Reborn to Outshine My Ex and His White Moonlight-Chapter 247: Then, for a Lifetime

Lin Zhiyi stood in front of the brightly lit villa, her raised hand falling once again.

Could it be him?

As she let her hand fall once more, the front door opened and Chen Jin walked out slowly.

"Miss Lin, Third Young Master is waiting for you."

"Waiting for me? Does he know I was coming?" Lin Zhiyi was slightly surprised.

Chen Jin did not elaborate, only gesturing for her to please enter.

Lin Zhiyi hesitated but still went inside, the house from her memories drawing ever closer.

Contradictory emotions churned within her, plunging her into a whirlwind of indecision.

If it was really Gong Chen who had saved her, what should she say?

Lost in thought, she soon found herself standing in the hall.

Gazing at the familiar decor, Lin Zhiyi didn’t have time to take a closer look; the sound of a man’s footsteps descended from the staircase behind her.

She clenched her fists, as if resolving to face whatever came next, and turned around.

Gong Chen seemed to have just taken a shower, attired in a black robe that lay open at the chest, revealing firm, glistening skin with a sheen of moisture.

His limbs moved with ease.

Not to mention a gunshot wound, there wasn’t even a mark of any scuffle.

Lin Zhiyi stiffened slightly, her heart hanging by a thread, then plummeting down abruptly.

She should be relieved it was not Gong Chen; this way, she wouldn’t owe him anything.

But...

Her emotions at the moment were indescribable; she strained to maintain composure, barely holding her face steady.

"Uncle."

"Have a seat."

Gong Chen casually tied the sash of his robe and sat down with a cigarette appearing between his fingers.

Click.

The lighter flickered to life, its flames dancing on his face, casting a pale shadow on his deep, meaningful features.

Tobacco smoke wafted towards her, Lin Zhiyi snapped back to reality, lowered her gaze and shook her head, "No, I won’t disturb your rest."

With that, she turned to leave.

But the chilling voice of the man behind her stopped her in her tracks.

"Can your mother wait?"

Lin Zhiyi halted, turning incredulously towards him, "What do you mean?"

"What do you think?"

Gong Chen lifted his gaze, regarding her coldly, casually playing with the lighter on his knee.

It was then that Lin Zhiyi grasped the true meaning behind Chen Jin’s words that the Third Young Master was waiting for her.

Her fists tightened, fingernails digging into her palms, the pain forcing her to breathe, but unable to suppress the bitterness welling up within her.

"So... you already know about the old man sending the police after my mom? And you knew I’d have to come beg you?"

"Yes."

The man’s voice was cool, his features obscured by the thin veil of smoke, his unreadable expression growing increasingly intimidating.

Like a predator lying in wait, ready for the prey to stumble into his trap.

And Lin Zhiyi was that prey.

Yet the farce was that, just minutes before, she had been moved and conflicted by the thought that Gong Chen might have saved her.

A wave of humiliation at being toyed with swept over her, tearing through her being.

"What if I’m unwilling?"

"Lin Zhiyi, you have no choice."

His words dragged Lin Zhiyi into the depths of a desolate sea of despair, engulfing her in an instant.

Mist before her eyes, tears threatening to break free, she slowly closed them, her breathing quivering uncontrollably.

A few seconds later, Lin Zhiyi opened her eyes to look at him, her gaze dim, her expression tinged with self-derision.

"No need to trouble yourself, uncle, I’ll turn myself in."

She had indeed considered asking Gong Chen to save Liu He, but in that moment, she no longer wanted to.

Three million, ten years in prison.

With the old man’s influence, perhaps the charges could be made even more severe.

So it was that Lin Zhiyi would cease to exist in this world.

Her shoulders slumped; she turned to leave.

But after just one step, the man’s invasive presence suddenly breathed down her neck, sending chills up her spine.

Before she could react, his arms imprisoned her body, and he leaned in close, his burning lips grazing her ear.

In between breaths, his untroubled voice resonated.

"Lin Zhiyi, if you dare to do that, the next one to go in will be your mother. After all, the three million was transferred directly to your mother’s account. She didn’t know? Who would believe that?"

Lin Zhiyi froze, slowly turning around in disbelief to face Gong Chen.

She remained silent for a long while, her heart on the verge of collapse.

