Drowning in Love Amidst a Sea of Hate - Chapter 2

She changed lanes. The car behind her followed.

She slowed down. The car slowed down too.

Xu Enzhi gripped the steering wheel, her irritation mounting. She was only minutes away from home. Although her apartment complex had excellent security, she had no desire to let anyone know her exact address.

Making a split-second decision, she veered into the underground parking garage of a nearby hotel.

The black car behind her vanished from sight instantly. She unbuckled her seatbelt and let out a long breath of relief.

After checking in and grabbing her key card, she stepped into the elevator. Just as the doors were about to slide shut, a hand shot inside, death-gripping her arm.

The elevator doors hissed back open.

Xu Enzhi winced from the pain of the tug. When she looked back, she saw Ji Ran standing right behind her, dressed in casual athletic gear.

Standing significantly taller than Xu Enzhi, Ji Ran stood breathless in the gap between the doors. Her long, wavy hair cascaded down like a waterfall, making her look like a fox who had just successfully stolen a prize.

“What a coincidence, Teacher Xu. I thought that looked like your silhouette.”

Xu Enzhi stared at her coldly, her body aching with suppressed rage.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, I wasn’t following you. I was just waiting for my takeout in the lobby when I spotted you,” Ji Ran said, lifting a KFC bucket in her hand. “I’m staying here too. Truly a coincidence.”

Xu Enzhi’s face turned ashen with frustration as she stared at the elevator floor numbers. Ji Ran continued:

“Since it’s such a coincidence, how about a late-night snack together? My treat, consider it a formal apology.”

“It’s just a meal, it won’t kill you.”

Xu Enzhi pressed the button for the first floor, clearly intending to switch hotels.

Ji Ran paused, then burst into a laugh. “Fine, no dinner then. But I’ll just follow you. Wherever you go to eat, I’ll be right there eating too.”

This level of shamelessness…

Xu Enzhi felt a sharp pang of annoyance in her stomach, but she didn’t lose her temper. She knew that getting hysterical would only excite the person next to her.

The elevator stopped at the lobby. The doors opened, but neither woman moved.

Ji Ran looked at her, the smile on her face fading slightly, replaced by a rare flash of sincerity.

“I truly feel like I owe you a proper ‘I’m sorry’.”

“During the interview earlier, I genuinely wanted to make peace. So much time has passed, can’t you give a person a chance? You can’t live in hatred forever.”

Xu Enzhi closed her eyes and shot her a fierce, dismissive look. The other woman kept her persistent, playful grin, but there was a trace of something serious underneath.

“So,” Ji Ran said softly, “just one meal. Give me a chance to finish this apology. Once we’re done, I’ll leave and never bother you again.”

The stalemate lasted a long time. Xu Enzhi glanced at the security guards in the lobby but realized she didn’t want to make a scene.

Ji Ran seemed to have bet on that exact hesitation, which was why she dared to be so persistent.

Finally, Xu Enzhi pressed the close button, and Ji Ran provided a floor number.

The private room Ji Ran had booked was small but elegant. Ji Ran ordered the food, choosing Shanghainese dishes that Xu Enzhi used to love as a child.

Xu Enzhi finally took off her glasses and mask.

Ji Ran watched her with a faint, unreadable smile, her eyes wandering as she quietly took her in: the long eyelashes, the clean features, and the beauty mark on her left cheek.

Indeed, after ten years, this face hadn’t changed at all; it was as familiar as ever.

Once upon a time, Ji Ran had been utterly captivated by this “innocent white flower” look. Now, looking back, she wondered why she had bothered.

Xu Enzhi didn’t touch her chopsticks.

Ji Ran wasn’t in a hurry either. She poured two glasses of red wine and pushed one across the table. “Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.”

Xu Enzhi just stared at her.

Ji Ran laughed. “You didn’t drink that tea earlier, did you? I’ll drink this one first to show you.” She picked up her glass and downed it in one go.

After a moment of hesitation, Xu Enzhi picked up her glass and took a sip.

A glint flashed through Ji Ran’s eyes.

She began to talk about the past—how they met, the things they did together over the years, and how much she regretted things later. Her tone was sincere, occasionally self-deprecating, and her eyes even grew red.

