Time rewound, a few hours earlier.
In a youth apartment complex on the outskirts, Tang Si parked his car in the resident parking lot. After getting out, he slammed the car door shut and strode into the ground-floor lobby.
He had rushed here from home, his car speeding through countless red lights, his body growing increasingly uncontrollable.
On the way, he had considered going to the hospital to have his stomach pumped, but the drug had already taken effect and been absorbed by his body, rendering that useless.
Following the address given by Qing Muyue, he went up to the 7th floor, apartment 709. He reached out and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
Shi Ran's voice came from the living room.
Yet, her voice, not entirely clear, only made Tang Si feel more heated.
He knocked heavily on the door again.
Shi Ran, who was watching a drama in the living room, got up and walked over. She looked through the peephole and, upon seeing it was Tang Si, hesitated at the door, unsure whether to open it for him.
"Shi Ran, I know you're in there. Open the door!"
Before, he would gently call her 'Ran Bao'er' with a doting tone, a way that Shi Ran particularly enjoyed and made her feel she had found her destined love.
However, subsequent events had shattered her firm conviction and her resolve to be with Tang Si.
Tang Si leaned one hand on the door panel, the other tugging at his collar, his words coming out in ragged breaths.
Glancing through the peephole, Shi Ran saw his every move, and her heart ached. He looked… drunk.
After much internal debate, Shi Ran finally opened the door.
The moment the door swung open, Tang Si shoved it open and barged in, pulling her into his arms, and then kicked the door shut.
"Ah Si, you… mmph…"
Before Shi Ran could react, she was pulled into his embrace, pinned against the wall, and he kissed her with a wild, rough passion.
Such actions made Shi Ran afraid. Her eyes widened in panic, daring not to resist.
*Riiip—*
With a sudden sound, Shi Ran, who had been lost in a daze, snapped back to reality. Her thin camisole was already being tossed to the floor by him as if it were trash.
"Ah Si, you… you… you…" She stammered, unable to find words for a long time.
The man with a clear, cold countenance gripped the back of her head with his large hand and said coldly, "Who gave you permission to leave so quietly? Damn it!"
In all the time she had known Tang Si, Shi Ran had rarely seen him angry.
At this moment, he was like a furious lion, his eyes, bottomless black, resembling a black hole capable of swallowing her.
"Ah!!"
Startled, Shi Ran was suddenly scooped up by Tang Si. She instinctively cried out, raising her hands to grip his neck. "You… I… I, I… I'm sorry…"
All explanations felt so weak and powerless.
Shi Ran could only utter an 'I'm sorry.'
But all she received in return was Tang Si's icy reply, "It's too late."
The bedroom door opened, and he threw her onto the bed, followed by a storm of unrestrained torment, a wild ride. No matter how she pleaded, he had no intention of sparing her.
Shi Ran cried with injustice, repeatedly apologizing. Tang Si asked, "Do you dare to leave without saying goodbye again?"
"No, never… I won't dare."
One instance of leaving without a word had driven Tang Si mad, tormenting her in this manner as punishment.
After an unknown amount of time, the exhausted Shi Ran drifted off to sleep, only to be jolted awake by him again, and then fall back into slumber.
After several such cycles, Tang Si finally stopped.
He held her and fell into a peaceful sleep.
The next day.
Tang Si slept until he woke naturally. Opening his eyes, he found that Shi Ran was no longer in bed.