For a while, neither of them spoke. Their gazes drifted past the window to the outside world. Not far away, Fang Zheng stood by the pool, gesturing animatedly as he talked to Aunt Zhou.
After a moment, Tan Xizhe broke the silence. "Do you know what Chen Jin is most afraid of?"
Lin Wan was still trapped in her own thoughts. The question startled her. She let out a derisive little laugh. "A man like him—what would he possibly be afraid of? Maybe only not living long enough."
Tan Xizhe chuckled too. "It's actually something very simple."
He pointed outside. Lin Wan followed the direction of his finger. Fang Zheng?
"Water," he said. "When he was a kid, he fell into a reservoir and nearly drowned. He's been afraid of water ever since."
That?
Lin Wan struggled to picture a man as omnipotent as Chen Jin being afraid of something so ordinary. Plenty of people had nearly drowned as children; some never went near water again. But someone like him? He just didn't seem like the type to develop that kind of psychological scar.
By then, Fang Zheng had already wandered over. Through the glass, he raised two fingers and made a walking gesture. Tan Xizhe could only give a helpless smile.
Then he turned back, his expression growing serious. "If you ever need anything, come to me. Don't hold back. No matter what, we've stood on the same side once."
Lin Wan watched as he and Fang Zheng walked off together, still bickering as they went. The emotions she'd been suppressing for so long suddenly surged to the surface, scalding her chest like boiling water.
No one is born strong. No one is born immune to pain.
Sometimes, what we call strength is nothing but an elaborate disguise.
That night, Chen Jin didn't come back to the villa.
He showed up again three days later.
That afternoon, Lin Wan had slept a long, heavy nap. When she woke and glanced at the clock, it was already past three. Her head felt swollen from oversleeping, so she decided to walk around a bit.
As she came downstairs, she saw Aunt Zhou carrying a large tray of grapes. The woman's face was all smiles. "I was just about to bring you some fruit. Let's eat in the living room. Mr. Chen just got back."
Lin Wan wondered why Aunt Zhou sounded so delighted. He comes back, he comes back. What's there to be so happy about? Then she remembered: people tend to react that way to the one who signs their paycheck.
She turned—and through the window, she saw Chen Jin.
He was just climbing out of the pool, water streaming down his body. His skin was a sun-browned wheat color, gleaming with a healthy sheen under the light. Expressionless, he grabbed a towel and scrubbed his hair roughly, then shrugged into a bathrobe and dropped onto a lounge chair.
Suddenly she remembered what Tan Xizhe had told her at almost this exact spot. Afraid of water? What a joke. No wonder he'd lost so badly. Hadn't he ever heard the saying "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never lose a battle"?
From where she stood, she could see only one of his long legs stretched out. The muscles were even, the lines fluid, exuding a kind of reckless, arrogant strength.
She had to admit—this man was exceptionally well-equipped. Even if you ignored his status and power, his looks and presence alone were enough to make him stand out in any crowd.
But for all the perfection he seemed to have been granted, his heart was cold and merciless.
Did that count as a kind of deformity?
Was this what people meant by "fairness"?
Chen Jin sat outside for only a short while before coming in. Whatever he'd encountered, it had clearly fouled his mood; his face was a thundercloud.
He strode straight to the sofa and dropped heavily onto it. Without so much as a glance at the living, breathing person across from him, he plucked two grapes from the fruit plate on the coffee table and tossed them into his mouth.
Lin Wan didn't feel anything in particular. She'd grown used to his mercurial moods long ago. His smiles didn't make her feel honored, and his indifference no longer bruised her pride. On any other day, she would have slipped out of his way to keep her peace.
But today, she had something to ask.
"Chen Jin, I have a question."
He lifted his eyelids just enough to give a dismissive snort, arrogance dripping from the sound.
Lin Wan sighed inwardly. Some things didn't really need to be asked—but she couldn't stop herself. "You already knew I'd met with Tan Xizhe, didn't you?"
Chen Jin gave a noncommittal grunt, never lifting his head, still focused on the grapes. The chill in her heart deepened.
"Then who was that setup meant for?" she asked quietly. "Me, or him?"
"Ever heard of killing two birds with one stone?" he said at last, finally stringing a complete sentence together. His tone was vicious. "You two teamed up to scheme against me. I'm just returning the favor. Why should I bother separating the mastermind from the accomplice?"
"That phone call—you let me hear it on purpose, didn't you?"
No response.
"You started acting the moment you got back from overseas?" she pressed.
Chen Jin suddenly flung the grapes back onto the plate and shot to his feet. "Lin Wan, what the hell, you think I'm a professional actor?" he snapped. "I don't have that much free time to play your games."
He let out another cold snort. "Speaking of acting, I'm nowhere near your level. You can even fake a physical reaction."
The contempt on his face was razor sharp. He turned on his heel and headed for the stairs.
When she heard those four words—physical reaction—ice water seemed to pour down over her head, soaking her to the bone. He always knew exactly where she was softest and drove the blade in there.
After a few steps, he stopped and turned back. His eyes fell on her pale face.
"What's wrong?" he asked, voice flat and cold. "Hurts?"
"Does it hurt because I used you? Or because you think you dragged someone else down with you?"
He walked back, stopping right in front of her, towering over her. "If it's the first one, you brought it on yourself. No one held a gun to your head. If it's the second…" His lip curled. "Then put away your fake compassion. You didn't hesitate for a second when you drugged me. What, you decided I deserved to die, but poor Tan Xizhe getting caught in my trap is worthy of your sympathy?"
The more he spoke, the angrier he grew, until his breath came harsh and ragged. He grabbed the front of her clothes and hauled her up, his eyes blazing.
"Cat got your tongue?" he snarled. "Did I hit a nerve? I can't stand people like you. Always playing God's messenger, the embodiment of justice, jumping out to condemn others as if you've never done anything wrong in your life. Like the moment someone makes a mistake, they're damned forever, never allowed to climb back up. That it?"
His fury terrified her. Each word was like a barb driven into her heart. The sting of it made her eyes blur with gathering tears.
Chen Jin caught the shimmer in her gaze and let out a low, twisted laugh. A hint of ferocity edged his face. "You're right about one thing—I am bad. Rotten to the core. Don't waste your time expecting anything else from me."
Then he suddenly yanked her closer and slammed his mouth down on hers.