236: Chapter 236 Xia Linzi's Unbearable Temper

Xia Linzi abruptly jerked her hand back and took a step away, bumping into the dining chair behind her. The chair legs let out a harsh screeching sound against the floor.

"How dare you!"

Wang Peng's face darkened completely. He stood up abruptly and delivered a vicious slap to Xia Linzi's face.

*Slap!*

The crisp sound echoed throughout the entire private booth, and everyone's eyes focused on Xia Linzi.

Her head was knocked to the side by the force of the slap. Her cheek instantly became red and swollen, stinging with a burning pain, and the corner of her mouth was split, oozing a thin trail of blood.

She could no longer hold back her tears. They slid down her cheeks and dripped onto her white dress, creating small, dark stains.

She clutched her face, looking at Wang Peng in disbelief. The despair in her heart surged up like a tide, drowning her.

"You dare dodge? You dare give me attitude?"

Wang Peng's tone was icy and filled with thick rage. He reached out and grabbed Xia Linzi by the hair, yanking her head up and forcing her to look at President Zhang.

"At this dinner, you are nothing but my plaything. President Zhang can touch you however he wants. What right do you have to refuse? Apologize to President Zhang and tell him you're willing to keep him company!"

Xia Linzi's hair was pulled so hard it was agonizing, as if her scalp was being torn off, and tears blurred her vision.

She looked at President Zhang's greasy and lecherous face, and then at the mocking and voyeuristic gazes of the people around her, feeling nothing but utter disgust.

She grit her teeth and refused to speak. Even though she was trembling with pain, she was unwilling to abandon her last shred of dignity.

"I told you to apologize!"

Wang Peng yanked her hair again with more force. Xia Linzi screamed in pain, her tears flowing freely, yet she still refused to submit.

Wang Peng was completely infuriated. He picked up a bottle of red wine from the table and poured it directly over Xia Linzi's face.

The red wine flowed down her cheeks, soaking her dress and clinging to her body, outlining her thin frame.

Her hair was drenched by the wine, sticking to her face in clumps. She looked pathetic and wretched, like a drowned dog.

"If you dare to be disobedient again, I'll let President Zhang take you away. I'll let everyone see what this 'chaste woman' is really like!"

Wang Peng's voice carried a threat, his eyes terrifyingly sinister. "And as for Zhou Chong, I'll withdraw my investment tomorrow and make his company go bankrupt. I'll leave him homeless on the streets. Let's see how you protect him then!"

These words completely shattered Xia Linzi's psychological defenses.

She looked at Wang Peng's hideous face and then thought of Zhou Chong's future. The last bit of her resolve collapsed.

She slowly lowered her head, her voice choked with sobs but exceptionally clear: "President Zhang, I'm sorry."

President Zhang laughed loudly and reached out to pat her face. "Good girl. Now that's being obedient."

Seeing her soften, the ferocity on Wang Peng's face dissipated slightly, and he resumed that greasy air of tenderness. "Alright, Linzi, don't feel bad. When the dinner is over, I'll take you to buy some new clothes."

Xia Linzi did not speak. She simply stood to the side in silence, her tears falling soundlessly and dripping onto her wine-soaked dress.

Throughout the rest of the dinner, she was like a soulless puppet, allowing Wang Peng to manipulate her and others to scrutinize and tease her. She couldn't even force a smile onto her face.

By the time the dinner ended, it was already late at night.

Wang Peng led Xia Linzi out of the hotel. As the night wind blew, the sting of the red wine and the chill on her body made her shiver.

After getting into the car, Wang Peng saw her haggard appearance and suddenly reached out to touch her face. "Linzi, serve me well, and I won't treat you poorly."

Xia Linzi turned her head away, looking at the passing neon lights outside the window, her heart completely cold.

She knew this was just another one of Wang Peng's lies, but she no longer had the strength to argue.

...

The continuous abuse and humiliation caused Xia Linzi to break down completely.

She could no longer endure this kind of life. She no longer wanted to be Wang Peng's plaything, and she didn't want to sacrifice everything for Zhou Chong anymore.