As she listened, Xu Enzhi gradually lowered her guard. When her glass was empty, Ji Ran refilled it.

“…I was just so incredibly immature back then,” Ji Ran said, head lowered as she swirled her wine. “I’m truly repenting to you.”

Xu Enzhi looked down and said nothing, but she picked up her glass and took another drink.

The atmosphere softened. Outside, the city lights flickered, while the private room was filled only with their low whispers.

…

“Hiss—”

A sharp sting on her cheek jolted Xu Enzhi awake. She realized it was already morning, and the white gauze curtains were swaying gently in the wind.

Ji Ran was hovering over Xu Enzhi, kissing her face, and had accidentally woken her up.

“Ah!”

Xu Enzhi shoved her off with a force born of pure disbelief.

Her body felt swollen and strange in various places, and her hands were coated in something sticky.

Ji Ran was dazed by the shove, but for Xu Enzhi, the initial shock was instantly replaced by an uncontrollable fury.

“You! You!!”

She swung her palm in a violent arc.

Slap!

The blow left Ji Ran’s face stinging. Ji Ran suddenly realized that while last night had been about flirtation, today might actually cost her her life.

“Why haven’t you crawled out of here yet!”

Xu Enzhi grabbed her hair and tried to slam her head against the headboard, but Ji Ran used her hand to block the impact just in time.

Xu Enzhi followed up with several more slaps, the blows raining down on Ji Ran’s face like a torrential storm. Caught off guard, Ji Ran couldn’t block a single one.

However, finding an opening, Ji Ran flipped over, pinning Xu Enzhi down and locking her arms around her neck.

The veins on Xu Enzhi’s forehead were bulging with rage. She flailed her arms, scratching and clawing at Ji Ran with zero regard for her own defense, as if her only goal was to kill her right then and there.

Ji Ran was struggling to keep her under control. Luckily, she had managed to file down Xu Enzhi’s nails the night before.

“Stop pretending.”

“Wasn’t it great last night?”

She chuckled, thinking to herself that they were both grown adults—was there really a need for all this life-and-death drama?

This industry was full of beautiful people; women with Xu Enzhi’s style were a dime a dozen. Everyone looked “pure” on the surface, but played harder than anyone else behind closed doors. Having struggled in this circle for so many years, Ji Ran had seen it all. Why act so virtuous?

She glanced again at Xu Enzhi’s eyes, which were trying so hard to look clear, and a hint of disdain rose in her heart: You’ve made so much money over the years, is your body even still capable of handling this?

She muttered two choice words. Those words were like a needle stabbing into Xu Enzhi’s brain. She grabbed Ji Ran’s wrist, used her strength to flip them over, and pinned Ji Ran beneath her.

They rolled together, the quilt kicked to the floor and the pillows flying into the corners.

Ji Ran had her arms locked around Xu Enzhi’s neck, while Xu Enzhi was pulling Ji Ran’s hair. They were like two wild animals, biting, wrestling, and refusing to give an inch.

“You think you’re so much better than me?” Ji Ran panted, looking up at Xu Enzhi. “You hid from me ten years ago, and you’re still hiding from me ten years later. What are you hiding for? Afraid you won’t be able to control yourself?”

Xu Enzhi’s face turned green with rage, and she delivered a sharp kick to Ji Ran’s hip. Hissing in pain, Ji Ran’s grip loosened, and she rolled off the bed.

She hit the floor hard, her hip bone throbbing from the impact. Before she could even scramble up, Xu Enzhi’s hands were around her throat again.

Ji Ran’s head thudded against the floor, and her vision momentarily went dark.

She looked at Xu Enzhi, seeing nothing but a murderous hatred in the other woman’s eyes.

Just then, the sound of the door opening echoed through the room.

The bed was positioned directly across from the entrance. Ji Ran’s assistant, in a frantic hurry, tossed her bag onto the table and walked further into the room, only to be met with the sight of the two women brawling on the floor.

Xu Enzhi was partially turned away, the sheets covering most of her body while her long, straight hair draped over her shoulders. She froze, staring at the newcomer.

The assistant stood there, completely paralyzed.

Her mouth opened and closed, then closed and opened again, but not a single word came out.

Support Drowning in Love Amidst a Sea of Hate