SOD | Chapter 85

In an instant, Nie Chuan felt like he had been shattered into pieces. He thought he could look away, but his gaze seemed to be caught by Reese, unable to turn away.

For Nie Chuan, the most absurd and laughable thing he had ever done in his life was running all the way to New York. Reese had clearly said, “If you don’t come with me to New York for Christmas, don’t suddenly show up looking for me,” but he couldn’t resist and came running. Now, seeing this scene, who could he blame?

His eyes felt sore and swollen, and the world blurred before him.

It was precisely because of this blur that Nie Chuan felt he could finally escape Reese’s gaze. It felt like a battle of strength, and in his weakened state, Nie Chuan staggered back two steps.

He turned around and took a deep breath, as if the still world was finally starting to move again.

But he was lost, his mind blank. He asked himself: What’s going on? What did I just see? What should I do?

There was no answer.

Panicked, he grabbed his suitcase and made his way to the door.

His eyes and nose scrunched up, and something uncontrollably fell from his eyes.

Across the street, Reese suddenly realized something. He quickly set the woman down from his back. Just as he was about to run, the scarf wrapped around his neck and hers yanked him back, causing her to almost stumble.

“Hey—Reese!” She glared at him in dissatisfaction.

Reese yanked the scarf off and rushed forward.

Seeing a car speeding past, she screamed, but Reese leaped over the hood of the car in a single bound just as it came to a screeching halt.

At this moment, Nie Chuan had no strength left to even pick up his suitcase. It felt like his soul had left his body, and the wheels of the suitcase scraped against the stairs.

Just as he was about to reach the front door of the apartment, he collided with Reese, who was running toward him. He lurched backward, almost sitting down on the stairs, but Reese grabbed him and pulled him back.

“NIE CHUAN!”

The familiar voice, the warmth he had missed for so long, even his breath—everything made Nie Chuan’s thoughts crumble in an instant.

“I… I…” His breath caught in his throat, as if Reese was choking him, preventing him from breathing.

For the first time, Nie Chuan understood what “life or death” felt like.

At that moment, Nie Chuan just wanted to escape from Reese, to go somewhere no one knew him, and get his thoughts back together.

If you like someone else, don’t let me see it!

I thought you were special, but it turns out you’re just part of the 365 days of heartbreak!

“A-Chuan…” Reese’s hands were just about to touch his shoulders when Nie Chuan quickly dodged.

“I… Zhou Bin is waiting for me…”

Nie Chuan quickly grabbed his suitcase and tried to walk outside. He didn’t even know why he came up with such a lame excuse.

But before he could even drag his suitcase, Reese yanked it back.

“I didn’t see Zhou Bin. You came here specifically to find me.”

Reese’s gaze was certain, and that certainty made Nie Chuan feel even more ashamed.

He turned his face away with all his strength, trying to break free from Reese’s grip, but Reese only tightened his hold.

“…I have things to do… I’m going home! Let me go home!”

Nie Chuan couldn’t care about any excuse anymore. He just wanted to leave!

As far away as possible, as fast as possible!

Somehow, he found the strength to shove Reese away.

Reese’s feet slid on the snow, and he took a small step back. At that moment, Nie Chuan pushed his suitcase open and stumbled as he tried to step out, almost falling, but he steadied himself.

He broke into a run.

Reese, having regained his footing, immediately chased after him without hesitation.

Nie Chuan didn’t think about anything, but his legs were moving fast. The wind howled in his ears, his heart pounding, and the street scenery quickly passed by. Everything felt like it was in a time tunnel.

“NIE CHUAN! NIE CHUAN!”

Reese was chasing him madly, his hair whipping in the wind, his teeth gritted as he shouted that name, as if he wanted to crush Nie Chuan’s retreating figure.

Nie Chuan heard Reese’s voice behind him, and it made his heart race with dread.

“Get the hell away from me!”

Nie Chuan shouted, showing no sign of stopping.

“Stop now or I’ll kill you!” Reese’s angry shout followed immediately.

Reese was furious, and Nie Chuan didn’t dare look back at his expression.

Ahead, a taxi approached, and Nie Chuan gave a relieved expression, waving for it to stop.

The car screeched to a halt in front of him, but before he could open the door and get in, someone from behind grabbed him by the waist, pulling him away.

