The Fifty-Sixth Star
Jiang Chuyi knew.
This “I’m sorry” wasn’t Zong Ye’s apology, but a warning laced with danger.
Suppressed malice was twisting, fervent desire was escalating.
Zong Ye desperately wished he could restrain himself, not scare her again. Just like for the past decade, he had constantly practiced forbearance, a form of self-cultivation named Jiang Chuyi, which had become a habit.
But Zong Ye was more greedy and bolder than most people in this world. The moment love descended upon him, the destruction and pain it inflicted on him, enough to shatter his entire personality, never made him fear or shrink back.
Thinking of this, Zong Ye smiled happily.
Therefore, everything tonight was what he deserved.
Forgetfulness must be humanity’s greatest weakness. Jiang Chuyi had suffered before, yet she still held unconditional trust in Zong Ye. Even, within that trust was mingled dependence. She could sense that they were different from normal couples. Other people’s kisses and embraces weren’t like this, their interactions weren’t like this, and doing such intimate things definitely shouldn’t feel like this.
But Zong Ye held her and told her, Chuyi, we are the normal ones.
After wavering repeatedly, Jiang Chuyi chose to believe him.
Perhaps, she also liked this unreasonable, uncontrollable, and unsafe crazy possessiveness and control, willingly accompanying him to burn together. Only in this way did the empty, unclosable cracks in her heart seem to be completely filled.
The only black object in this room was like an island, isolating them from this city, from this world, completely abandoning the shackles of morality.
Wave after wave of white light made her dizzy, like a soda before it’s opened, constantly shaken, forcefully and repeatedly pressurized. The boiling bubbles gathered strength, accumulating to the critical point, then erupted.
When she was little, listening to adults tell bedtime stories, Jiang Chuyi would always imagine herself becoming the protagonist in the story, becoming the moon and stars in the sky, becoming a kite, becoming a Barbie doll displayed in a shop window, becoming a rabbit running along the lakeside, becoming Cinderella fleeing at midnight in glass slippers.
On this black island, her dreams came true.
The moon sank into the sea, the starlight scattered, the kite with a broken string flew into the sky, the exquisite Barbie doll that should have been displayed in the shop window was bought home by a thoroughly bad owner, manipulated, its head turned by force, made to kneel, stand up, hands propped against the wall, tiptoes touching the ground, posing in various dance positions. The rabbit running by the lake was gently picked up from the ground by a hunter, its soft and fragile ears were pinched, no matter how the rabbit struggled and cried, it couldn’t escape, forced by the hunter to do many things, and ultimately was not rescued.
The clock struck twelve, darkness and storm descended simultaneously, and the magic belonging to Cinderella disappeared.
……
……
The incessant chirping of cicadas filled the air as an old man sat at the entrance of the alleyway, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, muttering that this sweltering city was due for a downpour.
Thirty-three degrees Celsius in the height of summer. Thin-skinned watermelon with its red flesh, glutinous white rice, green reed leaves. For the most part, the world continued to operate according to its usual order. Air conditioners diligently pumped out cool air, yet many dark corners remained chaotic. Trapped on the island, her arm hung limp. She wanted to cry out, to beg for help, but his damp temples and panting cries overwhelmed her. In the swirling chaos, pleasure, pain, and spasms intertwined. Jiang Chuyi wept until she couldn’t breathe, until the black island seemed to grow damp in the darkness, as if it had been repeatedly drenched and soaked by a torrential rain. She thought dazedly, no wonder he could sing so beautifully; he was born with a good voice.
Besides that bewitching voice, he also possessed such a handsome face. With a face like that, he smiled and told her he was a psychopath. He seemed to be ill; from the first moment he saw her, he felt a hunger. He was perpetually tormented by this hunger, as if he could never be sated.
Humans were inherently greedy, so he seemed innocent, even pitiable. How could she bear to blame him?
Zong Ye finally received forgiveness.
But she didn’t know, she had forgotten, that truly wicked people are never satisfied. He simply couldn’t get enough of tormenting this fool of a woman.
In the bathroom outside this island, there had once been moments of tenderness.
A tall and handsome man patiently held a hairdryer, telling her that even though he was a big star, he would still help her do laundry.