After returning from the dinner that night, Xia Linzi didn't sleep at all.

She looked at the scars on her back, the slap marks on her face, and her haggard reflection in the mirror. She made a decision in her heart.

She wanted to end all of this. She was going to find Zhou Chong and tell him the whole truth. She didn't want to be Wang Peng's mistress anymore.

Early the next morning, Xia Linzi took a day off and didn't go to the Supermarket. With a heart full of anxiety, she went to Zhou Chong's company.

By this time, with Wang Peng's help, Zhou Chong's company was already on the right track. He had rented a spacious office and had over a dozen employees.

He was wearing a designer suit and sitting in his executive chair, looking full of spirit and mettle. He was no longer the poor boy he once was.

When he saw Xia Linzi enter, Zhou Chong's face instantly darkened, and his tone was filled with impatience. "Why are you here? This is a company, not a place you should be. Leave at once."

Looking at his unfamiliar demeanor, Xia Linzi felt a sharp pang in her heart, and tears instantly welled up.

"Zhou Chong, I have something to tell you. I don't want to be Wang Peng's mistress anymore. I can't take it. He hits me, he verbally abuses me, and he even humiliated me at a dinner party. I really can't hold on any longer."

She told Zhou Chong everything about being abused by Wang Peng and being humiliated at the dinner party. She cried as she spoke, the wounds on her back aching dully. Her grievances and despair poured out like a flood.

She thought that when Zhou Chong heard this, he would feel sorry for her, be angry, and tell her to stop everything.

But she never expected that there wouldn't be a trace of pity on Zhou Chong's face. Instead, he frowned, his tone full of reproach and dissatisfaction.

"Linzi, haven't you made enough of a scene?" Zhou Chong stood up and walked over to her, his voice cold.

"President Wang is willing to help me; it's my good fortune and yours too. What's wrong with suffering a little grievance? For the sake of my career and our future, can't you just endure it a bit?"

"Endure?"

Xia Linzi couldn't believe her ears. She looked at Zhou Chong, and her tears fell even harder.

"I've been beaten until my body is covered in wounds and humiliated by others at will, and you call that 'a little grievance'? Zhou Chong, look at me! I look like a wreck now, and it's all for you! How can you say that?"

"How can I say that?" Zhou Chong sneered, his eyes filled with selfishness and indifference.

"If you hadn't gone to beg President Wang, would my company have ever taken off? Now that things are finally looking up, if you dare to cut ties with President Wang, my company will be finished! Our future will be finished!"

He reached out and grabbed Xia Linzi's shoulders. His tone suddenly softened as he began to sweet-talk her again, making grand promises.

"Linzi, I know you've suffered. I see it all, and I'll remember it in my heart."

"Just endure it a little longer, just for a while. Once my company is completely stable and I've made enough money, I'll immediately cut ties with President Wang and take you away from here."

"I swear, when my company goes public, I will marry you with great fanfare. I'll make you the wife of the CEO of a listed company and make everyone envy you."

"When that time comes, I'll buy you the best house and the most expensive jewelry. I'll make sure you never have to suffer even a little bit of grievance again, and I'll compensate you for everything you've endured over these years."

"Linzi, you're the person I love most. How could I bear to let you suffer forever? Just hold on a bit longer, okay? Just a little bit, and our good days will be here."

Zhou Chong's words were like honey, sweetly wrapping around Xia Linzi.

She looked into his affectionate eyes and listened to his familiar promises. The despair in her heart was once again replaced by a sliver of unrealistic fantasy.

She thought of her eight years of sacrifice, those days and nights of waiting, and his former tenderness. In the end, she couldn't bring herself to be heartless.

She wiped away her tears, her voice trembling slightly. "Is what you're saying true? When the company is doing better, you'll marry me and take me away from here?"

"Of course it's true!" Zhou Chong nodded immediately, his tone incredibly firm as he reached out to pull her into his arms.

"When have I ever lied to you? Linzi, believe me. Just endure a bit longer, and everything will get better."

...