The Punishment (R-18)

WARNING!!!! SENSITIVE CONTENT AHEAD, THIS CHAPTER DEALS WITH PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL ABUSE AND TOXIC RELATIONSHIP.

Two days later.

Li Juan was busy preparing her dinner when she heard the doorbell.

She simmered the flame of the stove and walked towards the door to check on the visitor.

It was Tang Wei Sheng.

He stood at her doorstep looking devastated. His usual handsome and chic demeanor was nowhere to be seen as his clothes and hair remained dishevelled.

Added to that, there were tiny stubbles on his face and his eyes were red due to lack of sleep.

Everything about him screamed his tiredness.

"Wei Sheng Ge, you..." Li Juan looked at his tired face and asked him. "What happened to you?"

"Rough day at work." He replied with a faint smile and walked into the house.

Li Juan didn't stop him as she also needed to talk to him.

"Were you cooking dinner?" Tang Wei Sheng asked as his nostrils got hit with the delicious aroma.

"If you haven't eaten yet, let's have dinner together," Li Juan suggested. "Take a seat."

"Hmm". Tang Wei Sheng sat on the sofa and leaned back his head. He was really tired due to the amount of office work as well as his grandfather's medical emergency.

Tang Fei had a mild heart attack and got hospitalized. Eventhough his condition wasn't stabilized Tang Fei was reluctant to stay at the hospital. Because of Tang Wei Sheng's scandal, Tang Corporations recently went through a lot of trouble and If they news of Tang Fei's illness got released then everything will be in Chaos. He didn't want to add more burden on his grandson, so Tang Fei decided to rest at home.

Li Juan brought a cup of water for Tang Wei Sheng and went back to cooking. Nobody spoke, the only sound resonated in the room was the handling of utensils.

Within fifteen minutes, everything was ready to serve. Tang Wei Sheng removed his jacket and loosened his necktie as he sat opposite Li Juan.

"Thanks, sweetheart." He said as he helped her to serve the food.

Li Juan adjusted her long sleeves and picked up the chopsticks to take a bite.

It was then, Tang Wei Sheng noticed the tattoo of the compass on Li Juan's wrist.

"I didn't know that you are interested in tattooing." He couldn't help but comment.

"I always wanted to have a tattoo. But couldn't find someone who would understand my design. The tattoo artist was really amazing that it came out pretty well."

"The man who came with Li Juan that night was a tattoo artist." Tang Wei Sheng remembered Yang Xiong's words.

It was just an hour ago when Yang Xiong came up with the details about the man who was with Li Juan.

Li Juan and that man shared a close relationship which resulted her staying overnights at his apartment more than once.

Yang Xiong even shared the photos of Li Juan with him and doubted her feelings and intentions towards Tang Wei Sheng.

If it is someone else who have doubted Li Juan, Tang Wei Sheng would have laughed it off. But when Yang Xiong doubted her, Tang Wei Sheng got panicked. He has treated Yang Xiong as his brother and he knows that Yang Xiong always wished for his happiness.

That's why Tang Wei Sheng decided to meet Li Juan and clear things between them.

Tang Wei Sheng finished his meal and waited for Li Juan on the sofa while scrolling on his mobile.

Li Juan cleaned the dishes and came back to the living room.

"Where is your mobile sweetheart?" Tang Wei Sheng casually asked her.

"My phone, I just put it for charging." Li Juan replied as she sat opposite him.

"Hmm." It was true that she changed her number and didn't even care to tell him. Tang Wei Sheng felt an uneasiness creeping into his mind.

"I heard that you came looking for me? Sorry sweetheart, I was busy that day."

Li Juan remained silent as she felt that he owes her an explanation.

"I came looking for you here as soon as I left the office. But you didn't come home that day."

"I was with my friend." Li Juan replied casually.

"Friend...hmm." Tang Wei Sheng nodded when he felt that Li Juan doesn't want to confess the truth.

"Sweetheart, what did you decide? When are we going to apply for the marriage certificate?"

