90: Forced Love Boss 15

Su Wanqing, dressed in an expensive silk nightgown, leaned languidly on the sofa, toying with a stack of crisp banknotes in her hand, her gaze, like someone appraising an outdated piece of furniture, filled with undisguised contempt and disgust.

“Li Jin, you truly disgust me in this state.” Her red lips parted, her words like cold venomous snakes, “Aside from this face and those few stinking coins, what else do you have? You’ve imprisoned my freedom, and it makes me sick to my stomach.”

Her gaze swept over his body, which trembled slightly from pain, only showing utter disdain.

The scene abruptly shifted. It was a dimly lit hotel corridor, and he stood outside a slightly ajar door, like a ghost that couldn’t bear the light.

From inside the room came lewd laughter and ambiguous panting. Through the crack in the door, he clearly saw Su Wanqing, disheveled, nestled in another man’s arms. The man laughed triumphantly, his hand wandering freely over her body.

And he, Li Jin in his previous life, felt his heart being twisted by a knife, his body chilling, yet he didn’t even have the strength to rush in and question her, leaving only endless shame and the sharp pain of betrayal.

“Look at that good-for-nothing,” Su Wanqing’s voice clearly reached him, laced with deep mockery, “Only his money is somewhat useful. If it weren’t for the money, who would want to face his dead man’s face?”

“He’s just a dog wagging his tail for scraps, give him a bone and he’ll eagerly come running, impossible to shake off. Truly sickening.”

Every word, every glance, was like a red-hot branding iron, searing his soul.

Pain, humiliation, self-loathing… countless negative emotions surged, drowning him.

He felt abandoned in boundless darkness, chilling to the bone, without any light, without any warmth.

He curled up, wanting to protect himself, but only felt deeper loneliness and despair. The whole world was telling him: you are not worthy of love, you only deserve to be used and trampled upon.

Like a wounded beast, he roared silently in the abyss of despair, his soul torn to shreds, wanting only to seal himself off even deeper, to isolate this suffocating world with a thicker wall of ice.

Just as the boundless darkness and cold were about to completely swallow and freeze him, a warm light, without warning, pierced through the heavy gloom.

In the halo of light, a figure slowly became clear.

Wen Ci.

She wore simple cotton pajamas, her smile as gentle as melting snow in early spring, her eyes clear and embracing, carrying a softness that could smooth away all wrinkles.

She extended her hand towards him, who was curled up in the dark corner.

There was none of Su Wanqing’s harshness and calculation, not a trace of disdain or disgust. Her gaze held only pure, warm, and captivating care.

“Li Jin…” Her voice, as if imbued with magic, gently brushed over his scarred soul, “Don’t be afraid.”

The “he” in the dream lifted his head, his eyes hollow and bewildered, filled with deep wariness and disbelief.

But Wen Ci walked closer without hesitation, crouched down, and gently held his cold, stiff hand.

Her palm was so warm, and the warmth instantly dispelled the biting cold.

“Those were all fake,” her voice carried a strange soothing power, piercing through the nightmare’s barrier, “You are good, truly very good.”

She extended her other hand, carefully, with infinite tenderness, brushing aside the damp strands of hair on his forehead, her movements as gentle as if touching a rare treasure.

“I like you,” she looked at his shocked, almost shattered eyes, saying each word clearly and firmly, “Li Jin, I like you.”

These words, like a clap of thunder, yet also like the sweetest spring water, instantly split the gloom in his heart and nourished his parched, cracked soul.

In this life and the last, no one had ever spoken such words to him so purely, without any ulterior motive, simply because he was him.

“I will always be with you.” Her promise was like the firmest bedrock, “No matter what happens, I will be by your side.”

The soul, frozen in despair within the dream, trembled violently.

A massive, unbelievable wave of emotion and an almost overwhelming sense of grievance surged, breaking through all his defenses.

He suddenly reached out, not to push away, but to use all his strength to fiercely pull the figure radiating warm light tightly into his embrace!

The force was so great it was as if he wanted to crush her, to meld her into his bones and blood, like a drowning man clutching his only piece of driftwood.

Hot tears, uncontrollable, streamed from the corners of his tightly closed eyes, soaking her shoulder.

It was the release of pain and grievance that had accumulated for too long, finally bursting forth upon feeling a glimmer of salvation.

“A' Ci—!”

A roar, suppressing extreme pain and fear, suddenly ripped through the quiet of the bedroom.

