Zhao Ran could almost visualize it—that worthless man pulling out a belt, lashing Jiang Xue’s back wildly. Beneath her semi-transparent silk nightgown, vivid red welts were brutally struck into her skin, even seeping with blood.
Jiang Xue was truly humiliated. She was a woman, after all. For so many years, she had endured daily domestic violence, suppressing her true nature. She wanted to be a good wife, a devoted partner. Even though her husband was incapable, and she—still so young—had already endured nearly seven or eight years of a living widowhood, she remained chaste and faithful to her vows. She never sought out other men to satisfy her desires.
Yet, even in the privacy of her own home, when she tended to her own needs, she was still abused by her perverted husband.
“Enough! Stop talking!” Jiang Xue cried out, her voice wrenching Zhao Ran’s heart. How could there be such a despicable man in the world as her husband!
The voice of Jiang Xue’s husband erupted from inside the room: “You slut, you love doing that kind of thing so much, don’t you? Fine! I’ll make a call right now, get a few of my buddies over here, and let them play with you to your heart’s content!”
With her fox-like, enchanting beauty, men often mistook Jiang Xue for a seductress, someone who tempted men and craved sexual affairs. And it was true that she had strong desires and thoroughly enjoyed intimate acts. But at her core, she was actually very conservative and traditional. She had endured seven or eight years of celibacy without straying. It was only when she went to a bar with Fang Rufe and Zhao Ran that she allowed herself to let loose for the very first time in her life.
But for her own husband to call other men over to violate her—to have multiple men engage in sexual acts with her—was something Jiang Xue could never accept. She felt her world spinning, overwhelmed with despair, and wished for death.
“You like it, don’t you? Let me tell you, tomorrow you’ll be pleasured until you’re completely wrecked! Hmph, I’ll have them fuck you to death!” her husband snarled viciously. On the other end of the phone, he could be heard grabbing a bottle of foreign liquor and gulping it down.
Although he spoke these threats, it seemed that after chugging most of the bottle, the alcohol took over. He collapsed onto the bed without even taking off his clothes and fell asleep. The liquor bottle dropped to the floor and shattered into pieces. Soon, thunderous snores rumbled through the phone. Zhao Ran couldn’t see the screen, but from the sounds alone, he could piece together what was happening.
Although Zhao Ran could clearly tell that the man was a drunkard and that his words were likely empty threats—probably nothing more than a coward who bullies those at home—Jiang Xue took them completely to heart. Her phone slipped from her hand halfway, and she seemed to resign herself to despair. She even moved to reach for the sleeping pills on the table.
Zhao Ran could hold back no longer. He pulled her firmly toward him. “Sis Xue, don’t do this.”
Startled by Zhao Ran’s sudden voice, Jiang Xue turned to look at him.
“Xiao Ran, I… I forgot you were still here.”
Jiang Xue glanced at the phone screen, which showed her husband drunk and unconscious like a pig, and slowly withdrew her hand. Lost in her thoughts, she allowed Zhao Ran to hold her.
“Sis Xue… you should get a divorce. Why stay with a man like this?” Zhao Ran gripped Jiang Xue’s arm, pressing her. “It’s absolutely not worth taking your life because of a damn man like him! Get a divorce, leave him, and start over!”
Jiang Xue smiled bitterly. “You heard everything?”
Zhao Ran nodded.
“Divorce… I will. It’s just that the process is ongoing, and he’s stubbornly refusing to let go…” Jiang Xue looked at Zhao Ran, her eyes glistening. Suddenly, she said, “He just threatened to have men come and violate me. Rather than endure this living hell, maybe I should take the initiative…”
“Take the initiative… to do what?” Zhao Ran asked, confused.