"Wei Sheng Ge, I don't think that I can do it. " Li Juan was confident about it.

After contemplating her future with Tang Wei Sheng, she decided to reject his proposal. It wasn't because of everyone's claims about Tang Wei Sheng's relationship with Ning Jing. But she wanted to give a test of time for her feelings towards Tang Wei Sheng.

Hmm, Tang Wei Sheng looked at her with cold eyes, "You are not ready for marriage right now?"

"We belong to two different worlds, Wei Sheng Ge and-"

"We already discussed this, sweetheart. And you did accept my proposal."

"But that was three weeks ago."

"So? What would've changed in three weeks?"

"You are engaged."

"I told you it is nothing but a fake marriage."

"Still, it is a marriage."

"Sweetheart, why don't you believe me? I am trying my best to solve everything.

"I'm sorry, let's end this here."

Li Juan loved Tang Wei Sheng and she dreamt of a life with him.

But if she agrees to a secret marriage, she will be treated as a homewrecker by everyone else.

It is better to wait for Tang Wei Sheng's divorce than getting treated as a third person while he is married to Ning Jing.

Li Juan looked at Tang Wei Sheng who was completely silent.

"If you love someone set them free, if they come back they're yours; if they don't come back, they were never yours, to begin with."

Li Juan thought as she decided to take a risk. She had waited for him all these years. She can wait for six more months.

If Tang Wei Sheng returns to her as he promised, then Li Juan will wholeheartedly agree to his wishes.

But at the same time, Tang Wei Sheng was on pain. Li Juan's words pierced into his heart like a dagger.

"Let's end this." He repeated her words in a tone of sarcasm. "Wow! how simply you put it together?"

Li Juan didn't try to refute him.

"We used to be friends and let's remain as good friends." She suggested.

"Friends!!! Did you say that we should stay as friends?" Tang Wei Sheng smirked.

"Okay, what kind of friendship you are referring? His eyes burned with vexation as he proceeded.

"Do you want me to treat you the way your " so-called friends" treats you? A friend with benefits?" He asked Li Juan in a mocking tone.

"Wei Sheng Ge!!!" Li Juan called his name in shock. She never expected him to accuse her over something absurd.

"Li Juan, I believed you. I believed that you love me." He paused for a second and stared directly into her eyes.

"But never knew you are a lowly," Tang Wei Sheng refrained himself from hurting Li Juan, with his words.

"I never expected you would cheat me with another man."

Li Juan couldn't comprehend what she heard, Tang Wei Sheng, the man she loved, was blatantly accusing her of adultery.

"What do you mean?" She moved closer to him, unable to believe what she just heard.

"Who the hell is this other man?" She always loved Tang Wei Sheng. Then why is he talking about another guy?

Li Juan's mind was in a whirlpool of thoughts.

She lived all these years without tarnishing her morals and identity. And now someone is trying to accuse her with adultery.

"Tang Wei Sheng, answer me." For the first time in her life, Li Juan raised her voice against her beloved senior Tang.

Tang Wei Sheng's mind was fuming like a volcano waiting to erupt, but he tried his best not to lose his composure.

"Tell me, how did I become the one who cheated on you, when you were two-timing between your fiancé and me?" Li Juan didn't want to drag her doubts into this argument, but she was unable to control her mouth on the heat of the moment.

"Li Juan!!!!" Tang Wei Sheng yelled at her as a warning.

"What the hell are you saying? I was two-timing?"

"You never loved me." Li Juan said in a low voice.

"What did you say?"

Tang Wei Sheng came closer to her and seized her arms, in great shock.

"What did you say?" He tightened his grip on Li Juan's slender arms.

"You are hurting me."

Li Juan said to him as she tried to pull her arms from his grip.

"What did you say, Li Juan?" Tang Wei Sheng's eyes burned like coal and his words sounded hoarse.

Li Juan gave him a frosty look which lacked endearing emotions. This wasn't the first time she has seen him like this. It was very evident that he was angry and tried to hurt her.

