Chapter 68: Imprisonment in the Name of Love
Qin Qi's Adam's apple slid, and he nodded heavily, "Okay, before you talk about your idea, I apologize to you first."
Kong Nanzhu's eyes were wet, her eye sockets were red and swollen. After hearing Qin Qi's apology, her eyes did not brighten at all, still empty and tired.
But she didn't interrupt Qin Qi.
"I shouldn't have gotten mad at you just now. You did nothing wrong. We weren't together at that time. It was your freedom to go out with whomever you wanted. I was just worried about your safety."
Kong Nanzhu found that once she saw through Qin Qi's true nature and realized that his obsessive control and possession of her was abnormal, it became a very simple thing for her to understand his implied meaning.
"You mean, now that we're together, I don't have that freedom."
Qin Qi frowned and clenched his hands at his sides into fists, "I didn't say that."
"But you did this." Kong Nanzhu's tone was even and a little cold. "Since the incident with Song Linyuan, you have been very clear about it, but I didn't realize it in time, and I was secretly happy that you cared about me. Later, when you disagreed with my cooperation with him, I could convince myself that he had deceived Shang Jie after all, and I would not have any business dealings with someone who stood on the opposite side of the Qin family."
Qin Qi anticipated what Kong Nanzhu was going to say next and interrupted, "He is indeed not a good person, he is a bit crazy, but Bai Yuxi is different from him, you two are old acquaintances..."
"I have a lot of old acquaintances." Kong Nanzhu resisted the suffocating feeling of being oppressed and insisted on speaking, "This is normal, and I will also meet new people and make new friends in the future, both men and women."
Qin Qi's face changed.
"People are social beings. If I use the same standards you use for me as you do for me, you can't even act opposite actresses, and you can't have any private communication or contact with female artists. Can you do it?"
Qin Qi opened his mouth, subconsciously trying to avoid topics related to work, but Kong Nanzhu did not give him a chance to escape.
"I can be your makeup artist, but the prerequisite is that I should take the initiative to choose it. At the moment, I have a path I would rather choose, but you don't care about my feelings and thoughts at all. This makes me very sad and painful."
"I supported you regardless of everything on the path you chose. I even helped you do so many bold and extraordinary things without telling my parents. Now, I want to seek your support and recognition. I don't even need you to give me anything, just spiritual support, but you don't even want to consider it."
As Kong Nanzhu spoke, he truly experienced what disappointment was.
"Qin Qi, have you ever thought that I take everything you say to heart because I love you."
"But you can't use my love for you as a weapon to imprison me."
Qin Qi heard Kong Nanzhu say she loved him.
I didn't expect it to be in such a context.
Kong Nanzhu seldom expressed her feelings so bluntly, and there were very few things that would make her say such decisive words.
Qin Qi never thought that he would cause harm to Kong Nanzhu. These days, every time he did something that he thought was in line with being a "qualified husband", he would pay attention to Kong Nanzhu's reaction.
Just because of Kong Nanzhu's tears tonight, all the positive points he had accumulated from his previous actions were lost.
It shouldn't be like this.
He obviously wanted to be good to her, but why was he always the one who made Kong Nanzhu cry?
Qin Qi understood Kong Nanzhu. If she wasn't really sad, she wouldn't casually mention her contributions to others and use them as a bargaining chip for comparison.
But now she not only said it, but also said it in such a bleak and helpless tone, like a drowning person stretching out her hand to plead for help, begging for his help.
How could he help her?
What should he do?
A simple "I'm sorry" obviously cannot solve the problem between them. Qin Qi needs time to digest it. Perhaps if he promises Kong Nanzhu now that he will no longer interfere with her business plan and stop her from dating Song Linyuan, Bai Yuxi or anyone else, the current atmosphere will be eased a lot, but he doesn't want to do that in his heart.
So he just said with a lack of confidence, "Then prove it to me."
Prove that you love me, prove that I am your active and only choice.
Qin Qi had always been doubting one thing. He wanted to know whether there were other factors behind Kong Nanzhu's decision to marry him. He had never been so unsure about anything.
He was familiar with Shen Jun's methods. Shen Jun was good at using a mutually beneficial and win-win mindset to deal with everything, even her son's marriage.
That's why Qin Qi deliberately asked Kong Nanzhu to cut off her "relationship" with Shen Jun and asked her to keep everything secret from Shen Jun as a test.
Kong Nanzhu was confused and didn't hear clearly: "What?"
Qin Qi realized that his slip of the tongue was making things worse, so he shut up and didn't repeat it.
After saying these words, Kong Nanzhu felt as if all his strength had been drained out.
Qin Qi's silence was like a heavy punch on cotton to Kong Nanzhu. She realized that this was a fruitless communication.
Lying on the bed, Kong Nanzhu moved closer to the edge of the bed, with his back to Qin Qi, and distanced himself from them. They had been hugging and kissing each other on this bed together in broad daylight, but it all seemed like a dream.
A ray of moonlight flowed through the gap in the curtains and onto the bedside through the French window. Kong Nanzhu raised her hand, and the ring that symbolized her vow was still shining.
The ring was originally a token of love, but it also brought responsibilities and obligations.
Kong Nanzhu never thought that this small ring would one day become a heavy shackle, binding her heart and her life.
Qin Qi hadn't closed his eyes the whole time. In the darkness, he could clearly see Kong Nanzhu's movements. Kong Nanzhu stared at the ring stupidly for as long as Qin Qi looked at Kong Nanzhu.
Qin Qi wanted to know what Kong Nanzhu was thinking when she looked at the ring. He was a little nervous because he had a bad feeling in his heart. He was afraid that Kong Nanzhu would suddenly take off the ring he gave her.
Fortunately, Kong Nanzhu finally retracted his arms back into the quilt, leaving only his head outside the quilt, and did not move again.
As luck would have it, at dawn the next day, Qin Qi received a call from the director, asking him to start work earlier and to coordinate his time. Qin Qi originally didn't want to agree, but Kong Nanzhu said that she was not in the mood to continue playing outside, so the two returned home with unresolved conflicts.
This time Kong Nanzhu did not help Qin Qi pack his luggage, Xiao Liu did it instead.
Qin Qi's vacation ended early, and the same thing happened to the staff around him. Kong Nanzhu was angry with Qin Qi, but he was still very nice to Xiao Liu.
She could distinguish different emotions towards different people. After Xiao Liu came in, she poured him a glass of water and prepared a fruit plate.
Xiao Liu looked at his boss's dark face with fear and trepidation, and waved his hands repeatedly, "Don't call me, Sister Nanzhu, how about you help me find something, I'm not very familiar with this place."
Kong Nanzhu picked up her bag and changed her shoes. She didn't want to stay in the same room with Qin Qi any longer. She needed to go out for some fresh air. "Take your time to look for him. If you can't find him, just ask him. I have something to go out for."
From the moment Kong Nanzhu put on his cotton coat, Qin Qi couldn't sit still. Now he jumped up from the sofa and asked, "Where are you going?"
Kong Nanzhu glanced at him, and in a fit of anger, he blurted out, "It's none of your business."
As soon as the words came out, both of them were stunned.
When the two of them parted unhappily in the hotel in Hengdian, Qin Qi said the same thing to Kong Nanzhu.
Qin Qi said aggrievedly, "You can't say that."
Kong Nanzhu opened the door, "You can, why can't I."
Turning around, Kong Nanzhu left without hesitation.
