Standing Next To You-Chapter 153: The ’Incident’

A/n: Warning: This Chapter contains explicit content, including violence and assault. Reader discretion is advised.

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Bei Sangyun suppressed the anger welling in her heart, feeling as if she were being choked. Yet, she had no choice but to endure and restrain her emotions. So what if she was wronged? No one would help her or comfort her in this place.

All she needed to do was endure. These people would leave in a few days; once they leave, she would finally be able to breathe.

"...I understand."

"Make sure to bring me some lemon juice, and also some snacks, freshly made—" Sophia demanded a lot of things. It was already late, and most of the servants in the mansion, except for the guards, had already retired to sleep.

Bei Sangyun had to fulfill Sophia’s demands and do everything on her own. Fortunately, her childhood days in the village had made her adept at running errands. In just an hour, she had completed everything Sophia had asked for.

She brought the juice and the snacks she had prepared to Sophia’s room.

The door was slightly ajar.

Despite that, Bei Sangyun knocked on the door. "Sophia?"

"Enter." Her voice was muffled and unrecognizable.

Bei Sangyun pushed the tray cart into the room. The room was dimly lit, with the only source of light being the lamp from the inner bedroom. Sophia wasn’t in the sitting area. Was she in bed?

For some reason, Bei Sangyun suddenly had a bad feeling. She knew that Sophia had intentionally made things difficult for her, but she had never requested her presence in her room in the middle of the night. This was the first time.

All the servants working in the guest area should have been in the sleeping quarters, separated from the building. In other words, even if she screamed for help, no one would come running. After all, this guest room was one of the best, with sound insulation.

Bei Sangyun trusted her instincts.

"I’ll just leave it here." Bei Sangyun then hurriedly ran towards the door, but a person who had been hiding behind it suddenly appeared and closed it.

"Why are you leaving in a hurry?" In the dark, Bei Sangyun recognized the owner of the voice.

Her heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t Sophia. She looked around. Where is she?

Richard stepped forward. "After coming here in the middle of the night and bringing me snacks and drinks, you are hurrying to leave?"

"...It was Sophia’s order. Anyway, I am still busy with Sophia’s sweater. I’ll leave now." She tried to bypass him, but Richard suddenly reached out and hugged her waist.

"Why are you so stubborn? Didn’t you work hard to fawn over us because you need us?"

Bei Sangyun felt goosebumps all over her body. She pried off Richard’s hands from her waist.

"I am just playing the role my grandfather assigned to me. Please excuse me."

The gentlemanly look on Richard’s face suddenly vanished. As Bei Sangyun tried to escape from him, he grabbed her shirt and threw her hard onto the floor. Bei Sangyun lost her balance and fell heavily.

Her back and bottom ached, but she ignored the pain and hurriedly stood up. Her heart thumped nervously. Although Richard had been harassing her implicitly—touching her here and there—he had never been violent towards her. He would laugh it off, saying it was just a prank.

However, this time, he shed all pretense. It scared Bei Sangyun.

"R-Richard, what are you doing?" She tried to face him calmly, but the tremble in her voice betrayed her.

Richard brushed his blonde hair in annoyance. "Are you still pretending to be dumb? I’ve given you hints countless times, but you act like an innocent and virgin woman. If you want my support, you should be prepared to pay more than with your body."

"This is a misunderstanding. I never asked for your family’s support. I am merely doing my duty." Bei Sangyun replied nervously, glancing at the door.

"Exactly. You should be doing your duty. Isn’t your role to serve us and ensure our happiness? But you’ve been avoiding me." Richard stepped closer towards her, reaching out to touch Bei Sangyun’s face.

She immediately avoided it with a horrified look.

Her pretty face was pale, with her eyes wide like a scared cat. This look of hers made Richard’s heart itch- as if a kitten was scratching his heart.

Richard smirked evilly. "But you’re scared of my touch. Unlike the women I met in the past, it’s the first time I’ve received this kind of response, so it’s quite novel and amusing. But—" The look in his eyes changed again, going cold. "You have been testing my patience."

"If you get the wrong idea, I apologize. But that isn’t my intention—"

"Why are you being so stiff? As a bastard child of this family, you should be familiar with this kind of thing. Who knows who else you’ve seduced and slept with? So what’s your problem with sleeping with me? I am one of the fine men."

