Falling After Marriage - Chapter 69

Chapter 69: Before Landing a Gentle Kiss

Inside the hazy, dark container, besides the sound of rain pitter-pattering against the iron skin, only Xu Songheng’s constant gasping remained. He could no longer make any loud noise because Cheng Sangluo’s arm was locked under his throat, while her other hand pressed against the back of his head, forming an inescapable rear-naked choke.

This was a professional lethal move. As the choker inhales and exerts force with both arms, it causes immediate unconsciousness through suffocation; with enough strength, it can snap a neck instantly.

Xu Songheng clutched his blood-soaked groin with one hand, while the other clawed uselessly at Cheng Sangluo’s arm. He wheezed out a broken plea: “Cheng Sangluo… let go… let’s… let’s talk…”

Cheng Sangluo ignored him, tilting her head toward Lin Jin. “Is your foot okay? Did they hurt you? Don’t rush, just hold onto my shirt and walk slowly.”

The container door was on the verge of being smashed open. Even at this critical moment, her heart and eyes were entirely focused on the “madwoman” behind her. Lin Jin, dragging her injured foot, couldn’t move fast. Fortunately, the quality of her walking aid had provided some protection during the struggle, though her bandaged ankle was now caked with mud.

“I might have hit my ankle during the scuffle… it hurts a bit…” she answered honestly, then immediately feigned strength. “It’s okay, no big deal. Don’t worry.” She felt a sense of self-blame and didn’t want to fail at the crucial moment.

“What do you mean ‘no big deal’? This isn’t your fault. Listen to me…” Cheng Sangluo raised her voice, signaling her to focus. “You know the saying about capturing the leader to stop the followers? I have Xu Songheng now. No matter how many people are outside, they won’t dare move. Just stay close to me and don’t think about anything else, understand?”

Accustomed to combat communication, she barked again when she didn’t get an immediate answer: “Do you understand?”

Lin Jin’s mood wasn’t high, but hearing the “puppy’s” serious interrogation, she couldn’t help but wrap her arms around Cheng Sangluo’s waist, answering with a smile in her voice: “Understood, Officer.”

Feeling the soft weight against her back, Cheng Sangluo stiffened as if struck by lightning. “Uh… that… you holding me like this… it limits my movement…”

Lin Jin knew the behavior was ill-timed, but the embrace was primal—an expression of her endless dependence on the puppy. “Before we walk out this door, let me hold you properly. Nothing calms my anxiety more than this.” She buried her face in Cheng Sangluo’s back. Though the clothes were damp and cold, the familiar, clean scent made her heart steady.

“Wilful,” Cheng Sangluo whispered helplessly, but she stopped her pace, allowing the woman her moment. She didn’t realize that her “allowance” was the very definition of pampering.

Xu Songheng was nearly fainting from pain, thinking: Just go out already, do whatever you want, but stop flirting right now.

“Let’s go.” Lin Jin released her arms and, as she had done many times before, hooked her finger into the hem of Cheng Sangluo’s shirt, moving forward one step at a time.

Cheng Sangluo tightened her grip on Xu Songheng’s neck. “Tell your men to retreat five meters. Prepare a car and park it right at the door.”

Xu Songheng, struggling for air, tapped her arm in agreement. She loosened the pressure slightly. “Speak up! Unless you want to bleed out and ensure you never have children.”

“Cough—cough—” Xu Songheng gasped, terrified for his life and his lineage. “Back off… five meters… get the car to the door! Fast!”

Hearing their boss’s command, the thugs stopped smashing the door. Cheng Sangluo listened to the rustling outside and gave Xu Songheng a sharp jab to the head. “Are your men always this slow? Hurry them up!”

Dizzy and pained, Xu Songheng roared, “You idiots, hurry up! Are you waiting to collect my corpse?!”

Shortly after, an engine roared outside, followed by a shout: “The car is parked!”

Cheng Sangluo nudged Xu Songheng with her knee. “Lift the bolt. Open the door just a crack. Move slowly. Don’t try any tricks.”