Li Jin was drenched in cold sweat, as if he had just been pulled from water, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling violently. The cold despair of the nightmare had not completely faded, and his heart felt tightly clenched by an invisible hand, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He instinctively tightened his arms, but to his horror, he found his embrace empty!

“Ci Ci?” His voice was hoarse and trembling, filled with intense panic. He abruptly sat up, his bloodshot eyes frantically searching the dimly lit room, like a lone wolf that had lost its mate.

The next second, a rustling sound came from the other side of the bed, and the warm lamp was switched on.

“Li Jin, I’m here.” Wen Ci also opened her eyes at that moment, and seeing his distraught and terrified appearance, her heart instantly tightened.

Ignoring his cold, damp sweat, she wrapped her arms tightly around his tense body, “Don’t be afraid, you had a nightmare. I’m here, I’m here, those things are all in the past.”

Her voice was slightly hoarse from just waking up, yet it was incredibly clear and filled with soothing power.

Feeling the real and soft touch in his arms, smelling her familiar, comforting fragrance, Li Jin’s nerves, on the brink of collapse, felt gently supported by a tender hand.

But he didn’t relax; instead, he hugged her even tighter, his arms like iron bands, locking her firmly in his embrace with such force that Wen Ci almost couldn’t breathe.

“Ci Ci…” He buried his face deep into her neck, greedily drawing in her scent and warmth, his voice muffled, trembling with the aftermath of a catastrophe and a plea that was almost humble, “Don’t go… don’t leave me…”

Wen Ci was squeezed painfully by him, yet she didn’t struggle at all.

She clearly felt his body trembling violently, and sensed his immense unease and fragility at this moment.

Her heart softened completely and ached terribly.

She didn’t know what terrible thing he had dreamed of that made him so out of control, but she knew he needed her.

“I won’t go, I won’t go.” She responded gently, one hand lightly patting his tense back, while the other gently ran through his sweat-dampened hair, like comforting a startled child, softly stroking it repeatedly, “I’m right here, by your side.”

Li Jin, however, seemed not to hear, or perhaps dared not believe.

He lifted his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on her, filled with an impenetrable fear and uncertainty, like a lost child repeatedly asking:

“You really won’t leave me?” His voice was hoarse, with a heavy nasal tone.

“No.” Wen Ci replied without hesitation, her gaze firm as she looked back at him.

“Will you stay with me forever?” He pressed, his tone urgent, almost obsessive, as if without a definitive answer, she would disappear the next second.

“Yes.” Wen Ci’s voice was gentle and strong, like the most solemn vow.

“No matter what happens?” he continued to ask, his eyes so vulnerable it was heartbreaking.

“No matter what happens.” She gently cupped his sweaty cheeks, her thumb softly wiping away the lingering dampness from the corners of his eyes, looking directly into his deep, pained gaze, each word clear and precise,

“Li Jin, I promised you I would always be with you. This isn’t a dream, it’s real.

I like you, and only you.”

Her words, like warm sunlight, gradually dispelled the lingering nightmare’s gloom in his heart.

Her firm gaze, her gentle touch, her real warmth, all conveyed the same message to him: she was here, and she wouldn’t leave.

Li Jin’s body, tensed to the extreme, finally began to relax little by little with her repeated gentle reassurances and firm promises.

The panic and despair that had almost torn him apart slowly receded like a tide.

He buried his face back into her neck, taking a deep, deep breath, as if to inhale all her calming presence into his lungs and bloodstream.

“Ci Ci…” He called her name softly, his voice still holding a trace of residual choked emotion, but more so a profound sense of relief at having found her again and a near-exhausted dependence.

“Mm, I’m here.” Wen Ci responded gently, still softly patting his back, letting him cling to her like a large koala bear.

Outside, the night was still deep, but in the bedroom, the cold, despairing atmosphere of the nightmare had dissipated.

Li Jin’s heavy and disordered breathing gradually calmed, eventually becoming a steady, dependent rhythm.

He held her as if she were a rare treasure he had found again, without a single gap between them.

Wen Ci felt his embrace gradually relax, and listening to his breathing become even, her heart felt soft and tender.

She lowered her head and pressed a gentle, cherished kiss on his sweaty forehead.

“Sleep,” she whispered softly, like humming a lullaby, “I’ll watch over you, I’m not going anywhere.”

Li Jin didn’t respond, only held her tighter, his cheek rubbing against her neck dependently, completely sinking into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

This time, it was no longer the cold, despairing darkness, but a harbor of immense security, enveloped by warmth and promises.

He finally believed that the person in his arms was his salvation, his medicine, his never-leaving haven to whom he could completely entrust his trust and dependence.