Cherreads

Chapter 50 - Chapter 50: The Storm Rages.

The city outside was a blur of lights and movement, but inside the penthouse, time seemed to stand still. Su Nian sat on the edge of the couch, her fingers trembling as she stared at the array of documents on the coffee table. Lu Cheng stood by the window, his back to her, gazing out over the skyline. The calmness of the view didn't match the storm brewing inside their lives.

They had been on edge for days now. The gossip article was only the beginning, and the consequences of it had started to ripple through their lives in ways neither of them could have predicted. What was once a quiet affair, their lives together, had turned into a public battleground, with every move they made scrutinized under a microscope.

The phone call from the lawyer came just an hour ago, and the news wasn't good. The gossip site refused to take down the article. Worse still, they had just published a second piece, even more damning than the first. This time, they had dug up old associates from Su Nian's past, individuals who were more than happy to speak ill of her in exchange for a little compensation. The lies were spinning out of control, and it seemed like there was no end to it.

Su Nian closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. She felt a mixture of dread and frustration. Every time they tried to fight back, it only seemed to get worse.

"Cheng," she said quietly, her voice low. "What if this never ends? What if they ruin everything? You've worked so hard for everything you have. I don't want to destroy that."

Lu Cheng turned, his face hard but his eyes softer as they landed on her. He walked over to the couch, kneeling in front of her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.

"This isn't just about me, NianNian," he said, his voice steady, though there was an edge to it that Su Nian had never heard before. "This is about us. And I don't care what they try to throw at us. You're worth more to me than anything else. You always will be."

She swallowed hard, the weight of his words filling her with both relief and guilt. "But I never wanted to drag you into my mess. I didn't want to make you a target."

Lu Cheng's expression softened, his hands moving up to cup her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You never dragged me into anything, NianNian. I chose this. I chose you. And I will never back down from that choice. No matter what it costs."

A tear slid down her cheek, and she quickly wiped it away, hating the weakness she felt in that moment. But before she could say anything, the sharp buzz of the doorbell cut through the room.

Lu Cheng's hand froze for a moment on her cheek. His eyes flickered to the door, suspicion clouding his features. "Who is it?"

"I don't know…" Su Nian murmured, feeling an eerie sense of foreboding.

Lu Cheng's eyes narrowed, his instinct kicking in. "Stay here," he said, standing up quickly and moving toward the door. His protective demeanor was impossible to miss, and Su Nian's chest tightened. This wasn't just an issue of rumors anymore. There was something darker at play, and she could feel it closing in on them.

When Lu Cheng opened the door, the last thing Su Nian expected to see was a familiar face—one she hadn't seen in years. A man stood in the doorway, dressed in an expensive suit, his expression cold and calculated.

"Jin Tao," Su Nian whispered, her voice barely audible. Her heart clenched as memories of her past came rushing back.

Jin Tao was a name from her old life—a man who had been deeply involved in the same shady dealings she'd left behind. He wasn't just any contact; he was someone who had been influential, dangerous even. A man who had ties to criminals, to people Su Nian had desperately tried to escape.

"Surprised to see me, NianNian?" Jin Tao said, his voice smooth, with a touch of amusement as he stepped into the penthouse, ignoring the tension that instantly filled the room.

Lu Cheng moved to stand protectively in front of Su Nian, his eyes hardening as he stared down at the intruder. "Who are you?" His voice was calm, but the danger in it was palpable.

Jin Tao smirked, unfazed by Lu Cheng's menacing stance. "I think you already know who I am. I'm just a messenger, really. I thought I'd pay my old friend a visit."

Su Nian felt the blood drain from her face. "What do you want, Jin Tao? Why are you here?"

Jin Tao looked at her with a glint of amusement in his eyes. "What do I want? Hmm, let's see. I'm here to remind you that no one ever truly escapes their past, no matter how hard they try."

Lu Cheng's jaw clenched. "If you're here to threaten her, you've made a mistake. Leave now, or I'll make sure you regret it."

Jin Tao raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by Lu Cheng's words. "Is that so? Do you really think you can protect her, Lu Cheng? The truth is out there now, and there's no going back. You can't protect her from me, or from what's coming."

Su Nian took a step forward, her fear turning into anger. "I'm not afraid of you, Jin Tao. You don't scare me anymore. I've left that life behind, and I'm not going back."

Jin Tao chuckled, a dark, hollow sound that sent a shiver down her spine. "You don't understand, do you? It's already too late. The people who know about you and your past are closing in. You think you can hide behind Lu Cheng's money and power, but that's not going to save you."

Her heart pounded in her chest as she exchanged a look with Lu Cheng. The storm that had been slowly gathering around them had finally arrived—and it was worse than either of them could have anticipated.

Jin Tao's presence seemed to fill the entire room, his aura dark and threatening. Su Nian's pulse raced, but there was something inside her that refused to back down. She had fought too hard to build a life with Lu Cheng to let her past destroy it now.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice steady despite the whirlwind of emotions inside her.

"I think you already know," Jin Tao replied smoothly, stepping closer. "You owe me. And you owe a lot of other people too. You made promises back then, NianNian. Promises you never kept. And now, it's time for you to pay up."

Lu Cheng stepped forward, his hand moving to rest on Su Nian's shoulder protectively. "You're wasting your time, Jin Tao. You're not going to scare us."

Jin Tao smirked again, clearly enjoying the tension in the room. "We'll see about that," he said, before turning to leave. "But don't think this is over, NianNian. I'll be back. And next time, you'll have to make a choice. You can't have both your past and your future."

As the door closed behind him, the silence that followed was suffocating. Su Nian stood frozen in place, her body trembling from the weight of Jin Tao's words. She had known this day would come. Deep down, she had always known her past would catch up to her. But now, with Lu Cheng by her side, she was ready to face it.

Lu Cheng turned to her, his expression fierce and unwavering. "This isn't over, NianNian. We will take him down. I won't let him or anyone else tear us apart."

Tears stung at the corners of Su Nian's eyes as she nodded. "I won't let them either. We'll fight this. Together."

More Chapters