Qin Wang bit down on her neck in a fury, with a punishing intent.
She shrank her neck, ticklish, and pressed her hand against his chest, trying to push him away a little.
Qin Wang lifted his eyelids, a dangerous aura suddenly surging toward her. “I’ll ask you one last time—what did you do outside just now? Who did you see? Make it clear.”
His voice was low and heavy, his eyes narrowing slightly—this was a sign he was about to get angry. Her instincts told her she couldn’t provoke him at a time like this, or the consequences would be severe.
But Qiao Xi couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Xu Nuo’s identity couldn’t be exposed—it would cause a lot of trouble, and she’d be implicated as well.
Besides, even if she told him, given Qin Wang’s possessiveness and controlling nature, if he found out she’d gone to eavesdrop with another man in the middle of the night, he’d probably just kill her outright.
Qiao Xi was evasive. “I just couldn’t sleep and came out to get some air.”
“Get some air?”
Qin Wang laughed in exasperation at her flimsy excuse. “Getting some air by clinging to the exterior wall like a gecko?”
“Is that not allowed?” Qiao Xi stiffened her neck. “I did open the window to get some air at first, then I realized our rooms were connected… so I thought I’d drop by and see if you were jerking off…”
Hearing her words, Qin Wang’s face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot.
This woman full of dirty talk—not a single truthful word out of her mouth.
Jerking off, huh.
“Fine.” He gritted his teeth with a cold smile. “Since you’re so curious, I’ll do it right now for you.”
Huh?
Qiao Xi froze for a moment, then noticed Qin Wang’s slender fingers hooking onto the edge of her waistband.
“Hey!!”
She hurriedly reached down to stop him but was half a second too slow.
He applied a little force with his fingers, and her pants were yanked off.
At the same time, she felt Qin Wang’s breath against her ear—
scorching, angry, and laced with a hint of hatred.
Qiao Xi was momentarily stunned as she watched Qin Wang sit up straight and unbuckle his belt with an expressionless face. His slender fingers clicked against the belt buckle with a crisp sound.
She swallowed.
She braced herself on the bed with her elbows, trying to sit up, but he pressed down on her shoulders and pushed her back into place.
“Don’t move.”
Qin Wang leaned in close, his gaze landing on her rosy lips—the place he’d been longing for day and night for three years.
He lowered his head to kiss her.
Qiao Xi didn’t know what was wrong with her. Deep down, she didn’t actually resist being close to him, but her heart suddenly ached.
In her memory, Qin Wang had never been this forceful. In bed, aside from telling him to stop or not, he’d always been very obedient.
The Qin Wang from three years ago, who would ask with red ears, “Baby, can I come in?”—he was gone.
Now, all that remained in his heart was hatred for her, as if he’d become a different person.
When he loved, he wanted to sleep with her. When he hated, he wanted the same.
Qiao Xi couldn’t quite read him.
Just as he was about to kiss her, she turned her face away.
Qin Wang’s kiss met empty air. His expression stiffened for a moment, and the desire in his eyes quickly cooled.
“What do you mean by this, Qiao Xi?”
He reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Isn’t it you who came running into my room in the middle of the night to tease me? Now you’re making that face—what’s that supposed to mean?”
Anger simmered beneath Qin Wang’s eyes. Three years had passed, and she still treated him like the fool she could easily manipulate, doing whatever she pleased.
“What about you?”
Qiao Xi looked him straight in the eyes, refusing to back down. “Do you want to sleep with me because you like me, or just because you hate me and want revenge?”
Love or hate?
Qin Wang stared at her for a few seconds, his fingers unconsciously tracing her rounded shoulder. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He wanted to say hate.
But the word wouldn’t leave his lips.
If it were only hate, why would he react every time he saw her?
If it were only hate, why would his heart feel like someone had squeezed it hard when she dodged his kiss just now?
But before this, he had always hated this woman before him with every fiber of his being.
And he felt he should hate her—hate her for abandoning him, hate her for her cold, hard heart, hate her for her endless lies.
