Reborn to Redeem: Their Abusive Love-Chapter 90: Give me some time to think about how to take responsibility.

He knew. Again.

He was calling to ask her—what were her intentions?

Xu Si held the corded receiver, draped a blanket over her long legs, her right palm resting on the desk surface, fingers unconsciously tapping out a faint rhythm, appearing somewhat composed.

She leisurely explained, "He said some trash to me, which I didn’t appreciate."

"Hmm, then he deserves a lesson." The voice on the other end of the line was magnetic, its tone teasing the night rain, laced with a hint of indulgence.

"What, did he go crying to you? Is he someone important? Will it be troublesome?" Xu Si’s voice grew somewhat perplexed.

That day, Xu Si had looked the man in floral clothes up and down but saw no sign of him being an important figure. Any random grunt from the Triad Society would have looked more like a tough character than him.

Could it be that appearances are really deceiving?

A long pause followed before the person on the other end laughed, a sound filled with allure. "No one came to me to complain. I just missed you and took the liberty of wanting to know how you were. He was the only one who’d had contact with you recently. I had him brought over, but he wouldn’t tell the truth, so I had to ask you instead."

More of his subtle, teasing words.

This time, Xu Si uncharacteristically didn’t remain silent or try to stop his overstepping behavior. Instead, she touched her cheek, her upturned phoenix eyes glinting like autumn waters, a soft, soundless laugh escaping her throat.

"Actually, you could have just asked me directly. I would have told you."

「The dim Underground City.」

Pei Zhen sat smoking by the waterfront. A black sofa was positioned on a damp concrete lookout, and several men in black suits stood behind him. Apart from the still-warm barrels of their guns, they all exuded a chilling air. The man in floral clothes lay tightly bound on the ground, his mouth stuffed full.

Hearing her rare response over the phone, Pei Zhen paused. He lifted his eyelids, an undeniable joy blooming at the corners of his eyes. The tiny spark at his fingertips flickered, and his voice blended with the crashing waves.

"So, have you calmed down? If not, how do you want to punish him?"

Xu Si blinked slowly, leaned closer to the receiver, and said with a laugh, "That’s something you need to ask yourself. I kicked him purely to vent your anger. He told me he’d bullied you before. I have no objections to however you want to punish him."

"To vent my anger?"

Those words felt so unfamiliar, like something he would only have heard four years ago.

Pei Zhen slightly raised his eyebrows. His dark gaze swept over the man in floral clothes—whose features were somewhat distorted by fear—and lingered for two seconds. He captured some information in his memory, then silently shifted his gaze away, his voice softening slightly, "Alright, I understand."

Xu Si hummed softly in agreement and didn’t pursue the topic. Some things shouldn’t be probed too deeply.

But Xu Si hadn’t decided what to say next. The shade of the trees was calm, the evening breeze gentle. For a moment, she found herself uncharacteristically tongue-tied.

After thinking it over, she simply said, somewhat out of the blue, "Just give me some more time."

He didn’t seem to grasp her meaning. "What?"

"Give me some more time. Let me think clearly about how I should take responsibility for you." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

That sentence felt like a fresh promise. Xu Si had thought many things through. Since she’d said she would take responsibility, she couldn’t keep being evasive.

The person on the other end seemed to chuckle softly but said nothing. It was as if the sea breeze had scrambled the signal; there were a few CRACKLING sounds from the receiver, and then the call suddenly disconnected.

For some reason, a phrase drifted into Xu Si’s mind: A scholar has their pride. A handsome man has his temperament.

She chuckled softly, unhooked the gun from her waist, placed it in a drawer, and locked it. Then, she put on her soft slippers, returned to her room, took a shower, dried her fine, soft hair, and leaning against her pillow, fell into a deep sleep.

Deep in the night, she had a profound dream. In her dream, a man appeared. He became the perfect lover. She only remembered the man’s figure, which bore a striking resemblance to Pei Zhen.

