Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s-Chapter 449 - 434 The one I love is not human

Inside the house it was cozy and warm; outside, the rain fell softly, pooling into small streams as it dripped from the eaves.

Zhao Chun glanced at Tian Sangsang. Her expression was as calm as usual, but she ate faster than normal.

After finishing his meal, he silently stood the black umbrella upright by the table before turning to clean the dishes.

**

Standing at the gate of the courtyard house, the rain fell upon Jiang Jinghuai.

The cold raindrops streamed down his hair, across his cheeks, and onto his chin. Some trickled down his neck, soaking into his clothes. The merciless rain drenched his garments, leaving him looking like a drowned rat.

He was completely soaked, his clothes clinging tightly to his skin.

Yet he stood motionless, like a statue, seemingly undisturbed by the pouring rain.

A bit cold, a bit painful.

Suddenly he raised his hand, covering his mouth as he coughed lightly.

His cough always acted up in winter; it hadn’t healed yet, and now, to his dismay, it was flaring up again.

The faint metallic tang of blood drifted in the air. He blinked in confusion and lowered his gaze.

Yes, he remembered now—he was injured. Last week, he had been aiding a neighboring province in disaster relief, and that was when he got hurt. Because of his excellent leadership, he had been promoted; he was now a Major.

In sadness, there was no one to confide in; in moments of glory, there was no one to share it with.

Before, whenever he was injured, Tian Sangsang would always take care of his wounds for him. The Sangsang of the past would never let him stand alone in the pouring rain, would she? Could it be that, starting today, she would never be kind to him again, that he would never feel her tenderness again?

Could it be that, starting today, when it rained, she would no longer come out to hold an umbrella for him?

No—if that were true, he would rather die.

The creak of the door opening snapped him out of his thoughts.

He turned his gaze to the side. She was carrying a black umbrella, another one in her hand.

She stood under the umbrella, her attire understated, the colors strikingly elegant.

"Sangsang." A flash of joy and unseen darkness flickered deep within his eyes. A voice inside him shouted: Yes, she still cares for me; otherwise, she wouldn’t have come out. She’s soft-hearted, the kind of person who can’t bear to leave a stranger standing in the rain—let alone him, her husband.

Once married, the bond endures for a lifetime.

She’s a person whose heart is both soft as dust and hard as iron.

He could never quite figure her out, but he could wager, and this time, he had won.

Ever since her pregnancy began, Tian Sangsang’s sense of smell had grown unusually sharp. She had already caught the scent of blood in the air.

Frowning slightly, she handed him the umbrella in her hand. "Have you lost your mind? Hurry up and leave."

He took the umbrella and placed it aside, then seized her hand in one fluid motion. In truth, he wanted to embrace her, to hold her with all his strength. But he was afraid she might catch cold—his clothes were drenched, and holding her directly might make her sick.

His hand wrapped around hers, enclosing it completely. "Come home with me, okay?"

Tian Sangsang pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes filling with tears. She wasn’t sure if it was the rain clinging to her lashes or if her own tears had blurred her vision. She forcefully pulled her hand back, her gaze fixed on the raindrops sliding down the edge of the umbrella.

Jiang Jinghuai panicked at the sight of her expression.

He grabbed her hand again, his voice flustered: "Sangsang, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I won’t say it anymore. If you don’t want to hear it, I won’t bring it up." The very word "home" would hit too close to her wounds.

Tian Sangsang stared at him, defeated.

How did he become like this?

Why degrade himself like this?

What happened to the old him?

"Don’t go." Sensing her attempt to pull her hand away, Jiang Jinghuai tightened his grip.

He kissed the corner of her lips. "You can’t leave."

Low and almost breaking: "You can’t leave, Sangsang."

"You belong to me. You’re mine."

"I don’t belong to you."

"You belong to me." His gaze remained as dark and profound as ever. On this matter, he was unwilling to compromise, utterly fixated. "No matter where you go, you’ll always belong to me."

Unable to break free, Tian Sangsang grew exasperated, her eyes glaring round and furious. "I belong to myself. I don’t belong to anyone!"

"No, you belong to me. Yanyan is my son, and the baby you’re carrying is mine too. Don’t you remember the times we spent together? From beginning to end, you’ve always belonged to me. I don’t even need to open my eyes to picture you. You already bear my scent, my mark. From this moment on, you are mine. This lifetime, you will never escape me."

Utter nonsense, total lunacy.

And yet, he said these preposterous words with such seriousness, such sincerity, as if he were declaring an irrefutable truth.

Fuming, Tian Sangsang exclaimed, "Why didn’t I notice before how twisted you are?!"

She was a person, not anyone’s possession. To desire love wasn’t wrong, but when love became stifling and suffocating, it was simply a burden—better to have none at all. And this kind of twisted love was nothing short of a prison, a cage.

"Let me go!" Her hand still trapped, she raised her foot to kick him, consumed with rage. "Jiang Jinghuai!"

One hand held the umbrella; the other was pinned, and after a few kicks, she lost her strength.

She wanted to hurl the umbrella at him—to smash his head open so he could finally understand how she felt.

But when she saw his rain-soaked black hair, saw his striking features sharpened by the rain into a grim and weathered beauty, she found herself unable to act.

In frustration, she tossed the umbrella aside.

Raindrops landed on her face.

Jiang Jinghuai pressed her shoulders gently, pushing her back a few steps so she wouldn’t be soaked by the rain.

Slowly, his hands slid down along her arms, curbing the impulse to pull her into his embrace, instead holding her cold hands tightly. "Please don’t leave, okay? I’m begging you!"

"Sangsang, without you, I feel so miserable!"

"Are you crazy?" Tian Sangsang weakly lifted her eyes.

"Not crazy. I’m ill." Jiang Jinghuai’s bloodshot eyes flashed with despair as he spoke hoarsely and quietly. "Where did we go wrong—is it because of my mother? Trust me, I swear I’ll change; I won’t act like that anymore."

"Why don’t you understand? It’s not about your mother!" Tian Sangsang made a final, desperate attempt to reason with him, her strength waning. "From the beginning until now, the issue between us has never been your mother. You don’t trust me, and honestly, I don’t really trust you either. Can’t we just part peacefully?"

"I only didn’t trust you because I cared too much about you..."

Since when did caring translate to mistrust? Tian Sangsang couldn’t help but find it ludicrous.

"If you truly cared about me, you wouldn’t have treated me that way back then."

"I was slow to realize my mistakes."

Tian Sangsang: "..."

He pressed his lips together, like a little boy who’d done something wrong, his pure gaze tangled with visible pain:

"Do you really want to leave me that much?"

"I truly regret it! I truly hate you! Now can you let me go?! Jiang Jinghuai!" Tian Sangsang shouted in frustration, on the verge of losing her mind.

"Sangsang, Sangsang, please don’t be angry." He was startled, immediately releasing his grip.

Softly, he added another sentence: "Take care of yourself."