Her Rose – Chapter 80

Jiang Hanguang returned shortly, just as she had said, but behind her was a neatly uniformed police officer.

The officer first nodded to Cheng Ying. “Miss Cheng, I’m here to take your statement. It’s just a simple, routine inquiry, so you don’t need to be nervous.”

The only conscious witness, Hua Ran, had given a vehement statement, so the police could only question everyone who was still in the villa at the time, one by one, hoping to get some clues.

The surveillance footage was completely useless. To reconstruct the truth, it seemed they could only rely on these people’s testimonies.

First, they ruled out the mother and son, Feng Ying and Feng Nan. One was terminally ill and completely unconscious, while the other was still in the emergency room.

But everyone’s statements were surprisingly consistent. The security guards, who were practically desperados, all looked bewildered, saying that shortly after the intruders fled, their minds went numb and they lost consciousness.

Two of them did say they had tied up Cheng Ying to take her to see Feng Nan, but they also fainted halfway there.

When Cheng Ying was found, she was even wearing handcuffs and had bruised her forehead on the stairs. It was clear she had been attacked just like the security guards.

The police hadn’t listed her as a suspect, so the questioning officer was particularly polite.

Cheng Ying indeed acted like a victim. Her expression was dazed, but she still gave the officer a polite smile—much like any ordinary person’s reaction to the police—and gestured for him to sit.

The officer sat down, only to see that Miss Jiang, who had brought him in, had already gracefully seated herself by the hospital bed. While pouring a glass of water for the alpha on the bed, she reached under the covers, presumably to hold her hand.

In short, she showed no intention of giving them any privacy.

This officer happened to be the one who had met them when Jiang Hanguang came down the mountain the previous day. He touched his neck with lingering fear and didn’t dare ask her to leave. Clearing his throat, he began the questioning.

“Miss Cheng, why did you stay at the Feng family villa at that time?”

This was what the police were most curious about. Although they had already taken statements from Jiang Hanguang and the others, based on Cheng Ying’s reputation, she didn’t seem like the type of person to do such a “foolish thing.”

Staying behind to confront a weapon-wielding madman for her girlfriend’s benefactor—what kind of hot-blooded hero script was this?

Cheng Ying felt Jiang Hanguang’s hand tighten around hers. She squeezed back reassuringly and said slowly, “I had a rush of blood to the head, wanted to play the hero. I figured those security guards were just employees. With their boss in that state, they would surely run off. I’m an alpha too, and I thought if I found a stick, I might not lose to that madman. But as it turns out…” She gave a bitter smile. “Feng Nan must have spent a lot of money on those guys.”

The officer: “…”

Although the answer wasn’t entirely logical, for some reason, it mysteriously fit her persona.

A rich, spoiled brat—it’s all about the thrill, isn’t it?

It wasn’t unheard of for someone to play the hero on an impulse.

He could only continue, “And what happened after that?”

Cheng Ying truthfully answered the parts that didn’t need to be concealed. “I was grabbed by two security guards. They said they were taking me to see Feng Nan, but as soon as I entered the door, my head buzzed and I lost consciousness.” She made an expression of lingering fear. “I thought Feng Nan had done it. When I woke up and saw all my limbs were intact, I felt like I had survived a disaster.”

The officer nodded. Cheng Ying’s testimony matched the others. The evidence had been destroyed, and now they could only conclude that a terrifying avenger had appeared in the Feng family villa. This person had knocked everyone out, crippled Feng Nan, and vanished without a trace.

Given Feng Nan’s way of doing things, it wasn’t strange that he would provoke a few people like that.

So, still no leads, as expected?

The officer sighed, closed his notebook, and rose to leave.

The door to the hospital room closed softly. Cheng Ying let out a breath, her mind unbearably weary. She wanted to sleep, but she saw Jiang Hanguang looking at her.

The woman’s eyes were downcast, filled with an irresolvable sorrow, and her lips remained pressed into a thin line.

Cheng Ying subconsciously wanted to touch her face, but just as she raised her hand, she forced it back down onto the bed.

She was silent for a moment, then just squeezed the woman’s hand. “I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.”

Jiang Hanguang looked at Cheng Ying. The alpha’s loose-fitting hospital gown made her look surprisingly frail. Her face was pale, a faint smile played on her lips, and her eyes held a deep gloom.

She didn’t look fine at all.