Jiang Chuyi had once been curious why such gentle people existed.
The man smiled and told her the truth: he wasn’t always gentle.
Jiang Chuyi now understood that he hadn’t lied then; he had been honest.
In this identical bathroom, the lingering fragrance of dried orange blossoms and citrus still hung in the air. Soft towels and toothbrushes were placed in the same spot, every corner still neat and clean. Zong Ye finally accomplished what he had wanted to do the first time he brought her here.
The description in that “Near and Ruin” post was quite accurate.
The sexual attraction of “Ruin” towards “Near” was indeed immense. Zong Ye relentlessly intertwined with her, unable to bear being apart from her for even a second.
……
……
The bedroom curtains blocked out all light. Jiang Chuyi’s mind was blank, unaware of the passage of time. She would sleep when she was tired, only to be “awakened” in different ways each time, with very little rest in between.
At first, due to her inexperience, Jiang Chuyi had no power to resist, tossed around by him, not knowing what to do. She didn’t understand why Zong Ye’s expression remained so gentle, why no matter if she begged him to go faster or slower, he remained unmoved, holding her down, saying sorry while his movements grew even more forceful.
Her tears no longer worked.
Through her tear-blurred vision, Jiang Chuyi was forced to take his fingers into her mouth. Seeing the Polaroid photo in a frame on the bedside table, various fragments flashed through her mind, as if she suddenly understood something.
After a few attempts, she finally found a way to deal with Zong Ye.
In a patch of black mud, Jiang Chuyi’s eyelashes were strung with glistening tears. She looked directly into his beautiful eyes, her fragmented words broken into single syllables, scattered. She could only communicate with him word by word, telling him, Zong Ye, I like you so much.
She knew he couldn’t quite bear those words.
While Zong Ye was stunned, she would struggle to sit up, cling to his shoulders, take the initiative to kiss his Adam’s apple, bite the beauty mark on his neck, and whisper, Zong Ye, I like it here so much.
Jiang Chuyi didn’t even need to do anything else. Just these few words would make Zong Ye close his eyes, trembling all over, unable to bear it.
It was like some invisible switch on him.
These words from her mouth, no matter how many times he heard them, no matter how many times she repeated them, he was completely unable to become desensitized to them.
Jiang Chuyi rediscovered Zong Ye’s innocent and shy side.
Jiang Chuyi liked Zong Ye.
This was Zong Ye’s Achilles’ heel.
His only, fatal weakness.
*
In this storm, Jiang Chuyi had lost count of how many times Zong Ye had carried her into the bathroom to wash and wipe her body. However, problems arose at every stage, and in the end, the washing was all in vain.
Whether the lights were on or off, whether she let him look or not, whether she looked at him or not, whether she let him touch her or not, whether she touched him or not – it no longer mattered. She was in a state of near-resignation, the concept of a bottom line for shame had become meaningless. Later, she even felt fortunate that she had been fed a lot of water at the beginning, otherwise her throat might not have been able to make a sound.
Finally, the hurricane passed, and the black island was clear after the rain. Jiang Chuyi didn’t even have the strength to put on clothes. She firmly refused Zong Ye’s offer to help her bathe, sank into the pillows, and fell into a deep sleep.
She didn’t know how long she had slept, but the person beside her once again pressed close to her, reluctant to part.
Jiang Chuyi’s eyes remained closed. She bent her elbow to push him away, silently expressing her refusal.
The hand she extended was held still. Zong Ye was no different from the cat he kept. He held her palm, nuzzling and seeking to be petted.
As long as it allowed her to continue sleeping, Zong Ye could do whatever he wanted; Jiang Chuyi didn’t care.
This completely unresisting appearance made Zong Ye smile. He used the faint light to look at her repeatedly, his desire unsated, as if he could never get enough of looking.
Jiang Chuyi lay in his arms. From her shoulders to her back, and even further down, many places covered by the quilt were branded with his marks.
This filled Zong Ye with satisfaction.
He gently touched her with his lips and softly said, “Chuyi, are you awake? I’ll go get you something to eat.”
Jiang Chuyi’s throat was still dry, and she couldn’t speak well. She nodded in response.
