Imprisoning the Black Moonlight

After the elders left, Hong Jie felt as if he had been granted a pardon and breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Hong Jin, I'm a son of a bitch if I ever discipline you again!" He had nowhere to vent his anger, so he kicked the coffee table hard. "You act up, and I get scolded. It's been like this since we were kids!"

"Did I tell you to open your mouth?" The wicked man ignored his cousin's anger, picked up a lighter and lit a cigarette. "Within three months, I'll make sure you're in the top position in the army. Get your ass sharp and stick there. When I go to China, you'd better keep a firm grip on the gun. Do you understand?"

"Are you crazy? How old am I? Going to be a general? Who the hell listens to me? Who respects me? You leave and I'll be killed the next day. Brother, can you let me live to a ripe old age? I'm begging you!" Hong Jie bowed to his cousin in a sarcastic tone, showing no sincerity whatsoever.

"I'm gone, not dead. Who dares to touch you?" He spoke in an extremely calm tone, cold to the extreme. "Before I die, no one dares to do anything to the Hong family. My father's political skills are unmatched. You just need to hold onto your gun and wait for me to come back!"

"Your uncle will never let you go to jail in China."

Hong Jie had always thought his cousin was just talking nonsense about going to jail in a fit of rage, but now, seeing his calm and indifferent demeanor, his handsome face serious, Hong Jie couldn't help but believe him somewhat, and was deeply shaken. Hong Jin appeared calm on the surface, but it sent chills down Hong Jie's spine.

"If Father can't bear to cripple me, he has to let me go!" The rebellious son leaned back on the sofa. From the last escape incident, when his father raised him high and then let him go lightly, he already knew that his family would never abandon him no matter what.

"Besides, once we get rid of those old men who are taking advantage of their age and have obtained military power, no one will dare to threaten my father anymore. As for the family business, I can take care of it wherever I go. As long as the core interests of the family are not touched, he won't bother with me."

"You've got everyone figured out?" Hong Jie suddenly jumped up, pacing around a couple of times in agitation. "Hong Jin, how could someone be so ruthless? You went to China to enjoy your wife and live a life of luxury, leaving me with a bunch of trouble? You really are my good brother!"

Without even thinking about it, the moment he leaves, he'll have to handle all the big and small matters of the family. Before, when Hong Jin was around, he could just stand in front of him and be a spoiled young master. Now that he's gone, he'll have to step up. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

“Father and Uncle will handle things with the government, and I’ll take care of the business. With both major issues being handled by others, how can you be overworked?” The older cousin showed no sympathy for his unambitious younger cousin and suddenly realized that he had spoiled him too much in the past, which was why he always thought of hiding behind him when something happened.

"That won't do either!" Hong Jie roared. "I can't handle so many complicated things. A-Jin, go and bring Yueyue over. You can stay at the manor, can't you?"

"If you keep spouting this nonsense, I'll become a live-in son-in-law and never come back!" Hong Jin flicked his cigarette ash, then squinted and ignored his exasperated cousin.

"Bastard!" Hong Jie threw down these words and left without looking back.

The bullet had been removed from his arm, and now that the anesthesia had worn off, the pain was intensifying. The man, lying on his back with his eyes closed, gradually turned pale. Silence enveloped him, and longing surged from all directions, tearing his heart apart...

****

Yao Gongyue stayed at home for two whole days before she recovered.

Da Jiao and Xiao Jiao went to the store, leaving her alone at home. Bored, she pulled out her high school English textbook and forced herself to start studying from the beginning. Her mother was right; if you don't want life to drag you into hell, you have to climb as high as you can. She was only twenty years old, and there were many possibilities for the future. Whether she could pass the exam or not, she had to try.

There was a rapid knocking at the door. I thought it was my neighbor's grandma whose phone was "broken" again and she was coming to ask for her help. But as soon as I opened the door, someone pulled me into their arms.

The man was so strong that she felt like she was being strangled and couldn't breathe.

Today she was wearing the new pajamas Xiao Jiao had bought for her. Underneath was a lace camisole, and over it was a flannel jacket. It was loose and baggy. When the man hugged her like this, one shoulder slumped down, and the alluring scenery of her chest was faintly visible, which was very tempting.

"Little Chang'e, my darling, I knew you were alright, I knew you were alright!" Ouyang Xu's voice trembled, as if he wanted to crush her into his bones and hold her as if she were a lost treasure that had been found again.

"Mr. Ouyang, could you please let me go? I can't breathe!" Yao Gongyue tried her best to remain calm, her tone distant and indifferent.

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Xu's handsome brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Mr. Ouyang? Why doesn't she call me Brother Xu anymore?

It wasn't appropriate to talk while standing at the door, so Yao Gongyue could only invite him in, make him a cup of tea, and sit down opposite him.

"Mr. Ouyang, how is Zhenzhen?" She didn't want to hear him say anything more out of line; she only cared about Ouyang Zhen.

"Zhenzhen, she's not doing well!" Ouyang Xujun's face was tense, and his heart ached as he mentioned his sister.

"What's wrong with her?" Yao Gongyue nervously tugged at the hem of her skirt, her bright eyes looking at the man opposite her.

"She miscarried, suffered a huge physical and mental blow, developed depression, and wouldn't talk to anyone. Her family sent her to a sanatorium villa, where she has someone to take care of her every day. We hope she recovers as soon as possible!"

"How could this happen? She's so young, how could you make her have an abortion? Isn't that ruining her?" Tears welled up in her eyes, and Yao Gongyue gritted her teeth and held them back.

"It was an accident. She didn't know she was pregnant. She wasn't careful when she took a shower at home and slipped and fell in the bathtub. She lost the baby. She cried day and night and almost didn't make it!"

"Zhenzhen's life is so miserable!" Yao Gongyue finally couldn't hold back anymore, and tears streamed down her face. "It's all that bastard Wu Meng's fault, it's all his fault, you son of a bitch!"

"You know Wu Meng?" Ouyang Xu's dark eyes narrowed sharply as he looked at the girl opposite him with suspicion. "How do you know Wu Meng? His identity is not simple. How could a little girl like you know someone like that? Little Chang'e, who were you with during the days you disappeared in J country? Why do I feel like there is an invisible hand controlling me in the dark, and nothing I do goes smoothly!"

"Wu Meng is Hong Jin's friend. I'm in J country, with Hong Jin!" Before Yao Gongyue could finish speaking, the man opposite her suddenly lunged forward, leaning over her with his arm around her shoulder. His refined, handsome face was so dark it seemed to drip with malice.

"How did you end up with Hong Jin? Little Chang'e, didn't you break up with him? Why are you entangled with him again? What did he do to you? Did he touch you?"

The man's imposing aura pressed down, and Yao Gongyue met his gaze calmly and distantly, saying, "This is my matter, and I don't want to talk about it. Mr. Ouyang, please be mindful of your words!"

For some reason, when she came back this time and saw Ouyang Xu, she didn't feel the same excitement as before. It had only been a few months, but for her, these few months had been more than the growth she had experienced in the previous ten years. Ouyang Xu was ultimately just a dream from her teenage years.

Ouyang Xu caught the fleeting look of rejection in her eyes, and his heart felt like it had been clenched. He stood up, loosened his collar, and said, "I'm sorry, Little Chang'e, I lost my composure!"