Even though Cheng Ying’s account was placid, Jiang Hanguang could still vividly imagine the peril involved.

If that “hero” hadn’t appeared, perhaps she really would never have seen Cheng Ying again.

Or perhaps Cheng Ying was…

Jiang Hanguang recalled Cheng Ying’s unusual behavior in the two days before the incident, feeling both confused and afraid.

Yes, Cheng Ying was back by her side, but she was still afraid.

Because this was still the Cheng Ying who felt like a stranger. The fervent love and vitality in her blue eyes had vanished, leaving only indifference and calm.

And that feigned consideration and affection.

This version of Cheng Ying made Jiang Hanguang uneasy, not because she was unpredictable, but because she always felt that she might suddenly lose her again at any moment.

She never wanted to experience even a hint of that feeling again.

---

Cheng Ying stayed in the hospital for two days for observation. By the time she was discharged, the police had released their official announcement regarding the Feng Nan incident.

First, regarding Feng Nan, he had been successfully revived, but for the rest of his life, he would be confined to a bed, hooked up to life-sustaining tubes, reduced to a mere shit-making machine.

The police decided that after the court delivered its verdict on Feng Nan, they would cut off his life support, which would be considered carrying out a death sentence.

As for Feng Ying, out of humanitarian concern and with the government’s coordination, a nursing home had agreed to take her in. However, doctors determined that the possibility of her regaining consciousness was minuscule, and that her days were numbered.

As for the nameless hero, although the police had symbolically issued a wanted notice, it lacked any distinguishing features and was thus just a piece of paper, serving no purpose other than to enrich the urban legends of Yunjing City.

The film crew naturally knew about such a major incident. Director Yan was uncharacteristically generous, giving them a week off to rest and recuperate.

After returning home, Cheng Ying continued to force herself to keep her distance from Jiang Hanguang. Crippling Feng Nan had once again given her a clear understanding of her own cruelty, and it reminded her that Cheng Mo’s influence might be far greater than she had imagined.

An ordinary person, no matter how angry or filled with hatred, could not beat someone to the brink of death without any inner turmoil, nor could they look at the bloody body and remain unmoved.

The person in the world who most feared and loathed this side of her was Cheng Ying herself.

Because she absolutely did not want to become a person like Cheng Mo.

She was trapped in a self-incriminating delusion from which she couldn’t escape, always feeling that one day she would become Cheng Mo. It reached the point where looking at her own face in the mirror, which bore some resemblance to her, made her feel disgusted.

How could she use the hands that had broken Feng Nan’s bones to caress the woman’s soft waist? She didn’t even know if she could control herself.

She was completely unworthy of Jiang Hanguang. The other woman was such a good person, while she was a monster with cruelty woven into her very blood.

If that day ever came, the one person she didn’t want to hurt was Jiang Hanguang.

But Jiang Hanguang seemed to be deliberately working against her. The woman who, just a month ago, would be teased until she was red-faced and powerless to retaliate, now constantly wanted to hug and kiss her, as if only by doing so could she confirm that Cheng Ying was still alive.

Cheng Ying did her best to avoid it, and when she couldn’t, she could only force herself to endure it.

Her mind remained in a state of tense exhaustion. Cheng Mo, Feng Nan, and that terrifying version of herself took turns tormenting her, leaving her no capacity to notice anything else.

And so, she failed to notice the growing sadness in Jiang Hanguang’s eyes.

---

Once again, Cheng Ying shivered in the middle of the night and woke up silently.

She sat up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and scrambled out of bed.

An arm wrapped around her waist. Jiang Hanguang’s gentle voice came from behind. “Where are you going?”

Cheng Ying offered an excuse she didn’t even believe herself. “I remembered I have some work to do. You go back to sleep. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Jiang Hanguang remained silent, but didn’t release her.

In the two days since they had returned, Cheng Ying would always wake with a start in the middle of the night, leave for a while, and then come back.

Even if she had brushed her teeth, Jiang Hanguang could still smell the alcohol.

What’s wrong with you? Have you reached the point where you must numb yourself with strong liquor again?

Jiang Hanguang didn’t ask, because Cheng Ying’s previous actions had already told her that the other woman didn’t want to talk.

But she had had enough—of this Cheng Ying, and of this version of herself.

Cheng Ying waited for a moment, but Jiang Hanguang didn’t let go. Not daring to turn around, she could only call out softly, “Hanguang?”