After sleeping alone for a while, Jiang Chuyi opened her eyes when she felt the empty space beside her. She stretched out her arm to reach for her phone charging on the bedside table.
She glanced at the time: eleven o’clock noon.
Her thoughts were sluggish, her mind not fully awake. Jiang Chuyi opened WeChat and scrolled through the work group. After replying to Gao Ning and Xiao Zhong’s messages, she opened Chen Yi’s profile picture.
Chen Yi: “How is it going? Is your sex life still smooth?”
Chen Yi: “Today Shanghai suddenly had a torrential rain. Did the heavens also weep tears of emotion for your love?”
Chen Yi: “Where are you? Why did you disappear?”
Chen Yi: “Hello?”
Jiang Chuyi scanned through the messages quickly and sent a row of face-palm crying emojis.
Chen Yi: “??????? Don’t tell me you only have time to look at your phone now????”
Enduring the soreness in her arms, Jiang Chuyi laboriously typed.
“Why are you so agitated? Didn’t we agree to meet at ten sharp? I’m only an hour late.”
Chen Yi sent a voice message that was dozens of seconds long. “Empress Jiang, did you see the time clearly? I said ten o’clock in the morning on August 5th, sharp! It’s noon on August 6th now! What exactly are you two doing that’s so intense? Not even a whole day and night is enough?”
Under Zong Ye’s high-intensity “dirty talk training,” Jiang Chuyi had witnessed more “dirty words” on the bed in the past two days than in her entire twenty-odd years combined. She now listened to Chen Yi’s level of vulgarity without batting an eyelid.
Jiang Chuyi: “It was quite intense, so I just woke up…”
Chen Yi immediately initiated a video call.
Jiang Chuyi declined.
Chen Yi was puzzled. “What’s wrong? Still planning some daytime debauchery?”
Jiang Chuyi: “No, I don’t look presentable right now. Let’s do voice call.”
Soon, Jiang Chuyi also realized that a voice call wasn’t a wise choice either. Her throat was so hoarse that her first “hello” was practically just breath.
Chen Yi laughed on the other end. “No way, Teacher Zong Ye is that exaggerated? His combat power is off the charts!”
Jiang Chuyi had used up all her strength. She rested for a moment, propping herself up, took a sip of water to soothe her throat, and said weakly, “The reality is far more exaggerated than you can imagine.”
“I didn’t even have a date the night before last. I was waiting for you, afraid you’d come looking for my advice halfway through. So, it went that smoothly? Did it hurt?”
“It’s okay… didn’t hurt much.”
Jiang Chuyi had actually forgotten exactly when things became successful. By then, she was already numb. The hurricane intensified level by level. When she was in the eye of the storm, her body had long since adapted. There was only more intense, no most intense. Every new experience was beyond her expectations.
Chen Yi was extremely curious. “Is Zong Ye that skilled, or are you just naturally gifted, Empress Jiang?”
Jiang Chuyi prevaricated, “Not really naturally gifted. Maybe it’s because before that, Zong Ye helped me with ‘that’ first.”
“That” was “what”? Chen Yi guessed and asked a few more questions, whether it was mouth or hand.
Jiang Chuyi’s answer was the former.
Chen Yi was speechless, completely convinced. She hadn’t expected that Jiang Chuyi, this pure little white rabbit, would be even more adventurous in real action than she was. Since it was now a moment for girlfriends to share intimate secrets, Chen Yi asked a few more rather offensive questions.
Anyway, her bottom line and sense of shame had dropped again and again. After being tempered by these two nights, they had completely sublimated. Jiang Chuyi didn’t hide much, omitting the details, and roughly told Chen Yi about it. In short, Zong Ye had become two people: gentle and gentlemanly off the bed, shameless and beastly on the bed. She had even learned a few of the swear words he used.
Chen Yi was dumbfounded, confirming it several times, unable to believe that the Zong Ye she heard about from Jiang Chuyi was the same person she knew.
But in this world, only Jiang Chuyi could witness Zong Ye’s other side.
Chen Yi remained silent for a long time before finding her voice, giving a fair evaluation, “Zong Ye, as expected of a top-tier celebrity in your circle. His looks, figure, and even his bedroom skills are all top-notch. Sis, you’ve hit the jackpot.”
