Shadowed Love: A Lover Who Refuses to Let Go - Chapter 24.1

The ringing that had persisted for so long finally connected, the other party’s breathing clearly audible. In an instant, Yin Yunzhu lost the courage to confront her.

What right did she have, what position was she in, to question Jiang Menghe’s arrangements?

It was the woman on the other end who broke the silence first: “What’s wrong?”

“Did you see the message I sent?” Yin Yunzhu glanced back at the slightly ajar door before stepping into the bathroom.

The open window let in a cold breeze, while the distant sound of pile driving came from a construction site. She wiped her nose with a tissue and muttered, “Don’t you have anything to explain to me?”

An unnamed anger built in her chest, especially at the other’s indifferent attitude, as if her feelings hadn’t been considered at all.

Jiang Menghe let out a soft hum through her nose, toying with the air conditioner remote on the table: “Yes, it’s fake. Don’t believe it.”

She wouldn’t flatter herself into thinking Yin Yunzhu was jealous. She seemed completely detached from the matter whether it was Ren Yu’s childish collaboration or their secret relationship.

“That’s it?” Yin Yunzhu was incredulous.

She thought someone of Jiang Menghe’s temperament would at least patiently explain everything. Yet those five short words mercilessly tore away Jiang Menghe’s gentle facade.

Cold and heartless, a far cry from the woman who had tenderly stroked her hair as they lay in bed. Yin Yunzhu could almost see those aloof eyes, clear and devoid of warmth, dismissing her with a few careless words.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she saw the red nose from yesterday’s cold, her spirit wilted. Anyone seeing her now would think she was heartbroken.

The imbalance in her heart felt like an unbreakable rope, rough against her palms, forcing her to let go.

At the very least, she should have been consulted.

The taste of being kept in the dark was bitter. Yin Yunzhu sniffled: “I don’t accept your explanation.”

“What?” Jiang Menghe froze, her delicate brows knitting together.

“I said,” Yin Yunzhu took a deep breath, “I don’t accept it. I don’t accept you making these decisions without my knowledge.”

“Having someone impersonate me, keeping me tangled up with you while you’re publicly tied to another actress.”

“I told you we shouldn’t meet recently,” Jiang Menghe cut her off, her patience clearly wearing thin.

She didn’t understand why such a trivial matter provoked such a strong reaction, why the other was venting her emotions on her.

Normally, she wouldn’t deal with someone like this like handling an unpredictable bomb that could explode at any moment.

Perhaps remembering their earlier intimacy and whispered sweet nothings, Jiang Menghe’s expression softened as she coaxed, “I won’t make you wait long.”

“Why should I wait for you?” Yin Yunzhu snapped, crumpling the tissue in her hand. “You come when you need me and push me away when you don’t. Why?”

“I have the right to refuse too, don’t I? We agreed on this together, but now I’m just supposed to wait passively, only moving when you push me?”

Each word landed sharply, even spoken softly, every syllable heard clearly. Even the gentlest rabbit will bare its claws when provoked.

“Yin Yunzhu!” Jiang Menghe raised her voice, loud enough that even Ye Xiyang outside the glass door turned to look.

She couldn’t tell which words had struck a nerve, but sensing things spiraling out of control, the woman clenched the railing until her knuckles turned white, her voice icy.

“Don’t push it.”

The moment the words left her lips, she regretted them. Immediately, Yin Yunzhu’s words echoed in her ears.

“If my existence troubles you, then we don’t have to meet anymore.”

No more being weighed down by online gossip, just returning to a normal life. As for Jiang Menghe, let her keep shining on her stage.

Two people who were never meant to cross paths, how long could a forced connection last? Better to cut losses early, for both their sakes. Anyone who saw them together would frown and say they were mismatched.

The suffocating weight in her chest dissipated with those words, carried away by the cool breeze. Yin Yunzhu hung up the phone, then pulled out a tissue to wipe her nose.

Her round eyes were rimmed red, damp lashes clinging together. She turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on her face. The biting chill made her shiver, snapping her back to clarity.

After all this time tangled together, it was finally over.

Yin Yunzhu steadied herself, then turned to find someone pressed against the door.

Yin Xuan had abandoned her picture book at some point, eavesdropping outside the bathroom. Her chubby cheeks were squished against the glass door, leaving smudges.

