if intentionally matching the scene, just as Fiona Ruan and Jason Chang left, the weather cleared up; the dark clouds gave way to bright sunshine.
Near the civil affairs office, there were countless plainclothes officers and reporters. The plainclothes officers breathed a long sigh of relief, thankful that there was no harm, since a week ago, both had been exposed for infidelity. The industry knew it was over, and the change in the Chang family was imminent.
The reporters, on the other hand, complained that “when umbrellas open, everything becomes dark”. Through their telephoto lenses, the woman’s half face was distorted from the slaps; everyone knew who was at fault, but no evidence could be captured. Recalling a week ago, Fiona Ruan was with a male model, Jason Chang was with a pair of twins, both were abroad. The strange fate chose the same hotel, the same place where they had held their wedding banquet a year ago.
Must admit, the couple had mastered the art of synchronicity. From choosing the same location under the same lamp, everything matched.
……
After getting into the car, Fiona Ruan’s face turned completely dark. A male voice in the car spoke indifferently: “You’re so angry, it’s exactly what Brother Jason- Jason Chang wanted. He dares to have others make you wear cuck, but they can’t compare to him. He dares to call you jealous and entwined.”
Fiona, with sunglasses covering her eyes, responded coldly and sarcastically: “I don’t have the shamelessness he has.”
Ordinary people would have chosen to stay silent, but this man had no insight: “As you said, whether I win or lose doesn’t matter; what matters is whether you win.”
Fiona Ruan struggled to restrain herself from glaring at the man driving, because she knew the one who annoyed her wasn’t him.
Today was the day she and Jason Chang divorced, a grand celebration. The media couldn’t easily let it go. Since they married, in the first half of the year, reporters were busy covering how harmoniously they were married, and in the second half, they started capturing rumors of being apart, until a week ago, when headlines exploded with news of mutual infidelity. In the end, she lost, as Jason Chang had a pair of twins by his side, outnumbering her, she simply couldn’t compete.
People outside said the two were highly synchronized. Fiona Ruan didn’t like hearing it but had to admit that in the game of minds, the two were like monkeys that had sprung from an alchemy furnace—cut from the same cloth, same kind of people.
“The past is past, don’t bring your anger home.” Fiona Ruan spoke up, exceeding rationality, nearly cold: “It’s funnier to let your own family watch the spectacle than letting outsiders watch.”
Hearing this, Fiona Ruan gradually suppressed the anger in her eyes. After a while, her voice was calm: “Whether it’s past or not depends on me. If you want to watch my spectacle, you have to watch how I handle it.”
In Fiona Ruan’s world, every competition had to have a winner or loser. Before she met Jason Chang, she had only lost once. After meeting him, she had schemed and plotted to ensure she would be the one to laugh last. But no matter how she did, she still had a long way to go; the days ahead were still numerous.
- Writer