The other woman didn’t answer. The arm around her waist suddenly tightened, dragging the already unsteady Cheng Ying back onto the bed.

Cheng Ying: “!”

Before she even had time to be surprised, the woman’s lips and tongue were already on hers.

It was a kiss no different from the one in the hospital—sweet and fierce, but this time, Cheng Ying tasted a faint, salty bitterness.

Was Jiang Hanguang crying?

In a panic, she tried to touch the woman’s face, but her hand was caught and pressed against that supple waist.

Jiang Hanguang pressed down on her, pulling back slightly. Rose-scented pheromones enveloped them both as hot, moist breath tickled her ear. The woman’s voice was hoarse, low, and trembling uncontrollably. “Take me.”

Cheng Ying instinctively shook her head. “I can’t…”

The word was smothered by the kiss that followed, another long, intoxicating one.

Cheng Ying’s gaze grew hazy, and her hands on Jiang Hanguang’s waist tightened instinctively.

She was like a person submerged beneath a sheet of ice, and now, the woman’s scorching body heat was melting the thick surface, allowing her to feel a warmth she hadn’t experienced in a long, long time.

Jiang Hanguang commanded her once more: “Take me, Cheng Ying.”

Jiang Hanguang rarely called her by her full name. At this moment, it felt less like an intimate encounter and more like a contest.

The terrified monster wanted only to retreat into its shell for safety. She had sharp claws and fangs, she had technology beyond her time, she had countless unspeakable grievances.

Her opponent, however, had nothing but soft lips, a warm body, and endless courage.

But Cheng Ying lost. Utterly and completely.

Because from beginning to end, there was only one reason she ever lost control—Jiang Hanguang.

It was hardly a gentle entanglement. Cheng Ying’s remaining consciousness was just enough to ensure she didn’t hurt Jiang Hanguang.

If not drawing blood counted as not getting hurt, that is.

Wherever her trembling lips and teeth passed, they left a trail of devastation.

Of course, she couldn’t see them; she could only imagine them based on Jiang Hanguang’s trembling and gasps.

She imagined the woman’s furrowed brows, her bright, tear-filled eyes, her ravaged and swollen lips, and her body, covered in a fine sheen of sweat, so white it was dazzling.

Yet even so, Jiang Hanguang didn’t flinch. With what little strength she had left, her arms clung tightly to Cheng Ying’s neck.

Forbidding her to leave, forbidding her to escape.

If our souls cannot merge for now, at least let our bodies know no barriers.

To Cheng Ying, Jiang Hanguang felt like a piece of melted toffee in her hands—so sweet, so soft, and so very clinging.

And she was like a poor soul with a fatal sweet tooth, forced into long-term withdrawal, her mind consumed with how to savor her, over and over again.

She was thrown into another sea, the water wrapping tightly around her. Her whole body ached, and she even felt a faint sense of suffocation.

But she had no desire to escape. She only wanted to drown here forever, to swim freely and without obstruction.

Her unmoored soul was shoved back into her heart by Jiang Hanguang’s almost brutal methods. The scorching heat seared her, and the violent throbbing stirred her nearly to tears, yet she felt happy.

Yes, of course it’s different. I am loved by her.

She will come to save me. She possesses all the world’s most beautiful qualities. She will show me what kind of person I should be.

I am not like you.

Cheng Ying rolled over, letting Jiang Hanguang rest on top of her. She piously kissed the sweat-dampened hair on the woman’s forehead, soothing her overly tense muscles.

The woman’s smooth body was tempting, but her returning reason warned her not to push her luck.

Jiang Hanguang’s nerves had been tormented by the sharp sensory stimulation for a long time. Now that the storm had subsided, drowsiness immediately and unceremoniously invaded her mind.

She could barely open her eyes, yet she still managed to dazedly lift her head to return Cheng Ying’s kiss.

Her voice was hoarse from dehydration. She asked with difficulty, “Is this… enough?”

The alpha responded with a helpless chuckle, nibbling her ear. “We can’t go again. You’re all swollen.”

The familiar Cheng Ying seemed to have returned, and the unease in Jiang Hanguang’s heart instantly vanished like smoke.

She was about to fall asleep, but she remembered one last thing.

“Mark…”

And before her consciousness sank into the deep sea, she heard the alpha’s reply.

“Wait a little longer. Just a little longer, be good.”

Wait for what?

Before Jiang Hanguang could ask, she fell asleep.