Duan Mingxuan, with his quick temper, had barely reached her when his fist, accompanied by a biting wind, came hurtling towards her.
Lin Xi stared in shock, her body instinctively reaching out to shield Duan Yiheng. Duan Yiheng reacted quickly, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around, but before he could retaliate, he took a hard punch to his left cheekbone.
Duan Yiheng and Lin Xi bumped into each other, staggering back a few steps. Ignoring her aching head, Lin Xi's gaze fell on Duan Yiheng's bleeding cheekbone. She turned and shoved Duan Mingxuan: "Are you crazy? You just start hitting people like that?"
Duan Yiheng, unconcerned about his injury, pulled Lin Xi back: "Does your head hurt?" Lin Xi shook her head: "No." The heavy snow couldn't extinguish Duan Mingxuan's anger. He yanked the two apart, pointed at Duan Yiheng, and shouted at Lin Xi:
"Why can't I hit him? He kissed you against your will!" He had been waiting here in his car for three hours. He never expected to see this scene. In that instant, overwhelming anger and panic engulfed him.
Although he didn't hear what they were saying, he could clearly see Lin Xi's resistance. Duan Yiheng stepped forward, gently pushed Lin Xi away, and looked directly at Duan Mingxuan, saying, "It's none of your business what happens between Lin Xi and me." Duan Mingxuan grabbed Duan Yiheng's collar:
"You forced her, didn't you? Coming to the manor was one of those things, wasn't it? Your butler must know I've been here, but you wouldn't let me in." Lin Xi was stunned for a moment. Duan Mingxuan had been to the manor? But Duan Yiheng hadn't told her.
But that didn't matter. What she didn't expect was that Duan Mingxuan was waiting outside. Duan Yiheng sneered, "Let you go in and watch us whisper sweet nothings, share a bed?" Lin Xi gasped, "Duan Yiheng."
"You son of a bitch..." Duan Mingxuan's eyes blazed with fury as he swung a punch at Duan Yiheng. Duan Yiheng's words materialized in his mind; he seemed to see the two embracing intimately.
Jealousy and resentment filled Duan Mingxuan's heart, and his punches were merciless. Duan Yiheng, however, was no pushover. He leaned back, swiftly intercepting Duan Mingxuan's wrist, and kicked him in the stomach: "You think you're worthy of liking her?"
Duan Mingxuan was stunned for a moment, then abruptly scrambled to his feet in the snow, like an enraged beast. Knowing he couldn't win, he still clenched his fists and charged.
Duan Yiheng, also in a bad mood, abandoned all fighting techniques, and pressed flesh against flesh, punch after punch. From the force of their punches, so fierce they seemed ready to kill each other, Lin Xi knew she couldn't stop them and turned to run back.
A moment later, she returned with several security personnel. "Separate them," one of them was her boss. The security guards hesitated at Lin Xi's order. But they couldn't ignore Duan Yiheng's injured face. Just as they were about to step forward, Duan Yiheng turned and snapped,
"Go back!" He was usually composed and self-controlled, unlike Duan Mingxuan, who acted impulsively. At this moment, he only wanted to follow his heart. Duan Yiheng's tone left no room for argument, and the guards dared not move, only shaking their heads at Lin Xi.
Seizing the opportunity, Duan Mingxuan's fist slammed into Duan Yiheng's lip, piercing it: "I'm not worthy, but you are?" "At least I grew up with Xiao Xi, we have over ten years of friendship. What do you have with her?" "What makes you think you can like her?"
Lin Xi was startled. Forgetting herself, she tried to intervene, but the two security guards held her back tightly. "Let me go! Let me go!" Lin Xi gasped for breath, struggling to get forward. "Keep an eye on her." Duan Yiheng turned to the security guard, wiping the blood from his lips. "Duan Yiheng," Lin Xi called his name, her eyes pleading, "Please stop hitting me!" Duan Yiheng turned to look at her, his eyes still gentle: "Not calling me Big Brother anymore?
It's just a title, call me whatever you want." She knew Lin Xi was doing it on purpose, deliberately reminding him to create distance between them. Duan Yiheng turned around, grabbed Duan Mingxuan's wrist, and twisted it forcefully, causing Duan Mingxuan to cry out in pain.
"Over a decade of affection? Every single thing you did was a knife to her heart!" "You never understood what she wanted, you only wanted to hold her in your palm, keeping her under your nose like a doll."
"You kept saying you loved and protected her, yet you let Chen Baiwei bully her time and time again." "Chen Baiwei is your mother, and you expect Lin Xi to tolerate that?" "After seeing the truth about her going to America, you broke up with your girlfriend. What? Now you know your own feelings?"
"Don't you see what kind of person you are?" Duan Mingxuan, slightly hunched over, his neck bulging, slammed into Duan Yiheng, causing both of them to fall to the ground. Fists swung wildly, striking their bodies with dull thuds. "I'm not like you."
Duan Mingxuan gritted his teeth, resisting fiercely. "You've hidden your sordid thoughts for so long." "I've never been as good as you, and this time, I absolutely will not give Xiao Xi to you." "So what if you like her? You're destined not to have her."
These words clearly provoked Duan Yiheng, who suddenly punched Duan Mingxuan twice. Duan Mingxuan's eyes immediately swelled up. Duan Yiheng's breathing was heavy, his chest heaving violently. He released Duan Mingxuan's collar and stood up.
"She has never been something you and I are fighting over, Duan Mingxuan. She is a person. You still don't understand how to love her, so you will always be the one who can't have her." Duan Mingxuan rose from the snow, his eyes filled with undisguised resentment.
Duan Yiheng gave the security personnel a look, and two of them immediately stepped forward to stop Duan Mingxuan. Duan Yiheng came to Lin Xi, and the two security guards instinctively released her. Lin Xi's tears fell silently; every word Duan Yiheng spoke was deeply etched into her heart.
She wanted to reach out and touch his wound, but felt she had no right to, and slowly lowered her hand. She didn't even have the right to ask, "Does it hurt?" Duan Yiheng wiped away her tears, saying nothing. Lin Xi lowered her head, trying to avoid him, but couldn't.
Duan Mingxuan's gaze sharpened. Even though neither of them spoke, the ambiguous, unspoken atmosphere was impenetrable. "Xiao Xi," Duan Mingxuan broke the silence, like a thief, "come back with me." Lin Xi instinctively looked at Duan Yiheng and said,
"The snow is heavy on the road. Go back and have someone apply some medicine for you. I'll take Duan Mingxuan to the hospital." Visually, Duan Mingxuan did appear more disheveled. Hearing this, Duan Mingxuan was secretly pleased. He pushed aside the person blocking his way and walked to Lin Xi:
"Let's go, the snow is getting heavier." Lin Xi nodded, her eyes fixed on Duan Yiheng. Even after getting into Duan Mingxuan's car, Duan Yiheng was still standing in the snow. Lin Xi clenched her fists tightly, forcing herself to look away.