“What are you doing?! Let go of me!” Nie Chuan struggled fiercely.

A big guy’s strength was not to be underestimated, and Nie Chuan jabbed his elbow into the person’s shoulder, kicking backward at his knee.

“Ugh…”

There was a muffled grunt from behind, and Nie Chuan hesitated for less than a second before pushing with even more strength.

“Hey, buddy… do you want me to call the cops?” The taxi driver, watching the scene, seemed scared.

It looked like the young man’s bones were almost being crushed by the person behind him.

In that moment, Nie Chuan’s body was lifted off the ground as Reese threw him over his shoulder.

“None of your business!” Reese shot a cold glance at the taxi driver.

The driver shrugged and helplessly said, “Alright, whatever happens, just sort it out.”

He then drove away.

Nie Chuan pounded on Reese’s back, kicking with all his might, though he couldn’t land a hit.

“Reese Redington! Get the hell off me!”

Reese didn’t speak, just carried Nie Chuan while he struggled, walking steadily forward.

Passersby on the street looked over, whispering, but Reese ignored them.

In the reflections from the shop windows, Nie Chuan could see Reese’s cold expression. His eyes were slightly lowered, making him appear indifferent and frosty.

A growing fear settled in Nie Chuan’s chest. As Reese passed a streetlamp, Nie Chuan suddenly grabbed the lamppost and refused to let go.

Reese tightened his grip around Nie Chuan’s waist, but couldn’t pull him away.

Nie Chuan’s resolve was stronger than ever.

“If you don’t let go, I’ll break up with you!”

Reese raised an eyebrow and coldly replied, “If I let go, you’ll break up with me even faster. And if you want to keep holding that lamppost, I don’t care. I’ll count to three, and if you don’t let go, I’ll fuck you right here.”

Nie Chuan’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Reese, and Reese also turned his head to look back at him.

Nie Chuan knew Reese wasn’t just threatening him; he always followed through when it mattered most.

“One, two…”

Before Reese could say “three,” Nie Chuan shouted, “I’m going home!”

“Alright, let go and we’ll go home,” Reese said.

“Who wants to go home with you! I’m going to my own home!”

In that moment, Reese suddenly threw Nie Chuan onto the ground. Nie Chuan almost landed hard on his backside.

Reese half-squatted down, staring into Nie Chuan’s eyes. “Fine, if you want to go to your own home, we need to sort something out first. The woman I just carried on my back is Vivian Hill. Before she got married, she was Vivian Redington.”

“What? She’s married? You were with a married woman? What the hell…” Nie Chuan froze, then suddenly realized, “What? Vivian… Redington… She’s your sister?”

“What do you think?” Reese tilted his head.

“So… So the ‘v’ in your phone was Vivian?” Nie Chuan’s brain almost short-circuited.

“It wasn’t Vivian, was it Victoria?” Reese coldly retorted.

“Then… the letter I found under your bed, signed with ‘v’—is it your sister writing love letters to you?” Nie Chuan countered.

He waited for a few seconds, but Reese only pressed his lips together, refusing to respond.

Nie Chuan stared at him, signaling with his eyes that he was waiting for an answer.

But Reese still didn’t answer.

Nie Chuan suddenly realized something, and anger flared up. He shoved Reese hard. “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”

If Reese couldn’t explain the letter, maybe the ‘v’ in his phone contacts wasn’t Vivian after all! Who keeps their sister’s contact under just a capital letter?

Before Nie Chuan could even take two steps, Reese grabbed him again.

This time, Reese’s fingers tightened around Nie Chuan’s wrist, so tight it almost felt like it would break.

Nie Chuan broke into a cold sweat, his eyes and nose scrunched up. “It hurts! Let go of me!”

He kicked Reese hard, but Reese didn’t budge, showing no intention of dodging.

“Did you read what the letter said?” Reese suddenly asked.

Nie Chuan froze. Thinking about the contents of that letter, he felt even more unlucky. “I damn well didn’t read it because I trusted you!”

“I want to kiss your lips.”

“Kiss my ass!” Nie Chuan tried to pry Reese’s fingers off, but couldn’t. He was so desperate, he almost bit Reese’s hand, but he couldn’t break free.

