Imprisoning the Black Moonlight

After a long silence on the other end of the phone, Wu Meng suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahaha, Hong Jin, Prince Jin, the old commander said before that you were a heartless bastard, and I even slammed my fist on the table in protest. But it seems the old commander was wrong."

Tell me honestly, if that man hadn't stolen your heart, would you have been so ruthless? I remember telling you countless times that the military government wanted to get rid of me, and you wouldn't utter a single word!

"He thinks he's worthy?" The man didn't even bother to scoff, his dark eyes narrowing disdainfully. "How much you suffered this time is somewhat related to me. I'm just returning a favor. Take it or leave it. Bye!"

After the man finished speaking, he hung up the phone, turned around, and the little thing on the bed immediately closed its eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Hong Jin shook his head, a helpless smile playing on his lips. He walked to the bedside, hooked her delicate chin with his long index finger, turned her face towards him, and glared at her. "Eavesdropping?"

Yao Gongyue continued to pretend to be asleep, remaining silent with her lips pursed.

After waiting a few seconds and seeing that she was still persistent, he sighed and said, "Alright, you've had a long day, go to sleep first, we'll go back to J country tomorrow."

"I don't want to!" The person pretending to be asleep finally couldn't hold back any longer, suddenly throwing off the covers and sitting up, staring at him with red, misty eyes. "Why should I go wherever you want? Why should you decide everything for me? I don't want to, I refuse, you jerk!"

She spoke while tears streamed down her face, then grabbed a pillow and threw it at the man.

Hong Jin stood motionless, letting her hit and cry until she was exhausted. Then he sighed, sat down on the edge of the bed, took her hand, and carefully pressed her slender white wrist. "Listen to me! It's not safe here. Let's go back!"

“So J country is safe? So Phnom Penh is safe? Safe, but your car gets bombed? Safe, but I get kidnapped again and again? You're selfish, Hong Jin! You just want an excuse to lock me up, you don't care if I live or die!” She cried, pulling her hand away and pushing herself back against the bed. “Why did you come? I was about to go home, why did you come? I want to go home, that's my home…”

"I don't care if you live or die?" The man seemed to be provoked by something; his brows furrowed deeply, his wolfish eyes turned bloodshot, and his long eyelashes trembled violently. He pointed at himself in disbelief and asked, "I don't care if you live or die?"

He looked up at the ceiling, forcing back the tears welling up in his eyes. After a full minute, he looked at her again. "I'm not omnipotent, baby! To protect the family's honor and the country's stability, I have to endure until I have a stomach hemorrhage, doing everything in my power and exhausting all my energy."

Born on a mountaintop, though you don't have to climb to the summit, you're forever trapped in a cloud-filled cage; no one's life is easy.

But loving you is the only boundless freedom I've achieved in this troubled life. Yuebao, although I have no regrets, you have to let me see some light, right? Even just a little bit!

As he finished speaking, his voice trembled, "All my actions are under the watchful eyes of various parties, involving the interests of all sides. I have to take some time to arrange things. It's not that I don't care about you, baby, how could I not care about you? You are my life!"

He tried his best to control his emotions. The veins on his large hand covering her shoulder bulged, and his blood-red wolf eyes seemed to hold endless tenderness, yet were indescribable.

"I didn't beg you!" Yao Gongyue pushed his hand away. "It's all just your own wishful thinking!"

She pouted, her eyes stubborn, her breathing rapid. "We had already broken up. Wouldn't it have been better to just forget each other and move on? At least we'd have some beautiful memories left. Why did you kidnap me? Force me? You're always like this, so high and mighty, so self-important. The world doesn't revolve around you. If you love someone, you have to ask if they want to love you back. Love only counts when it happens to both of you, doesn't it?"

Hong Jin's face darkened further, veins bulged on his forehead, his Adam's apple bobbed violently, and he managed to utter a hoarse voice, "So, your lack of love for me is my original sin, isn't it?"

The girl bit her lip, her bright eyes fixed on him, without uttering a word.

He knew her too well; her reaction was even more cruel than a direct rejection.

The surrounding air slowly condensed into frost, and the man's face became even more grim. He stood up, took two steps to the window, and stared silently at the dark night in the distance. The towering mountains were only covered by varying shades of black, and the damp air was so thick and sticky that it made one's heart race.

He took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and the lighter flickered but he couldn't light it.

So much has happened these past few days. She's young, inexperienced, delicate, timid, and afraid of death. She must have been terrified. Plus, that man promised to take her back. It's no surprise she's angry.

It's okay if she's angry. It's not like we haven't tried to coax her before. Yuebao is the easiest to coax. She's just throwing a tantrum because she's upset that I came too late. That must be it.

Tossing away the unlit cigarette, Hong Jin returned to the bedside, took the girl's soft, delicate hand in his, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly. "Yuebao, I apologize. This time I was too slow and came late, causing you to suffer. There won't be a next time. Please forgive me, okay?"

Yao Gongyue had long anticipated that he would dodge the question. She suppressed a smile, withdrew her hands, and turned her face away. "Every time this comes up, you apologize, dodge the question, and change the subject. I may not be as smart as you, but I can't let you fool me every time!"

She rolled her eyes at the man, then swallowed hard as if making up her mind, and continued, "Now, I am Niu Hulu Yueyue. You can't fool me anymore. Either send me back to China, or let me go and I'll go back on my own. You can only choose between these two. Don't even think about letting me go back to Japan."

Hong Jin tapped his cheek with the tip of his tongue, a half-smile playing on his lips. "What if I don't choose either of them?"

Yao Gongyue was so angry at his thuggish and shameless behavior that she gritted her teeth, but there was nothing she could do. Yes, from the very beginning, the relationship between the two of them was unequal.

She seduced him for money, and he was attracted to her beauty and obedience. Later, he kidnapped her, claiming to love her, but he never cared whether she loved him or not. Now, knowing his true identity, there is an even greater chasm between them, besides money—class!

Before, when Hong Jin was a rich man's son, she could comfort herself by thinking that rich men are all about physical attraction, not emotional connection, and that feelings would fade away. But now she realized how blind she had been. He wasn't just an ordinary second-generation official or a typical playboy; he was Young Master Jin, the Crown Prince of J Country. In ancient times, even if he didn't inherit the throne, he would at least be a regional lord. She, a commoner's child, might have been sold by her father to be a foot warmer in a feudal dynasty if it weren't for the benefits of socialism.

One must know one's place. She wouldn't dare to get involved with ordinary wealthy people, let alone the sons of top-tier nobles. She absolutely couldn't afford to get entangled with them again, lest she risk her life.

"If you don't choose, there's nothing I can do. Anyway, I have nothing to threaten you with!" She pouted, looking at him pitifully, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm not going back with you. If you don't let me go, then kill me. I'm going to die sooner or later anyway!"