thefictionvixens Chapter 1792 These are the rules of the game.
Chapter 1792 These are the rules of the game.
So he could only silently hold Wang Yuyan.
Wang Yuyan's outpouring of her feelings landed heavily on Jiang Chengxin's heart, just as she had hoped.
But he is a good man.
What makes a good man is his extreme clarity and honesty.
I won't lie to you, but I won't change the rules for you either.
Wang Yuyan could feel his arms tighten around her, a gesture filled with tenderness and understanding.
However, the expected words of comfort and sweet promises never came.
Jiang Cheng's voice was lower than before, the hoarseness of passion gone, replaced by a clear, almost calm tone.
Unlike his gentle gaze just now, Jiang Cheng didn't look at her this time.
His gaze seemed to be fixed on some distant, empty point, as if speaking to her, or as stating an immutable law.
"I know you're very sad. Being alone in such a faraway place, without any relatives or friends, must be tough." After all, Wang Yuyan's friendliness towards him was 99 points, so Jiang Cheng didn't say anything too harsh. He first affirmed the authenticity of her emotions, which put her at ease.
Wang Yuyan was about to take advantage of this warm feeling of being understood to say something more.
Jiang Cheng's next words were like a bucket of ice water, precisely extinguishing all her unrealistic fantasies.
“But,” Jiang Cheng paused, his tone almost cold, “I can’t promise you that I’ll be there for you every time you’re lonely or every time you miss me, or that I’ll keep you by my side. You should have understood that from the very first day you were with me.”
After he finished speaking, Jiang Cheng's gaze finally fell back on Wang Yuyan's face.
In those deep eyes, there was pity, there was understanding, but even more clearly, there was an undeniable sense of reality.
"The greater the ability, the more you have to shoulder. Being unable to be in two places at once is the norm. If you come to my side, you will gain some things, but you will also have to endure other things, such as... long waits and the loneliness of being alone. These are the rules of the game. They are cruel, but fair."
Wang Yuyan's heart sank suddenly, and panic surged up like a tidal wave.
She wasn't unaware of these things.
But being so bluntly pointed out still made her feel embarrassed and scared.
She was afraid that Jiang Cheng would think she was greedy.
She was afraid he would think she was using tears to ask for something she shouldn't have.
He feared that this precious time alone would be overshadowed, and might even affect his image of her as a "sensible" woman.
Having been by Jiang Cheng's side for so long, this was the first time he had spoken of the rules so bluntly.
These words contained no empty flattery or false promises of the future.
It directly, frankly, and even somewhat cruelly exposes the "unspoken rules" of the power imbalance in this relationship.
This is not a consolation, but an instruction.
He told her that he understood how she felt.
But he cannot and will not change his course or make empty promises in order to appease her feelings.
The embrace was warm, but the words gradually chilled her heart.
Wang Yuyan instantly realized that she had overacted and crossed Jiang Cheng's boundaries.
But actually, her confession went on to say something else.
Panic surged forth like a tidal wave.
"No, no, Jiang Cheng!" she retorted almost immediately, clutching the fabric of his shirt with both hands, shaking her head urgently, tears this time falling from her eyes due to genuine panic.
Wang Yuyan knew she had to immediately steer the conversation back on track, back to a safe, appropriate, and "good" path.
Her life was turned upside down because of Jiang Cheng.
Whether it's material or spiritual.
She couldn't leave Jiang Cheng for either of these reasons.
"Honey, I've never... I've never dared to hope for your promises! Really! Please let me finish!"
"I'm not saying this to put you in a difficult position, nor am I asking for any promises!" She spoke quickly, her voice trembling with urgency to clarify. "What I'm trying to say is... although I'm lonely, although I'm sometimes afraid, but!"
She emphasized the word "but," refocused her gaze, and forced a smile, though her face was still streaked with tears, making her look particularly pitiful.
"But it was precisely during those lonely days when I felt forgotten by the whole world that your messages became my only hope every day. Even just a photo you sent casually, a 'Have you eaten?' or a 'Mm' reply in the early hours of the morning could make me happy for a long time, and make me feel like I hadn't been thrown out of your world."
Wang Yuyan quietly changed the focus of the narrative.
The meaning of the words changed from "telling about pain to get attention" to "stating about pain to highlight how precious your giving is".
“And I’m so grateful because you contact me every day. Sometimes I see your message when I wake up in the morning, sometimes it’s late at night when you reply with ‘just finished’.” Her tone quickened, with an eagerness to prove something. “I know you have a lot of people around you, I know you’re busy, and I don’t expect to reply to every message immediately… but you always do. Even if it’s been hours, even if it’s just a few words. I’ve calculated the time difference; when you wake up, it’s often late at night here, but you always remember…”
Her voice lowered again, with an incredible gentleness: "This little bit of 'remembering' is like the only light in the darkness for me. It tells me that I haven't been completely abandoned, that this thread... is still in your hand."
Wang Yuyan is very smart; her words are far more impactful than any straightforward "I love you" or "I miss you."
This statement affirmed the importance of the fragmented messages Jiang Cheng sent her.
If her seemingly sensible exterior were to reveal a carefully guarded expectation within, I believe no boy could resist it.