*
When Zong Ye came in carrying things, Jiang Chuyi had already finished her chat with Chen Yi.
The heavy curtains were finally drawn open, and the midday sun shone through the window. Jiang Chuyi finally had a sense of returning to the real world.
Zong Ye had taken a shower when he got up, and still carried a hint of moisture. Afraid of waking her, he hadn’t blow-dried his hair, which was half-wet and black. He was properly dressed, his face handsome and refined, and he had transformed back into that reserved and introverted “college student.”
Jiang Chuyi froze, her gaze shifting away.
Although she had acted in front of Chen Yi as if she had completely entered the advanced level of the adult world, able to speak calmly about those dirty things, for some reason, facing Zong Ye again in a sober state, Jiang Chuyi still felt a trace of shyness.
They had done such crazy things, yet at this moment, neither dared to look closely at the other. It was as if they had returned to the beginning of their acquaintance, blushing when their eyes met and faces turning red when they spoke.
She ate and drank the soup quietly, afraid of making too much noise, which only made her attempt to conceal things seem more obvious. After all, the bruises on their bodies, the messy room, and the overflowing tissues and packaging bags in the trash can made it difficult to pretend nothing had happened.
He didn’t speak either. He moved slightly, and Jiang Chuyi inexplicably choked on her soup.
She covered her mouth, coughing uncontrollably.
Zong Ye put down his spoon and pulled out a tissue to wipe her mouth.
Jiang Chuyi caught sight of his action of pulling the tissue, and her lower body reflexively went numb.
Zong Ye took her hand, lowered his head, and used the tissue to wipe her palm clean.
After wiping, he discarded the tissue, and naturally, their hands were intertwined again.
Their skin was fair, and their clasped hands pressed against the black sheets were particularly noticeable. No one spoke; it was like a silent play. They maintained a distance, both appearing very serious, but their fingers secretly intertwined.
Zong Ye seemed to ponder for a moment. “Chuyi.”
She made a sound of acknowledgment.
“Are you still shy?”
Jiang Chuyi denied, “No…”
He followed up, “Then, how do you feel?”
Their eyes met for a few seconds, then Jiang Chuyi looked away again. “What feeling?”
Zong Ye’s tone was very serious, as if he were discussing the weather with her. “The feeling of being with me.”
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
This person was indeed a shameless rogue.
She held it in for a long time, then said softly, “It’s okay…”
Although her voice was soft, it was enough for Zong Ye to hear. He smiled. “Then I’ll continue to work hard.”
Con-tin-ue to work hard…
After mentally processing these four words, Jiang Chuyi immediately spoke to dissuade him, “You don’t need to work hard anymore.”
After talking with her friend, Jiang Chuyi felt increasingly puzzled. Didn’t Zong Ye say he hadn’t been in a relationship before? How come the moves he used on her had even shocked a seasoned veteran like Chen Yi into exclaiming admiration?
Chen Yi’s words, “How could Zong Ye possibly be a virgin? How can there be such a virgin in this world? It’s too crazy. Could he have hired prostitutes before?” echoed repeatedly in her mind, and Jiang Chuyi deeply agreed.
The first time she met him, she felt that he must have had countless girlfriends.
Jiang Chuyi’s feelings were complicated. “Zong Ye, is this really your first time?”
Zong Ye was stunned for a moment, a rare look of innocence appearing on his face. “It is the first time.”
After answering this question, Zong Ye lowered his eyelashes, looking unusually downcast as if he hadn’t been trusted.
After a while, he looked at her again.
His eyelashes were curled, and his black pupils seemed to hold a glint of water.
But the grievance in his eyes was still evident, making Jiang Chuyi feel like she was a heartbreaker.
Jiang Chuyi: “What’s wrong? I was just asking casually.”
Zong Ye didn’t make a sound.
Just when she thought the topic had ended, he suddenly said, “Chuyi, I’m actually a very conservative person.”
Although it wasn’t the first time she had heard him say this, Jiang Chuyi was still choked up.
“Wang Tan said that virginity is a man’s best dowry.” Zong Ye’s expression was very serious. He paused, then continued, “Now that my most precious thing is gone, can you give me a title?”
