CHAPTER 204: CHAPTER 204: SOUL AND HEART

The next day, after three rounds of drinks, Wang Shao smiled and shoved a room card into his hand, his gaze ambiguous: "Mr. Xie, have a good rest tonight."

Xie Zhang was not an innocent youth unfamiliar with the ways of the world, so how could he not perceive the ill intentions in Wang Shao’s eyes?

But what Xie Zhang hadn’t expected was that the woman Wang Shao sent to his bed would be An Jiayi.

In the dim and ambiguous hotel light, An Jiayi, wearing a revealing camisole, clutched the corner of the blanket, looking timidly at him.

Xie Zhang frowned and took off his suit jacket while sitting down on the sofa beside him.

He spoke, his tone casual, "Did Wang Shao ask you to come?"

An Jiayi was clearly frightened and didn’t speak for a while, her lips quivering continuously.

Xie Zhang took a sip of cold water to sober up a bit, frowning, his tone becoming more stern, "I’m asking you a question."

"I..." An Jiayi’s shoulders shrank, she looked at him cautiously, a picture of bewilderment.

Feeling a headache coming on, Xie Zhang said coldly: "Leave."

The young girl’s eyes instantly reddened, she clutched the blanket tightly, biting her lip and looking at him, and after a long while, she said in a low voice, "I can’t leave."

"Do you know what kind of place this is?" Xie Zhang put down his cup, and in the dim light, he could barely make out the expression on An Jiayi’s face.

She was clearly afraid.

Yet she said, "President Wang said... I can’t leave tonight."

Xie Zhang sneered, his features striking and aggressive, especially in the current setting, his voice carried a faint tease, "President Wang said you can’t leave tonight, but did he tell you that staying here means you’re expected to sleep with someone?"

He stated the unmentionable transaction so bluntly.

An Jiayi looked shocked, staring at him with wide eyes, she blinked as if processing the information, and then her voice became even smaller, "Do I have to sleep with him?"

Xie Zhang chuckled, "What else could you possibly do?"

"Mr. Xie, I’ve taken acting classes." An Jiayi sat up a bit, gazing at him earnestly, like a rabbit that could be snatched away at any moment, "Should I perform for you?"

Xie Zhang’s cruel humor was aroused to the limit by her innocent and adorable demeanor.

The corner of his lips curled into a light smirk, he was about to say something but suddenly lost interest, and instead he asked indifferently, "What can you perform?"

An Jiayi hurriedly said, "I’m really good at crying scenes."

Xie Zhang asked her how good she was.

An Jiayi said, "When I was studying at school, teachers praised me for my crying scenes."

Today, Xie Zhang was not planning to do anything to An Jiayi. Such a raw and inexperienced girl, even if he did want to go through with it, he couldn’t let himself go and enjoy it.

He said offhandedly, "Then perform a scene."

"It’s too dark in here; you can’t see clearly," An Jiayi whispered.

Xie Zhang responded with a sarcastic smile, "Do you want me to help you turn on the light too?"

An Jiayi didn’t speak. Suddenly, she threw off the covers and ran down from the bed.

The night in Xiangjiang was particularly intense, and indeed it lacked light, but when An Jiayi ran towards him, the dim moonlight fell on her slender body; she was like a graceful little deer, reaching him like this, unannounced, she knelt down.

Xie Zhang was startled and lowered his head, seeing her kneeling between his legs, her palm-sized face lifted, with crystal tears seeping from the corners of her eyes.

Her voice was choked with sobs, she spoke with emotion, "Do you think because I’m poor, humble, not beautiful, and short, that I don’t have a soul or a heart? You’re wrong! My soul is the same as yours. If God had gifted me beauty and wealth, I would make you feel unable to leave me, just as I now cannot leave you."

For the first time, Xie Zhang felt such a strong, emotional shock.

But suddenly, An Jiayi restrained her expression, shifted her tone, and nervously said, "Mr. Xie, what do you think?"

Xie Zhang composed himself, speaking in an indifferent tone, "You performed very well, is this from the stage play ’Jane Eyre’?"

"Yes," An Jiayi smiled shyly, wiping the tears from her face as she spoke, "My teachers all say that I performed very well and that I’m a very talented student. Mr. Xie, I can become a great actress, right?"

Xie Zhang didn’t speak; he raised his hand, wiping away the tears on An Jiayi’s face. A voice was circling in his mind, a voice tempting him to have her.

He wanted to see the soul and the heart beneath her skin.

Souls and hearts couldn’t be obtained as easily as one obtains their shell; Xie Zhang had never considered wasting energy on this before.

But once the thought occurred, he could no longer restrain it.

He knew that he should proceed with caution.

So that night, Xie Zhang really did nothing to her. He held her, and they slept peacefully through the night.

However, the account of that night in the diary, detailed from a perspective Xie Zhang had never seen before.

She wrote: "I was sitting in the room, knowing what was to happen tonight. I was very afraid, yet hoping to muddle through. Seeing Xie Zhang come in, I actually breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to those old and ugly men, he truly was the best lover one could ask for. Seeing him, my fear suddenly faded, thinking even if something did happen, this man would still be a decent choice. But he did nothing to me. He watched my performance, he said I did very well, and he held me in his sleep."

"His taste in clothes is very good, I noticed as soon as he came in, the necklace around his neck was especially handsome. Lying in bed, unable to sleep and being held by him, I dared not move, so I carefully picked up his necklace to look at. I didn’t expect him to wake up, and I was terrified at that moment, thinking he would hit me. I’ve heard many people say those rich young masters have terrible tempers. But Xie Zhang asked whether I liked it. I said yes, and he took the necklace off and gave it to me. It was the first time I had received such a valuable gift. That night felt unreal, like a dream."

The last sentence of the diary was, "I know I shouldn’t be moved, but he really is so handsome."

Xie Zhang held the diary, motionless for a long time.

He didn’t dare to read on.

It was as if a long-suppressed emotion had been ripped open by these diaries, causing a dull pain.

He closed it abruptly and, expressionless, turned to Yao Yimin, icily saying, "This kind of diary means nothing to me, let alone evokes any feelings, you can leave now."

Yao Yimin stared at Xie Zhang in astonishment, then after a moment, unable to hide her disappointment, she gave a slight smile, "Young Master Xie is even colder than I thought, a true heir to the Xie Family, I admire that."

After saying that, Yao Yimin took a deep breath and walked away briskly.

No one knew that Xie Zhang’s palm was burning while holding the diary.

The sorrows of the world, the pains of parting, the unattainable desires.

Xie Zhang thought, he could no longer open that diary again, he had passed the point of no return; after all, one can never chase the time that has already slipped by...