"You never loved-" Before Li Juan could complete her words Tang Wei Sheng forcefully captured her lips.

Shocked by his sudden actions, she struggled to push him away. But he was never ready to let her go.

Like a ferocious animal, Tang Wei Sheng was devouring her lips, completely overpowering Li Juan.

"She dared to doubt your feelings for her. She tried to violate the promise, Is she your perfect half?" someone bugged Tang Wei Sheng's mind with questions. It felt like he was trying to get rid of his own doubts, by forcefully reminding her whom she belongs to.

When he tasted blood in his mouth, Tang Wei Sheng suddenly released Li Juan from his grip and parted her away from him.

He looked at Li Juan victoriously, however the moment he met with her burning red eyes, he felt that she is angry indeed.

Slap!!!!!!!!!

Li Juan's palm fell on Tang Wei Sheng's cheek in no time. But unlike what she expected, Tang Wei Sheng had no guilt.

"Did you just slap me because I kissed you?" He flashed her a sinister smile.

Li Juan winced, aghast at the man stood in front of her.

The devilish look on Tang Wei Sheng's eyes sent chills down Li Juan's spine.

"That look." She still remembers it.

"No, it can't be!!!" An Alarming tone rang on Li Juan's mind when she tried to connect the dots together. "Stay away from this monster!" Her mind warned.

However, even before she could react, Tang Wei Sheng just picked Li Juan up and rushed towards the bedroom.

"Wei Sheng Ge, put me down...put me down."

Tang Wei Sheng threw Li Juan to the bed like as she was some old rag. Without wasting any time, he positioned himself above her and trapped her under his body.

"So, you don't want to marry me?" Tang Wei Sheng asked as he tried to restrict her movements. His sweet and gentle persona has vanished into thin air.

The one who is in front of Li Juan was a predator hunting for its prey.

"Tell me, don't you want me to marry you?" He repeated his question. But Li Juan was definitely not in a situation to answer him. She was only bothered about her safety.

"Let me go." She tried to stop him using her hands.

Suddenly Tang Wei Sheng grabbed her wrists and tied it to the bed using his necktie. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it away.

"Wei Sheng Ge...no...Leave me... don't touch me..." Li Juan was scared to death.

She never imagined that Tang Wei Sheng will end up forcing him on her.

"What? Now you despise my touch?"

Tang Wei Sheng grabbed her shirt collar and tore it off.

Her honey-coloured body was visible in front of his eyes.

But what caught his attention was the Phoenix tattoo on her shoulder.

To be honest, he hated the sight of Tattoo on Li Juan's body.

"What did you do, my moon?" He asked as he touched the phoenix tattoo. "Did you allow a lowly lizard to mark you?"

"Don't touch me," Li Juan was screaming. "Leave me..."

Tang Wei Sheng glanced at her horrified eyes.

"I already warned you, I hates it when others touch what is lawfully mine and you defied me and tainted your body. You need to be punished, my moon." Tang Wei Sheng pressed his thump on the head of the phoenix tattoo, like a predator immersing its fangs.

"AHHHHHH" Li Juan shrieked in pain. The tattoo was just two days old and it hurt like hell.

Tang Wei Sheng looked at her with an evil grin and shut Li Juan's mouth by kissing her.

He was like a hungry wolf devouring his prey as his hands went astray.

Li Juan struggled to push him away with her body. At any cost, she should stop his advances.

But Tang Wei Sheng was strong and heavy, none of her efforts worked.

He stopped for a moment and looked at Li Juan's face.

"You don't want to marry me, huh? Will you dare to refuse me, if I plant my scion in your womb?"

Tang Wei Sheng held her face and with his other hand, he tried to pull her pyjamas down.

NOOOOO!!!!!

Li Juan wanted to scream, but her voice got blocked inside her head.

She felt something heavy hit her head and immediately her vision got blurred.

Is this going to be the end of her?

Is she going to die now?

Li Juan gradually closed her eyes.

And everything went black around her.

Somebody, save me!!!!