“What are you doing?” Yin Yunzhu pushed the door open, sending the girl tumbling into her legs.

The warmth of the living room brushed against her face, thawing her stiff limbs. The light from the window cast a pale glow behind her, but the gloom and hurt seemed to solidify in the air.

Even an eight-year-old wouldn’t be oblivious to it.

“You took so long, I was gonna pee myself,” the little girl muttered, avoiding eye contact as she clutched her stomach.

Yin Yunzhu sighed, crouching to meet her gaze. “How much did you hear?”

“Not much.” Yin Xuan stared at her toes, adopting the guilty stance of a kid caught misbehaving.

Unable to call out her terrible lie, Yin Yunzhu forced a smile. “Keep this a secret for me, and I’ll take you out for a treat.”

She didn’t have the luxury to wallow drowning in her own misery would only worry those who cared about her.

Normally, the promise of a shopping trip or a feast would have Yin Xuan bouncing with joy. But now, she fidgeted, hands clasped behind her back, silent.

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Her heart softened. Yin Yunzhu stroked the girl’s hair reassuringly.

“You’re lying. You’ll just fight with her again when you go back.” Yin Xuan suddenly grabbed her sleeve, tears welling up.

Kids had strange triggers for tears sometimes just seeing someone else cry was enough to set them off. Maybe Yin Xuan didn’t even understand who was on the other end of that call. She only knew her sister was upset after arguing with someone.

“I’m not lying,” Yin Yunzhu swore, raising a hand in promise. “I’ll stay with you for New Year’s, okay?”

It had always been like this holidays spent with family, the three of them gathered around the table.

“Really?” Yin Xuan sniffled.

“Really.” Yin Yunzhu squeezed her hand.

“You promised to take me for a treat.”

“…”

“Really.”

“Yay!” The girl cheered, immediately bouncing off to change, her mood shifting as quickly as it came.

Watching Yin Xuan scamper away, Yin Yunzhu exhaled and pulled out her phone, scrolling through her messages with Jiang Menghe.

There wasn’t even a question about the abrupt end to their call as if the other woman had already accepted this outcome.

In the end, the one who ended up feeling miserable was still herself.

Yin Yunzhu clicked on Jiang Menghe’s profile picture and without hesitation chose to block her.

At the same time, at Yunyu Cultural Studio.

Jiang Menghe was just about to sort out the tangled emotions with Yin Yunzhu when Ye Xiyang knocked on the glass door beside her.

She had no choice but to mute the microphone and walk over. “What is it?”

“Ren Yu’s agent is downstairs, saying they want to finalize the contract.” Sensing the lingering tension in the air, Ye Xiyang didn’t say a single unnecessary word.

Her chest felt stifled, the negative emotions with no outlet to vent. Already in a foul mood, Jiang Menghe gave a faint “Mm” in response. Just as she picked up her phone, Yin Yunzhu replied with a “No need to meet,” and promptly hung up.

Her irritation reached its peak, and she let out a bitter laugh. Staring at the call duration, a mocking smile tugged at her lips.

With someone nearby, Jiang Menghe couldn’t lash out. It was rare for her to lose control of her emotions like this, itching to call back and argue right and wrong with Yin Yunzhu.

But the timing wasn’t right Ren Yu had already sent a follow-up message.

Yu.: [Senior Jiang, we’re downstairs. Let’s meet and sign the contract, yeah?]

Yu.: [Looking forward to working together! smirk]

The very person who had sparked their argument remained blissfully unaware, even having the nerve to send teasing emojis, clearly in high spirits completely oblivious to the fact that she had just walked straight into the line of fire.

After scanning the two messages, Jiang Menghe sneered.

Ye Xiyang kept his eyes down, pretending he hadn’t heard anything. “So, when should we issue the clarification statement?”

From the very beginning, neither side had genuinely intended to cooperate. Ren Yu, with her petty cunning, had wanted to ride on Jiang Menghe’s coattails while subtly undermining her in the press. As for the leaked photos, she had never planned to keep them under wraps in the first place.

After being outmaneuvered by Jiang Menghe, she had angrily contacted the studio to release everything, then, seeing Yunyu’s apparent fear, had swaggered in to make demands.

Support Shadowed Love: A Lover Who Refuses to Let Go