Paper Lover At Old Town Bookstore Chapter 46

Chess piece

In the mahogany living room of the Xing family’s old house, the atmosphere was so depressing that it could make water boil.

As soon as Xing Qingru stepped into the threshold, a stack of photos hit her in the face. The photos were scattered all over the floor. They were all scenes of her and He Ping’an getting along privately – the silhouettes hugging each other in the villa, the back figures walking side by side on the street late at night, and even the old photos of each other when they were teenagers many years ago. Each one was painful to the eyes.

“Evil!” Mr. Qin was sitting on the main sofa, his cane hitting the floor hard, making a dull sound, and he was trembling with anger. “I asked you to marry Song Zhili, but it’s better for you to hang out with that wild boy!”

Xing Qingru bent down and picked up the photo, his fingertips clenched until they turned white. There was no fear on his cold face, only stubbornness: “Grandpa, Ping An and I truly love each other. I can’t marry someone he doesn’t love, let alone give up on him.”

“Really love each other?” Mr. Qin sneered, his eyes were terrifyingly sinister, “A chess piece that doesn’t even have a free body is worthy of talking to you sincerely? The heir of the Xing family should marry a well-matched person, not this kind of thing that can’t be put on the stage!”

He paused, and his tone suddenly became harsh, with a naked threat: “Let me ask you one last time, if you can’t break up with He Pingan, I don’t mind breaking it off for you!”

Xing Qingru’s face instantly turned pale, and his body was trembling slightly, but his back was still straight: “Grandpa, Ping An is innocent. Everything was my idea. If you want to blame, blame me.”

“Innocent?” Mr. Qin’s eyes darkened, and he pointed his crutch at the door, “He eats, uses, and is cultivated by the Xing family, but he dares to seduce my granddaughter and spoil the important affairs of my Xing family. Is this innocent?”

He leaned forward and spoke in a low voice with a chilling cruelty: “But if I take action then, I don’t know if he will still be alive to see you.”

These words were like a poisoned knife, piercing Xing Qingru’s heart.She was very aware of her grandfather’s methods. When the family was fighting within the family, no one who stood in the way had a good ending.He Ping’an is just a person without family support. He is as fragile as an ant in front of his grandfather.

“No!” Xing Qingru’s voice was trembling, and his eyes were red, but he still looked at the old man stubbornly, “Grandpa, you can’t touch him! If you dare to hurt him, I will die in front of you!”

“You dare to threaten me?” Mr. Qin’s face turned livid with anger, and his crutch hit the ground again. “I tell you, Xing Qingru, either marry Song Zhili and break up with He Pingan; or wait to collect the body of that wild boy! Make your own choice!”

There was dead silence in the living room, except for the sound of the old man’s heavy breathing and the tapping of the cane on the ground.Xing Qingru stood there, looking at the photos scattered on the ground, looking at the old man’s sinister eyes, feeling despair and unwillingness in his heart.Is her thirteen-year relationship with He Pingan really going to be destroyed by family interests and the threat of her grandfather?And how should she choose between the person she loves and his life?When he pushed open the door of the villa, the warm light from the entrance stretched He Pingan’s figure very long.He had obviously been waiting for a long time, still holding the freshly warm milk in his fingertips. When he saw her coming in, his eyes suddenly lit up with a soft light, but his movement towards her suddenly froze when he heard her words.

“You also know that I’m getting married.” Xing Qingru took off her high heels, her voice hoarse as if covered with sand, and exhaustion seeped out of every pore, “Submit your resignation application yourself, and this villa will be given to you.”

She didn’t look at him and walked straight to the living room. Her back was straight, but she couldn’t hide her trembling. “Don’t follow me anymore. I will give you a sum of money, enough for you to live peacefully for the rest of your life. You don’t have to look at anyone’s face anymore.”

“Qingru… what did you say?” He Ping’an’s voice was trembling in disbelief. The milk glass in his hand shook, and the warm liquid splashed into the tiger’s mouth, but he was completely unaware of it. “Are you kidding, right? Didn’t we agree…”

“It’s not agreed.” Xing Qingru interrupted him abruptly, and finally turned around. His cold eyebrows were covered with red bloodshot eyes, but he maintained a determined look, “I was confused before and mistook temporary dependence for feelings. Now I want to marry Song Zhili, and the Xing and Song families will marry. This is the way I should go. Between you and me, there should never have been a beginning.”

She deliberately avoided his gaze, her fingertips were clenched until they turned white, and her nails almost dug into her palms – her grandfather’s threats were still echoing in her ears. He Pingan’s life was more important than anything else. She could only use the harshest words to force him to leave this vortex.

He Ping’an froze in place, his height of 188cm seemed particularly thin at the moment.He stared at her, the soft light in his eyes shattering little by little, replaced by shock, pain and disbelief: “Momentary dependence? Qingru, our thirteen years of companionship are just dependence in your eyes?”

He walked towards her step by step, his voice low as if he was choking: “You obviously don’t think so. In the Song family this morning, you didn’t look at me like this; last night we were still talking about finding a way to get rid of the family’s control together, why did you suddenly…”

“That’s all a lie to you.” Xing Qingru turned away suddenly, not daring to look at the pain in his eyes anymore, for fear that if he weakened, all the pretense would collapse, “He Ping’an, recognize the reality. You are just an assistant beside me, a pawn sent by the family. We have never been in the same world. Marriage is good for me and the Xing family, and you should go back to where you belong.”

“Chess piece?” He Pingan’s voice suddenly rose, with a trace of uncontrollable despair, “I have been by your side for thirteen years, protecting you and accompanying you through all difficulties. In your eyes, I am just a chess piece that can be discarded at any time?”

He reached out to touch her face, but Xing Qingru jerked away.She took a step back, distanced herself, and said in a tone as cold as ice: “Yes. So, take the money and the villa and leave quickly. Don’t let me see you again.”

The warm light in the living room became dazzling. He Pingan stood there, looking at her decisive back, the pain in his eyes almost overflowing.He couldn’t believe that Xing Qingru, who had acted coquettishly in his arms and dropped all her defenses in front of him, would suddenly become so strange and cruel.What he didn’t know was that every time she said a harsh word, her heart hurt like a knife, just to let him leave safely.