“I want to tangle my tongue with yours, I want you inside me, I want to claim you completely.”

Nie Chuan’s shoulders trembled. He looked at Reese, completely incredulous. Even if the world were ending, Nie Chuan never imagined Reese would say such things.

“You… what did you say?”

Is Reese really offering himself today?

“That’s what the letter said.”

Nie Chuan felt like his heart had dropped from a great height to the bottom of a valley. “You don’t need to flaunt letters others wrote to you.”

His nose turned sour, and his voice quivered.

He didn’t want to cry, because if he did, he’d lose. But in front of Reese, he had never won.

Zhou Bin’s warning was right. With all those people flocking to Reese, why wouldn’t he enjoy it?

“It wasn’t my letter. It was from a girl named Victoria, who wrote it to you.”

Nie Chuan was stunned. “Wha… what? How did I not know?”

“I found it when I was packing your sports bag.”

Nie Chuan stood there, his brain slowly rebooting. “So… a girl named Victoria, who called herself v… wrote a love letter and put it in my sports bag, and you found it. Not only did you find it, you opened it and read it! And you never told me!”

The plot had completely reversed, and Nie Chuan suddenly felt like he had the upper hand.

Reese’s gaze grew even colder, and his eyebrows lifted. “So what if I read it? Are you planning to fulfill her fantasies about you?”

“I certainly won’t! I…” Nie Chuan, in his anger, suddenly didn’t know what to say.

Reese turned and forcefully pulled Nie Chuan back toward the apartment.

As they walked, Nie Chuan tried to shake Reese off, but Reese kept pulling him tightly. Every time Nie Chuan tried to stop, Reese would tug harder.

“I’m going home!”

“We’re going home now.”

“My home isn’t here!”

Nie Chuan felt embarrassed and angry.

The embarrassment was from thinking of Reese’s sister as a fake rival.

The anger came from the fact that the letter from v had actually been meant for him, but Reese had “taken” it without ever mentioning it to him!

“Where’s your suitcase? You can’t fly anywhere without your suitcase,” Reese asked.

That’s when Nie Chuan remembered his backpack was still in the suitcase, all his important documents inside.

“You came all the way here to find me because you missed me, didn’t you? You didn’t even think about how much money you had left. Are you sure you have enough money to go back?” Reese threw another question at him, and Nie Chuan realized he couldn’t solve that one either.

He could only follow Reese, silently walking back to the apartment door.

There, Vivian was sitting on his suitcase, waiting for them.

When she saw Reese dragging Nie Chuan back, she beamed and waved. “Hi!”

Nie Chuan had no face to greet her.

“Get up,” Reese nodded at Vivian.

Vivian stood up, and Reese grabbed Nie Chuan’s suitcase, heading upstairs to the apartment.

“Hey, what do I do?” Vivian asked.

Nie Chuan finally noticed that Vivian’s boot heel had broken. That was probably why Reese had been carrying her earlier.

“Take a taxi back,” Reese said, without looking back, continuing to walk upstairs.

There was a sense of certainty in Reese’s figure, and every step he took seemed full of strength.

Nie Chuan had a bad feeling, and his waist suddenly felt as though it was in pain, as if some phantom ache had taken over.

Reese was pulling him along, but Nie Chuan suddenly gathered all his strength and broke free from Reese’s grip. He hadn’t even taken two steps back before Reese yanked him back again.

“Do you want to die?” Reese turned around and looked at Nie Chuan.

Nie Chuan didn’t dare to even take a breath.

Reese opened the door, shoved the suitcase inside, and then dragged Nie Chuan in right after.

Nie Chuan couldn’t keep his balance, almost falling to the ground, but Reese immediately leapt on top of him, pressing him down with his hands on his shoulders, lowering his head.

Reese’s eyes locked onto Nie Chuan’s as if looking down from a great height. “Did you cry?”

“…No! I won’t cry!” Nie Chuan denied, his voice sounding incredibly guilty.

“So, you actually like me more than you thought, right?”

Nie Chuan’s eyes once again betrayed him, filling with tears. He turned his face away, gritting his teeth as he shouted, “Yeah! Happy now?!”

Something fell out of Nie Chuan’s coat pocket.

Reese looked down at it briefly. “What’s this?”