And how much of that hatred was mixed with fondness and love, he’d never bothered to consider.
Perhaps because even he found it shameful to admit.
Qin Wang suddenly released her, sat on the edge of the bed, and lit a cigarette, falling silent as he stared off into space, lost in thought.
“Qin Wang.”
His warmth withdrew from beside her. Qiao Xi sat up and looked at his handsome profile.
“Are you still angry?”
Her tone carried a hint of cautiousness.
Qin Wang exhaled a puff of smoke, turned his head, and shot her an irritated glare. “Don’t talk to me until I forgive you.”
Qiao Xi said “oh,” got off the bed, stood on the floor, and calmly straightened her clothes. She lifted her foot and headed toward the door.
Without looking back.
But just as she reached the door, her hand on the handle but before she could press it down, a knock suddenly sounded on the door panel in front of her.
Knock, knock!
Qiao Xi froze, then heard Li Chuan’s voice from outside.
“Qin Wang, are you in there?”
She instinctively turned her head to look at Qin Wang by the bed.
He also furrowed his brows slightly, clearly puzzled by Li Chuan’s sudden arrival.
Qiao Xi signaled with her eyes for him to quickly get rid of the person outside.
But Qin Wang just smoked his cigarette, completely motionless.
Only when the door was knocked on again did he reply impatiently with two words,
“Not here.”
Qiao Xi: …
The person outside paused mid-motion, naturally picking up on the displeasure in Qin Wang’s tone.
He felt a slight sense of relief inwardly—so the person who had been eavesdropping outside the window earlier was probably not Qin Wang.
With Qin Wang’s fiery temper, if he knew he was being schemed against, he would have already come looking to settle the score.
Still, there were a few things he needed to confirm.
“Qin Wang, I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“No time.”
“It’s about Qiao Xi.”
The two inside exchanged a glance, and Qin Wang asked, “What is it?”
Li Chuan said, “While keeping watch tonight, I noticed suspicious traces near the house, so I went door to door knocking to warn everyone.”
“Everyone else’s rooms were fine—only Qiao Xi’s room was empty.”
After a pause, he said, “I’m worried she might be in danger, so I wanted to discuss it with you.”
Qiao Xi curled her lip. He had the nerve to talk about keeping watch when he’d kept watch right into Xia Manman’s bed.
Sensing the burning gaze fixed on her, she spread her hands at Qin Wang with an innocent look, signaling it had nothing to do with her.
Qin Wang let out a cold snort and said dismissively, “She’s a heavy sleeper—probably didn’t hear the knocking.”
“Whatever it is, let’s deal with it when it’s light out.”
Qiao Xi pressed her lips together. With Li Chuan guarding the door on the other side, she stepped toward the window.
Qin Wang remained expressionless on his end.
Qiao Xi climbed onto the windowsill with practiced ease, while outside, Li Chuan refused to let it go, insisting Qin Wang open the door.
She didn’t catch the rest of what was said.
Back in her room, not long after, the door was pushed open from outside.
Footsteps drew closer, accompanied by Li Chuan’s voice: “See, I told you she wasn’t in her room.”
In truth, he had already come in to search once earlier, and just now he’d checked—Qin Wang’s room didn’t have her either.
So where could Qiao Xi have gone?
By now, Li Chuan was almost certain that the person eavesdropping outside the window earlier was Qiao Xi.
But with her nowhere to be found now, he was growing anxious.
Just as he was mulling it over, Qin Wang, who had remained silent all along, suddenly turned around, hooked his fingers onto the sliding wardrobe door, and pulled it open.
The scene inside the wardrobe came into view for both of them—Qiao Xi was curled up in the wardrobe, hugging a blanket, sleeping peacefully.
Li Chuan frowned. “Why is she in the wardrobe?”
Who in their right mind sleeps in a wardrobe when there’s a perfectly good bed?
Startled by the door opening, Qiao Xi looked at the two of them through bleary eyes. “You… what are you two doing in my room?”