Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It

Chapter 416 - 415: "Zhou Mochen, Stay Away From Me.

"I’ll chop off whichever hands touched you, alright?"

Zhou Mochen held her tight, his hands trembling. "Promise me, Susu, promise me. Don’t hurt yourself like this again. Those men will get the punishment they deserve. I’ll make them wish they were dead. Just think of them as dead men walking. I promise you, even if they’re left alive, their lives will be worse than death."

Xu Su clutched the bath towel, saying nothing.

Zhou Mochen kissed her forehead soothingly, then carefully touched the bruised handprints on her arm. His lips pressed into a thin line as he picked up the ointment already waiting on the nightstand, preparing to apply it for her.

Xu Su placed a hand on his chest. "Get me some pajamas first."

"Alright," Zhou Mochen said, patting her head. He got off the bed and quickly returned with her sleeveless nightgown and a pair of panties.

Xu Su awkwardly dressed herself under the covers. Only then did she relax and lean against the headboard, letting him apply the ointment.

Zhou Mochen scooped out a glob of ointment and applied it to her arm, gently rubbing it in. He spoke with focused tenderness, "Sweetheart, we’re the closest people in the world. You never have to feel uncomfortable in front of me."

"..." Xu Su remained silent.

After treating her arm, Zhou Mochen lifted the hem of her nightgown to apply ointment to her leg. The bruises on her thigh looked even worse. His fingertips hovered for two seconds before he stiffly began to apply the cream.

His hands moved gently, but his expression was dark and stormy. He returned to his earlier point.

"None of this was your fault. Stop punishing yourself. What you need to do now is forget those men, and forget everything they said."

"Leave the rest to me. It’s my job to protect you. I was wrong today. I was too late. If you want to punish someone, punish me."

He would rather take her place than see her covered in bruises.

Zhou Mochen kept murmuring reassurances the entire time he was applying the ointment, a far cry from his usual terse and reserved demeanor. But even after he finished, Xu Su didn’t say a word.

Zhou Mochen tried coaxing her again and again. Finally, at a loss, he pulled her into his arms. He lowered his head to kiss her, but Xu Su turned her head away again.

The atmosphere froze.

Zhou Mochen’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He pressed his lips to her forehead and gently patted her back. "Xu Su, I love you."

"I love you."

The man peppered her forehead with kisses, murmuring words of love. Xu Su found it overwhelming and tried to turn her back to him, but his arm clamped firmly around her waist.

"Don’t avoid me," Zhou Mochen said, taking her hand and placing it on his cheek. "It’s my fault. I didn’t protect you. If you’re angry, you can hit me. Just don’t ignore me, please?"

"I’m tired. I want to sleep," Xu Su said, pulling her hand back as if she hadn’t heard him. "I didn’t sleep well last night. Can you just let me rest?"

’She didn’t sleep well last night...’

It felt like a blow to Zhou Mochen’s heart. His brow furrowed as he remembered the fight they’d had last night.

’Did she... go to the construction site today to find me?’

’What was she planning to say to me?’

’Why didn’t she call before she came?’

Xu Su rolled over, her back to him, her heart a tangle of emotions.

The lingering fear was so intense that she found herself misdirecting her anger at him for being too late. Just looking at him made her picture the leering faces of those workers.

Yet, she had to admit that being with Zhou Mochen calmed her turbulent emotions, chasing away the gnawing anxiety.

Xu Su closed her eyes, allowing herself to fall into a deep sleep.

She wasn’t lying. She really hadn’t slept well last night.

The girl’s breathing beside him grew long and steady. Zhou Mochen waited patiently for a little longer. Once he was sure she was fast asleep, he got up and dressed. When he was ready, he walked back to her side of the bed.

He watched her quietly for a long, long time. Finally, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips before leaving the room.

’He had to go back and deal with those men.’

’Death was too simple.’

’He would teach them the meaning of fear.’

...

In the middle of the night, Xu Su sleepily sensed the space beside her was empty. She reached out a hand, but when she didn’t find his familiar warmth, her eyes fluttered open with a sense of loss.

They had been sleeping in each other’s arms every night recently. Last night, sleeping alone, Xu Su hadn’t slept well. And tonight, he had clearly been there before she fell asleep.

’Where did he go?’

Xu Su curled into a ball, feeling wronged. ’Why didn’t he stay with me...’

’Why did he leave me all alone?’

For the first time, the usually fearless and confident girl felt a pang of desolation.

When she woke up the next day, Xu Su found herself held in Zhou Mochen’s arms, face-to-face. For a moment, she thought his disappearance last night had just been a dream.

"You’re awake?"

The warm touch on her forehead made Xu Su blink.

"Still not talking?" Zhou Mochen’s voice was low and pleasant. "Susu, you’re not allowed to ignore me."

"..." Xu Su paused, then reached for her phone. When her hand found only empty space, she remembered it had been smashed. "What time is it?"

"Almost time for lunch," Zhou Mochen said, his eyes narrowed as he kissed her neck. He breathed warmly against her skin as he pecked at it slowly. "Want to get up? Or we could just eat in the room."

The kisses tickled. Xu Su pushed the head nuzzling her neck away. "Zhou Mochen, get away from me."

The breathing at her neck paused. Zhou Mochen was quiet for a few seconds, then moved back slightly, following her push. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Su shot up, suddenly remembering what day it was.

’Time for lunch...’

’Time for lunch!’

Zhou Mochen put an arm around her shoulder and sat up with her. "What’s wrong?"

"My phone!" Xu Su gave him a push. "You should have gotten me a new phone by now, right? Give it to me!"

Given how meticulous Zhou Mochen was with her, a new phone had, of course, been prepared overnight.

He’d even retrieved the SIM card from the shattered phone and installed it.

All Xu Su had to do was log into QQ.

It was 11:00 AM. She breathed a sigh of relief; there was still time.

Today was the day of the offline meetup for the Elites’ group chat.

Her original plan had been to explore the old town with Huang Feng and Qian Jia yesterday, then meet up with her gaming friends today. The schedule had been perfectly arranged.

Who would have thought that after fighting with Zhou Mochen yesterday, she’d made a last-minute decision to go appease him, standing up Huang Feng and her friends in the process. Then she’d run into that horrible ordeal, almost causing her to miss today’s meetup as well.

After all, they had been planning this for over a month. Xu Su had no intention of backing out.

She quickly got out of bed and started to wash up and do her makeup.

Seeing her regain some of her usual energy, Zhou Mochen’s heart relaxed a bit. "Can I go with you?"

"No. It’s the first time us online friends are meeting up. I’ve never heard of anyone bringing their family," Xu Su said, shaking her head in refusal. "You go to the office and handle your own business. I know the way, and I can drive."

’Family...’

The man, who had been simmering with rage all night, felt the violent aura in his eyes miraculously soothed by that one word. The corner of his lips curved into a genuine smile.

’So, that’s what I am? Family?’

Zhou Mochen let out a low chuckle. He leaned against the vanity, watching her apply her makeup. His gaze swept over her arm, which was still red and purple after a night. "Does it still hurt?"

Xu Su was busy drawing her eyeliner and didn’t have time to answer him.