Xu Songheng, trembling from the pain in his groin, slowly pulled the door open as ordered. Cheng Sangluo, being tall, hunched her back to hide behind his frame. She peeked out with half her face. Because of the heavy rain, she couldn’t see clearly if everyone was five meters away. Fearing an ambush from the top of the containers, she commanded: “Repeat exactly what I say.”

“Fine… cough…”

Cheng Sangluo: “Everyone, pair up, back-to-back. Link arms and sit on the ground.”

Xu Songheng repeated the command. The thugs looked at each other but had to obey. This would buy Cheng Sangluo more time to escape.

She whispered back: “Lin Jin, the top of the container and the sides are blind spots. If anything happens, hide back inside immediately.”

“No… I can’t leave you alone—”

“Listen to me.” Cheng Sangluo interrupted her, then softened her tone. “This is how you help me.”

She shoved Xu Songheng out the door. As she expected, two men were crouching by the sides ready to pounce. Before they could move, Cheng Sangluo suddenly yanked the dagger back out of Xu Songheng’s groin.

As he let out a soul-tearing scream, she pressed the blade to his throat. Her sharp, eagle-like eyes flashed with cold, murderous light, forcing the attackers back.

“You… you two want to send me to the grave early?” Xu Songheng cursed through gritted teeth, his legs clamped together. “Dammit… bastards… go sit down… ah… it hurts…”

Cheng Sangluo scanned the area. “Lin Jin, follow me, go…”

Lin Jin gripped the puppy’s hem, suppressing the agony in her foot to keep pace.

“I swear I won’t let them follow you, just let me go… I really can’t take much more…” Xu Songheng’s pants were soaked through with blood. His lips were turning white, and his eyes were rolling back. He wheezed out, “Cheng Sangluo, about three years ago… it wasn’t that I wouldn’t let you go. If you had just looked the other way… if you hadn’t saved that person… no one would have hounded you. But you called the police. The person who wanted to destroy you completely was Lin Sheng. You’ve seen what he’s like today. He won’t let you go… he won’t…”

“He’s the mastermind, you’re the accomplice. Nothing changes the fact that you conspired to frame me.” Cheng Sangluo gave a cold smile. “Letting me go? Don’t you realize it’s me who isn’t letting you go?”

They reached the car. “Lin Jin, get in.”

Once Lin Jin was settled, Cheng Sangluo dragged Xu Songheng to the driver’s side. “Xu Songheng, I’m leaving you alive so you can give Lin Sheng a message: the day of reckoning is coming for every old and new grudge. I’ll settle the score for both myself and Lin Jin. You won’t escape either.”

With a final kick, she sent Xu Songheng tumbling into the mud, slid into the driver’s seat, and floored the gas.

Xu Songheng rolled on the ground, clutching himself, his face covered in filth. He slammed a hand into the concrete, screaming, “Follow them! Catch them! Don’t let them escape!”

A swarm of thugs hopped onto motorcycles like mad dogs. Cheng Sangluo glanced in the rearview mirror, expecting this. She floored it again. “Remember the day I got out of prison and his men surrounded me? You said you saw it at the hotel entrance. Today is eye-for-an-eye.”

She glanced at Lin Jin, who was gripping the handle tight. She reached out a hand to stroke Lin Jin’s face, trying to break the tension. “I’ve driven tanks and heavy trucks. Trust my skills. Want to feel the thrill of racing?”

Lin Jin looked at the relaxed puppy and pulled the hand from her face into her own lap. “I don’t. I just want us to be okay.”

Cheng Sangluo didn’t reply, focusing on losing the motorcycles. She smashed through the port gate barrier and hit the main road. The bikes were relentless, weaving through traffic. She needed a destination. She thought of the criminal investigation center, but involving the police now might make things more complicated.