After a minute of silence, when she spoke again, her voice was nearly a scream.

"Why must you force me!"

"Why can’t you let me go!"

"When will you be satisfied with what you turn me into?"

"I’m obedient, everyone bullies me, I resist, and you find me too stubborn!"

"I am human! I am human!"

The veins on her neck bulged, an eerie flush spreading across her originally pale cheeks. Her chest heaved violently as she glared at the man before her with eyes full of resentment.

He... remained as unfathomably calm and restrained as ever.

In that moment, time seemed to stand still; her pain and struggle, he ignored completely.

Gong Chen calmly lifted her face, a flicker in his eyes that was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

So fast it might have been mistaken for an illusion.

He said in a low, chilling tone, "Lin Zhiyi, you’re mine. Why should I let you go?"

His hot, oppressive breath fell on Lin Zhiyi’s face. She wanted to dodge, but the man forced her to meet his gaze.

His dark eyes turned a possessive, fierce red as he kissed her lips viciously.

Lin Zhiyi struggled madly, beating against his body with her hands.

Suddenly, he trembled against her lips and quickly pinned her wrists, trapping her back against his chest.

"Stay, or you and your mother can go to jail together, what do you say?"

"..."

Lin Zhiyi turned her back to Gong Chen, and although she couldn’t see his expression, his icy tone made it clear he was running out of patience.

She clenched her fists tightly, her heart gradually freezing over, and she struggled no more.

Even if she hadn’t come today, Gong Chen would have found a way to make her agree.

"Stay."

Lin Zhiyi summoned all her strength to utter those two words.

She looked up at her surroundings, a prison that had trapped her for eight years, and now, it had captured her once more.

And the man behind her had not let her go.

"Go upstairs and take a shower."

"..."

Lin Zhiyi said nothing, slowly making her way upstairs, her silhouette so frail it was heartbreaking.

The man behind her watched her, a strange flicker crossing his eyes before it was concealed within the depths of darkness; his handsome features cold to the point of pallor.

He took a step forward, his body swaying as if to fall, but Chen Jin was quick to steady him.

"Third Young Master."

"Shut up!" Gong Chen’s voice was low, "Go to the study."

...

On the first floor, in the study.

As soon as the door opened, the smell of blood rushed in.

Li Huan, wearing a mask and gloves, stood there, his white coat already stained with blood.

The floor was covered with blood-soaked gauze.

Gong Chen was helped to sit down, and Li Huan quickly stepped forward to undo his clothes.

His body seemed unharmed at first glance, but upon closer inspection, a patch of skin on his waist had started to peel.

Li Huan peeled off the artificial skin to reveal a freshly sutured wound that began to bleed profusely again.

With a grave expression, he said, "I need to restitch this, but we’re out of anesthetics. You should come with me to the hospital."

Gong Chen picked up the half-finished glass of liquor and drained it in one gulp.

"Sew it. It’s not the first time."

"You... Madman!" Li Huan cursed but quickly concentrated on stitching up the wound.

Fortunately, he was both fast and stable, and the bleeding stopped.

After treating the wound, Chen Jin quickly cleaned up the bloodied gauze and medical waste from the floor.

"I’ll go burn it."

After Chen Jin left, Li Huan placed a small dish with the bullet in front of Gong Chen.

"For a mere girl, you’ve had to resort to killers. All markings have been ground off the bullet and gun; the person you caught is unregistered, there’s no trace to follow."

"He always operates this way."

Gong Chen spoke with a cigarette between his lips, lighting it single-handedly.

The smoke wafted up, making his deep features appear even paler and more ethereal, unreal in their beauty.

Li Huan wiped the blood off his hands with an alcohol swab, his eyes wandering before finally settling on Gong Chen.

When he spoke, there was a hint of persuasion in his tone.

"What are you planning to do? Lin Zhiyi is just an ordinary person; once or twice you can shield her, but what then? Are you going to make her hide for a lifetime?"

"In my place, no one else can enter," Gong Chen’s eyes were forbidding.

Li Huan was startled. "You... You’re going to keep her confined here? But you’re getting married! How can she face the outside? Can you keep her here forever?"

There was no warmth in Gong Chen’s eyes, his tone flat, without a ripple.

"Then forever."