Bei Sangyun’s heart thumped nervously. The suspicion in her heart was confirmed. Richard intended to force her!

Bei Sangyun clenched her fist. She wasn’t surprised that they found out she was an illegitimate child. Judging by Sophia’s change of attitude, one of her siblings must have told her about it.

But what she hated the most was that she couldn’t do anything to their harassment and had to endure their mocking and insults while lying down.

With gritted teeth, she muttered, "...I am not sleeping with anyone. And I will never use that way to gain favor from someone."

She couldn’t help but defend herself. But she had to restrain her anger...restrain.

Richard suddenly laughed. "What a funny thing to hear from the daughter of a whore."

Bei Sangyun’s eyes flashed. It’s time! While his guard was down, she had to run to the door!

Richard saw her running to the door. "You bitch-!"

Bei Sangyun arrived in front of the door, and just as her hand was about to reach the doorknob, Richard grabbed her hair.

"You are really making me lose my patience!" Richard dragged her by the hair all the way to the inner room.

"Agh! Let go! This is a crime!"

Richard smirked. "A crime? You are right. You came to my room in the middle of the night and seduced me. A crime indeed."

"This is the Lin mansion! I’ll surely tell Grandfather about this! So please stop!"

"As if they would believe the words of a bastard child like you!"

Richard harshly threw her on the bed. He was strong, and the force he exerted was all his might.

Bei Sangyun’s waist hit the side of the bed. She slumped down in pain.

"You won’t get away with this." Bei Sangyun gritted her teeth in anger. She would never lose her dignity here. Even if she had to bite off his flesh, she would never let him humiliate her. Especially not in this way.

Richard saw her angry and desperate expression, as if she was hanging on a thin rope. She was desperate to grasp the thin rope, and at the same time, she was angry that she had no choice but to live this way.

Helplessness and hopelessness.

Richard felt a heat coursing through him just by looking at her face filled with helplessness.

"You are really pretty..." He approached her with that perverted look on his face.

Bei Sangyun felt disgusted as Richard went on top of her. In her desperation to escape, she hit Richard’s face with all her might. Richard was taken aback. Bei Sangyun used this chance to push him hard, summoning all the strength within her body.

She ignored her aching waist and back to get out of the bed.

"You bitch!"

But Richard was fast. Compared to Bei Sangyun’s thin body, the athletic Richard overtake her. Just as she ran outside the inner room, he already caught up with her. He grabbed her hair again and slapped her. "I want to be gentle, but you are making it hard for me!"

Bei Sangyun struggled. She resisted and grabbed anything she could reach. She seized the cart she had brought earlier. The cart was hastily grabbed, and the drinks on the cart spilled. Due to the wheels, Bei Sangyun was still being dragged toward the inner room.

"Help!" She screamed out of desperation.

"No one is going to help you, bitch!" Richard, still angered from being hit on the face, couldn’t help but punch her stomach.

Bei Sangyun writhed in pain. But she did not let go of the hold she had on the cart.

At this moment, the door suddenly opened.

Richard stopped punching Bei Sangyun and looked at the newcomer.

Sophia appeared behind the door. Seeing her, Bei Sangyun had a bit of hope. "Help-"

But when she met Sophia’s cold eyes, Bei Sangyun’s words halted.

"You’re not done yet? Make it quick and don’t be too loud. Although the entire floor and the floors below are empty, her screams can still be heard in the hallway. It’s grating on my ears."

Bei Sangyun paled.

Sophia glanced at her, disgusted. "I really don’t understand this fetish of yours."

Bei Sangyun stared at her in a daze.

Ha. Right, what was she expecting? This person was the one who set this up for her perverted brother. There’s no way she would help.

They were the same. Both were disgusting people wearing a human mask.

"I get it. Get out," Richard said nonchalantly, as if everything was under his control.

Sophia left. The door closed once more.

Bei Sangyun’s eyes turned red. With a sudden burst of energy, she grabbed the plate and threw it at the person behind her.

The food fell on Richard’s face, and the glass plate hit his forehead.

Clang!

Richard let go of Bei Sangyun, unconsciously holding his bleeding forehead. He screamed in pain. "Agh! I’ll kill you, bitch!"

Bei Sangyun gained freedom. She reached out to the cart again, grabbing everything she touched and threw it at Richard like a madwoman.