“Go to the health center,” Lin Jin whispered. “Lin Sheng is there, which makes it safe. He cherishes his reputation above all else and prefers to kill with a borrowed knife. He wouldn’t dare do anything to me there, and his men wouldn’t either.”

“True,” Cheng Sangluo sighed. “The most dangerous place is often the safest. As long as he’s there, these people won’t dare go overboard. After all, that’s your territory.”

The autumn rain showed no signs of stopping. Cheng Sangluo drove Xu Songheng’s car through the curtain of rain. As they approached the mountain road, the motorcycles swarmed together again. She changed her mind—if they got blocked on the winding mountain road, a crash would be inevitable.

Lin Jin stared at the health center building halfway up the mountain. “Xu Songheng’s men really are mad dogs. How much did he pay them to be this desperate?”

“Lin Jin, hold on.” Cheng Sangluo suddenly pulled a sharp U-turn at a gap in the lane dividers. The car drifted, leaving the bikes on the other side of the road. With the rain making the road slick, the two-wheeled bikes couldn’t turn as easily as she could.

She gained a significant lead and disappeared into a side street. Before any headlights appeared, she swung the car into a parking spot among private vehicles and cut the lights. The movement was seamless.

The car blended in. It was a gamble, but in the heavy rain, it was hard for the thugs to spot a specific license plate in a sea of cars. To be safe, she reclined both front seats so their silhouettes wouldn’t be caught by passing headlights.

The game of cat and mouse wasn’t over. Motorcycles roared past outside, keeping their hearts in their throats. They lay on the reclined seats, staring at each other in the dim light. They held their breath.

Cheng Sangluo reached out and covered Lin Jin’s ears, blocking out the frightening noise. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

A simple “I’m here,” yet it carried the weight of everything Cheng Sangluo was capable of. She suddenly realized that since meeting Lin Jin, she was always rushing into danger for her. Initially, she had resented her own soft-heartedness—why save someone who repeatedly hurt her? When did it become “willing”?

She didn’t know when the change happened, but at this moment, holding Lin Jin’s ears and feeling her warmth, her restless heart finally found a place to rest.

The noise outside finally faded. Lin Jin placed her palm over Cheng Sangluo’s hand, closing her eyes. “I never actually doubted that you’d leave me. Do you know why?”

Cheng Sangluo shifted closer. In the dark, she found those deep eyes and realized they weren’t as dark as she thought. They shined brighter than stars. She brushed a wet strand of hair from Lin Jin’s nose and smiled. “Why?”

“Because…” Lin Jin leaned in until their noses were almost touching. In the narrow, intimate space, they shared the same breath. “Because what?” Cheng Sangluo asked, her eyes crinkling with a rare softness.

“Come closer, and I’ll tell you.” Lin Jin placed a hand on her waist, feeling the firm muscle through the wet T-shirt.

Cheng Sangluo had a moment of clarity. The frosted glass wall from her dreams, that unknown shadow—it could no longer move her heart. Her eyes held only Lin Jin. She leaned in further. “Tell me.”

Lin Jin traced the puppy’s brow and the bridge of her nose, her finger finally resting on her lips. “Because even when you hated me most, you still dove into the sea for me without a second thought. I knew that in the future, no matter what, you would save me just like that first time. I bet my life and won over a soft-hearted god~”

Cheng Sangluo fell silent, frowning slightly. She wasn’t angry; she was remembering the image of Lin Jin falling into the sea, facing death with that terrifyingly calm gaze. Recalling it now made her feel suffocated. She took a deep breath, realizing it was just a memory. The hatred was gone, replaced by a lingering, protective tension.

She gazed at Lin Jin’s soft, red lips. “Lin Jin.”

Lin Jin hummed softly, inching closer.

“Your life—I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve saved it.” This time, Cheng Sangluo didn’t pull away. She chose to stop fighting her heart. She gently gripped Lin Jin’s chin, her voice a low, possessive murmur before the kiss landed:

“Your life is mine. So you have to stay alive. Love yourself first, so that others can love you.”

Support Falling After Marriage