...

That night in the Underground City, an unknown district was celebrating something fortunate, setting off numerous fireworks that lit up half the ink-black sky. The gradually subsiding rain couldn’t dampen such a bombardment.

Pei Zhen looked at the abruptly ended call, his hand faltered in mid-air for a moment, then dropped. The voice in his ears, though distant, sounded so real. His long fingers drooped as he lightly flicked the ash from his cigarette, an almost imperceptible hint of a smile in his eyes.

The predawn moon was setting, and the sun was about to rise. Just a little longer. The sea tides surged and piled up, the crests of the waves churning violently, threatening to swallow one’s sanity.

Noticing something, Pei Zhen suddenly stood up. He bent down to look at the man bound on the ground, a cold, tyrannical smile touching his lips as he said, "Oh? I remember you now. How did you manage to escape back then? It was all because there were too many damn people that year; I almost forgot about you."

The man in floral clothes shivered, his face ashen, awaiting his judgment.

Pei Zhen effortlessly hauled him up with one hand and dragged him to the very edge of the coast, to a twenty-meter-high platform. Tied hand and foot, a fall would be fatal.

Hei Shi followed, holding a black umbrella, watching the scene with a calm expression.

"But... I still have to thank you for that performance of suffering you put on for my sake. I’m almost too embarrassed to retaliate now. What to do?"

Muffled whimpers were all the man in floral clothes could manage, his mouth gagged.

The night wind stirred Pei Zhen’s silver-white hair. A smirk played on his lips as he casually drew a sturdy knife. He swiftly cut the ropes on the man’s back, the blade grazing the shackles and sending out a shower of tiny sparks. His long fingers patted the man’s shoulder.

"I’m not going to kill you. Get lost. Don’t come to the Underground City again, and don’t go to Hong Kong Island either. If anyone who shouldn’t know finds out about today, I’ll have your life."

Everyone present had a good idea who "anyone who shouldn’t know" referred to.

The man in floral clothes, having narrowly escaped death, nodded and bowed obsequiously, then scrambled away into the distance.

Pei Zhen tilted his head, pointed at the man’s retreating figure, and beckoned to someone behind him. "He’s celebrating too soon, isn’t he?" he said. "Have someone follow him. See where the X Organization’s people are hiding now."

Hei Shi nodded. "Yes, sir."

Pei Zhen remembered something, a smile curving his lips as he added, "We’re not going to Hong Kong Island tomorrow. Tell the boat not to come."

"Yes, sir."

...

After the torrential rain gradually subsided, the moon peeked out from behind the dense clouds, timidly shedding a little light before being chased away by the sun.

「The next day, the weather on Hong Kong Island was exceptionally good.」

The funeral of Wen Jiaojiao’s maternal grandfather was held today. No other families received invitations. It was held in secret, with no one allowed in or out, as if to conceal some shocking scandal.

Xu Si had sent some wreaths, but she still felt uneasy, constantly worried that something might happen to Wen Jiaojiao. She arranged for several people to keep watch near the Wen Family’s old mansion, ready to rush in and help at the slightest sign of trouble.

But there was no news throughout the day. It wasn’t until the afternoon that Xu Si received a call from Wen Jiaojiao. On the phone, Wen Jiaojiao sounded somewhat angry, "Asi, they’re too vigilant. I couldn’t get any useful evidence."

Xu Si’s beautiful face turned stern. She pondered for a moment before saying, "Jiaojiao, don’t panic yet. Try to find other witnesses. Once the lockdown at your family’s place is over, I’ll come find you."

"Okay, I’m not panicking."

But despite saying she wasn’t panicking...

「That very night.」

The people Xu Si had dispatched rushed back, reporting that Wen Jiaojiao had attacked someone. Barefoot and wielding a blood-drenched knife, she had run out of the Wen Family’s old mansion, gotten into a black car, and vanished without a trace.